What You Need to Know About Using IVF to Overcome Infertility

IVF is an abbreviation of In Vitro Fertilization, a technique that has been in use for over three decades. In the early years of the treatment, babies who were conceived this way were labelled as "test tube babies".

The IVF treatment that you receive will vary depending on your circumstances, and this could be due to a number of mitigating factors, such as your age, your medical insurance coverage and the underlying cause of your infertility.

The most popular IVF infertility treatments available

The most popular treatment is the traditional IVF treatment. Traditional IVF treatment consists of an injection of medication that helps to stimulate the production of more than one egg. Once the eggs have reached a certain level of maturity and quantity, they are then removed by the use of a special needle, and the whole process takes no longer than 10 minutes. Once the eggs have been removed, they are placed together with the sperm in a special container that is then placed in an incubator in the hope that natural conception occurs. After a wait of about 5 days, and if the eggs have been fertilized, the fertilized egg is then inserted in to the womb with the hope that a healthy baby will form.

Less traditional forms of IVF treatment

One form of IVF treatments that is now available is known as Intra Cytoplamic Sperm Injection (ICSI). It is similar to standard IVF treatment in its early stages, the major difference is that the sperm is injected into the egg, rather than being placed into a dish with the egg and left for nature to take its course. By injecting the sperm into the egg, the hope is that the conception rate will improve. Once fertilized, the egg is then placed within an incubator in the same way as a traditional IVF treatment, and then the egg is reintroduced back into the womb in the hope that the pregnancy will carry on from that point.

Finally there is Gamete Intra Fallopian Transfer (GIFT) treatment, and again the early stages of this treatment are similar to the more traditional IVF treatment. The eggs are stimulated and removed before being placed with the sperm into a special catheter, which then places them back in to the woman's fallopian tubes. At no stage are the sperm and egg allowed to fertilize outside of the body, which will take place within the woman's body. This procedure is the only one allowed by the Catholic Church.

Deciding to have IVF treatment is a huge step and you will want to choose a reputable clinic to see you through the process. For couples who are looking for help with IVF in New York I recommend that they contact the experts at Genesis for compassionate and professional treatment.