IVF

You will be given hormonal medications for roughly two weeks to stimulate egg production. Some patients may also go on birth control to regulate their cycle. You’ll be monitored closely during this time to determine when your hormones are at an appropriate level for egg retrieval.

This is a simple procedure performed by our expert doctors that involves inserting a thin ultrasound-guided tube into your ovaries to retrieve eggs. You will be sedated and under general anesthesia for the whole process which takes about fifteen minutes. Typically the only side effect afterwards is mild cramping. Most women need 1-2 days to recover after the egg retrieval.

You and your doctor will discuss whether you’ll be using fresh or frozen sperm. That sperm will then be “washed,” meaning the best-quality sperm will be isolated for fertilization.

The egg is fertilized with sperm in our lab. The sperm is injected directly into each egg, a process called Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection, or ICSI.

The developing embryos are monitored for 5-7 days. San Diego Fertility Center physicians will often recommend all viable embryos be cryopreserved for a frozen embryo transfer, which can take place soon after IVF is complete.

Before your embryo transfer, you will be given medications to regulate your egg production and optimize the uterus for implantation. Through careful monitoring, your doctor will determine when to transfer an embryo for the highest chance of success.

This procedure is quick and simple. Your chosen embryo or embryos are placed into the uterus with a tube that is inserted into the vaginal canal and through the cervix. While you may experience minor discomfort, this procedure usually doesn’t require any anesthesia.

10 to 12 days after the transfer you will take a pregnancy test. If you are pregnant we will schedule a follow-up appointment. If your test doesn’t come back positive, we will schedule a follow up consultation to discuss your outcome. We understand that it can be emotionally draining to go through IVF treatment and not become pregnant, but we are committed to supporting you through every avenue available for achieving your goals.