Stage 1: Ovarian stimulation: The Ovarian Stimulation Process is especially important at the begging of your IVF treatment. If you’re using your eggs at the start of a cycle, you’ll begin treatment with synthetic hormones to stimulate your ovaries to produce multiple eggs — rather than the single egg that normally develops each month. Multiple eggs are needed because some eggs won’t fertilize or develop normally. Having a greater number of mature eggs available for fertilization increases the chances of pregnancy. Before you start ovarian stimulation, you will have undergone extensive fertility testing, as the IVF medical staff will inform you about the tests you must follow.
Testing will include blood tests to show the baseline levels of hormones in your body, allowing the IVF medical staff to recommend a treatment regimen that’s suited to you. Likely, you’ll also be on birth control pills for several weeks beforehand, so we can be confident about your hormonal clock.
Stage 2: Egg (oocyte) retrieval [Egg Pick Up]: When the follicles have reached an adequate size and number, it is time to schedule the oocyte retrieval procedure, known as an egg collection. The aim is to collect many eggs, even though not all of them will be used for fertilization. The procedure will be timed to take place around 36-48 hours after an hCG or LH injection is administered, which induces oocyte maturation and triggers ovulation. The egg collection takes place in the IVF clinic under sedation and lasts for approximately 15 minutes. You will need to stay in the clinic for at least a couple of hours to recover from the sedation.
Stage 3: Egg and Sperm Preparation: Two hours before egg retrieval, a semen sample is collected from the male partner. According to IVF protocol, two to three days of abstinence from sexual intercourse/masturbation is preferred before the sample collection day. The male is always informed of that by the IVF medical staff. The sperm sample is usually produced by masturbation at the IVF clinic, in an isolated room. The sperm is processed to select the strongest, most active sperm. This is called ‘sperm washing’. There are certain circumstances in which there is a need for Egg and Sperm using a donor.
Stage 4: Egg fertilization: The sperm are placed with the eggs in an incubator set to the same temperature as a woman’s body. The next day, the eggs are examined under a microscope to determine whether fertilisation has occurred. The resulting embryos will be ready to transfer to the uterus two to five days later. The embryologist will perform assisted hatching on the embryos to help obtain cells for testing. When the embryo reaches the blastocyst stage, a few cells on the outside of the embryo are biopsied and sent for genetic analysis.
Stage 5: Embryo transfer: The transfer itself is a fairly simple procedure, much like undergoing a cervical screening (smear) test. Two to five days following egg pick up, the embryo is placed in a catheter (a soft tube) and transferred to the uterus via the vagina opening. The number of embryos transferred depends on a woman’s age, cause of infertility, pregnancy history, and other factors.
Cryopreservation
Cryopreservation is the process of freezing eggs, sperm, or embryos to sub-zero temperatures for later use. When the eggs, sperm, or embryos are needed, they are thawed and fertilized or used in a fertility treatment cycle. Eggs and embryos will be used during procedures associated with IVF. Cryopreservation provides indefinite longevity for the cells being frozen. At the time of freezing, all biological activity is suspended until the cells are thawed. Cryopreservation typically uses liquid nitrogen to freeze the eggs, sperm, or embryos to -20 degrees.
The Greek IVF Clinics use state of the art, cryoprotective agents to prevent damage to the cells during the process. It is unknown how long reproductive cells may be frozen and stored for future use, but cryopreservation is considered indefinite.
How age affects fertility
Fertility decreases with age, particularly after the age of 35 because both the number and quality of eggs get lower. A woman is born with all the eggs she has in her life. Her eggs age with her, decreasing in quality and quantity. Age is the most important factor affecting a woman’s fertility. Health increases your chances of getting pregnant and giving birth to a healthy baby, but it also doesn’t rule out the influence of age on a woman’s delivery.
Duration of an IVF cycle
An IVF treatment course lasts up to 6 weeks. Sometimes, IVF procedures are divided into several parts and the process takes longer. However, this concerns the success rate of a particular treatment. Some women are lucky with just one treatment and others must endure multiple cycles to get pregnant.
IVF Risk
The risk of severe health complications for women undergoing fertility treatment has generally been low and is getting progressively lower. Hormone therapies are increasingly sophisticated, and regimes will often be tailored to individuals. IVF Clinics also perform regular tests to make sure that the ovaries are not at risk of over-stimulation.
Red Ovum, is a new concept, a new idea, a new team of experienced experts, ready to assist you at your own IVF journey treatment to Greece. We are ready to offer an integrated approach to medical services so that you do not have to worry about anything else than your IVF treatment success!
For further information about Red Ovum please contact us!