Principles of IVF
IVF is a kind of assisted reproduction technology. Through artificial fertilization or in vitro fertilization, the eggs and sperm are combined in the laboratory to cultivate the fertilized eggs, and then the fertilized eggs are transplanted into the female uterus. The principle of IVF mainly includes the following steps:
The first step is to collect eggs. After hormone therapy, women's ovaries will produce multiple follicles, and the eggs will be extracted under the guidance of ultrasound.
The second step is to collect sperm. The male provides semen samples, which are processed and screened to obtain high-quality sperm.
The third step is in vitro fertilization. The collected egg and sperm are combined in the laboratory to make the sperm enter the egg to complete the fertilization process.
The fourth step is embryo culture. The fertilized egg will develop into an embryo, which will be cultured for several days until it reaches the optimal development stage.
The fifth step is embryo transfer. The cultured embryo is transferred into the female uterus through a catheter, and can develop into a fetus in the uterus after successful pregnancy.
Who is suitable for IVF
IVF technology can help many infertile couples achieve their fertility aspirations, especially for the following groups:
1. Couples unable to conceive naturally: including infertility caused by female fallopian tube blockage, low male sperm quality and other factors.
2. Couples with low IVF success rate: For couples who have experienced multiple IVF failures, IVF technology can improve the pregnancy success rate.
3. Women with aging eggs: As women grow older, their egg quality will decline. IVF can use young women's eggs for fertilization and transplantation.
4. Carriers of genetic diseases: couples carrying genes of certain genetic diseases can be screened for embryonic genes through test tube baby technology to reduce the occurrence of genetic diseases.
Success rate and risk of IVF
Success rate: The success rate of IVF is affected by many factors, including female age, egg and sperm quality, and implementation technology level. Generally speaking, young couples have a high success rate, which can reach 40% to 60%.
Risk: Although IVF technology plays a great role in solving the problem of infertility and has a low risk to women's health, there are still some risks as follows:
1. Multiple pregnancy: In order to increase the success rate, sometimes multiple embryos are implanted in the uterus at the same time, which will increase the risk of multiple pregnancy.
2. Early delivery: IVF pregnancy has a high risk of early delivery, which may lead to premature birth.
3. Embryo implantation failure: after the embryo is implanted into the uterus, implantation failure may occur, which will lead to the failure of pregnancy development.
Development and Prospect of IVF
With the continuous progress of medical technology, IVF technology has been widely used and developed. Nowadays, more and more infertile couples have realized their fertility dreams through IVF technology.
In the future, with the development of gene editing technology and embryo screening technology, IVF technology is expected to become more accurate and reliable, which can eliminate more genetic disease risks, and also can better improve the pregnancy success rate.
In a word, IVF technology helps infertile couples realize their reproductive dreams through artificial assisted reproduction. Its principle and applicable population are constantly improving and expanding, bringing hope and opportunities to those couples who cannot conceive naturally.
