In Vitro fertilization (IVF)
The name of the method is derived from the fact that the fertilization occurs outside of the female body in a laboratory dish.
First the patient is being stimulated with hormones so that more follicles can be formed in the ovaries. Most of those contain growing egg cells. The ovum pick-up intervention is done when the follicles have reached the required size. During this interevntion the follicular fluid is removed in a dish and the embryologists search for the oocytes that have been eventually removed with the fluid. On the same day the found oocytes are fertilized with the sperm of the partner and the embryos that arise from the fertilization are kept in cell culture up to 5 days after the fertilization. After that a few (up to 3) of the best embryos are transfered in the uterus. If tehere are other well developed embryos they can be frozen.
The whole teatment known as IVF cycle consists of several stages:
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Preparation phase |
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High dose stimulation for IVF and OHSS |
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The HCG Injection |
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The sperm sample |
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The fertilization - IVF or ICSI |
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The Embryculture and Blastocyst culture |
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The Embryo-Transfer |
