In vitro fertilization treatment has been applied successfully for many years in couples who cannot have children with natural methods. IVF treatment, which is an assisted reproductive technique; It offers the opportunity to have children for couples who cannot have children due to infertility, advanced age, infections and tube obstructions in women, low sperm count and low quality in men, and metabolic disorders such as obesity .
In vitro fertilization treatment, which is the most preferred infertility treatment today, is an artificial fertilization technique applied by bringing female and male reproductive cells together under laboratory conditions and placing the fertilized egg in the mother's womb. This process is carried out by collecting eggs, which are female reproductive cells, and sperm, which are male reproductive cells, under certain conditions. After fertilization is completed in a healthy way, after the egg begins to divide and turns into a structure called embryo, the pregnancy process begins as a result of the placement of the embryo in the mother's uterus and its successful attachment. After this stage, pregnancy is no different from pregnancies formed by natural methods.
In IVF treatment , two different methods are used to place fertilized eggs in the womb in a laboratory environment. In the classical IVF treatment, which is the first of these, the egg cell and sperm cells are left side by side in a certain environment and they are expected to be fertilized by themselves. In microinjection, another method, sperm cells are injected directly into the egg cell using special pipettes. Which of these two techniques should be preferred is decided by the specialist physicians according to the individual characteristics of the couples. The aim of the treatment process is to provide the most suitable environment for fertilization and a healthy pregnancy to occur.
In general, microinjection method is applied in IVF applications.
What is IVF?
In IVF treatment, the egg cell taken from the mother and the sperm cells of the father are brought together in a laboratory environment outside the female reproductive system, and an embryo is obtained by fertilizing the egg by a sperm from them. As a result of placing the embryo obtained in this way into the mother's womb, it becomes possible to create pregnancy in people who could not get pregnant by normal methods.
When should infertile couples seek IVF treatment?
If a woman who is under the age of 35 and does not have any disease that could prevent her from becoming pregnant, cannot conceive despite having unprotected and regular sexual intercourse for 1 year, she should definitely be under investigation and seek treatment if necessary. Women who are over the age of 35 or who have had any problems affecting conception before, should try for 6 months. If pregnancy has not occurred at the end of this period, the necessary treatment procedure should be started as soon as possible so that the age does not progress further and time is not lost .
Until what age can IVF be applied?
In vitro fertilization treatment can be applied to women up to the age of 45. However, it should be noted that the chance of getting pregnant is significantly reduced in women over 40 years of age. For this reason, the success rate of IVF treatment in older women is lower than in younger women, and the number of trials may need to be increased.
What are the chances of success in IVF?
Factors such as the mother's age and embryo quality are of great importance in the success of IVF. Therefore, the chances of success also vary according to these factors. While the success of IVF is 55-60% in women under the age of 30, this rate drops to 15-20% in women over the age of 40.
What is the Standard IVF Treatment Process?
IVF treatments take about 20 days. Before the treatment process begins , there are some procedures such as hormone tests and HSG ( Hysterosalpingogram ).
HSG is important in monitoring test tubes and should be administered within the first week after menstruation. HSG is used to control fluid build-up in test tubes.
Hormone tests are important during the procedure because the patient's hormone levels determine whether the patient is fit to begin the procedure, as well as the dose of medication to be administered to the patient.
IVF treatment can only begin on the 2nd or 3rd day of menstruation if it is suitable after the hormone tests. Supportive drugs during IVF that enlarge the egg and can take up to 10 days to be ready for collection. A drug is then given by injection that aids the sperm and egg fertilization process . After the eggs are collected, the fertilization process begins in the laboratory and is transferred to the patient within 3-5 days to create an embryo. A pregnancy test (BTHCG) is performed to detect pregnancy 11-12 days after embryo transfer. The patient can travel without any problems 1 day after the transfer. The IVF process takes a maximum of 20 days from the beginning to the end, but with a pregnancy test, this period can take 25-27 days. However, if the couple has a genetic disorder or the patient is over the age of 40, PGD ( Preimplantation genetic diagnosis) is required. This is a genetic test used on embryos to identify healthy embryos transferred to the mother. PGD is used in patients over the age of 40 because age-related decline in egg quality and chromosome abnormalities can lead to genetic disorders. PGD prevents these disorders from being passed on to the baby.
Example General Treatment Plan Treatment of women begins on the 2nd day of the term.
Pgt (genetic testing) is required for patients aged 40 and over .
Female
Day one: FSH, AMH, PROLAKTIN, E2, LH, progesterone , serologies .
Second day: HSG. Third day: Medicines for IVF initiation and egg control every 2 days.
Until the fourteenth day: E2 and E4 tests are applied after the drug.
Fifteenth day : Egg crack injection E2 and E4 tests are done.
Day Six: Egg Collection. Day Nine And Twenty: For Pregnancy Test 11 Or 12 Days After Transfer.
Male
First day: Spermiogram
Note: This plan is not diagnostic or therapeutic. It was written just to explain what an IVF experience is like.
