What is IVF
In vitro fertilization embryo transfer (IVF-ET) is an assisted reproductive technology, which aims to help couples who cannot conceive naturally realize their reproductive dreams. By fertilizing sperm and egg in vitro, and then transferring the fertilized embryo back to the female uterus, IVF technology has a high success rate and has become a way of choice for many couples.
The process of IVF
The IVF process can be divided into the following five main steps:
First, women are treated with ovulation promoting drugs designed to stimulate their ovaries to produce multiple follicles. These drugs can be taken orally or injected to help promote follicular development.
Then, under the guidance of ultrasound, the female ovary takes out the eggs. This step generally requires surgery, called ovarian puncture.
At the same time, men provide semen samples, in which the best quality sperm will be selected.
Next, the sperm and egg are fertilized in vitro in the laboratory, that is, the sperm is directly injected into the egg.
Finally, the fertilized embryos are transferred back to the female uterus. Usually, 1-2 embryos are transferred to improve the pregnancy success rate.
Indications and adverse reactions of IVF
IVF is suitable for couples who are unable to conceive under many different circumstances, including:
1. Obstruction or damage of the female's fallopian tube: The female cannot enter the uterus through the fallopian tube naturally due to fallopian tube problems, so she needs to use test tube baby technology for pregnancy.
2. Poor semen quality of the man: The man can choose the IVF technology because of the difficulty in natural pregnancy due to insufficient sperm quantity, low motility or other problems.
3. Unexplained infertility: Although the physical examination results of some couples are normal, they are still unable to conceive. If they are diagnosed with unexplained infertility, they can consider IVF.
Some adverse reactions may occur during IVF, including ovarian stimulation syndrome, abdominal pain and bleeding after ovarian puncture, abdominal pain during implantation, etc. However, most of these adverse reactions are temporary and can usually be alleviated through medication and rest.
Success rate and current situation of IVF
The success rate of IVF technology is affected by many factors, including female age, egg and sperm quality, uterine environment, etc. Generally speaking, young women have a higher pregnancy success rate. According to some hospital data, the success rate of IVF for women under 30 years old can reach more than 50%.
At present, more and more couples around the world choose IVF technology to realize their reproductive dreams. Different countries and regions have different regulatory policies for IVF. For example, public hospitals in mainland China, such as Peking Union Medical College Hospital and Shanghai Jiaotong University Affiliated Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, all provide IVF technology with a high success rate.
summary
IVF technology is an assisted reproductive technology, which helps couples who cannot conceive naturally realize their reproductive dreams by fertilizing sperm and eggs in vitro and transferring embryos back to the female uterus. The process of IVF includes ovulation induction, ovarian puncture, in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer. Indications include female fallopian tube problems, male poor semen quality and unexplained infertility. The success rate of IVF technology is affected by many factors. At present, more and more couples around the world choose this technology and get a high success rate.
