IVF - Getting Started
- Prior to starting an IVF cycle, the female partner needs a current uterine cavity study such as a sonohysterogram (SHG) and the male partner needs a current semen analysis within 6-12 months.
- Please call the office at the start of your period to schedule the sonohysterogram (SHG).
- If the SHG is normal, we generally place the female partner on oral contraceptives (OCPs) unless contraindicated, to suppress the ovaries for 2-3 weeks. This ovarian suppression reduces ovarian androgen production and decreases ovarian cyst formation improving pregnancy rates.
- At this time one of the nurses will order your medications through one of the pharmacies.
- Please schedule a teaching session (either private or group) with one of the nurses to go over the medications and receive instruction on injections.
- You will be given appointment times for the follicle sonogram monitoring and blood draw for hormone levels. You also will be given the projected days for egg retrieval and subsequent embryo transfer.
When the cycle doesn’t work. There are several reasons why conception may not occur during the Assisted Reproduction Cycle. The treatment cycle may be canceled prior to egg retrieval if follicular development is unsuitable. Some eggs may not be fertilized and some embryos may not implant when transferred to the uterus. Failures at IVF procedures are frustrating. We share in your success and disappointments. If at any time you feel undue stress or just need to talk, please let us know of your feelings.
If pregnancy does not occur in the first IVF cycle, is there reason to try again? Yes, several studies conclude that IVF pregnancy rates are constant throughout the first 6 attempts. In other words, your chances for pregnancy are not decreased in your third IVF attempt because the first 2 attempts did not work assuming that there were embryos each time to transfer.