In vitro infertility

In vitro fertilization (IVF) is one of many techniques available to help people with fertility problems have a baby. During IVF, an egg is removed from a woman’s ovaries and fertilized with sperm in a laboratory. The fertilized egg, called an embryo, is then returned to the woman’s uterus to grow and develop. It can be done using your own eggs and your partner’s sperm, or eggs and sperm from donors.

What happens during IVF?

IVF involves 6 main stages:

• Suppression of your natural cycle – your menstrual cycle is suppressed with medication by helping your ovaries produce extra eggs – the medication is used to encourage your ovaries to produce more than 1 egg at a time
• Monitoring your progress and maturation of your eggs – an ultrasound is performed to check the development of the eggs and medication is used to help them mature
• Egg retrieval – a needle is inserted through your vagina and into your ovaries to remove the eggs
• Fertilization of the eggs – the eggs are mixed with sperm for a few days so they can be fertilized
• Embryo transfer – 1 or 2 fertilized eggs (embryos) are placed into your uterus
• Once the embryo(s) are transferred to your uterus, you will need to wait 2 weeks before taking a pregnancy test to see if the treatment was successful.

Risks of IVF
IVF does not always lead to pregnancy and can be physically and emotionally demanding. You should be offered counselling to help you through the process.

There are also some health risks, such as:

• Side effects from medications used during treatment, such as hot flashes and headaches
• Multiple births (such as twins or triplets) – this can be dangerous for both the mother and the children
• An ectopic pregnancy – where the embryo implants in the fallopian tubes rather than the uterus
• Σύνδρομο υπερδιέγερσης ωοθηκών – όπου οι ωοθήκες αντιδρούν υπερβολικά στα φάρμακα που χρησιμοποιούνται κατά την εξωσωματική γονιμοποίηση