How To Plan for an in Vitro Fertilization

In vitro fertilization or IVF is a modern day answer for infertility through artificial insemination. It is usually the choice treatment of women who have blocked and severely damaged fallopian tubes or those who have none at all. It is also used as an alternative solution for infertility caused by endometriosis or low sperm count on the part of the male.   The term in vitro simply means in a glass-like dish.  IVF is a process where the egg is fertilized by the sperm outside the woman's womb. The embryo is then transferred to the woman's uterus or womb, where it will stay until the mother is ready to deliver. The product of a successful pregnancy brought about by this process is commonly referred to as a test tube baby, simply because the fertilization was initially done with the use of a test tube or a petri dish.

Couples who have tried other infertility methods but were not successful can try in vitro fertilization. In planning to have an in vitro fertilization you have to be well informed as to how this process is done and the factors to consider before you can subject yourself to this procedure.

Before you undergo any surgical or medical procedure, take into consideration the following factors:

1. Age. Women below 35 years old and who do not encounter any problems with their partners' sperm can undergo an in vitro fertilization.
2. Cost. The cost of IVF is rather expensive, since on average it costs $12,400 per procedure.
3. Safety. Generally this procedure is safe; however, other studies have found a slightly increased risk of disorders in the genes of children conceived through other methods of artificial insemination.

Now let's go and look into the procedures of an in vitro fertilization.

1. The woman is usually given certain hormones to make her ovaries produce several eggs before carrying out the procedure that will remove them. A needle is inserted by the surgeon into the woman's ovary through the vagina to remove the eggs. The fluid removed from the vagina is tested in the laboratory to ensure that eggs are present.
2. On the other hand, the man provides a sample of his semen (he is advised not to have sex prior to this procedure, and take the semen sample through masturbation at the opportune time). The sperm cells are separated from the semen in a laboratory procedure. The eggs are combined with active sperm in the glass-like laboratory dish. In vitro fertilization takes place once the eggs and sperm combine to form an embryo.
3. The embryos are transferred into the uterus of the woman using a catheter through her cervix. The woman is given hormones for two weeks. If the implantation works, a pregnancy test will be positive. When the egg or eggs are attached to the wall of the uterus and show signs of growth, then we can conclude that the in vitro fertilization procedure worked.

Now that the factors to consider and the procedures are made known to you, you are now ready to plan whether you would or wouldn't go for an in vitro fertilization procedure.