Since the birth of Louise Brown in 1978, there has been a steady improvement in success rates of IVF treatment. The pregnancy rates vary between IVF clinics, and from time to time within the same clinic. The success of individual IVF clinics may be found in league tables published by HFEA. The overall live birth rate per treatment cycle is about 20%. There are many factors that may affect success rates.
The overall live birth rates for IVF in the United Kingdom have improved from last year from 20.4%. to 21.6%. …

For some couples undergoing IVF, one of the most significant ethical issues they may face is the fate of the surplus embryos.
Following embryo transfer, any remaining viable embryos are then cryopreserved (frozen) for later transfer. Not all embryos are suitable for freezing. The embryos can be frozen at the pronucleate, early cleavage or blastocyst stage. Overall about 50% of frozen embryos survive the thawing process. In the United Kingdom, the embryos can be frozen for up to 10 years with the intent of thawing and transferring them at a later …

The embryo replacement (embryo transfer) procedure is quite simple and usually pain free. It may cause minimal discomfort and no anesthetic is used, although some women may need sedation or occasionally a general anesthetic. The male partner is usually invited to attend the procedure. The couple may also be able to view the embryos through a monitor before the embryos are replaced.
Some couples are concerned that their eggs, sperm or embryos may mix up with that of other couples. The probability of this happening in a good centre is very …

Pain. The patient may experience pain. It is not unusual for women to experience some abdominal or pelvic pain. A hot water bottle or painkillers are often helpful. However, if the pain is severe, or persists, then you should consult your doctor.
Bleeding. The patients may have to wear panty liners for a day or two following egg collection. Any bleeding should be minimal and dark or brown in colour. If bleeding is severe or bright red then consult your doctor.
Nausea and vomiting. The patient may experience nausea or vomiting for …

There are several aims when monitoring the treatment cycle. These include: checking the development of follicles and lining of the uterus, to adjust the dose of the drugs if necessary and to time the hCG injection. Each patient is different, so the ovarian response varies between patients both in the number of follicles produced and the speed at which they mature. On average, you need to attend the clinic for two or three visits and occasionally more to see how well you have responded to the injection and adjust the …

A number of different drugs and protocols are used in IVF treatment. Because the treatment is individualized, a couple may find out that their drugs and protocols differ from other couples. This is quite normal. The duration of treatment also varies with the drug regimen and ranges from 2-4 weeks. During the treatment, the patients usually attend the clinic for about 2-4 visits for monitoring.

Some of the commonly used drugs include:
• Clomip
• hene tablets and hCG
• FSH and/or hMG and hCG
• GnRh analogues (agonist or antagonist) and FSH or hMG …

Preliminary testing. When attending an IVF clinic for the first time, the doctor will conduct a consultation. He or she will review in depth the past medical history, conduct physical and internal examination and your doctor may perform a ‘dummy’ embryo transfer to make sure there is no technical problems with the procedure. The doctor may order some investigations before proceeding with treatment.
These usually include:
• Semen analysis to check for sperm number, swimming ability, shape, and survival. . For men who have difficulty in producing semen samples on demand, the …

Conventional or standard IVF treatment involves the administration of fertility drugs, monitoring of the cycle, collection of eggs, mixing eggs and sperm together outside the woman’s body in a culture dish or test-tube. Any resulting embryos are left to grow and the best 2-3 embryos are then transferred into the woman’s womb. Any remaining embryos of good quality may then be frozen for future use. In the United Kingdom a maximum of three embryos are replaced.
IVF cycle. The diagram below summarises the IVF cycle.

The original indication for IVF was tubal …

IVF (In Vitro Fertilisation) is an Assisted Reproductive Technology used to help couples conceive. If you have undergone hormonal therapies and artificial insemination without any success in conceiving, then IVF might be for you. To date, IVF is the most popular of all assisted reproductive technologies available.
IVF is the process of creating a fertilised female egg in a laboratory. It involves extracting an egg from the female and sperm from the male, and then placing them together in a lab dish to enhance the chances of fertilisation. If the egg …