In your initial consultation your fertility doctor will discuss realistic pregnancy and delivery rates with you, as well as make the initial assessment on your health and ability in the delivery of healthy follicles
Getting started with the IVF Cycle with birth control
After the initial consultation with your fertility doctor they usually start you on birth control medications. They do this in order to control your ovulation cycle so that they can precisely time the steps to the IVF procedure.
Another reason for the birth control medication is that it helps to guard against ovarian cysts that may be caused by medications they give you that are intended to stimulate follicle production. The follicle is the egg cell that becomes an embryo after it is fertilized.
Birth control also helps synchronize with the egg follicles so they will all start at the same stage in growth and the dates will be the same that are chosen by the doctor and patient for the IVF Cycle. This is how the fertility specialist can control hyperstimulation by assessments, blood testing, and ultrasound imaging.
Pre-IVF Cycle Test procedure
During this time the doctor will perform a test procedure for the egg implantation. They do this in order to determine the correct size of needle to use and the optimum placement of the fertilized egg. This is a simple procedure and takes only about five minutes. It is painless and requires no anesthesia.
Pre-IVF Cycle Final preparation
Through daily injections of gonadotropins they stimulate follicle production. This process is monitored by using ultrasound and checking hormone levels. Once the follicles have reached optimum size, the hormone HCG (Human chorionic gonadotropin) is given by injection in order to stimulate maturation of the follicles. This is to prepare the follicles for the second step, follicle retrieval. This is performed at about 36 hours after HCG injections.
Please join us in our series A beginners introduction to IVF (In Vitro Fertilization). This was Step 1 and the rest are to follow as we explore an IVF Cycle and In Vitro Fertilization.
