In vitro fertilization (commonly referred to as simply IVF) is a method of assisted reproduction that offers infertile couples a chance to have a child who is biologically related to them. Over 200,000 babies have been brought into the world using IVF and it is now a fully established treatment for infertility.
With IVF, a man's sperm and the woman's egg are combined by an IVF specialist in a laboratory dish, where fertilization occurs. The resulting embryo is then transferred to the uterus (womb) of the woman to develop naturally. Usually, 3 or 4 embryos are placed in the woman's uterus each time. Each attempt is referred to as a cycle, with the cost of each cycle being around $10,000.
The full procedure is as follows:
The woman may be given certain drugs (hormones) in order to stimulate her ovaries to create several eggs. A surgeon then inserts a needle into the woman's ovary to remove the eggs. General anesthesia is not necessary for this part of the procedure, but the woman is sometimes given some sedating medication. Whilst that is taking place, the man provides a semen sample. A laboratory procedure then takes places to separate the sperm from the semen.
Next, the sperm will be mixed in a laboratory dish with the eggs taken from the woman. Around 20 hours after this has been done, the laboratory dish is examined to determine if the egg or eggs have been fertilized and if embryos have grown as a result. Should this have happened, they are incubated and observed for the next 2-5 days. After that time, the embryos will be transferred into the woman's uterus using a catheter (a long slender tube). She is then given a course of hormones to take for the following 2 weeks.
The pregnancy success rate of the IVF procedure is 37% among women younger than 35 years, 27% for those between 36-39 years, and 13% in those older than 40 years. Therefore, the final cost of IVF is normally more than $20,000, as the odds are against a couple suceeding at their first attempt.
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With IVF, a man's sperm and the woman's egg are combined by an IVF specialist in a laboratory dish, where fertilization occurs. The resulting embryo is then transferred to the uterus (womb) of the woman to develop naturally. Usually, 3 or 4 embryos are placed in the woman's uterus each time. Each attempt is referred to as a cycle, with the cost of each cycle being around $10,000.
The full procedure is as follows:
The woman may be given certain drugs (hormones) in order to stimulate her ovaries to create several eggs. A surgeon then inserts a needle into the woman's ovary to remove the eggs. General anesthesia is not necessary for this part of the procedure, but the woman is sometimes given some sedating medication. Whilst that is taking place, the man provides a semen sample. A laboratory procedure then takes places to separate the sperm from the semen.
Next, the sperm will be mixed in a laboratory dish with the eggs taken from the woman. Around 20 hours after this has been done, the laboratory dish is examined to determine if the egg or eggs have been fertilized and if embryos have grown as a result. Should this have happened, they are incubated and observed for the next 2-5 days. After that time, the embryos will be transferred into the woman's uterus using a catheter (a long slender tube). She is then given a course of hormones to take for the following 2 weeks.
The pregnancy success rate of the IVF procedure is 37% among women younger than 35 years, 27% for those between 36-39 years, and 13% in those older than 40 years. Therefore, the final cost of IVF is normally more than $20,000, as the odds are against a couple suceeding at their first attempt.
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