In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is one of the most well-known forms of assisted reproductive technology, and for good reason. One in 18 babies born in Australia has been conceived through IVF. Since the first IVF baby in 1978, researchers estimate that IVF has helped create around 10 million babies worldwide.
IVF involves taking an egg from the female partner and combining it with sperm from the male partner in a laboratory dish containing a special solution. This approach allows us to side-step a huge number of fertility problems found in both men and women.
In order to combine the eggs with sperm, we need to collect these cells from you and your partner.
For women, the first step involves taking hormone injections for ovarian stimulation. This encourages your ovaries to mature and release multiple eggs instead of the typical one per month. Your progress is monitored through frequent ultrasound scans and blood tests so we know when to time your egg collection.
The egg retrieval is a day procedure, under either local or general anaesthesia, where we use a fine needle to retrieve the eggs directly from your ovaries. You can expect to return home on the same day.
For men, sperm collection is much more straightforward. You’ll be given a private room at the Genea facilities where you can produce your semen sample via masturbation. If you are unable to produce the semen sample for any reason, your fertility doctor can perform a minor procedure known as testicular sperm aspiration, which extracts the sperm from your testicles using a fine needle.
The eggs and sperm are then mixed in a dish to allow fertilisation. This is when a sperm cell unites and fuses with an egg cell. From here, an embryo develops, nourished by Genea’s exclusive culture media, GemsⓇ, and housed in the controlled environment of the Genea GeriⓇ time-lapse incubator. If you have opted for preimplantation genetic testing (PGT), a few cells are biopsied from any suitable embryos and used for testing. This can identify a number of genetic abnormalities that may cause problems with the pregnancy or in your child.
Once we have identified the healthiest embryos, you, as the female partner, will undergo the embryo transfer procedure. This involves using a long, thin catheter via the cervix to place the embryo in your uterus. Any embryos that weren’t needed for the transfer but may be suitable for future use can be frozen. Two weeks later, you’ll have a pregnancy blood test.
ICSI follows the same steps as IVF but replaces the fertilisation step with intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Instead of leaving the egg and sperm in the dish to combine on their own, the embryologist injects a single sperm cell directly into each egg. Our fertility experts may recommend ICSI if your fertility problems are caused by sperm issues that prevent them from penetrating and fusing with the egg on their own.
After your initial consultation and investigations with one of our IVF specialists, we will have a clearer idea of whether IVF with or without ICSI will be suitable for you.
IVF- and ICSI-assisted conception has helped millions of couples:
IVF may also be used to build the families of solo parents using donor eggs or sperm.
Some couples or individuals may have a reasonable chance of successful conception through an alternative to IVF known as intrauterine insemination (IUI). IUI offers a less costly and less invasive approach to assisted reproduction.
