IVF treatment is a long journey. It includes multiple steps; in most cases, a patient might require to repeat a particular step too.

Step 1: Beginning of your treatment
The IVF treatment journey begins with the doctor determining the best time during your menstrual cycle. IVF treatment requires several eggs to mature.

Step 2: Ovarian stimulation
This step is where the doctor stimulates the ovaries to promote the growth of the follicles that contain the eggs. The common hormones in the medications that are used to stimulate the follicles are Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) and Luteinizing Hormone (LH). Once injected, the IVF doctor along with the team monitors how the ovaries respond to the medications.

Step 3: Trigger Injections
Once the doctor sees that the egg follicles in the ovaries are enough, the ovarian stimulation would be ended. During this phase, the doctor would stop the LH and FSH injections and would recommend the time when you need to administer trigger injections. The trigger injection includes injecting human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) to mature the eggs and help them get released from the ovarian follicle wall.

Step 4: Egg retrieval
This step is also known as the ‘egg picking stage.’ This is a daycare procedure, done under general anesthesia, and is considered the only painful phase in IVF. During the procedure, the doctor inserts a fine needle with an ultrasound-guided probe through the vaginal canal of the woman to retrieve her mature eggs. The procedure generally does not take more than 30 minutes. On average, 8-15 eggs are collected during this process. Once the eggs are retrieved, the patient is allowed to go home and rest. It is best if the patient is accompanied by her partner or someone else who can help her drive and reach home safely.

Step 5: Sperm collection
After retrieving the eggs, the IVF doctor will need to collect the sperm from the male partner. At this stage, the male partner will be asked to produce his semen specimen. Every IVF lab will have a dedicated room where the male can masturbate and give his sperm/ semen specimen. The male partner can produce his semen specimen at home or at the clinic where the semen specimen would be stored. In case the couple wants to use donor sperm or frozen sperm, the IVF team will get it ready in the lab.

Once the sperm is collected, it will be washed with medicine under a microscope to get rid of all sorts of dirt and debris. This is an important step of IVF as it gives the perfect sperm which will have a fair chance to fertilize the eggs retrieved from the female. A perfect healthy sperm is one that is not very long and not too short either, not too fat or not too thin.

Step 6: Fertilization
Once the sperm is washed and concentrated, it is placed in an incubator along with the eggs for fertilization. The process is very similar to that of natural fertilization where ‘sperm meets eggs’ inside a human body.

Step 7: Embryo development
The eggs that would be fertilized by the egg would then turn into an embryo. The IVF specialist will collect the embryo, place it in a special incubator and monitor its growth for the next 4-6 days. The developed embryo would be mixed with amino acids to its growth. If the growth of the embryo is consistent, it is likely to turn into a 4-8 cell embryo by the 4th day.

Step 8: Embryo transfer
In the simplest description, embryo transfer refers to the process where the developed embryo would be transferred from the incubator and implanted in the uterine wall. This process is quick, does not take more than 20 minutes, and can be done at the clinic of the doctor. During the process, the woman would be asked to lie down on her back and spread her legs. The doctor will collect the embryo with a very soft, flexible, and thin catheter. Using a speculum, the doctor will open the cervix and insert the catheter through the cervix into the uterus.

An abdominal ultrasound is conducted to make sure that the tip of the catheter places the embryo at the best location for the embryo implantation. After the embryo implantation, the woman will be asked to remain in the lithotomy for some time, so that the embryo doesn’t come or fall out. She can head home once the process is over.

Step 9: Pregnancy check
The woman would be called to the clinic after 2 weeks for a blood test that checks the presence of hCG in the blood. If the blood test shows the presence of hCG in it, the pregnancy is successful. If the results are positive, the doctor would suggest the best pregnancy care tips to the woman and encourage her to limit strenuous physical activities.

For many couples who have struggled long enough to become parents, IVF treatment has been a boon. Many celebrities and celebrity couples have stepped into the joys of parenthood with IVF. A few of the popular names are mentioned below:

1. Farah Khan and Shirish Kunder
   Bollywood’s ace choreographer and director Farah Khan was in her early 40s when she got married to Shirish Kunder. For two years they tried to have a baby naturally and eventually turned to IVF.
2. Gauri and Shahrukh Khan
   When Gauri and Shahrukh Khan decided to have a third child, they were also in their 40s. It could not happen naturally so they turned to IVF and hired a surrogate to carry the baby.
3. Kiran Rao and Aamir Khan
   When Aamir Khan and his wife Kiran Rao decided to become parents, they had to go the IVF surrogacy way. On December 5, 2011 the couple was blessed with a son, whom they named Azad.
4. Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra
   Actor Shilpa Shetty welcomed daughter Samisha through surrogacy earlier this year. Speaking to Pinkvilla about her surrogacy, the actress said, “After Viaan, I did want to have another child for the longest time. But I suffered from an autoimmune disease called APLA and that came into play every time I get pregnant.”
5. Seema and Sohail Khan
   Ten years after the birth of their first child, Nirvaan, Seema and Sohail Khan decided to have another baby. When it could not happen naturally, they too had to seek medical help and opted for IVF surrogacy.
6. Courteney Cox
   Hollywood actress, Courteney Cox, most popularly known for her character as Monica Geller on the popular sitcom, Friends suffered several miscarriages. Later, she was diagnosed with a rare antibody in her blood that prevented her pregnancies from developing. The actress went through IVF treatment and welcomed Coco Arquette, her first child in 2014.
7. Barack Obama and Michelle Obama

Former First Lady, Michelle Obama in her memoir, ‘Becoming’ revealed that the couple had their children – Shasha and Malia through IVF treatment. The couple decided to settle for IVF after they realized the change that their biological clocks were not facilitating a natural pregnancy.

