In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF)

The In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) includes all procedures needed for fertilising egg cells outside of the body.

. Alongside the classical or the conventional IVF, which was first successfully applied in 1978, the most important method nowadays is the so-called intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Both methods include a controlled hormonal stimulation and a removal of growing egg cells with the help of follicle puncture.

1 Sperms penetrate the egg cell independently

2 Adding prepares sperms

3 Egg cells in the culture medium

. During a classic IVF, egg cells are actively fertilized. The sperm penetrates the egg coating, joins the egg cell and a fertilisation process starts. The classical IVF is mostly used in the cases when the ovary of the patient is obstructed and the reduction in sperm quality is moderate or mild. During the embryo transfer, the resulting embryos are transferred into the uterine cavity only several days later.

Video on IVF (To start: press the arrow key. Full screen: Press the button on the lower right side)

Medications

. All medications that we apply during the IVF treatment have one common task: they control directly or indirectly the function of the ovaries! In the short review, you can read which type of medication influences which hormone.

GnRH rezeptor agonist

. Alongside the initial release of the FSH and LH reserves, GnRH receptor agonists cause a short-term increase of the membrane-bound receptors of the gonadotropic cells. But if they are applied for a long time, the number of receptors is reduced. Therefore, the GnRH-analogues are used to prevent a premature ovulation or to induce ovulation on the exact day.

Recombinant FSH

. FSH is an important medication used during IVF or the ICSI-treatment. Puregon same as by hypophysis produced FSH stimulates the ovaries and leads to an increased egg cell maturation. The way the ovaries react to the hormone, depends on the dosis and varies individually.

Human menopausal gonadotropin

. The human menopausal gonadotropin is a forerunner of the pure recombinant FSH, a mixture of FSH and LH; which is applied for the stimulation of ovaries.

Humane Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG)

. Predalon is used in the IVF-treatment to induce ovulation and to support the yellow body phase.