What are IVF and IUI
What are IVF and IUI – ETHOS HEALTH CARE
For some couples, In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and Intrauterine insemination (IUI) will be necessary for conception.
In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)
For many couples, In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) offers the best chance of achieving a pregnancy. During the IVF process, the sperm fertilises the eggs in the laboratory rather than inside the woman’s fallopian tubes.
The first step in IVF involves injecting hormones so you produce multiple eggs each month instead of only one. You will then be tested to determine whether you’re ready for egg retrieval. Once these eggs have matured, a needle is inserted through the vagina to remove the eggs. The eggs are then placed in a specially-prepared laboratory dish and mixed with your partner’s sperm, which he will have donated on the same day. The fertilized eggs are kept in the clinic under observation to ensure optimal growth. The fertilised embryos grow in the laboratory over two to five days.
For the embryo transfer procedure, a flexible tube, called a catheter, is inserted into the vagina, through the cervix and into the uterus. The embryos are placed in the uterus via the catheter in the hopes they implant and cause a pregnancy. To increase the chances of pregnancy, most IVF experts recommend transferring three or four embryos at a time.
Intrauterine insemination (IUI)
Intrauterine insemination is a useful treatment for women with open fallopian tubes and a normal uterine cavity and in cases where the man has unexplained infertility. It can be done with sperm from the male partner or a sperm donor, and is often combined with ovulation induction by hormone therapy.
Intrauterine insemination involves monitoring of the woman’s cycle with an ovulation predictor kit. At the time of ovulation, the man produces semen specimens that are prepared in the laboratory utilizing specialized enhancing solutions. The sperm are washed to remove the fluid surrounding them and the rapidly moving sperm separated out. The sperm are then placed in the uterus. IUI is performed in office, without anesthesia, using a thin flexible tube (catheter) that is passed through the cervix and into the uterus. No special bed rest is required after the IUI. Some doctors may repeat the insemination after 24 hours. They usually encourage patients to have intercourse on the night of the IUI, and for 2-3 days after this as well, to maximize the chances of the sperm and egg meeting.
IUI is a simple, inexpensive, effective form of therapy, and can usually be tried first, before going on to more expensive and invasive options.
