In vitro fertilization, aka IVF, is a procedure that offers hope for conception and pregnancy to a women who otherwise fails to conceive and get pregnant via intercourse or artificial insemination. Infertility causes this failure to conceive and become pregnant.
Conception is a reproduction process in which a women’s egg is fertilized by a man’s sperm, which then divides into an embryo and implants itself into a uterus. Pregnancy is the period commencing from embryo implantation until childbirth.
With in vitro fertilization, egg fertilization and embryo creation occurs outside the body in a dish or test tube. Once these initial steps of conception are determined a success, the embryo is transferred into a woman’s uterus where implantation for pregnancy occurs. Although, this final IVF phase for conception and pregnancy is not guaranteed.
However, to improve the chances for embryo implantation you’ll take progesterone, which is a hormone that signals your uterine lining to thicken. This allows for easier implanting and helps prevent a miscarriage during early pregnancy. Infertility is the reason IVF procedure is used. Some of the causes for infertility are:
- endometriosis
- low sperm count
- poor quality sperm
- hormonal imbalance
- damaged, blocked fallopian tubes
Two prerequisites of in vitro fertilization is some healthy eggs and sperm. The primary health risks and issues associated with in vitro fertilization procedure include:
- ectopic pregnancy
- significant financial & time contribution for IVF
- multiple fetus development when more than one embryo transferred for conception
And rarely, the fertility drugs taken to ovulate mature eggs for harvest may cause ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. And a reaction to anesthesia, bleeding and infection are potential risks resulting from egg retrieval procedure.