Many causes of infertility can be treated with in vitro fertilization. In vitro fertilization (IVF) was first developed in the 1970’s to help women with severely damaged tubes to conceive. Since then, IVF has also been used to help couples with endometriosis, semen abnormalities, and unexplained infertility to have children. As the success of IVF has increased over the years, more couples have been seeking this treatment.

What happens in an IVF cycle?

An IVF cycle is a complicated process that involves a series of medications, retrieval of eggs from the female partner, and transfer of embryos into the uterus. The medications may include birth control pills, injectable follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), a GnRH agonist or antagonist, human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), and estrogen and progesterone. The response of your ovaries is monitored with ultrasounds and samplings of your blood for hormone measurements. The mature eggs are aspirated from the ovaries using a needle passed through the vagina; sedation or anesthesia is given for this procedure. Our embryology lab then inseminates the eggs and keeps then in a special incubator to develop. Three or 5 days later, the dividing embryos are placed into the uterus using a catheter designed for this procedure.

Success Rates

The success of an in vitro fertilization procedure depends upon the age of the female partner, the diagnosis, and, especially for women over 35, the FSH value on the third day of the menstrual cycle. Your physician will give you an estimate of your individual chance of success.

To learn more about our services you contact us at info@pnwfertility.com or leave us a message on our contact us page.