How long is the cycle of IVF?
Test tube baby is a kind of assisted reproductive technology, which is widely used to solve the problem of infertility. This process includes many steps, such as egg retrieval, fertilization, embryo culture and embryo transfer. The length of IVF cycle is affected by many factors, including individual differences, the technical level of hospitals and the specific conditions of patients. The length of IVF cycle will be discussed in detail from different perspectives.
1. Test and preparation stage
Before starting the IVF cycle, doctors will conduct a series of tests and evaluations on patients to determine the best treatment plan. The duration of this testing and preparation phase varies from hospital to hospital, usually taking several weeks. This process includes physical examination, blood examination, endocrine examination and semen analysis of the patient. The doctor may also require women to have ultrasonic examination and uterine and fallopian tube hydrotherapy.
According to the test results, doctors will customize the treatment plan for patients. This stage also includes necessary preparations for patients, such as injecting ovulation promoting drugs to women to improve their ovarian ovulation ability, and monitoring the development of follicles.
2. Egg taking and fertilization
Fetching and fertilization are the core steps of IVF cycle. In general, women perform an ovum retrieval operation during the ovulation period, which usually needs to be carried out in the hospital. Before the egg retrieval operation, women will receive anesthesia to ensure the comfort and safety of the operation.
Egg retrieval usually takes about 15 to 30 minutes, and most of the time is used to puncture and remove eggs in the ovary. Doctors use ultrasound guided fine needle to remove mature eggs from the ovary. After taking eggs, the eggs will be transferred to the laboratory for fertilization.
In the laboratory, doctors combine sperm with eggs to fertilize them naturally or directly inject single sperm using cell injection technology. After fertilization, the eggs will continue to be cultured in a petri dish to form an embryo.
3. Embryo culture and screening
In the IVF cycle, embryo culture and screening is a very important step. The embryo will continue to grow and divide in a laboratory dish for several days until it reaches its optimal state. This process usually takes 3-6 days, and doctors will screen according to the development of the embryo.
Doctors will evaluate the potential implantation ability of the embryo according to its quality, shape and development stage. Normally, doctors will choose the best developed embryos for implantation, and may also decide to freeze the remaining embryos for future use.
4. Embryo transfer and subsequent observation
Embryo transfer is the last and most critical step in the IVF cycle. Embryo transfer is usually carried out in the uterus of a woman. The process is usually simple and does not require anesthesia.
After embryo transfer, patients need a period of rest to promote implantation. Doctors will advise patients to continue to use progesterone or other drugs to support implantation and embryonic development. Next, the patient will be scheduled for a blood test to confirm pregnancy.
In the follow-up observation of the IVF cycle, the doctor will pay close attention to the pregnancy of the patient, and make further adjustments and treatment as needed.
Summary
The length of IVF cycle depends on many factors, including the time of testing and preparation, the steps of egg taking and fertilization, the time of embryo culture and screening, and the process of embryo transfer and subsequent observation. The conditions of each hospital and each patient are different, so the cycle length of IVF will also be different. Through professional doctors and scientific technology, IVF technology continues to develop, providing more opportunities for couples who are eager to become parents.
