A Step-by-Step Guide to the IVF Process
March 18, 2025In vitro fertilization (IVF) represents the most advanced and effective approach to infertility for couples facing various pregnancy challenges. Since its beginning in 1978, the IVF method has enabled more than 8 million women to conceive. Approximately 2.3% of newborns in the United States are brought into the world through assisted reproductive technology (ART). Given that IVF constitutes 99% of all ART methods, a significant portion of these infants are a result of IVF.
The IVF technique is quite simple and follows a systematic step-by-step protocol. If you are thinking about IVF, you might be curious about the duration and the process involved. Continue reading to discover what the IVF journey entails from beginning to end.
Understanding the IVF Process
IVF is a technique that helps couples become parents when it is difficult to conceive naturally. The process entails forming an embryo in a controlled lab environment before placing it into the uterus. This method highlights significant advancements in medical science, offering couples a different option to realize their desire to have a child. Here’s how it works:
Step 1: Suppressing the Regular Menstrual Cycle
You will receive a medication designed to stop your regular menstrual cycle. This can enhance the effectiveness of the medications utilized in the following phase of treatment. The medication is administered either through a daily self-injection, for which you will receive instructions, or through a nasal spray. You will continue this process for approximately two weeks.
Step 2: Boosting Egg Production Through Superovulation
You will be prescribed fertility medications that initiate a process known as stimulation, also referred to as superovulation. Essentially, these medications, which include Follicle Stimulating Hormones, will make your body generate more than one single egg each month.
An increase in egg production enhances your opportunities for successful fertilization throughout your treatment. You will also undergo routine transvaginal ultrasounds and blood examinations to assess your ovarian function and observe your hormone levels during this phase of the IVF journey,
Step 3: Removing the Eggs
You will be given an injection of a hormone that will accelerate the maturation of your eggs a little over a day before they are to be extracted from your body. The eggs will next be extracted via a small surgical technique known as follicular aspiration. During the surgery, your doctor will insert a small needle via your vagina into each of your ovaries using an ultrasound. A mechanism that captures the eggs one at a time is attached to the needle.
This is a minor process that will take roughly 15 to 20 minutes. Following this treatment, some women have cramping or mild vaginal bleeding. But don't worry if this sounds painful; you will most likely be given medication in advance to help you cope with any discomfort.
Step 4: Collecting Sperm from a Partner Or a Donor
Your partner will supply a sperm sample while your eggs are extracted. Using donor sperm is another option. To identify the healthiest sperm, they are then exposed to a high-speed wash and spin cycle.
Step 5: Fertilising the Eggs
To fertilize them, the collected eggs are combined in a lab with either your partner's or the donor's sperm. In certain situations, a single sperm injection may be required for each egg. This is known as intracytoplasmic sperm injection or ICSI.
Before being placed in the womb, the fertilized eggs, or embryos, can grow for up to six days in the lab. One or two of the finest embryos will then be transferred.
Following egg collection, hormone medications will be given to help prepare your womb's lining for the embryo. This is often given as a gel, injection, or pessary inserted into your vagina.
Step 6: Embryo Transfer
You will be given another medication after your eggs have been collected. The purpose of this one is to prepare your uterine lining to receive the embryos, which will be reintroduced into you.
Your doctor will use a catheter to insert the embryos into your uterus approximately three to five days after fertilization. Similar to stage three, this IVF procedure is carried out while you are awake at your doctor's clinic.
Multiple embryos are reintroduced into your uterus in the hope that at least one will implant in your uterine lining and begin to develop. Multiples are quite common in women who utilize IVF since more than one embryo can be implanted.
What Happens After an Embryo Transfer
Once a blastocyst embryo transfer has taken place, it typically requires around nine days to confirm a pregnancy. Following the transfer, the embryo undergoes the subsequent developments:
- Day 1: The blastocyst initiates the process of hatching from its protective layer.
- Day 2: The hatching process carries on, and the blastocyst starts its attachment to the uterine wall.
- Day 3: The blastocyst embeds itself more firmly into the uterine lining, which marks the beginning of implantation.
- Day 4: The process of implantation continues.
- Day 5: Implantation is now finally completed. The cells that will transform into the placenta and embryo are in the early stages of development.
- Day 6: Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), which indicates the onset of pregnancy, begins to circulate in the bloodstream.
- Days 7 and 8: The process of fetal growth progresses, and the secretion of hCG remains ongoing.
- Day 9: The concentration of hCG in the mother’s blood reaches sufficient levels, allowing for the detection of pregnancy through a blood test.
Bottom Line
IVF serves as an amazing example of human innovation and a safe and effective pregnancy treatment. Every phase of the IVF process is designed to provide novel opportunities for people who want to build a family. Enter the procedure, knowing exactly what each step involves and communicating openly with a healthcare provider.
