 Ovarian stimulation using fertility drugs
The future intended mother undergoes some special kind of IVF treatment; she will have to take some fertility medicine in order to provide stimulation of her ovaries. During the treatment, the future intended mother will be conducted cycle monitoring by ultrasounds and blood tests. As soon as her follicles become mature, a hCG (human Chorionic Gonadotropin) injection is given to her. The human chorionic gonadotropin hormone is normally produced from the placenta of a human. The hCG injection contains a highly purified extract from a pregnant woman urine. The injection is given either in an intramuscular way or subcutaneously.
The hCG injection is administered in accordance with the leading follicles size, as well as with the endometrium development, which is investigated with the help of an ultrasound.
The hCG injection provides the follicles’ bursting, thus the eggs are released in about 36 – 48 hours after it is given. As a rule a woman is given it either after receiving other kinds of ovulation drugs or in combination with them.
In about a day and a half, the procedure of egg collection takes place with the help of vaginal ultrasound guidance either under light sedation or under general anesthetic.
As a rule the egg collection process is performed either in the morning or early in the afternoon. In some clinics the male partner of an egg donor may be present during the procedure of egg collection. A monitor, which is connected to the microscope legs the woman as well as her partner to look at the eggs during the process of collection.
Usually up to 12 eggs are collected; however, their number depends on the amount of available follicles. In addition, it should also be noted, that not every follicle has an egg inside, and it is even able to fail the egg collection procedure, if an egg donor suffers from the so – called “empty follicle syndrome”. About one percent of women have this abnormality. It is not know what causes the empty follicle syndrome, but it is considered to be a drug related abnormality, rather then some clinical problem. Sometimes it is possible to give another dose of hCG and try to collect eggs 24 hours later.
As soon as the necessary amount the eggs is collected, all of them become inseminated with the sperm of the intended father or with the donor’s sperm. All embryos of good quality become frozen for about half a year. The perspective intended mother usually have to undergo several IVF treatment cycles in order to have more qualitative embryos and to make her chances of success higher.
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