Does IVF require surgery?

Many infertile patients cannot successfully become pregnant even after receiving treatment. In this case, they will go for in vitro fertilization. Now the technology of in vitro fertilization is very advanced, so you can rest assured. When doing in vitro fertilization, generally no major surgery is required. You only need to implant the embryo into the body. No cutting or skin damage is required during the process, so you can rest assured.

Now, let’s sort out the process steps we need to go through from preparing for IVF to transplantation.

The initial consultation is the first step for the hospital to record the entire medical history of you and your partner. At this stage, you can ask all your questions and provide the doctor with effective information. Only during these consultations can you understand all the medications you need to take during the IVF cycle, when and how to take them, as well as arrange the procedure schedule.

Test tube examination

At this point, the IVF process has begun. You will undergo laboratory tests and your doctor will decide on an IVF plan based on your test results. Although the IVF process is not much different for everyone, it may still vary from person to person.

However, there are several basic tests that apply to everyone: blood tests, ultrasounds, infectious disease screening, uterine evaluation, and male fertility testing including sperm analysis. Next, you may be put on birth control pills or downregulation medication to regulate your menstrual cycle and prepare for ovulation. After the examination and diagnosis, the pill will usually last for 2 to 4 weeks, depending on the length of your cycle. Of course, some plans do not require the birth control pill!

IVF

This stage is a week of drug injections and monitoring. You will undergo a procedure called controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) to grow the follicles through ovulation-stimulating injections. During this period, you basically need to go to the hospital every day for injections or B-ultrasound monitoring. Of course, some hospitals allow you to take the drugs home (with a doctor's order)!

Egg retrieval and transfer

The follicles supported by ovulation-stimulating drugs have grown to the appropriate size. HCG night injections will be arranged to make the follicles mature, and then ultrasound egg retrieval will be performed. If it is due to male infertility, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI second-generation test-tube baby) will be used to increase the chance of fertilization. About 3-6 days after fertilization, an assessment will be performed to monitor the quality of the embryos, and the embryos with the best scores will be selected for transplantation to the uterus. If fresh embryos cannot be transplanted due to superovulation stimulation syndrome, you will need to wait for 2 menstrual periods to perform frozen embryo transplantation!

After the IVF cycle

When the embryo transfer is completed, a pregnancy blood test will be performed about two weeks later. If the pregnancy is shown, the doctor will arrange the next step of hormonal medication support. Return to view more

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