In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) can be used to overcome a range of fertility issues, including sperm antibodies, endometriosis, and unexplained infertility. For many couples, it gives them the best chance of having a baby.
How does IVF work?
With the IVF process, sperm fertilise the egg in a laboratory, rather than inside the woman's fallopian tubes.
An egg from the female partner is placed together in a culture dish with many thousands of sperm prepared from a semen sample provided by the male partner. Over the next few hours, fertilisation takes place and a number of embryos are formed.
The fertilised embryos are developed in the laboratory over a period of two to five days, then transferred to the woman’s uterus in a simple procedure called an embryo transfer. At IVFAustralia, we usually grow embryos in the laboratory until Day 5, known as the Blastocyst stage, because there is strong evidence that these embryos are more likely to implant into the uterus during a fresh transfer.
If more than two embryos develop, we can freeze those that are surplus for use in subsequent cycles.
Find out more about freezing embryos...
The IVF process step by step
Each IVF treatment cycle takes around six weeks.
Contact us for more information...
Step 1: Initial appointment
You and your partner should both attend your first appointment with your fertility specialist. They will review your medical history, all previous investigations and treatment, and will provide preliminary advice about your treatment options.
Step 2: Pre-treatment consultation
You’ll meet again with your fertility specialist, confirm your treatment plan, have any questions answered and sign the relevant consent forms. Discuss any complementary medicines you are taking now, as these may interfere with your treatment.
Step 3: Treatment begins
Your fertility nurse gives you the medication you need, explains the treatment cycle timeline, and shows you how to self-administer the Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) injections. We recommend both you and your partner attend this appointment.
Step 4: Hormone stimulation
FSH is administered through a diabetic-style pen, stimulating your ovaries to produce more eggs than usual. We have a higher chance of achieving fertilisation and pregnancy when we can collect more eggs.
Step 5: Treatment monitoring
Throughout your cycle, regular blood tests measure your hormone levels and ultrasounds measure the size and number of your ovarian follicles. This also helps us determine the appropriate time for egg collection. All your blood and ultrasound tests are conducted by our nurses within your chosen IVFAustralia clinic, and are included as part of your treatment costs.
Step 6: Trigger injecton
Once you have the optimum number and size of follicles, we plan your egg collection. You’ll have a trigger injection of hCG (human chorionic gonatrophin) in the evening, and the operation for egg collection will occur 36 to 38 hours later. The hCG injection replaces the natural Luteinising Hormone in the body and 'triggers' or instigates ovulation.
Step 7: Egg collection in day surgery
Egg collection is undertaken in day surgery, usually under ultrasound guidance. Most women prefer a light general anaesthetic, but you can have a local anaesthetic with sedation if you prefer. You will be at the hospital for about 4 hours and will need someone to drive you home afterwards. Make sure you can take the rest of the day off work.
On the morning of your egg collection your partner will need to provide a fresh semen (sperm) sample, so we can immediately fertilise your eggs.
Step 8: Egg fertilisation
Collected eggs are taken to the laboratory and placed in culture medium to prepare them for fertilisation later that day. In IVF, prepared sperm and eggs are placed together in a dish where fertilisation occurs. In ICSI, an individual sperm is selected by a highly experienced embryologist, and, under very delicate microscopic control, the egg is injected with this single sperm.
Step 9: Embryo development
The egg and sperm are then placed in individual incubators at 37 degrees to mimic the temperature of the human body. The next day, scientists will examine the eggs to determine if fertilisation has occurred, and will call you to advise you of the development of the embryos.
Step 10: Embryo transfer
Embryo transfer is a simple day surgery procedure and usually takes place five days after the egg collection. The embryos are transferred into the uterus through a very fine catheter passed through the cervix, a procedure similar to a pap smear. In some cases we may recommend transferring embryos earlier.
Step 11: Embryo freezing
Any extra embryos not used during a treatment cycle that are suitable for freezing can be stored for the future.
Step 12: Pregnancy test
Your nurse will organise an appointment for you to have a blood test two weeks after the embryo transfer. Occasionally, women can still have a period despite being pregnant, so this blood test will occur even if your period has commenced. We do not recommend the use of urinary pregnancy test kits, as the hormone medication given throughout treatment could produce an incorrect reading.
Your pregnancy blood test results are usually available by mid afternoon. If the pregnancy test is positive, we will arrange an ultrasound scan approximately three weeks later.
