IVF Overview

Stimulating Egg Production

After completing the comprehensive screening, you will be placed on an oral contraceptive pill or daily Lupron shots or a combination of the two. This allows us to suppress your natural cycle and gives us control over when you are to start your injectable medication called gonadotropins. Gonadotropins work to stimulate the ovary to make numerous follicles, (which each contain an egg) during a single cycle. Typically, you will administer these shots for 8 to 11 days depending on your own response. Once enough follicles reach the mature range, which is approximately 14-19 mm, you will be instructed to take an intramuscular shot of hCG that night. Approximately 36 hours later, you will be scheduled for your egg retrieval.

Egg Retrieval

You will be instructed not to eat or drink anything from midnight on the day prior, and arrive at our Morristown office one hour prior to the procedure. You will be asleep for the procedure and will be recovering over the next two to three hours. Your partner will be asked to produce an ejaculate at the time of your retrieval with his last ejaculation being approximately 48-72 hours earlier. Remember that no children are allowed in the recovery area and that you will need someone to drive you home and stay with you for at least the next 24 hours. You will know the total number of eggs retrieved prior to leaving and will be called the following day with the number of eggs fertilized. In preparation for the embryo transfer, you will be asked to take a low dose steroid, antibiotics and some form of progesterone supplementation.

Embryo Transfer

You will be asked to return either on the third or fifth day following your retrieval for your embryo transfer. The decision is based on both the number and the quality of embryos obtained. Basically, if you have many high quality embryos to choose from on day 3, then a day 5 transfer would most likely be scheduled. You will return several times for blood work, including a pregnancy test approximately two weeks after retrieval. An ultrasound is done approximately four weeks after retrieval and will be repeated several times throughout the first trimester, after which you will be returned to your ob/gyn for the remainder of your obstetrical care.