Prashanth Fertility Research Centre

IVF Stimulation Day By Day

IVF Stimulation Day By Day

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In the modern world, one in six couples are struggling with infertility issues, that have been hindering their parenthood dream. But, don’t worry, In Vitro Fertilization can help you attain your parenthood dream. This is a proven technique with a decent success rate. This blog will help you understand what is IVF, when to choose it, and the complete journey of this process  and IVF stimulation day by day

What is IVF?

In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is a medical procedure, where the egg and sperm samples of the couple are fused outside the body in the laboratory to form an embryo and transferred into the woman’s uterus aiming for a successful pregnancy. This procedure is ideal for individuals or couples struggling with infertility problems.

When To Choose IVF?

You can choose IVF if you undergo any of the following conditions.

  • People who have damaged or blocked fallopian tubes.
  • Men with low sperm count or motility.
  • People above 35 planning for pregnancy and struggling with a decline in egg reserve.
  • Women with endometriosis, PCOS, or recurrent miscarriages.
  • If genetic history is a concern affecting offspring.
  • To freeze eggs or sperm for future pregnancy, when undergoing hormonal treatments or chemotherapy.

IVF Stimulation Journey

Day 1: Initial Evaluation

The IVF stimulation phase begins with the initial evaluation, to gather essential information about the individual’s reproductive health and consultation. Based on the test results, the Doctor will determine the best-suited IVF stimulation technique.

Day 2-4: Commencement of Stimulation

The stimulation cycle begins during the second to fourth day by stimulating hormone injections such as FSH and LH into the ovary to promote the development of mature eggs. These hormones last 10 to 14 days, and the number of injections is administered regularly under proper guidance to reduce complications and improve the chances of a successful outcome.

Day 5-7: Monitoring Progress

After stimulation, the hormone levels should be monitored more often through blood tests and ultrasounds. This will keep track of the follicles and help alter the dosage for optimum results.

Day 8-10: Trigger Shot Admiration

Once the follicles attain appropriate size, hormonal trigger shots such as Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) or Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH) are injected into the body to trigger ovulation. This injection acts as a hormone and triggers the ovaries to secrete mature eggs and keeps them ready for retrieval. This process needs to be done based on the ovulation cycle, to achieve optimum results.

Day 11-12: Egg Retrieval

The egg retrieval process is carried out through the sedation method, where a needle is inserted through the vaginal wall to collect the mature eggs from the ovaries. This process can last 20 to 30 minutes and could cause immediate side effects such as cramping, bloating and mild spotting.

Day 13-14: Fertilization

The collected eggs are fertilized in the laboratory using the sperm samples collected from your partner. In the case of male infertility, sperm with high motility is injected into the egg using Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI).

The fertilised eggs in the embryo are monitored to ensure proper development and determine the best ones for further embryo culture process. If you are undergoing a frozen embryo transfer, embryos are not transferred immediately and may be frozen for future use.

Day 15-19: Embryo Culture

The embryos that are collected after successful fertilization are cultured in a controlled incubator for 5-6 days. This helps in allowing further development and reaching the blastocyst stage. The embryos are then graded based on their quality and growth, to choose the best-quality embryos for implantation.

Day 20-21: Embryo Transfer

The best-quality embryos are then transferred to the uterus using a thin catheter, under ultrasound guidelines to ensure proper implantation. This process is relatively simple and painless. After the embryo transfer process, the patient may be advised to take rest for a brief period, before resuming routine work.

Day 22-30: Luteal Phase and Pregnancy Test

After embryo implantation, progesterone and other hormone supplements are prescribed to support the uterine lining. During this phase, some may experience side effects such as bloating, mild cramping, and breast tenderness.
After 10 to 14 days after embryo transfer, a pregnancy test is carried out to determine successful implantation and pregnancy. If the result is positive, additional blood tests and ultrasounds are done to confirm pregnancy. The ovary is then monitored more often to check the progress of fetal development.

Advantages of IVF

  • It helps in treating blocked fallopian tubes, ovulatory disorders, and male infertility effectively.
  • It helps in controlling and monitoring the embryo to improve the chances for successful implantation.
  • Has a higher success rate compared to IUI, and other artificial methods.
  • Helpful to treat women with age-related infertility issues.
  • It helps in preserving fertility by freezing embryos for future pregnancies.

Conclusion

In summary, the in vitro fertilisation process is an important tool, when carefully structured step-by-step under proper guidance, to help optimise egg production for a successful pregnancy. The journey of this stimulation process can be emotionally and physically demanding, but gives hope for parenthood, for couples struggling with infertility. This is a more successful proven procedure than other artificial reproductive technologies.

FAQs

What are the common side effects of IVF stimulation?

While undergoing the IVF process, you may experience these common side effects such as bloating, mood swings, headache, breast tenderness and cramping. In some cases, there are chances of multiple births and ectopic pregnancies.

Is IVF stimulation painful?

No, IVF stimulation may not be painful in most cases, however, some women may experience some mild pain and discomfort, due to hormone injections, and bloating. As the egg retrieval process is done under sedation, there are very minimal chances of experiencing pain.

What should be avoided during IVF stimulation?

Things that need to be avoided during IVF treatment involve processed foods, fried foods, raw eggs, caffeine, alcohol, smoking, and intense exercises.

What is the success rate of IVF?

IVF has a high success rate, however, age and other medical conditions are the major concerns in determining success. For people below the age of 30, the success rate is 40-45%, and it is below 40% for aged couples.

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