A Look At In Vitro Fertilization

Couples who are trying to conceive naturally and fail are familiar with the term in vitro fertilization. This procedure was first accomplished with success in England in 1978. An embryologist, Dr. Robert Edwards, and a gynecologist, Dr. Patrick Steptoe, successfully used the technique of in vitro fertilization which resulted in the birth of Louise Brown on July 25, 1978.

The procedure of in vitro fertilization is the removal of the egg from the mother, combine it with the sperm of the father, allow the embryo to grow to attachment stage, and place the egg back inside the mother's uterus. The pregnancy is monitored closely.

The use of in vitro fertilization used to include surgical procedures. This has changed with the advancement of medicine. Now in vitro fertilization is done as an outpatient procedure. There is much which must be done to prepare the couple for the procedure. The goal is to retrieve several healthy eggs from the woman. She will have to go through at least two weeks of preparation. The woman will be given fertility drugs and other hormone therapy. There will be blood tests and ultrasounds. The ovaries will be examined to determine when the optimum collection time will be. The eggs must be collected before ovulation.

In the procedure of in vitro fertilization, the eggs are collected with a needle passed through the vaginal wall into the ovaries. There are several eggs collected because it increases the success of having at least one egg become fertile. The woman is able to go home after a short time and resume normal activities.

Once the eggs are retrieved they are combined with the sperm for fertilization. The eggs will begin to develop into the pre-embryos which attach to the wall of the uterus. It is at this time the eggs are placed back into the woman. This part of the in vitro fertilization procedure is also done vaginally. The patient is made to rest for a while before being released to go home and resume normal activities.

When in vitro fertilization was first introduced it was considered a appalling procedure. Many people were infuriated by the thought of Modern Science playing God and developing a “test tube” baby. As the procedure was explained more and people came to understand exactly what was being done, the technique was more widely accepted.

Today there are over 115,000 babies who were born in the United States due to in vitro fertilization. Many more around the world have also been born with this procedure. In vitro fertilization was first developed to overcome infertility when there were problems with a woman's fallopian tubes. Now there are other infertility issues this procedure can help with; low sperm count being one of them.

In vitro fertilization is not for everyone. There are certain criteria which makes a couple a good candidate for in vitro fertilization. The best thing to do is speak with a medical professional about all the options when faced with the issue of infertility. The doctor you choose may or may not recommend in vitro fertilization.