The IVF Process

The London Women's Clinic THE IVE PROCESS THE FIRST STEP The first step is usually the hardest - making the initial call. But remember, you are not alone; simply phone us in the strictest confidence and one of our friendly team will help guide you through the options open to you. SOLUTIONS HELP ADVICE 99 YOUR FIRST VISIT The initial consultation is an important first step in solving your fertility prolems. One of our specialists will take a detailed medical history of each partner, perform an initial medical examination and review all previous test results (if you have any). You and your partner will need to undergo a number of screening tests including tests to establish your You will meet a specialist PELVIC SCAN fertility nurse who will talk reproductive health. If you haven't you through your done so already it is advisable for An internal pelvic treatment plan. the female partner to start taking ultrasound scan will be folic acid. performed to assess the NURSING female partner's ovaries and uterus. CONSULTATION SCREENING TESTS Many factors are considered before treatment including who will be legally responsible for any child born as a result of treatment. We will COUNSELLING ask you to complete a number of forms including consent to treatment and storage which will send to our regulators the HFEA. Infertility can arouse very painful feelings which may, at times, be difficult to contain or discuss with friends and CHILD WELFARE family. For this reason, a counselling service is available at the clinic. & CONSENT FORMS THE SIX STAGES OF AN IVE CYCLE The ovaries are stimulated DOWN with a course of hormone REGULATION injections to produce eggs. Normal hormone production in the female partner is temporarily OVARIAN switched off by medication to give the clinic control of egg production. STIMULATION EGG COLLECTION The male partner produces a semen sample or the donor sperm sample is The eggs are collected from the prepared. This happens on the day ovaries. After egg collection of egg collection. medication is given to prepare the endometrium for implantation of SEMEN the embryos. SAMPLE let's make a boby! woohool GO TEAMI EMBRYO The eggs and sperm are placed in a Petri dish to allow fertilisation to take place. If ICSI is TRANSFER used, a single sperm is injected in to each mature egg. The embryos are monitored daily for the next 2-6 days. Depending on the case, the embryos are placed in the woman's uterus between days FERTILISATION 3-6 of embryo development. HAS TREATMENT BEEN SUCCESSFUL? A POSITIVE PREGNANCY TEST A NEGATIVE PREGNANCY TEST Sadly, this means that your treatment has not been successful. Congratulations! We will arrange a seven week scan so we can check the pregnancy's development. We will offer you an appointment to come in and see a doctor to discuss the cycle and your possible treatment options for the future. You may also find it helpful to see our counsellor. FROZEN EMBRYOS Surplus embryos may be frozen for your future use after a cycle of IVF or ICSI. All our embryo freezing is now performed by vitrification, a technique whereby embryos are cooled at a very fast rate so that the embryos is quickly transformed to a glass-like state. Frozen- thawed embryos may be replaced during a natural cycle (without drugs) or in a cycle with medication. Our specialist will decide which treatment is most suitable for you. The London Women's Clinic Source: www.londonwomensclinic.com/index.php/london/t/ivf_icsi_treatment stages design by www.jessicadraws.com