Many couples in California and elsewhere have fertility issues and need IVF when trying to have a baby. It’s important to understand what IVF clinics do.
What is an IVF clinic?
IVF clinics provide fertility assistance to individuals or couples who struggle with infertility. To understand what the clinic does, it’s important to know about IVF.
IVF is the acronym for in-vitro fertilization. It’s a popular form of assisted reproductive technology that involved taking eggs from a woman’s body and fertilizing them with sperm from a semen sample from her partner or an anonymous donor in a laboratory. Once there are embryos created, the doctor can place a certain number of them into the woman’s uterus.
How does IVF work?
When a woman undergoes IVF, she must begin taking fertility medications for a few months to prepare for egg retrieval. The ovaries are stimulated to produce multiple eggs just in case there are very few that end up being viable.
During the egg retrieval process, the woman is given medication to relax. The doctor relies on an ultrasound to view the uterus and eggs to retrieve them as a thin tube is inserted into the patient’s vagina.
After the eggs are retrieved, they are fertilized using the best sperm cells from the woman’s partner or a donor. Once embryos are created, they’re monitored to see whether they’re developing normally. A few days later, one or more of the embryos are implanted into the woman’s uterus with the hopes of pregnancy occurring.
Women who undergo IVF should expect certain side effects. As a medical procedure that involves fertility medication to stimulate the hormones, some of the normal side effects include mood swings, cramping and bloating. It’s also important to rest for a full day after the process.
IVF is a popular option for many people to have a family. It’s expensive and carries risks but is worth it for many.