IVF, or in vitro fertilization is one of the most popular fertility treatments. Many of us might have heard about it, but only a handful of us knows the meaning and IVF process.
To educate common folks and people battling infertility, Dr Manish Banker, the IVF specialist in Ahmedabad has brought this detailed IVF guide. Also, Dr Banker’s fertility hospital is the best IVF centre in Ahmedabad, thanks to the high success rates and world-class fertility treatments.
In this blog
IVF Meaning
Who Needs IVF treatment?
The IVF procedure steps?
Risks/Benefits
Reasons to cancel IVF
Results
A word from the best IVF centre in Ahmedabad – Banker IVF
IVF Meaning
These days IVF is a common treatment in the medical world and is available across the globe. But, one should not ignore the fact that IVF treatment is a result of constant scientific research, experimentation, failure and success. The earliest IVF experiment dates back to 1878 and was performed on various mammals. On 25th July 1978, the first ever IVF birth of Louise Brown was witnessed by the world. From then onward, assisted reproductive technology such as IVF became a hope for infertile couples. This little peek into the early history of IVF allows us to embrace the immense growth and success that it holds today.
In simple words, IVF is a procedure where a woman’s egg and a man’s sperm are combined out of the uterus in a laboratory. This is called fertilization successfully fertilizes an embryo. That embryo is then placed inside the woman’s uterus. This whole IVF procedure is executed by IVF specialists such as Dr Manish Banker with the assistance of advanced equipment and proven medical techniques.
Who Needs IVF treatment?
IVF treatment is meant for couples suffering from infertility. Although, the fertility specialist won’t be advising IVF as the first-hand solution to treat infertility. Several other simpler treatments often are more than enough to treat infertility but, in some cases, IVF is the only viable option. Here are some of the reasons why the IVF specialist Dr Manish Banker advises you to IVF treatment:
The IVF procedure steps?
Since IVF is an advanced reproductive technology, it requires a special procedure. The IVF process is carried out in several steps by the IVF specialist. Dr. Manish Banker is the best fertility doctor at his IVF hospital in Ahmedabad. If you are intending to get familiar with IVF treatment then here we have broken down the procedure into vital steps. All of these steps hold immense significance as they serve a distinct purpose in IVF treatment.
Ovulation induction
A woman naturally produces only one egg each month. But, during the IVF process, just one egg is not enough to carry out the treatment effectively. Therefore, to make the treatment more efficient the IVF specialist will prescribe you several different medications. These medications will stimulate a woman’s reproductive organs to produce multiple eggs at once. They are also called fertility drugs.
The particular hormone, dosage, and repetition will entirely depend on your health and other factors which will be determined by the IVF specialist. You’ll be on those medications for one or two weeks until the eggs are matured and ready for the next step.
Vaginal ultrasound and blood tests are often used to determine if the eggs are ready for collection. The ultrasound will monitor the development of ovarian follicles. These are sacs inside ovaries, each containing an egg.
Egg retrieval
Women often worry about the pain that they might endure during this process. But the anaesthesia is given to them so they may don’t feel any pain. Egg retrieval is the step followed by ovulation stimulation. Once the final trigger injection is done, the egg retrieval process can be carried out after approximately 35 hours. The process takes around 20 minutes. It is advised that women take rest a day before and on the day of egg retrieval. Once the procedure is done, they can return to their normal lifestyle and resume their activities within a day. The patient is also sedated throughout the procedure.
The most common method of retrieval is transvaginal ultrasound aspiration. To identify follicles, an ultrasound probe is inserted into your vagina. The eggs are then extracted by inserting a thin needle into an ultrasound guide and passing it through the vagina and into the follicles. The eggs are extracted from the follicles using a needle attached to a suction device. Mature eggs are incubated in a nutritive liquid (culture medium). Healthy and mature eggs will be combined with sperm in an attempt to create embryos. However, not all eggs will be fertilised successfully.
In cases where IVF is done for the purpose of fertility preservation, mature eggs which are aspirated are cryopreserved for future use.
