What is in Vitro Fertilization?

When battling infertility, many couples end up turning to in vitro fertilization, or IVF. This is a technique that consists of transferring a fertilized egg into the woman’s uterus for implantation. Women with severe fallopian tube problems were the initial patients in mind when IVF was first developed, but we soon found out that IVF was a great treatment option for couples experiencing other types of infertility as well.

If your infertility specialist has recommended IVF for you, then there are several things that you can expect when going through the procedure. First, medication to assist in ovarian follicle stimulation will be given. These medications will cause several follicles to be produced on the ovaries. This is called ovarian stimulation. The medication usually consists of gonadotropins injected daily for around ten days.

When the follicles mature, your doctor will move on to oocyte retrieval. You will be injected with luteinizing hormone which will cause ovulation to happen, usually within 36-40 hours. Your doctor will attempt to take the matured eggs and follicle fluid before ovulation occurs. A needle is used to extract the eggs and fluid from the follicles. The fluid will be sent to the lab to identify mature eggs. They will be prepared for fertilization there.

While the eggs are being prepared, the semen will need to be retrieved and prepared as well. The sperm and the egg will be put together for about eighteen hours to allow time for fertilization to occur. If there is a very low sperm count, then the sperm may be injected directly into the mature egg through a process called intracytoplasmic sperm injection.

Embryos will be judged for quality. If they reach a six to eight cell stage within a reasonable period of time, then they will be transferred to the uterus after about three days. If a lot of three-day embryos are available, then your doctor may wait for the blastocyst stage to transfer the embryo. This happens in healthy fertilized eggs after about five days. The blastocyst consists of around twenty cells at day five. Waiting for the blastocyst stage may help determine which eggs are most likely to implant in the uterus.

Once your eggs are selected, your doctor will place them into a small plastic tube. The tube will be inserted through the vagina and cervix. Embryos are placed into the uterus. If any of the embryos implant in the uterus, then pregnancy is achieved. The success rate of IVF varies widely. The factors involved in determining a success rate include the health of the egg and sperm, number of embryos implanted, the age of the couple and the health of the uterus. Medical expertise comes into play as well. Weigh doctors’ success rates with the number of multiple pregnancies resulting from their IVF attempts. Some may have a high success rate from implanting a lot of embryos, resulting in many high-risk multiple pregnancies.

Choose your doctor wisely. A reproductive endocrinologist specializes in infertility treatments and can inform you of all of your options before you go forward with IVF. This information is brought to you by Dr. Eric Daiter, MD. Occasionally doctors, nurses and patients have offered their testimonials of their experiences with Dr. Eric Daiter, MD. Here is a patient testimonial for you to consider when you choose your reproductive endocrinologist:

Dr Eric Daiter’s high level of professionalism, compassion and character can be best illustrated through example. Upon first meeting with Dr Daiter he presented as an extremely articulate and intelligent doctor. This is something that is expected from a healthcare provider; however, Dr Daiter’s qualities went well beyond the intellectual. His kind hearted nature and authentic caring is something that is rarely experienced in the medical field today. Something that struck me is his personable manner. How often is it that the doctor is the one to open the door and greet the patients? In my experience, never and this seemingly small act made an enormous impression upon me. I believe that this small act was reflective of his caring disposition. During my meetings with him, Dr Daiter took the time to speak with me in great detail regarding my medical history, was sensitive to my concerns and past experiences, demonstrated a high level of willingness and patience to answer any questions and provided extensive explanation regarding my specific situation – doing so with undisputed care. Dr Daiter’s gentle presence made me feel extremely comfortable and provided a well spring for hope for my medical condition.
Dr Eric Daiter’s pre and post operative treatment went well beyond my expectations. Through his incredible bed side manner he made me feel relaxed and at ease – he checked in with me prior to surgery to make sure the hospital staff was “treating me ok”, he visited with me after surgery to make sure I was comfortable during my hospital stay, and called me the next morning to see how I was feeling. Dr Daiter was always available to answer my concerns regardless of the time or day and he did so with kindness and compassion – always with kindness and compassion.

I have tremendous respect for Dr Eric Daiter as he is an exceptional doctor who brings a much needed element of humanness to the practice of medicine.