What is IVF?
IVF stands for in vitro fertilisation - a process of assisted conception
During IVF, we obtain eggs and sperm and we fertilise in a laboratory outside the body to create embryos. Embryos are then grown in the laboratory and then transferred into the uterus when they reach the appropriate stage of development.
Prior to starting IVF...
The process can seem overwhelming at first, but most patients manage the IVF cycle really well.
- It will start with an initial consultation with a fertility specialist where a full history, examination and assessment of your specific circumstances will be undertaken.
- Often some preliminary tests will need to be arranged and this can include a pelvic ultrasound, blood tests, genetic tests and sperm analysis.
- Should IVF be the appropriate pathway for your circumstances, a treatment plan will be submitted and a nursing appointment will be made where they will teach you how to use the hormone injections and discuss the frequency and nature of the monitoring.
Louise Brown was the first ever IVF baby was born, in 1978. Since that time there have been millions of babies born via IVF around the world.
What's involved in IVF?
Growing the eggs
- The actual process of IVF typically involves a daily hormone injection, called follicle stimulating hormone.
- This injection helps grow the follicles on your ovaries, which hopefully contain eggs.
- You then need to take a second medication that prevents ovulation, this is referred to as an agonist or antagonist. This is often also an injection.
- Whilst on these medications we will monitor the progress via blood tests and ultrasounds.
Great news! You don’t have to go into the city for your monitoring, there are monitoring sites all over Sydney and you can have your blood tests and ultrasounds at the most convenient and closest monitoring site for you. It doesn’t even have to be the same one each time, you can go to any of our dedicated monitoring sites.
Egg Collection for IVF
- The egg collection process does happen in the Sydney CBD. This is a short 15 minute procedure that can be performed with you asleep or awake with some pain relief and light sedation.
- You will need someone to drop you off and take you home and you go home the same day as the procedure.
- To collect the eggs, we utilise a transvaginal ultrasound with a small needle on the end of the ultrasound probe.
- This needle is inserted into the vagina, through the ovary and each of the follicles that has been grown is drained.
- This follicular fluid is then examined under a microscope by a scientist and the eggs are identified and collected.
IVF Fertilisation & Implantation
- Once the eggs are collected, we obtain a sperm sample either from your partner or sperm donor.
- The eggs and sperm are combined together in the laboratory.
- The embryos are grown out to day five and then some people will have a fresh embryo transfer whilst others will freeze all their embryos, depending on circumstances.
- Should an embryo be transferred back into the uterus, we would do a pregnancy test approximately two weeks later.