Sperm retrieval
To fertilize the eggs, semen is needed. A semen sample can be collected from the woman’s partner for further procedure. The semen sample is usually collected on the morning of egg retrieval at the IVF hospital. Masturbation is commonly used to collect sperm samples. Testicular aspiration, the use of a needle or surgical procedure to extract sperm directly from the testicle is sometimes required. In some cases, the male partner’s sperm is weak or is not healthy enough for fertilization. Normal semen analysis can be done to determine semen’s health. In this situation, donor sperm is the viable option. IVF specialist Dr Manish Banker and his team at their IVF centre in Ahmedabad offer professional assistance to couples seeking donor treatment.
Fertilization & Embryo Culture
The collected eggs will be sorted out between matured and immature eggs. After the sperm has been retrieved, an embryologist is tasked ahead. The expert will fertilize the mature eggs by using intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). In simple words, a single sperm is injected into each mature egg. Meanwhile, certain processes are performed on immature eggs to mature them but the success is not that great. These injected eggs are then cultured in the embryology lab till a blastocyst stage. Not all eggs can form blastocysts as it depends on various conditions, mainly the genetic quality of the eggs and sperms.
Embryo Freezing
If there are excess embryos, then those can be frozen for future use. Frozen embryos can be of great use in the future because you won’t have to go through the whole procedure yet again. Couple who are in their 20s or 30s and wish to become a parent and plan their pregnancy in the later years often prefer to electively freeze the embryos.
Embryo transfer
The next step is embryo transfer which has two types, namely fresh embryo and frozen embryo. The IVF specialist Dr Manish Banker will be able to determine which type of embryo transfer is best suited to your case. Once the type has been decided, the transfer can be done, and the procedure for both embryo transfers is the same. In a fresh embryo transfer, the embryo is inserted into the uterus after 5 days of egg retrieval. Meanwhile, in a frozen embryo transfer, the frozen embryos from the previous IVF cycle or donor treatment are used. This process can be done even years after the embryo has been frozen. The couple who wishes to plan their parenthood in their later stage often opt for frozen embryo transfer.
To prepare your uterus for absorbing an embryo, you’ll take oral, vaginal, or transdermal hormones as part of the initial stage of a frozen embryo transfer. Injectable hormones are rarely used. During this time, you’ll have two or three appointments to monitor the readiness of your uterus with ultrasound and to measure your hormone levels with a blood test. When your uterus is ready, the embryo transfer operation will be planned for you by the IVF specialist. The overall embryo transfer procedure takes around 10 minutes and barely causes any pain to the patient. Since it is performed by a fertility expert, risks are also quite low.
Pregnancy
Pregnancy occurs when the embryo inserts itself into the uterine lining. Approximately 9 to 14 days following embryo transfer, your healthcare professional will conduct a blood test to determine if you are pregnant.
The same procedures are followed if donor eggs are used. Ovarian stimulation and egg retrieval will be completed by the egg donor. Following fertilisation, the embryo is transferred to the person who will carry the pregnancy.
The IVF treatment is unlike any other normal medical treatment or therapy. Therefore, patients are advised to take into consideration the numerous factors associated with the IVF procedure before committing to it. Visiting the Banker IVF centre in Ahmedabad and consulting the IVF specialist Dr Manish Banker will help you understand more about fertility treatments.
Risks & Benefits
IVF Treatment comes with a lot of risks and benefits. For couples who cannot conceive naturally. Here are seven ways in which IVF can significantly raise a couple’s chances of having a successful pregnancy and delivery.
Benefits of IVF
1) IVF has a more Success Ratio than other Infertility Treatments:
Before reaching the IVF “station,” individuals may undergo a number of reproductive therapies, such as intrauterine insemination, fertility medicines, and more. To save you time and money on fertility treatments that are less likely to be successful, there is some infertility diagnosis that will prompt your doctor to immediately advise IVF. Diagnoses for infertility such as blocked fallopian tubes, severe male infertility factor, diminished ovarian reserves, and/or advanced maternal age are among them (typically any woman over the age of 38).
2) You can use donated eggs and/or sperm:
Sometimes a fertility professional will advise using donated sperm or eggs. In certain situations, the egg can be manually fertilised in a medical facility, and the resulting healthy embryo can be utilised for IVF, increasing your chances of becoming pregnant the first time or the second time.
