Fertilización in vitro

Visit our website to learn more about using Nucleus content for patient engagement and content marketing: http://www.nucleushealth.com/ MEDICAL ANIMATION TRANSCRIPT: In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a process in which a woman's eggs are fertilized outside her body and then placed inside her body to help her conceive. A woman's reproductive system includes the vagina, cervix, uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries. During the monthly menstrual cycle, one of the ovaries releases an egg in a process called ovulation. After ovulation, the egg enters the fallopian tube. A woman is most likely to become pregnant if she has sexual intercourse in the days just before, during, or after ovulation. During this time, a sperm from the man's reproductive fluid, called semen, can fertilize the egg inside the fallopian tube. As it travels through the fallopian tube, the fertilized egg, now called an embryo, loses the outer cells that nourished it in the ovary. The embryo then moves from the fallopian tube to the uterus. In the uterus, the embryo sheds the outer protective layer called the zona pellucida, in a process called zona incubation. Zona incubation is necessary for the embryo to implant in the tissue lining the uterus. During implantation, the connection between the woman and the embryo begins to form. This organ, called the placenta, allows oxygen and nutrients to pass from the mother to the embryo. In vitro fertilization (IVF) may be performed if a woman has difficulty getting pregnant, has a condition called infertility, or if a woman wishes to conceive a child without a male partner. Before IVF, the woman will receive fertility medications that stimulate the maturation of one or more eggs in the ovaries. The man will provide a semen sample to collect the healthiest sperm for fertilization. If the male partner is completely infertile, also known as sterile, or if the woman does not have a male partner, a sperm donor can be used for this process. In vitro fertilization (IVF) consists of three main procedures: follicular aspiration, fertilization, and embryo transfer. During the first procedure, called follicular aspiration, the eggs are collected from the ovaries. At the beginning of this procedure, an ultrasound probe is inserted into the woman's vagina so the doctor can view the ovaries. Inside the ovaries, the doctor looks for the follicles. Each follicle is a fluid-filled sac that contains an egg. The doctor then inserts a long, thin needle through the vaginal wall into the ovary. An aspiration device attached to the needle will collect several eggs from inside the follicles. During the second part of in vitro fertilization, called fertilization, the retrieved eggs are immediately taken to a laboratory where they will be fertilized. Fertilization can be done by insemination, where several sperm are mixed with the healthiest eggs, or the eggs can be fertilized with sperm injected directly into them during a process called intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). The fertilized eggs, also called embryos, will be monitored for three to five days as they begin to grow. At this time, the laboratory may create a hole in the zona pellucida surrounding some embryos. This process, called assisted incubation, will help the embryos implant in the uterus. Some of the embryos will be used immediately for embryo transfer, and the rest will be frozen and stored for later use if needed. The third part of in vitro fertilization is called embryo transfer, which takes place three to five days after fertilization. During embryo transfer, a tool called a speculum is inserted into the woman's vagina so the doctor can see the cervix. A syringe is filled with fluid containing one or more incubated embryos. The syringe is then attached to a long, thin tube called a catheter. The doctor inserts the catheter into the vagina, through the cervix, and into the uterus. Once inside the uterus, the doctor transfers the embryos. The catheter and speculum are then removed. The woman may need to lie down for about 15 minutes. ANH14121es