WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN UNDERGOING IVF

The IVF cycle starts on the first day of the natural menstrual cycle, when the ovaries normally produce their one egg.

For the first 8 to 14 days of the cycle, women are injected with hormones to produce multiple eggs and give the procedure a better chance.

Blood tests and ultrasounds, including transvaginal probes, are done to track how the eggs are developing in the ovaries.

A trigger injection is given to prepare the eggs for ovulation and release from the ovaries. These mature eggs are harvested trans-vaginally in a daycare procedure under anaesthesia. Fresh, frozen or donor sperms are washed and the healthiest ones selected to fertilise the eggs with, in a petri dish.

After incubating for five to six days, the healthiest embryos are implanted into the uterus in a 10-minute procedure without anaesthesia.

Multiple embryos are implanted to increase the chances of at least one taking root. This is why quite a few IVF procedures result in multiple births — twins, triplets, and more.

After a two-week wait, a blood test is done to measure the hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) hormone and confirm pregnancy.

In the US, 48% of women under the age of 35, and 37% of women aged 35 to 39 undergoing assisted reproductive treatments had live births. In the UK, 35% women under the age of 35 and 30% between the ages of 35 and 39 did. There is no centralised data for India.