An inside look at IVF treatment: what to expect and how to prepare

The treatment is not without complications and far from easy, but with careful planning it should be relatively simple to go through. From a financial perspective, IVF can almost certainly be a cost-effective way of having a baby in the future.   There are many types of infertility treatments available.

But, how do you decide what is best for your case? Your treatment will depend on your situation, which means you need to research all your options and pick the one that is right for you. This article will walk through everything, giving you a better idea of what to expect during treatment and how to ensure you're ready beforehand. The first step in treatment for infertility is an evaluation by a reproductive endocrinologist who will perform blood tests and imaging studies, including an ultrasound.

When is IVF used?

IVF is used to help couples who have been unable to conceive or carry a pregnancy to become pregnant. IVF is a very high-tech procedure that involves injecting embryos into the woman's eggs and then implanting them in her uterus.

It is an option for women who have an abnormal number of eggs and/or sperm, for couples who have failed to conceive after one year of unprotected sexual intercourse and for women who are over 35 years old.

IVF is an in vitro fertilisation (IVF) process. The process involves the retrieval of eggs from a woman's ovarian tissue, fertilization with sperm in a laboratory environment, and subsequent development of embryos for transfer back into the woman's uterus.

What is IVF?

IVF is an acronym for In Vitro Fertilization. IVF involves taking a woman's eggs and mixing them with sperm outside her body. It's a process that can be done as many as five times, but the most common number is two.

IVF is used to help women who have trouble getting pregnant or carrying a baby to term. The treatment involves removing the woman's eggs from her ovaries and fertilizing them in a lab with sperm from her partner or donor (or both). The fertilized eggs are then transferred back into the woman's uterus where they can implant and grow into embryos.

The success rate for IVF depends on many factors, including age, previous pregnancies and health problems that may prevent pregnancy in general or might affect fertility in particular. The success rate of IVF varies depending on many factors, including the age of the woman who is undergoing treatment, whether or not she has had children, her reproductive history and medications she may be taking.

How do I prepare for IVF?

IVF is a common fertility treatment. It involves a number of steps, including preparing your body and mind for the procedure, as well as undergoing the procedure itself. I’ve broken down these steps into three categories: physical, mental and emotional.

The process is not straightforward. You need multiple embryos to get pregnant, so when one embryo fails to implant in the uterus, there's no guarantee that another implantation will take place. In other words, it's not as simple as one sperm fertilising one egg and creating one baby on its own. In fact, there are three pregnancies possible during IVF treatment — all three require multiple embryos. If no pregnancy occurs after six months of trying to get pregnant, doctors may recommend using donor eggs or sperm for additional embryos.

How are embryos used in IVF procedures?

Embryo freezing is meant to allow you and your partner to have multiple children by using the same embryos. However, they are also used in other procedures. Embryos are often created in fertility clinics and then donated to other couples in need of help with conceiving a child.

There are many instances where the freezing of embryos is done more for research purposes than anything else; embryos that are not used for IVF are often donated for this purpose. Are these children ahead of their time? If you have concerns about their future, read about my opinion on sending frozen embryo children to college before you have any worries.