In vitro fertilization (IVF) and sperm microinjection (ICSI) are two procedures used in the laboratory to fertilize eggs with donor sperm and aimed at female couples or single women who do not have the possibility of intrauterine inseminations or if they have failed.
To carry out fertilization of the eggs in the laboratory, the first necessary step is to obtain the eggs from the woman’s ovaries. For this, an ovarian stimulation treatment is carried out, which allows the development of multiple follicles in the ovaries. Once the follicles have grown sufficiently, an ovarian ponction is performed, which allows the egg retrieval to take them to the laboratory and fertilize them with the donor sperm.
Donors are chosen according to physical characteristics of recipients in order to assure the highest compatibility.
After obtaining the embryos, they are kept in the laboratory for 3 to 5 days and then transferred to the woman’s uterus. After the embryo transfer, we will have to wait 12 to 14 days for the pregnancy test to confirm whether the treatment has been successful or not.