Choosing Which IVF Process Is Right For You

Many who are trying for a baby don’t know that one in six couples will actually seek the advice of a fertility specialist to help them conceive. It is much more common than people realise to require some assistance to help you achieve pregnancy and you definitely aren’t alone should you be struggling to conceive naturally.

When turning to a fertility specialist, more often than not, couples will have limited knowledge of the treatments available to them, yet one particular treatment process that people tend to have heard of is IVF (In Vitro Fertilisation). However, whilst lots of people know the basics of IVF, they don’t realise that there is more than one IVF process available and this treatment is more versatile than couples think. To help anyone who is wanting to find out more about IVF and the options available in this regard, below we have looked into some of the different IVF processes. 

IVF treatment

Simply put, IVF is a treatment that involves taking fertility medication, when the eggs are ready they are removed from your ovaries and fertilised with sperm in a laboratory. Once the eggs have been fertilised, the embryos will then be returned to your womb with the hope of them growing and developing into a baby. 

This is probably the basic framework of IVF treatment process and it involves the use of different kinds of fertility drugs and injections at different stages. For many, this is a suitable, and successful, treatment option, making it the first that tends to be offered to couples who are seeking assistance with conceiving. 

Natural cycle IVF 

Not all couples will want to use medication when undergoing fertility treatment and sometimes, people can react badly to the drugs and injections too which means conventional IVF isn’t suitable. Thankfully, natural cycle IVF can be a brilliant option to consider in this regard. 

This IVF process is incredibly similar to the IVF treatment mentioned above, yet women will be monitored with ultrasound scans and blood tests without using any stimulation medication, which also reduces the risks of complications and side effects. Generally speaking, anyone who has a regular menstrual cycle can consider undertaking the natural cycle IVF process. 

ICSI treatment 

This IVF process differs from other conventional IVF treatments. During intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) a single sperm is injected directly into an egg rather than many sperm being placed near an egg in a dish containing nutrient fluid. 

ICSI treatment was originally developed to assist men who are experiencing fertility problems such as; low or absent sperm concentration, motility, morphology or presence of anti-sperm antibodies. Even if men have no sperm to ejaculate, a careful surgical extraction is another option to consider during ICSI which can help them father a pregnancy.  

IMSI IVF treatment 

Intracytoplasmic Morphologically-Selected Sperm Injection (IMSI IVF) also tends to be offered to couples where there is male subfertility. It is similar to the ICSI treatment mentioned above, yet this IVF process has an additional stage.

During IMSI IVF, a special microscope with very high magnification is used to evaluate the structures inside the sperm cell. This enables fertility specialists to then select optimal sperm for ICSI before injecting the sperm into the eggs and continuing with the later stages of the IVF process. 

Deciding which IVF process to undertake 

Hopefully, if you’re exploring all of your options for assisted conception, the information above will be beneficial for you and you should now know a little bit more about some of the most frequently used IVF processes. Of course, it is always undeniably beneficial to speak to a fertility specialist about your individual situation before setting your mind on one specific treatment programme, they may be aware of something much more suitable. 

Here at London IVF and Genetics Centre, our incredibly experienced team will gladly take the time to discuss fertility treatments with you in more detail. As an expert fertility centre, we are committed to providing the best possible success rates, regardless of where you are in your assisted fertility journey. We know that every patient has a unique situation and, for this reason, we offer a bespoke fertility service whereby we use the latest scientific interventions to provide a highly personalised service. Our specialists will specifically address your circumstances and you can be rest assured knowing that you’re in the best possible hands with our team.