IVF or, in vitro fertilization, was first successfully performed in 1978 and resulted in the birth of the first baby born on July 25, 1978. When Louise Brown's mother gave birth to her daughter at Oldham Hospital near Manchester, England, the world reacted as if she, and IVF, were a creation of science fiction.

IVF was a major breakthrough in treating infertility and is responsible for the birth of more than 500,000 healthy children around the world. IVF  and donor egg success rates have improved consistently over the last several years. New procedures, such as ICSI, have evolved to treat conditions such as male infertility and have enabled thousands of otherwise infertile men to father children.

Huntington has six IVF clinics located in southern California staffed by Fellowship trained and board certified infertility doctors. IVF requires a team of experts, takes several weeks, and consists of five basic steps.

IVF requires numerous follicles (eggs), however, women usually grow a single egg each month. The patient undergoes ovulation induction with FSH which can be used alone, or in combination with other medications, to induce several follicles to develop. The monitoring of egg development is accomplished in three ways:

The team evaluates cycle data on an ongoing basis for the appropriate timing of the administration of the human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) injection that triggers the final stages of ovulation. The hCG injection is usually given about 35 hours before egg retrieval is scheduled.

Egg Harvesting, Oocyte Retrieval

IVF originally required that the eggs be retrieved by laparoscopy. Today, they are collected by transvaginal ultrasound-guided oocyte aspiration. This is a simple technique that involves the introduction of a small needle through the vaginal wall guided by an ultrasonic probe. Egg harvesting is conducted at our clinic under local anesthesia and IV sedation.

IVF Laboratory

The eggs must be combined with sperm for fertilization to occur. After the oocyte collection procedure, a "baby incubator" which houses a powerful dissecting microscope receives the follicular fluid containing the eggs. This fluid is placed in a special culture medium which consists of several essential chemicals. At this point in the cycle, the eggs remain in the carefully-controlled extracorporeal system for 4-6 hours before the embryologist adds the specially-processed sperm to allow the fertilization process to occur.

IVF - Uterine Embryo Transfer

IVF embryo transfer is not a complicated procedure and is performed in our office without anesthesia. The embryos are placed in a tiny catheter and then introduced by the infertility specialist into the uterus through the cervix into the endometrial cavity. We require the patient remain lying down for about an hour.

Patients are told to absolutely restrict their physical activities for the first 24-72 hours and moderately restrict them until a pregnancy test is performed approximately 9-12 days post transfer.

Luteal Phase Monitoring & Support

The luteal phase of the cycle consists of monitoring of blood levels of progesterone, estradiol, and BhCG (pregnancy tests).

If there is a positive pregnancy test, close monitoring of the early pregnancy is highly advisable. We continue to perform the blood tests plus the first pregnancy ultrasound for detection of the baby's heartbeat and evaluation of the number of embryos implanted is usually done between the 4th and 6th week post transfer.

ICSI, TESA, MESA

Embryo Cryopreservation

Embryo cryopreservation is possible when there are extra embryos remaining after incubation. Embryo cryopreservation means that embryos can be thawed and used in future cycles thus reducing medication costs.

IVF with Donor eggs is used when a woman cannot use her own eggs. This may be due to age, disease, cancer treatments such as radiation or chemotherapy, and other factors. In vitro fertilization success rates using donor eggs are typically high. See the donor egg pages.

Success Rates

IVF success rates vary according to variables including the cause(s) of a couple's infertility, whether or not male factor is present, in which case ICSI is recommended, female age and others. IVF success rates are discussed on a separate Web page. We also feature an excellent article covering factors that can improve success rates by Dr. Wilcox.

• Learn About Fertility Drugs at Huntington's Main Site
• Donor Egg Program
• Download HOPE Patient Resource Guide