The role of fertilization in the IVF cycle
When couples and individuals decide to begin their families, they often have a rough timeline in mind. On average, it takes a healthy couple approximately 12 months to conceive naturally. After that time – or after six months for women ages 35 or older – Andrew J. Levi, MD, our Connecticut fertility expert, suggests consulting a fertility expert to explore fertility treatment. These treatments, designed to help achieve fertilization of an egg with sperm, may include medication, intrauterine insemination (IUI), or an IVF cycle.
Why should you consider infertility treatment?
In an ideal situation, you and your partner would try to get pregnant, and the home pregnancy test would show two lines about six weeks later. Dr. Levi sometimes needs to give nature a hand. Depending on the results of comprehensive fertility testing and the causes of your struggles to conceive, he may recommend cycle monitoring, oral medications or IUI. Many times, these basic treatments will produce the desired outcome. However, in some cases, our Connecticut fertility expert may want to move forward with more advanced fertility treatment, such as an IVF cycle.
What happens during an IVF cycle?
The average IVF cycle involves multiple steps. Each step plays a critical role in achieving a healthy pregnancy. In preparation for the cycle, our support team will review the process and answer any questions. During IVF treatment, the following steps occur over the course of several weeks.
- Ovarian stimulation
- Egg retrieval
- Sperm sample collection
- Fertilization
- Embryo transfer
- Blood draw – two-week wait
If all goes well, we will confirm the pregnancy with a blood test about 14 days after the embryo transfer.
How does fertilization occur during IVF?
For successful fertilization, our embryologists first need eggs and sperm. To begin, Dr. Levi will prescribe fertility medications to regulate your cycle, and then we will monitor your progress with blood tests and ultrasound to ensure the eggs mature as expected. At the appropriate time, the doctor will retrieve the eggs through a minor outpatient procedure.
If you are using fresh sperm, your partner will provide a sample on the day of retrieval. If using frozen sperm, sample(s) are thawed the day of the egg retrieval. Once we have both egg and sperm, the egg and sperm are combined in the laboratory to achieve fertilization. In some cases, individual sperm are injected into each mature egg in a technique called intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), to make certain that sperm and egg meet. Our embryologist will monitor development of the resulting embryos. You will return for the embryo transfer at the optimal time.
The team at Park Avenue Fertility understands that having a baby is not always as easy as it seems. Seeking outside help from a reproductive specialist like Dr. Levi can make the process less confusing. Contact our office to schedule a consultation appointment with our Connecticut fertility expert.