• Extracorporeal-Fertilization
IVF treatment is based on taking oocytes from the woman's ovaries and fertilizing them with the man's sperm in the laboratory by specialized embryological staff.In order to produce more oocyte than the single oocyte normally produced in each cycle of the woman, special hormonal medication is given to the woman which stimulates her ovaries to produce an average of 6-8 oocyte.
During the drug treatment the woman is monitored with ultrasounds to estimate the time at which the oocyte are mature and ready for fertilization. The average time required to complete the preparation of oocyte for retrieval is 12-14 days of treatment.
Oocytes retrieval takes place transvaginally, under mild anesthesia, takes a few minutes, and their fertilization begins a few hours later after the processing and enrichment of the sperm. After about 24 hours the embryologist observes under the microscope how many oocyte were fertilized normally and re-examines the next day how many of the fertilized oocyte begin to divide normally. From these, the normally fertilized and divided embryos, one to two are selected, which are transferred into the uterus, two or three days after the oocyte retrieval. Embryo placement is a short procedure that does not require anesthesia and is done with ultrasound guidance to confirm exactly where they are placed in the woman's uterus.
After 2 weeks, a pregnancy test is performed with a blood test. During the treatment for the preparation of the oocyte and their reception the woman can still work normally, while after the placement of the embryos it is recommended that the woman rests for the first few days and avoids vigorous physical activity in order to maximize the chances of conception.
• Insemination
Insemination refers to the direct injection of sperm into the uterine cavity.Follicular maturation is done using clomiphene citrate (oral tablets) or gonadotropins (injectable). During the medication, the woman is monitored by ultrasound to estimate the maturation time of the oocyte in order to choose the right day for fertilization.
The sperm is specially processed and enriched before use. Fertilization is a simple and painless procedure that takes little time and does not require anesthesia.
