Women who 30-40 years ago would have been doomed to childlessness, today, thanks to the development of assisted reproductive technologies, become mothers of he althy babies.
In the modern world, IVF - artificial insemination - is one of the most common ways to overcome infertility. What is the essence of this procedure? We all know, at least in general terms, what conception in natural conditions is. The spermatozoon, which has reached the egg, merges with it, thus forming a zygote - the future fetal egg. Sometimes, due to a number of reasons related to the he alth of a woman or her partner, a natural meeting of their germ cells is impossible. For example, with obstruction of the fallopian tubes or poor spermogram results. In this case, the only way out is the fertilization of a woman in artificial conditions, that is, outside the body of the expectant mother. During IVF, an egg is removed, which is fertilized with partner or donor sperm in a test tube. The embryo is then implantedinto the uterus to carry the pregnancy.
IVF stages
Artificial insemination of a woman using this technology is carried out in 15-30 days. The procedure takes place in several successive stages:
- First, a woman is required to undergo an examination, during which the level of hormones is determined. Further, specialists artificially activate the process of egg maturation - with the help of hormone therapy, "superovulation" is stimulated. Changes occurring in the body are tracked using ultrasound monitoring.
- After maturation of the follicles, 10-30 eggs are removed from them. Extraction occurs by the method of transvaginal aspiration. A special needle pierces the wall of the vagina and reaches the eggs. The procedure is performed under local or general anesthesia.
- Seized oocytes are checked in the laboratory: the most he althy cells are selected. The partner's sperm is also prepared for fertilization. Inactive male and female sex cells are removed.
- Next, the woman is fertilized with the help of IVF. The processed sperm and prepared eggs are incubated in a specific environment. To increase the chances of conception, the sperm is placed directly into the egg by injection.
- The embryo (after some time in culture) is transplanted into the woman's uterus. To increase the chances of survival and gestation of the fetus, two to four embryos are usually implanted.
The course of pregnancy and the birth itself after the IVF procedure pass without any features. According to statistics, in vitro fertilization of a woman is effective in 30-40% of cases. Usually pregnancy occurs after 3-5 attempts. In each specific case, the possibilities of IVF should be discussed with the embryologist. As practice that has existed since the late 70s of the twentieth century shows, children born thanks to this technology are no different from those conceived in a natural way.
