In Vitro Fertilization (IVF): Understanding the Process & Success Rates

In vitro fertilization is a medical practice in which an egg is fertilized by a sperm outside of a human body. It is a breakthrough in medical procedures as a treatment for infertility. The process involves the monitoring of a woman’s ovulatory cycle. When the woman is ovulating, the ovum or ova, that are the eggs, are removed from the ovaries of the woman and are allowed to fertilize with the sperm in a fluid substance in a laboratory. When the woman’s natural ovulating cycle is monitored with the purpose of removing the ova for fertilization, it is known as natural cycle IVF. After fertilization, it is called a zygote. The zygote is then moved in the woman’s uterus, expecting a successful pregnancy. The first successful case in the birth of a “test tube baby” occurred in 1978. The term In vitro is a Latin term that means ‘in glass’. This is because beakers, test tubes or Petri dishes are the kinds of containers that are used in this method. The term, these days, is being used to refer to any biological procedure. Test tube baby is the colloquial term for the babies that are conceived with the help of IVF. By the book, it is possible to carry out In vitro fertilization by collecting the components from the fallopian tubes or from the uterus after the process of natural ovulation, combining them with the semen and inserting the zygote in the uterus. There are a lot of additional techniques that have been used in recent times that include ovarian hyper stimulation to retrieve multiple eggs. Such a technique increases the chance of conceiving. Natural IVF is a method in which there is no medication given to stimulate the ovaries. The ovum is from the woman’s natural ovulation cycle. If the ovaries are stimulated, there is a risk of excessive stimulation which can end up becoming complicated and life threatening. Use of medication has a huge risk involved. Avoiding the use of drugs protects the patient from the side effects of the medication. On the other hand, a Mild IVF is a case in which the expectant mother is given mild medication. The medication is given to the woman to stimulate the ovulation cycle. This increases the chances of the woman conceiving. This method can be used for women who have health issues that affect their ovulation cycle. The process uses modern techniques and equipments and therefore can be expensive. There are many specialty clinics and hospitals that offer the treatment. It is always better to take the opinion of a few doctors before taking the plunge. The more complicated the case of the woman, the more difficult and expensive the treatment is. The age, health issues and the quality of the ovum and the sperm have a direct impact on the cost of the treatment. Understand your case properly and the chances that you stand with the treatment. Thanks to the advancements in medical science, most of the cases are successful.