In vitro fertilization or IVF is an advanced technique for getting pregnant and has become the most commonly performed ultimate infertility treatment in the world. IVF is literally the joining of a male sperm with a female egg in the laboratory, and then inserting the fertilized egg back into the womb. You can use your own eggs and partner’s sperm, or use a combination of donor sperm and/or eggs. There are many possible choices with IVF that are used, depending upon your specific situation. The most common technique of IVF includes: 1. About 2 weeks of hormones to control your menstrual cycle 2. About 12 days of hormones to stimulate the release of several eggs 3. Monitoring with ultrasound and blood tests to determine timing of egg collection 4. Collection of Sperm from male partner, ideally about 3 hours prior to female egg collection 5. Collection of as many eggs as possible from both ovaries from the sedated female partner. 6. In the laboratory, the eggs and sperm are mixed, and fertilization typically occurs within 24 hours. 7. The fertilized eggs are cultured in the lab for 2 to 6 days, depending on your specific needs. 8. Between 1 and 3 embryos or Blastocysts (groups of developing cells) are then transferred back into the woman’s uterus. Two weeks later a pregnancy test will hopefully show that you are pregnant! IVF is has become one of the preferred treatment options, because even if the women’s fallopian tubes are blocked or missing, you can still get pregnant. Even if the man has low sperm counts, or the woman has severe endometriosis, you can still get pregnant. In fact, if artificial insemination or IUI has failed, or a couple has simply experienced unexplained infertility, IVF can result in a successful pregnancy. The final benefit of IVF is that if couples want to test for inherited disorders, with IVF the tests can be confirmed before the embryos are transferred back to the womb. Other variations on IVF include “mild stimulation IVF” and “natural cycle IVF”, both of which have lower success rates, but may be appropriate for your circumstances ARC is here to help and assist you at every step of the way. Connect with us on social media Facebook https://www.facebook.com/arc.fertilit Twitter https://twitter.com/ARCFertility Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/company/advanced-reproductive-care To find a fertility doctor or clinic visit https://www.arcfertility.com/arc-network-members/arc-network-doctors/ Animation by www.higgybankproductions.com Animator Youtube channel Higgybank copyright of Advanced Reproductive Care, Inc. 2015 www.arcfertility.com [email protected] 888-990-2727