Introduction to IVF
In vitro fertilization embryo transfer (IVF-ET) is an assisted reproductive technology, which aims to help couples who are unable to conceive naturally for physical reasons achieve their reproductive aspirations. Through IVF technology, the medical team can combine male sperm and female eggs in the laboratory to fertilize them in vitro, and then transfer the successfully fertilized embryos back to the mother, hoping for the final pregnancy and successful reproduction.
The process of IVF technology
IVF technology is a complex process, including the following main steps:
1. Basic assessment: doctors will conduct a series of basic assessments on couples, including physical examination, medical history understanding, reproductive hormone examination, etc., to determine whether it is suitable for IVF technology.
2. Ovulation regulation: adjust ovarian function and promote the production of multiple mature eggs by giving female hormone treatment.
3. Egg collection: Using ultrasound guided fine needle puncture technology, doctors will take out multiple mature eggs from women's ovaries.
4. Sperm sample collection: men need to provide fresh sperm samples, or prepare in advance through semen cryopreservation.
5. In vitro fertilization: put the collected eggs and sperm in the culture dish, and conduct in vitro fertilization in the laboratory.
6. Embryo culture: The fertilized egg will be cultured for several days in the laboratory in order to develop into high-quality embryos.
7. Embryo transfer: The doctor will select the best quality embryo and transfer it into the female uterus with a thin tube.
8. Pregnancy test: at a specific time after transplantation, blood or urine tests are used to determine whether the pregnancy is successful.
Effects and risks of IVF technology
Since the advent of IVF technology, millions of couples have successfully achieved their reproductive aspirations through this technology. However, IVF technology also has some risks and limitations. Some of these include:
1. Risk of multiple pregnancy: In order to improve the success rate, doctors may transfer multiple embryos into the uterus, leading to an increased risk of multiple pregnancy.
2. Side effects of reproductive hormone therapy: hormone therapy may cause some side effects, such as ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome.
3. Quality problems of sperm or eggs: Although doctors will try their best to screen high-quality sperm and eggs, sometimes quality problems still exist, affecting the development of embryos.
4. Limit of success rate: Although IVF technology has made great progress, there is still a certain limit of success rate. The success rate of different hospitals and cases may be different.
Prospects of IVF technology
With the continuous progress of science and technology, IVF technology is also developing and innovating. In the coming years, we can expect the following trends:
1. Improved therapeutic effect: With the progress of medical technology, the success rate of IVF technology is expected to continue to increase, bringing fertility hope to more couples.
2. Application of precision medicine: precision medicine based on individual genetic information will gradually be applied to IVF technology to improve the screening ability of embryo quality and disease risk.
3. Application of frozen embryos: The success rate and viability of frozen embryos are getting higher and higher. In the future, more frozen embryos may be used for IVF technology to increase the success rate.
To sum up, IVF technology is an assisted reproductive technology that brings new hope to couples who cannot conceive naturally. Although there are some risks and restrictions, its success rate continues to improve and is expected to usher in more innovations in the future.
