PollenTree

In vitro Fertilisation (IVF)

This is the process by which a woman’s eggs are fertilised by sperm but this is done outside the body in a laboratory and the fertilised egg is then transferred to the woman’s uterus to allow her to carry the embryo to full term.

There are a number of variations to IVF such as:


1. Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)
This is a procedure where a single sperm cell is injected directly into the egg using a tiny needle. The sperm is inserted into the soft centre of the egg (cytoplasm) using special micromanipulation equipment.

It can be used where a male partner has had an irreversible vasectomy or has no sperm in his semen. Only one sperm is needed. The woman still needs to undergo ovulation stimulation using fertility drugs to ensure that several mature eggs are available as eggs can sometimes be damages during the injection of the sperm.

Once the eggs are mature they are extracted and the sperm is injected into the egg and this takes place outside the body in a laboratory.


2. Cyro Stored Embryo Transfer
This is where embryos grown during a previous IVF treatment are frozen and stored in liquid nitrogen so that they can be planted back into a woman’s body at a later date (for future pregnancies) and so may be suitable for a woman before they start cancer treatment for example.


3. Gestational Surrogacy
Licensed clinics can use a surrogate in the IVF process. This is a woman who is used to carry a child for the couple being treated. This means the surrogate mother will not be genetically related to the child.

A surrogate will be needed in the case of women who have a damaged uterus or no uterus at all. Women with medical conditions that could become life threatening if they become pregnant such as heart and kidney conditions are also likely to benefit from the use of a surrogate.

Surrogacy is not legal in every country due to its controversial nature, but is legal in the UK although there are strict laws against the advertising of surrogacy services.


4. Egg Donation
This is suitable treatment for women who do not have any ovaries and so cannot produce eggs or who have gone through premature menopause.

The treatment is not available in every country as it is regarded as controversial, but it is legal in the UK if done through a licensed clinic.

Egg donors will need to be screened to ensure that they do not pass on any genetic conditions.

Some clinics also operate an egg sharing programme where women undergoing IVF treatment consent in writing to any unused eggs being donated by the clinic in return for reduced fees for her treatment. The clinic can in turn use the donated eggs for women requiring an egg donor.