Fertility Treatment - Process

Targeted hormone therapy treatments are carried out in the context of cycle optimising and injection therapy. In this process, hormonal stimulation is achieved by taking pills (e.g. clomifen) or administering small injections several times during the female cycle.³

The scope of insemination therapy includes the introduction of sanitized and especially mobile sperm into the uterus at an optimal time. This small-scale procedure is accomplished via the use of a thin, soft, plastic catheter and is not painful.³

In endometriosis treatment, endometriosis is removed. The appearance of tissue similar to the uterine lining primarily manifests itself through pains during monthly discharge and often during intercourse. As previously described in "Preparation", endometriosis is operatively removed during a laparoscopy performed using anaesthesia. Subsequent complementary medication therapy generally comes in the form of the administration of monthly injections which lead to a blockage of ovarian functions and hormone production during the 3-6 month treatment period.²

Preliminary preparation for in vitro fertilisation is accomplished in the manner outlined in "Preparation". When a sufficient number of follicular vesicles have matured through hormonal stimulation, ovulation is then activated via injection. 32-36 hours later, penetration of the follicular vesicles is achieved and the ova are removed using short-term anaesthesia. The ova are then brought together with the male's sperm in an incubator. After 20-24 hours the potential fertilisation can be determined, and after 2-4 days, 2 embryos (3 in exceptional cases) can typically be transferred into the uterus. This is done using a thin catheter as in insemination treatment.^2,3

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) uses a procedure similar to that of in vitro fertilisation. The difference lies in the fact that the removed ova are not incubated with the sperm, but are fixed to a retaining pipette. With the aid of a microscope, a single sperm cell is drawn onto the pipette and directly injected into an ovum.³

For the man, Micro Epididymal Sperm Aspiration (MESA) is accomplished during an out-patient operative procedure. However, the sperm are much more commonly extracted from the epididymis via Testicular Sperm Extraction (TESE). In both methods, there is also the possibility of cryopreserving the retrieved sperm in order to keep them ready for future fertilisation attempts. After the sperm have been obtained, these are brought together with the ova via ICSI.²

If surplus fertilised ova are present in IVF, ICSI, or TESE treatments, there is the possibility of likewise preserving these and using them for new attempts if required.

Please speak with the doctor who is treating you about the course of treatment in each case in further detail.