In-vitro Fertilization (IVF)

The field of in vitro fertilization has made dramatic advances in the past several years. We are committed to provide our patients with the most advanced cutting-edge technology in the field of infertility.

The process of IVF involves several steps:

1. Getting you ready: This step involves blood tests to assess your basic ovarian function, to exclude certain medical conditions and sexually transmitted disease. During this stage, tests would be done to ensure that you the uterine cavity is normal.
2. Stimulating your ovaries: This is a very important and highly tailored protocol for your need. There are several protocols to achieve ovarian stimulation; your doctor will choose the protocol that would suit your need. During the active stimulation, you will visit our office every 2-3 days depending on your response to the stimulation. These are very short visits that will not last more than 15 minutes.
3. Egg retrieval: this is the stage when the eggs are harvested from your ovaries. This is an ultrasound guided office procedure.
4. Egg culture and fertilization: After harvesting your eggs, they will be fertilized by joining them with your husband's sperm, or by performing Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI).
5. Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI): Depending on the underlying cause of infertility, your doctor may recommend ICSI.
6. Embryo Transfer: Depending on the condition of the embryos, transfer will occur on day 3 or on day 5 (blastocyst stage).

Assisted Hatching:

The assisted hatching procedure involves thinning or making a small hole in the zona pellucida that surrounds the embryo. There is some evidence that assisted hatching may improve implantation rate. This procedure is mainly indicated in patients above the age of 37 and those who have had repeated IVF failures. Just before the embryos are replaced inside the uterus, whether they are fresh or frozen/thawed, the outer layer of the embryo is thinned out using different techniques. The process is repeated for each embryo. The main methods currently in use for assisted hatching are: chemical, mechanical and laser.