Risks And Opportunities Of In Vitro Fertilization

By Author: Sally Smith
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In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is a procedure where the eggs of women are taken from the ovary. Then they are fertilized with sperm in a laboratory method, and then the fertilized embryo is returned to the womans uterus. Dr. Mark Rispler ( http://www.innovativefertility.com ) uses extensive diagnostic testing to determine a patients chances for successful IVF

In Vitro Fertilization is a procedure in which the connecting of eggs and sperm takes place outside of the womans body. A woman may be given fertility drugs prior to this procedure so that several eggs mature in the ovaries at the same time. A long, thin needle is used to remove the eggs from the woman. The physician gets a passage to the ovaries using one of two possible procedures. One of the procedures involves inserting a needle through the vagina (transvaginally). The physician guides a needle to the location of the ovaries with the help of an ultrasound machine. In the other procedure, called laparoscopy , a small thin tube with a viewing lens is implanted through an incision in the navel. This allows the physician to see inside the patient and find the ovaries ...
... on a video monitor.

Once the eggs are removed, they are processed with sperm in a laboratory dish or test tube. (This is the origin of the term test tube baby.) The eggs are observedlooked at for several days. Once there is proof that fertilization has happened and the cells have begun to divide, they are then returned to the womans uterus.

In the procedure to remove eggs, a sufficient amount may be gathered to be frozen and saved (either fertilized or unfertilized) for further IVF attempts.

In Vitro Fertilization has been used successfully since 1978, which is when the first child to be conceived by this method was born in England. Over the past 20 years, thousands of couples have used this method of ART or similar procedures to become pregnant.

Of the approximately 62 million women of reproductive age in 2002, about 1.2 million, or 2%, had an infertility-related medical appointment within the previous year, and 8% had an infertility-related medical visit at some point in the past. (Infertility services include medical tests to diagnose infertility, medical advice and treatments to help a woman become pregnant, and services other than routine prenatal care to prevent miscarriage.) Additionally, 7 percent of married couples in which the woman was of reproductive age (2.1 million couples) reported that they had not used contraception for 12 months and the woman had not become pregnant.