IVF Overview

I am going to try to give you a brief overview of the entire IVF process.  IVF is a world of its own with a language of its own.  As we continue through this process, we will learn more and be able to explain things more in depth...but for now this overview should give you a nice breakdown of what the next weeks hold.

Step 1 -- Birth Control Pills (BCPs) --  Oddly enough, the first part of the IVF process will start with birth control.  The goal of taking BCPs is that they will "quiet down everything" so that the doctors will know exactly what is going on with my body.  This will enable them to get my body on their schedule and help them better determine the schedule of medicines and procedures.

Step 2 -- Lupron -- During the last few days of BCPs, I will start an injection called Lupron.  This medicine will prevent premature ovulation.  This is just another step to make sure my body is doing exactly what the doctors need it to do.  After a few days, I will stop the BCPs and continue the Lupron.

Step 3 -- Stimulation Injection (Stims) -- After I have taken Lupron alone for a duration, I will add in a second injection.  Basically, this injection will stimulate my ovaries to produce as many follicles as possible.  Each follicle has the potential to produce an egg.  Here is your basic reproductive system lesson:  Inside the ovary, there are spaces called follicles.  During every cycle a woman has, the follicles in the ovaries race to mature an egg.  Eventually one follicle takes the lead in size.  When the lead follicle is large enough, the mature egg is released and a woman ovulates.  So in my case -- or the case of anyone undergoing IVF -- the goal is to try to get all of those follicles to grow at the same rate.  We don't want one follicle to take the lead...we want all of them to get to the finish line at the same time.  Hopefully after eight to ten days of stims, we will have about 15 mature follicles in each ovary.  I will be monitored very closely by ultrasound and labwork during this time.

Step 4 -- Trigger Shot -- When the doctors decide that all the follicles are just the right size, I will get a Trigger Shot.  This injection will prepare my body to release all those mature eggs.  This trigger shot is timed very precisely.  Thirty-six hours after administration, I would ovulate.  Obviously, we don't really want my ovaries to ovulate...so that brings us to Step 5. 

Step 5 -- Egg Retrieval -- Okay, since we timed that Trigger Shot so well, the doctors will retrieve all of those hopefully mature eggs using a big ol' needle right before my body releases them for ovulation.  Don't worry...I will be heavily sedated for this and won't feel a thing!

Step 6 -- Break! -- Once we've made it this far, we deserve a break.  So for a few days we aren't responsible for ANYTHING!!  After my eggs are retrieved, they are taken to the lab where they will grow.  The day after retrieval, the clinic will call us and tell us how many eggs were fertilized and are growing into embryos.  We will be able to check up on our embryos on the internet.  Not all the eggs that were retrieved will be mature.  Not all the mature eggs will fertilize.  Not all the fertilized eggs will grow like they should.  Out of the 20-30 retrieved, only a handful will make it to transfer.

Step 7 -- Transfer -- The transfer day will all the depend on those little embryos.  Ideally, they will grow, grow, grow and on Day 5, the lab is able to grade the embryos.  Then we will be able to pick out the very best one to transfer back.  The remaining ones will be frozen.  Sometimes, the embryos just aren't growing like they should.  If this is the case, the doctors decide to transfer an embryo back early -- on Day 3.  The thinking is that maybe the embryo will grow better inside the uterus rather than in the lab.  Transferring the embryo is a relatively simple procedure that does not require any sedation.  I will probably be on bedrest for 24 hours or so and then instructed to take it easy for a while.

Step 8 -- Wait and Pray -- After the transfer we all have two weeks of waiting and praying.  Even with all of this exact science, my body still has some work to do on its own.  We will stand on the verse Matthew 19:26 - "And Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'"




I hope that was a nice breakdown.  If you have any questions, please please please email me.  I will put together an FAQ post.  Before I did all the research on this, I had questions.  I tried to cover everything, but will be more than happy to address anything not covered.