IVF

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This is exclusively performed in specialist clinics and is one of the most tightly regulated branches of medicine in the UK.

Women take drugs, typically by nasal spray and injection, to stimulate the ovaries to produce eggs.  Once the ovaries have responded appropriately a final injection is given to induce the final stages of maturation of the egg and 36 hours later an egg collection is performed.  This is typically done under sedation and with a vaginal scan.  A needle is passed through the top of the vagina into the ovaries and the fluid drained from the egg sacs. 

This should contain the eggs.  They are then placed in an incubator along with the sperm – or if it is ICSI (intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection) they are individually injected with a single sperm and then placed in the incubator.  The following day they are checked to determine if the sperm and egg have fertilised (fused).  Those eggs that have fertilised are kept in the incubator for 2 or 3 more days and then one or two of the best quality embryos are transferred.  There is the option of freezing the remaining embryos for subsequent use but this is only appropriate if they are of very good quality. 

The transfer procedure is a bit like having a cervical smear test performed except that a very fine tube is passed through the cervix into the womb and the embryo(s) deposited there.  The pregnancy test is usually performed two weeks later.