The IVF process generally involves the following steps:
1. Ovarian stimulation: The woman undergoes hormonal medications to stimulate the ovaries to produce multiple mature eggs.
2. Egg retrieval: Eggs are surgically retrieved from the ovaries using a minimally invasive procedure under sedation or anesthesia.
3. Sperm collection: A semen sample is collected from the male partner or a sperm donor.
4. Fertilization: The eggs and sperm are combined in a laboratory dish for fertilization. This can be done through conventional IVF or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), where a single sperm is directly injected into each egg.
5. Embryo development and monitoring: The embryos are cultured in a laboratory for a few days, during which they are monitored for development and quality.
6. Embryo transfer: One or more embryos are transferred into the woman's uterus using a thin catheter.
7. Post-transfer monitoring: After the embryo transfer, the woman may be prescribed medications to support implantation and pregnancy. A pregnancy test is usually conducted about two weeks after the transfer.
8. Cryopreservation (optional): Any additional good-quality embryos can be frozen (cryopreserved) for future use.