In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)
In vitro fertilization (IVF) describes the clinical and laboratory techniques used to achieve pregnancy in infertile couples where the underlying cause of infertility cannot be directly corrected. It involves obtaining embryos by fertilizing egg and sperm cells outside the body and then transferring the resulting embryo into the uterus to achieve pregnancy. IVF methods are preferred when natural conception is not possible due to factors such as blocked fallopian tubes in women, the need for genetic disease screening, severe male factor infertility, or lack of response to other pre-IVF treatments for hormonal irregularities, ovulation disorders, mild male factor infertility, and unexplained infertility.
The IVF procedure typically involves stimulating the ovaries of the woman starting from the second day of her menstrual cycle, followed by fertilization of the obtained eggs with the male’s sperm through microinjection (ICSI = Intracytoplasmic sperm injection) method.
After fertilization, the development of the embryos is monitored under special laboratory conditions, and when the embryos reach the preferable stage, ideally on the 5th day, they are transferred into the woman’s uterus. Alternatively, if there are conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome, diminished ovarian reserve, or the need for genetic testing (preimplantation genetic diagnosis), all obtained embryos are frozen and stored. These frozen embryos can be thawed and transferred in subsequent months to increase the chances of pregnancy.
Stages of IVF
The IVF treatment process consists of 5 steps. The first stage of treatment is the preparation stage. During this stage, after a detailed examination and necessary tests, we determine whether the couples who decide on IVF treatment and come to our clinic are suitable for this treatment or which treatment should be given. After this stage, the next step is the ovarian stimulation phase of the woman.
In natural menstrual cycles, women usually develop one egg from one ovary every month, although rarely two eggs can develop. The goal of treating ovarian stimulation is to obtain as many eggs as possible. Therefore, we apply some pill and injection treatments to stimulate the ovaries and obtain a large number of eggs. The injections are usually administered daily. There is an average drug treatment period of around 10-12 days. However, sometimes drug treatment can last for 1 week, and sometimes it can be extended up to 2 weeks. During this drug treatment period, we perform ultrasonographic monitoring at intervals of 3/4 days to ensure that the follicles (fluid-filled sacs containing one egg each) are growing as desired and that the process is proceeding well, and we request some blood tests.
The stage after ovarian stimulation is the egg retrieval phase. In this process, eggs are collected by entering the follicles with a needle under anesthesia in a suitable hospital environment and under ultrasound guidance. On the same day of egg retrieval, a sperm sample is taken from the man. The next stage is the fertilization of the egg with sperm: Fertilization is generally achieved by injecting sperm into the egg (microinjection method). After microinjection, the development of the resulting embryos is monitored. The monitoring period lasts for about 3 to 5 days. After this monitoring period, we proceed to the embryo transfer stage.
In the embryo transfer stage, the obtained embryo or embryos are placed into the uterus under ultrasound guidance using a thin cannula. To increase the success of the treatment, the transfer of the quality embryo that reaches the 5th day is usually preferred. The period from the beginning of treatment to embryo transfer is approximately 3 weeks on average. After the embryo transfer, we enter the process of monitoring whether the embryo has implanted. During this process, we wait for 11-12 days after embryo transfer and then perform a pregnancy test (beta-hCG test) to determine if pregnancy has occurred.
Our page is for informational purposes only. Please consult your doctor for diagnosis and treatment.
