The IVF Procedure

This procedure involves hormonal stimulation of the ovaries to produce a group of eggs. The stimulation process takes about eight days, and is monitored every two to three days by serial ultrasound and serum estrogen levels.

The eggs are retrieved form the ovaries utilizing trans-vaginal ultrasound guided needle aspiration. The egg retrieval is done in the office under IV sedation administered by an anesthesiologist. An average of 10 eggs are recovered.

The eggs are inseminated with sperm in our CAP accredited embryology lab under the direction of our onsite PhD lab director, Dr. Thomas Pool. After fertilization, the embryos are cultured in an incubator for three days.

On the third day of embryo culture, they are evaluated and the embryos with the highest probability for pregnancy are selected for embryo transfer. The selected embryos are transferred into the uterus. The number of embryos selected for transfer depends on the age of the patient and the quality of the embryos available. The usual number of embryos selected for transfer is two. The embryo transfer is performed in the office under ultrasound guidance. This procedure is not painful and does not require an anesthetic.

 The embryos not transferred into the uterus are returned to culture for another two to three days and if any reach the more advanced blastocyst stage they can be cryopreserved. On some occasions, all of the embryos are cultured to the blastocyst stage prior to embryo transfer.