For couples having trouble conceiving, there are various types of infertility treatments available. Perhaps the best known of those is the technique of in vitro fertilization (simplified to “IVF”). IVF is usually attempted when the other, less expensive, fertility techniques have failed to achieve the desired results. For those who might be interested in the process, knowledge of the basics involved in IVF in San Antonio TX, can help to alleviate any concerns they might have.
* Stimulation
Fertility drugs are administered to boost the production of eggs. Though a woman normally produces one egg a month, the goal of the fertility drugs is to produce several viable eggs for fertilization.
* Egg Harvesting
Some 36 hours later, the eggs are withdrawn from the ovary through a procedure called follicular aspiration. That’s just a fancy term for egg retrieval. It’s performed as an outpatient procedure under light sedation and medication with a doctor monitoring the procedure with an ultrasound machine.
* Insemination and Fertilization
The best quality eggs collected from the ovary are then mixed together with a sample of the male donor sperm. This is the process of insemination. The eggs and sperm are stored in an environmentally controlled chamber until the egg becomes fertilized. Usually the incubation period is 24 hours.
* Embryo formation
Once an egg has been fertilized by the donor sperm, its cells will divide and multiply until an embryo is formed. The healthy embryos are allowed to grow for several days until they are made up of roughly 8 cells or so.
* Transfer
The embryos are then placed into the woman’s womb around 3-5 days after the eggs have been fertilized. The procedure is done in a doctor’s office while the patient is awake. A thin tube is used to inject the embryos into the patient’s womb via the vagina.
The process is straightforward, with minimal risk involved to the patient’s long term health. Though the process is costly, many insurance plans will cover at least portions of the diagnostic testing and the actual IVF treatment itself. If you’re interested in learning about IVF in San Antonio TX, then you should visit Fertility Institute of Texas for further information and to see whether you’re a good candidate for in vitro fertilization.
