In Vitro fertilization is the proper medical name for what the press dubbed ‘test tube babies’ many years ago. Eggs are fertilized in a laboratory dish with sperm and then place inside the woman’s womb. In Vitro Fertilization may be recommended for a number of reasons including; age, other techniques have failed, the woman’s tubes are blocked or the infertility cannot be explained.

The In Vitro Fertilization process should go something like the method set out below but may differ slightly between clinics. At first your physician will halt the release of hormones that are produced during your monthly cycle by giving you some drugs. This will help them have improved control as to when your eggs will be produced. You then take different drugs to make your ovaries produce more than one egg.

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It’s important that levels of estrogen produced by the eggs are monitored so a combination of blood tests and vaginal ultrasound scans are used. All these tests are designed to show when the time is right for an injection of another hormone to help the eggs mature. The timing for this injection is crucial and must be carried out no earlier that 34 or later than 38 hours before your eggs are collected. Ultrasound guidance is used to help collect the egg but it means you have to be given drugs or a general anesthetic to help you relax because it takes about 30 minutes.

It is now the male’s job to ensure that a fresh sperm sample is ready. The health of the sperm is important so after a short storage period they are spun at high speed after being washed so only the healthiest and most active are used. For a woman using donated sperm, the same process is used once the sperm has been taken from the freezer. Once that has been completed the sperm is mixed with the eggs in a dish and left for between 16 to 20 hours and then checked to see if they have been fertilized. Any embryo’s that have fertilized abnormally or not at all, are discarded, then those remaining are left for another 24 to 48 hours prior to a final check.

The womb needs to be ready to accept the fertilized egg so a gel, injection or pessaries are given to ensure the lining of the womb is prepared.

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