What does the procedure for IVF involve?
IVF is performed in treatment cycles. Pregnancy may be achieved after one treatment cycle or it may take up to four treatment cycles to achieve a successful pregnancy. Each treatment cycle of IVF consists of the following steps: • Evaluation for IVF – Infertility evaluation prior to IVF is done by blood tests to monitor your hormone levels and ultrasound examination to determine the optimum time to harvest your egg from the ovary. You will be administered an injection of human Chorionic Gonadotrophin (hCG) 35 hours before your egg is retrieved from the ovary. Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin (hCG) triggers final stages of ovulation. • Egg Retrieval – During this step in IVF procedure, the eggs from the ovary are aspirated transvaginally by an ultrasound guided probe. A fine needle pierces the ovarian follicle and the follicular fluid, which contains the egg, is extracted. This step of IVF procedure is performed under local anesthesia and intravenous sedation to help you relax and minimize
