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In Vitro Fertilization - Methods And Procedures

In vitro fertilization, while it has been around for a while now, has been able to aid individuals who have not been able to conceive a child ...

Medical science is constantly developing new procedures to help individuals who are dealing with infertility.

In vitro fertilization, while it has been around for a while now, has been able to aid individuals who have not been able to conceive a child.

While the first IVF technique occurred in England in 1978, the first successful procedure in the United States took place in 1981. Since that time, IVF has been responsible for the births of over 250,000 babies!

IVF is a procedure where a man's sperm is introduced to the woman's egg in a laboratory dish where it is then fertilized, for about 40 hours. After this time period they are checked to see if fertilization has indeed occurred. This IVF process is one method of infertility treatment and is also known as assisted reproduction.

After the woman's egg has been fertilized, the embryo is then transferred into the womb and allowed to develop naturally. When the implanting process takes place, 2 to 4 embryos are normally placed into the uterus or womb.

Years ago, the term in vitro fertilization was not commonly used, but we did however, often hear of the term "test tube baby." The term was used to describe a child who was born through the IVF technique.

Women, who once could not have children due to damaged fallopian tubes, blocked tubes or no tubes at all, now have the possibility of becoming pregnant with the use of IVF procedures. IVF is also used when the male individual has a low sperm count and procedures are used to bring the count up to a higher level.

The good news is that the rate of miscarriages, when the in vitro fertilization technique has been used, is the same as those that occur with pregnancies from normal conception. Ectopic pregnancies, however, occur in around 3 to 5% of pregnancies that happen with the IVF technique.

IVF techniques have even made it possible for some women of an older age to have a baby of their own. As with any medical procedure, the age of the female receiving the IVF procedure, as well as their medical history and any current medical problems, has to be considered.

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