1. Khloé Kardashian
   Back in 2013, in an episode of Kourtney & Kim Take Miami, Khloé Kardashian revealed that she had trouble ovulating and had infertility issues. In another program, she also revealed that her uterine lining isn’t thick enough to support a pregnancy. After struggling for years to bear a child, Khloé Kardashian and then-boyfriend Tristan Thompson welcomed their child True in 2018.

Myth 1: IVF is a treatment for all kinds of infertility issues.
Fact: IVF is not a treatment for infertility issues. IVF is just an advanced way to conceive a child in cases where a couple cannot bear one naturally due to any infertility issue. If a woman does not ovulate, or if the male partner fails to produce quality sperm, the couple can choose IVF where the egg can is fertilized in an external environment and then the developed embryo is implanted in the uterus of the woman. IVF is not a direct treatment for ovulation disorder, but it can help couples with such disorders including cases where the man suffers from premature ejaculation. Infertility treatments treat particular infertility conditions, on the other hand, IVF is not a ‘one fits all’ treatment, it is customized according to the problems and needs of the couple or the patient.

Myth 2: IVF treatment is always 100 percent successful.
Fact: No IVF specialist can assure you of 100 percent success for IVF treatment. The outcome of IVF treatment depends upon several factors including the overall health of the woman. But, what plays a significant role in the outcome of IVF is the age of the woman. According to medical reports, the success rates of IVF in case the woman uses her own eggs are as follows:
If the woman is below 35 years of age, the percentage of live births per egg retrieval is 54.4%.
For a woman between 35 to 37 years of age, the percentage of live births per egg retrieval is 42%.
For a woman between 38 to 40 years of age, the rate of live births per egg retrieval is 26.6%.
For a woman aging between 41 to 42 years, the rate of live births per egg retrieval is 13.3%.
If the woman ages 43 or above, her chances of live births per egg retrieval goes to as low as 3.9%.
In many cases, the woman might require to undergo IVF cycle multiple times.

Myth 3: Babies born through IVF are not healthy.
Fact: Many people have a misconception that babies born through IVF are either born with physical deformities or are not as healthy as normal babies. But the fact is, the chances of an IVF baby being born with any physical and mental abnormalities is very rare. IVF is just the fertilization of the egg and the sperm outside the body; once the embryo transplant is done, the rest of the pregnancy takes place just like a natural pregnancy. The 9 months of pregnancy and the health of the baby entirely depend on the health of the mother, her lifestyle, her dietary habits, and how well she follows the necessary tips and suggestions given by her doctor.

Myth 4: IVF can have side effects on the health of the woman.
No, it is not true. IVF is a very safe and medically advanced reproductive technique. According to global reports, only 2 percent of women/couples who undergo IVF face some of the other kinds of complications, the most common being ovarian hyperstimulation. There’s no denying that IVF is a complex process and every step in the treatment needs extreme precision. But, at the same time, it is safe and easy to perform. The only thing that matters is that you undergo the treatment at the hands of an expert IVF specialist who along with his or her team can bring the best possible outcome in your treatment journey.

Myth 5: Only young couples can be benefited through IVF.
This is part fact and part myth. It is true that age plays the most vital role in deciding the success or failure of IVF treatment. But it is not that it works only in the case of young couples. Globally, many couples have become parents during the later stage of their life through IVF. If the couple is not very young, they have an option to choose donor eggs and donor sperm for their treatment.

When a couple decides to undergo IVF, it affects both the partners emotionally and physically. They both need to follow the doctor’s advice to make sure they get the best outcomes of their IVF journey.

Here are a few do’s and don’ts that both the partners need to follow during the course of their IVF cycle and throughout the process.

1. Reduce stress
IVF can be tiring for many people. The process comes along with a lot of emotional, mental, and physical stress. But, stress can have a negative effect on your entire treatment journey. Stress can adversely impact the hormones that are responsible for the reproductives system. Cutting down on your stress level is extremely important for the successful outcome of your IVF treatment.

2. Maintain a healthy weight
Overweight or underweight – both are bad for the outcome of IVF. A healthy weight helps improve the chances of conception. Cut down on our carb intake and replace it with high fiber and high protein diet. In case you are underweight, you can increase your protein and carbohydrate intake. But, you should totally cut down on consuming processed, spicy and oily foods.

3. Stay physically active
If you have stepped into your journey of IVF, it is important that you don’t go sedentary in life. Becoming physically stagnant can reduce the successful outcome of your treatment. Staying physically active is as important as your healthy diet. Include low-intensity exercises such as walking, swimming, etc in your daily regime.

4. Do not smoke or drink alcohol
Drinking alcohol or smoking cigarettes is a total no-no during IVF treatment. If you have the habit of any of these, it is better to end it before embarking on the journey of IVF.

5. Do not indulge in sex without permission from the doctor.
Refrain from indulging in sexual activities for at least 10 days after embryo implantation. Not indulging in intercourse for at least a few days increases the chances of better embryo implantation.

6. Do not compromise on your diet.
Once your IVF treatment begins, you need to be extra careful with what you eat in a day. The couple should eat a balanced diet every day. Water plays an important role in your IVF journey. Staying hydrated is an absolute must. During the process, the couple should completely avoid intake of drugs, alcohol, and smoking cigarettes.