How long is the treatment cycle of IVF?
IVF is an assisted reproductive technology, which helps couples who cannot conceive naturally realize their reproductive dreams in Hefei Provincial Hospital. The length of treatment cycle is very important for patients. The treatment cycle of IVF will be described in detail below to provide comprehensive information for patients from different aspects.
1. Diagnosis and preliminary inspection stage
The first step of IVF treatment is diagnosis and preliminary examination. Usually, doctors will conduct detailed physical examination and medical history inquiry on both sides of the couple to assess the patient's fertility status. This includes female ovarian function, endometrial thickness, and male sperm quality. In addition to routine inspection, more professional auxiliary inspection can be carried out, such as endocrine index detection, tubal patency inspection, etc. According to the examination results, the doctor will develop a personalized treatment plan. This phase usually takes 1 to 2 months.
Once the diagnosis and preliminary examination are completed, the doctor will discuss the treatment plan and detailed schedule with the patient. They will explain the purpose and possible results of each step, as well as the difficulties that may be encountered in the treatment process.
2. Ovulation induction and egg collection stage
In the phase of ovulation promotion and egg collection, female patients will use some ovulation promotion drugs to stimulate ovarian polycystic development. Doctors will formulate appropriate ovulation promoting drug programs according to the specific conditions of patients. It is usually necessary to repeatedly observe the growth and development of polycystic cysts through ultrasound examination of the ovary to determine the best time for egg collection.
Egg collection is a minimally invasive procedure, usually performed under local anesthesia. Doctors will use ultrasound guided fine needles to puncture the ovary and extract eggs from multiple cysts through the suction device. The whole process usually takes 30 minutes to 1 hour, and the obtained eggs will be immediately sent to the laboratory for preparation and cultivation.
3. In vitro fertilization and embryo culture
During in vitro fertilization and embryo culture, eggs and sperm are combined in the laboratory. Usually, sperm is directly injected into the egg for fertilization, which is called conventional in vitro fertilization or in vitro fertilization. Doctors will choose the appropriate fertilization method according to the quality of eggs and sperm.
The fertilized eggs will be cultured in a Petri dish and observed and evaluated during the process. The optimization of culture environment, the evaluation of embryos and the selection of embryo transfer timing will affect the quality of embryo development and the probability of embryo transfer. At this stage, doctors will comprehensively consider the patient's situation and select suitable embryos for transplantation. This phase usually takes five to six days.
4. Embryo transfer and subsequent treatment
Embryo transfer is the last step in IVF treatment. Doctors will use thin tubes to transfer suitable embryos into the uterus of female patients. This process is usually very simple and does not require anesthesia. After transplantation, female patients need to rest for several hours and follow the doctor's advice to make appropriate lifestyle adjustments. Later, the doctor will arrange the patient to take necessary medication to promote embryo implantation and the continuation of pregnancy. If the embryo is implanted safely and develops, female patients are likely to become pregnant successfully.
To sum up, the treatment cycle of IVF mainly includes diagnosis and preliminary examination, ovulation induction and egg collection, in vitro fertilization and embryo culture, embryo transfer and subsequent treatment. The whole treatment process usually takes 3 to 4 months. The diagnosis and examination phase usually takes 1 to 2 months, the ovulation induction and egg collection phase takes 2 to 3 weeks, the in vitro fertilization and embryo culture phase takes 5 to 6 days, and the embryo transfer and subsequent treatment phase takes several weeks to observe the pregnancy.
In Hefei Provincial Hospital, the professional doctor team will develop the best treatment plan according to the individual conditions and treatment needs of each patient, and provide care and support for patients. It is hoped that the contents of this article can provide corresponding reference for couples who need IVF treatment.
