Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) including In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)
Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)
Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD)
The IVF process can be broken down into 5 general steps:
1. Administration of hormone medications, which stimulate egg production in the woman’s ovaries. Egg development is monitored by hormone blood studies and ultrasound.
2. The developed eggs are removed from the ovaries in a minor procedure called transvaginal ultrasound-guided egg retrieval.
3. The husband/partner’s sperm is collected on the day of the retrieval. The sperm is specially prepared to increase the probability of fertilization.
4. The eggs and sperm are placed together and are carefully monitored in incubators to allow for fertilization.
5. Some of the resulting embryos are selected to be transferred into the woman’s uterus approximately 3-5 days later. Blood hormone tests will be done 8-10 days after the transfer, to determine if pregnancy has been achieved.