IVF – Methods And Procedures For Infertile Couples

The following extract is from a series of parenting articles and videos about in vitro fertilization ...

Medical science is constantly looking for new procedures to help couples and women who are dealing with infertility. In vitro fertilization, while it has been around for a while now, has been able to help couples who have not been able to get pregnant. While the first IVF technique took place in Britain in 1978, the first successful in vitro fertilization procedure in the U.S. happened in 1981. Since that time, IVF has been responsible for the births of over 250,000 babies!

IVF is a technique where a man's sperm is introduced to the woman's egg in a laboratory dish where it is then fertilized, for about forty hours. After this time period the egg is checked to see if fertilization has indeed occurred. This IVF process is one method of infertility treatment and is also known as assisted reproduction. After the woman's egg has been fertilized, the embryo is then placed into the womb and allowed to grow normally. When the implanting process takes place, between two and four embryos are typically transferred into the uterus or womb.

During the early years of in vitro fertilization and sometimes still today, the children born of this technique are referred to as "test tube babies." The first test tube baby was born in England in 1978. IVF is normally suggested as a treatment when a woman has blocked tubes, severely damaged tubes or has no fallopian tubes at all. However, it can also be used when the individual trying to conceive has endometriosis or if the male involved has a low sperm count. There are also times that IVF is used when other fertility methods and fertility drugs have failed.

In vitro fertilization has made it possible for women, who once thought were incapable of conceiving a child, to become mothers of their naturally born children. Even women over the age of forty have a success rate of around 13% with IVF. It should be noted that reproductive health is not all that has to be taken into account when dealing with assisted fertilization. If the female faces other medical issues, this can raise a problem. A number of factors such as age, overall physical health and medical history should be taken into account before IVF or any other infertility procedure is practised.

For more articles on starting a family, go here: IVF