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University OB/GYN Associates Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility
In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is the process of retrieving a woman's eggs, fertilizing the eggs in the laboratory, and then transferring the fertilized eggs into the woman's uterus through the cervix.
When the eggs are mature, you and your partner will come to the Fertility Center one hour before your scheduled retrieval time. At the Center, a nurse will review theprocedure with you. The anesthesiologist will start an intravenous (IV) line in your arm and discuss how much sedation you would prefer.
You will be taken to the egg retrieval room where you will be given the sedative through your IV. Using a vaginal probe attached to an ultrasound machine, the attending physician will remove your eggs.
After you wake up from the sedation, one of the lab staff will discuss the potential for insemination of your eggs with you and your partner. A semen sample should becollected, evaluated, and processed. Sperm will be placed with each healthy, mature egg four to six hours after the retrieval.
One to two hours after the retrieval you will be discharged from the Center. You will need someone to drive you home. For about 24 hours you may experience pelviccramping, abdominal bloating, and/or light vaginal bleeding.
Upon discharge, you will be given a prescription for a mild pain pill. You may use this medication, Tylenol, or Advil for discomfort. If you experience heavy vaginal bleeding,pain that is not easily controlled, or a temperature higher than 100.4°F, you should call University OB/GYN Associates and describe your symptoms to the physician on call.
www.kyinfertility.com
Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility 601 S. Floyd Street Suite 300 Louisville, KY 40202
Pacific reproductive center
In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is a treatment of choice for couples with poor sperm quality, blocked or damaged fallopian tube or pelvic factors, endometriosis, unexplained infertility and immunological factors. A woman undergoing IVF is given fertility drugs to enhance the growth of the ovarian follicles, so she can develop more mature eggs. HMG (human menopausal gonadotropin) and recombinent FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) are the fertility drugs used to stimulate the production of follicles. These developing follicles are monitored for their maturity by measuring the follicle size through an ultra sound and correlate the finding with the blood concentration of the patient's estradiol drawn the same day.
After ovulation induction is achieved, a woman's eggs are retrieved by needle aspiration with the guide of an ultrasound probe under a light sedation. Egg retrieval procedure takes about 30-45 minutes. The aspirated follicular fluid (containing the eggs) is placed in a laboratory dish and the eggs are observed under the microscope for maturity and quality. The eggs are then transferred to a culture dish where they are incubated in a special culture media.
A semen sample from the husband is obtained while the wife is undergoing the egg retrieval procedure. The husband semen is then washed and prepared to obtain vigorous motile sperm. Later, the prepared sperm is then introduced to the eggs in the culture media. Many of these eggs will fertilize and develop into embryos, a number of the resulting embryos are placed back in the women's uterus using a fine catheter through a simple procedure (that requires no anesthesia) called embryo transfer.
We currently have over a 55% pregnancy rate per retrieval cycle for IVF, in women under 40 years of age.
www.forafamily.com
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women’s Health 2nd Floor Bridge, Room A2U24A 550 S. Jackson Street Louisville, KY 40202
Endocrine Associates
Following intercourse, only a small number of sperm are able to make the long trip from the vaginal entry way to the fallopian tubes where the egg waits to be fertilized. The goal of intrauterine insemination (IUI) is to increase the number of sperm at this site of fertilization.
To accomplish this goal, sperm are first separated from semen and placed in a sterile medium. The sperm are then concentrated in a small volume of medium and are injected directly into the uterus. Because IUI relies on the natural ability of sperm to fertilize an egg within the reproductive tract, it is important that tests for male infertility indicate reasonable sperm function and tests of the female patient show adequate ovulation, fallopian tubes, and hormone levels. IUI is often used in conjunction with ovulation induction drugs to enhance the fertilization success rates.
For patients with severe male factor infertility, insemination with donor sperm offers a chance for becoming a parent. Using a licensed and reputable sperm bank, couples can select from a wide variety of carefully screened donors. To meet the wants and needs of their customers, most sperm banks offer a variety of donors from different educational, ethnic, and physical categories. Like IUI with the partner’s sperm, the donor sperm is injected directly into the uterus of the female partner coinciding with her ovulation.
In vitro fertilization (IVF) is the process in which sperm and egg are combined in a laboratory setting. This process begins with giving the female patient a series of potent ovulation-inducing drugs to stimulate the .development of numerous eggs. Once the egg-containing follicles are mature, the eggs are removed using a long needle guided by a vaginal ultrasound. The retrieved eggs are then placed in incubators, while the semen sample is collected from the male partner and processed. When the sperm have been prepared and the eggs are mature, the eggs and sperm are placed in petri dishes in the lab to allow for fertilization. If normal fertilization and development occurs, the embryos will be incubated for three to five days and then transferred to the uterus of the female patient. The timing of the transfer and the number of the embryos transferred are determined by the patient’s age, diagnosis, developmental status of the embryos, and in accordance with American Society for Reproductive Medicine guidelines. A pregnancy test can be done 14 days after embryo transfer.
Creating fertilized eggs in the laboratory and then transferring them to the female uterus are only parts of the creation of a successful pregnancy. Once the embryos have been transferred, the developing embryos must be able to hatch out of their shells (zona pellucida) and implant into the uterus. Some eggs, especially those of women 38 years old, have thicker zona pellucidas and the embryos are unable to hatch out and implant. To assist the developing embryo in its departure from its shell, assisted hatching can be employed. This procedure involves making a small hole in the zona pellucida to allow the embryo to hatch, and therefore have a higher likelihood of implantation. In addition to being used on thick zona pellucidas, assisted hatching can be used with lower-quality embryos that may require assistance in escaping their shells.
www.ivfkentucky.com
Fertility & Endocrine Associates 4121 Dutchmans Lane Suite 414 Louisville, KY 40207 • 502.897.2144IVF Clinics Louisville : IVF Clinics Lexington |