In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)
In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)
In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a procedure first developed in 1978 in which a woman’s ovaries are stimulated with fertility drugs to produce multiple mature eggs, which are then removed from her body and are fertilized in the laboratory with her partner’s (or donor) sperm. The resulting embryos are cultured for three to five days, at which point, and the best 1 or 2 embryos are then transferred back into her uterus.
An IVF procedure or “cycle” at SIRM is centered on our core philosophy that each and every patient is unique and should have a custom-tailored approach to her IVF treatment. Accordingly, we do an in-depth review of each patient’s medical and reproductive history, and create a customized protocol based on her individual needs. Above all, our goal is to empower each patient with the information she needs to make informed decisions about in vitro fertilization / embryo transfer in conjunction with her SIRM physician.
An IVF procedure at SIRM involves the following steps:
1. Preparing for Controlled Ovarian Hyperstimulation (COH)
2. Undergoing Controlled Ovarian Hyperstimulation
3. Egg Retrieval
4. Sperm Processing
5. Fertilization of Eggs in the Laboratory
6. Selecting the Best Embryos for Transfer
7. Embryo Transfer
8. (Optional) Cryopreservation (Freezing) of Remaining Embryos
The very first IVF success story came on July 25, 1978 when Louise Joy Brown, the world’s first “test tube” baby, was born in Great Britain. The technology has come a long way since then. Today, IVF is a fairly common procedure with a high rate of success, having progressed beyond the wildest dreams of those who worked on the concept back in the 1970’s. In Vitro Fertilization is so effective today that it is considered one of the primary options to treat infertility in women – as well as cases of severe male factor infertility.
It’s been over thirty years since that significant date in medical history, and the science of in vitro has evolved quite a bit. Geoffrey Sher, founder of the Sher Institute, has been an innovative force in the fertility field since the early 1980’s. In vitro fertilization clinics have sprung up around the country, with Sher Institute fertility clinics now open in Central Illinois, Dallas, Pennsylvania, Las Vegas, St. Louis, New Jersey, and New York.
Related Posts
For information on our Fertility Rescue program that provides free egg freezing for cancer patients, click HERE It is largely through propagation of our biological offspring that we as humans feel we can leave a lasting legacy of our existence. Perhaps this explains why the desire to have children is a basic human instinct, and why an inability to achieve … Read more
SIRM offers a full range of infertility diagnosis and testing as well as fertility treatment services. If you aren’t sure where to begin, and are asking “Do I need fertility treatment,” we can help you get oriented and develop a plan. Many couples assume that infertility is mostly a female problem. In reality, it is … Read more
In a relatively small number of cases of male infertility, the failure to produce an adequate quality of sperm relates to reduced secretion by the pituitary gland of those hormones necessary to stimulate sperm production. The pituitary gland in the man produces two important hormones-identical to those produced by women-that control testicular function. The first … Read more
Disorders of sperm quality range from a low count or motility to a complete absence of sperm production. Deformities of the sperm cell shape (morphology) are important because they reflect its ability to fertilize the egg. Mild abnormalities of semen parameters can be effectively treated using techniques that “wash” away the seminal fluid to improve the … Read more
IUI is a fertility treatment that uses a small catheter to insert “washed” sperm directly into the uterus in a process similar to a pap smear. The goal of IUI is to increase the number of good sperm that reach the fallopian tubes and subsequently increase the chance of fertilization. IUI is usually selected as … Read more
In the mid‑1990s a group at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, reported the world’s first baby born from an embryo derived from an immature egg that had been matured in the embryology laboratory, and then fertilized and transferred to the uterus. The process has come to be known as In vitro maturation (IVM) of eggs. … Read more
In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a procedure first developed in 1978 in which a woman’s ovaries are stimulated with fertility drugs to produce multiple mature eggs, which are then removed from her body and are fertilized in the laboratory with her partner’s (or donor) sperm. The resulting embryos are cultured for three or five days … Read more
Ask Our DoctorsA Question
