IVF 101: Your guide to the IVF process

While you may have heard of IVF treatment before, most people don't know what it entails. Below, we explain what IVF is, what it involves, and what the process is step-by-step.

‍

What is IVF – and what is the IVF process like?

IVF is a technique used for women and couples experiencing infertility, where eggs and sperm are combined in a special laboratory to create an embryo or embryos.

One full cycle of IVF treatment can take about three to four weeks. Depending on what IVF protocol your doctor is recommending, your IVF calendar can range anywhere from four to six weeks for one IVF cycle.

The IVF Process

Every month, when a woman's body releases an egg, it is known as ovulation. During ovulation, an egg is released from the ovary and waits to be fertilised for a span of 12 to 24 hours. When a patient is about to undergo an IVF cycle, the reproductive endocrinologist wants to make every effort to increase the chances of success. This is why you are given fertility medication in the hopes of producing more than one egg to increase your chances of IVF success. Fertility medications are prescribed for this to happen, and a specific IVF protocol is designed with your health history and family-building goals in mind.

This process, known as ovarian stimulation, helps the ovaries to...