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In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF)

In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a process in which eggs and sperm are obtained, with the eggs being fertilized in the lab rather than inside the body. The embryos created being transferred into the uterus when they reach an appropriate stage of development. IVF has been used worldwide to facilitate millions of pregnancies.

The standard IVF process consists of the following steps:

  1. Consultation with a fertility specialist for a full fertility assessment
  2. Appointment with the nurses at Genea so they can explain the details of the cycle to you and teach you how to use the hormone injecting pens
  3. Cycle start – involves daily hormone injections
  4. Monitoring – early morning blood tests and ultrasounds to monitor the growth of your ovarian follicles
  5. Egg collection – a short procedure conducted under a light general anaesthetic, this procedure takes about 15 minutes and is conducted in the Genea day surgery in Sydney CBD. You go home the same day.
  6. Embryo growth in the lab – immediately after your egg collection, the sperm sample provided by your partner is used to fertilize the eggs. The resulting embryos grow in special incubators for five days.
  7. Embryo transfer – five days after your egg collection, an embryo transfer will usually take place  (in some circumstances it is preferable to delay the embryo transfer by one month, either to avoid the risk of ovarian hyperstimulation or to permit time for genetic testing to be conducted on the embryo). The embryo is a simple procedure that does not require any form of anaesthetic. It takes 5-10 minutes and you can go back to work afterwards. Any excess embryos will be frozen for later use.
  8. Pregnancy test approximately two weeks after the embryo transfer

Genea’s world leading embryo incubating system, Geri, has demonstrated a 46.7% increase in the number of high grade embryos per cycle compared to traditional incubator and culture medium systems. You can even watch your own embryos grow in the lab using a special app provided by Genea.

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