In Vitro Fertilization

Costs

In vitro fertilization is the process of reproducing in the laboratory what happens naturally in the fallopian tubes: the fertilization of an egg by a sperm to form an embryo.

The procedure is performed outside of the woman’s body, in vitro, using a single-use plastic test tube and in culture media whose composition is close to the natural environment of the fallopian tubes.

In vitro fertilization is generally indicated when artificial insemination has failed or in the case of damaged fallopian tubes (blocked, altered or absent tubes) or male infertility.

Ovarian stimulation: Ovarian stimulation treatments can stimulate ovulation to achieve sufficient development of several ovarian follicles, so that several fully developed oocytes can be harvested for fertilization. Blood hormone levels are tested every day in the same laboratory, to assess the quality of hormonal secretion of the follicles. An ultrasound is performed to monitor response to treatment and check follicle growth.

Stimulation is triggered when the number and the size of the follicles are satisfactory and hormone levels are sufficient. An injection of hCGG hormone is then performed 34 to 36 hours before oocyte puncture. The doctor locates the fully developed follicles during ultrasound and aspirates their contents using a needle directed into the vagina towards the ovaries.

Follicles puncture is done during a hospital stay of a few hours. The follicles are then stored in a culture medium: 5 to 10 oocytes are usually collected and stored in an incubator at body temperature (37°C). The spouse’s sperm is harvested on the same day as the puncture of the follicles: using the previously frozen semen of the spouse is also possible. The success rate is variable and is about 22% per cycle. The rate varies according to the age of the patient: only 12% at 38, 9% at 40 and 6% at 42 years old. Realistically, a success rate of 20% means that a woman has a 20% chance of delivering a baby after a conventional IVF.