3) Increase Your Chances of Delivering a Healthy Baby:
A sophisticated piece of technology called genetic screening can help you make sure your baby is healthy at birth. Preimplantation genetic testing (PGT), also known as genetic screening, allows you to make sure that the eembryo utilised in IVF are chromosomally normal. It is also possible to test for known genetic conditions that the parents’ are carriers of. These are connected to illnesses that pose a serious risk of death, including cystic fibrosis, Down syndrome, sickle cell anaemia, Tay-Sachs disease, etc.. The tests are not performed at random, but rather if the mother, father, or child tests positive for certain conditions or if there is a history of major genetic illnesses in the family.
4) Reduce the Chance of Having Miscarriages:
Genetic abnormalities are the most frequent reason for miscarriage since they force the body to end the pregnancy on its own. Mothers have a better chance of enjoying a healthy pregnancy and carrying the baby to term by using PGT to assess the genetic viability of an embryo beforehand.
5) Increase the Chances of Conceiving:
The success rate for IVF with PGT is the highest compared to all the other assisted reproductive techniques. To improve a woman’s chances of fertilisation, a healthy pregnancy, and a live birth, several cycles may be used if necessary.
Risks of IVF
With benefits come risks. There are risks but they are comparatively lesser than the benefits of choosing IVF treatment.
1) Multiple Births:
Mothers who conceive more than one baby in one pregnancy have a higher chance of going through premature labour.
Premature birth: Your baby may arrive earlier or with a lower birth weight than usual at a slightly higher risk.
Miscarriage: The rate of miscarriages is similar to that of natural conception pregnancies.
This risk can be minimized by doing an elective single embryo transfer.
2) Complications During Egg Retrieval:
During the egg retrieval procedure, there is a risk of bleeding, infection, and injury to your bladder, intestines, or reproductive organs.
Note: The risk of abortion and ectopic pregnancy is not increased with IVF. The babies born through IVF are also as healthy as normally conceived babies.
Several minor and major risks are evaded when the best fertility doctors and IVF specialists like Dr Manish Banker operate on the patients. The high-technology fertility treatments at Banker IVF centre in Ahmedabad make the processes simpler.
Reasons to cancel IVF
Though rare, in certain instances, the IVF cycle is required to be cancelled right before the egg retrieval step. Here are the potential reasons:
- Not enough developed follicles
- Early ovulation
- Development of hyperstimulation syndrome
- Any other risky medical condition
If your cycle is cancelled, the IVF specialist may advise you to change drugs or their dosages in order to achieve a better response during future IVF cycles. You can also be told that you require an egg donor.
IVF treatment-related questions to ask your fertility doctor
Results
Post-egg retrieval, approximately after 2 weeks the IVF specialist will call you in to take the blood sample. The test will determine if you are pregnant or not. Here are the probable results after an IVF cycle.
You are pregnant!
The joy after hearing that you are pregnant is unmatchable with any other joy for the moment. Infertility is a troublesome and depressing situation, let alone high-end treatments such as IVF. After running the needed tests and check-ups you will be sent to the obstetrician for further assistance with your pregnancy. Even after that, the IVF specialist will be there to help you with any queries.
You’re not pregnant
Unfortunately, if the results are negative then you are not pregnant. The IVF specialist will stop your intake of progesterone and other such medications. You’ll soon experience a period, probably in a week. If a period is absent or unusual bleeding then quickly get in contact with the IVF specialist again. The fertility doctor will be able to advise you on the best for further actions. If undergoing another IVF cycle is a good idea or not. If yes, then how sooner or later will be determined by the doctor himself.
A word from the best IVF centre in Ahmedabad – Banker IVF
Whenever we hear about undergoing some sort of treatment, the anxiety and stress naturally come with it. Not to mention if your parenthood depends on one such treatment. IVF treatment is a complex process that also gets personal since it involves the emotional aspect too. It is natural that a ton of questions and queries will pop up in your mind relating to infertility and IVF treatment in Ahmedabad. These questions can be answered by the fertility expert and the IVF specialist in Ahmedabad.
Visit the Banker IVF centre in Ahmedabad and get your evaluation done to see if you are a fit for the IVF treatment and what sort of assistance you shall require. IVF is a part of assisted reproductive technology (ART) that is offered at Banker IVF hospital in Ahmedabad for infertile couples.