In Vitro Fertilization
Couples that are not able to conceive naturally because of various types of infertility often choose a medical procedure called in vitro fertilization, otherwise known as IVF. Though it can be quite costly ($10,000 to $15,000 in 2005), over a million couples have successfully had children since the procedure was pioneered in 1978. Sometimes, the procedure needs to be performed more than once when the initial attempt is unsuccessful. Each attempt is known as an IVF cycle.
IVF Cycle Steps
Here are the major steps of an IVF cycle:
- Birth control pills are taken for an entire menstrual cycle in order to predictably schedule the next ovulation.
- About two weeks prior to ovulation, hormone treatment is taken via a combination of injections, nasal sprays, and oral pills. This treatment will induce the ovaries to enlarge numerous eggs that are ready to be fertilized.
- A minimally invasive medical procedure is conducted to harvest the available eggs.
- A sperm sample from the father is mixed with the harvested eggs to produced embryos.
- One or more embryos are placed in the uterus wall and the pregnancy then proceeds as normal. Depending on the age of the mother and the reason for the infertility, several eggs may be implanted in the uterus to maximize the chances of a pregnancy.
Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection
At times, defficiencies in the sperm make it impossible for the egg to be fertilized naturally. In such instances, a procedure called Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection is performed to increase the chances for the eggs to be fertilized.
Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis
Parents that have a high risk of passing on genetic defects to their children can choose to perform a Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) on the embryo to check the DNA for common genetic faults. There is some controversy around PGD because it can also be used to select the sex of the child.
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