Infertility Treatments
At BGIC, we offer a wide variety of treatments to our patients, once the underlying issue has been found. Each management option and treatment is offered to a patient’s individual and unique needs and is tailored specifically to ensure maximum chances of success (pregnancy) for the couple
Infertility Treatments
Ovulation induction (follicle tracking)
Some women have irregular menstrual cycles and don’t produce an egg each month. This is called anovulation. Causes of anovulation are many and can be due to one or a combination of factors. These include stress, weight loss or weight gain, or excessive production of a hormone called prolactin and Polycycstic Ovarian Syndrome. Ovulation Induction (OI) aims to restore ovulation.
OI involves the woman taking fertility drugs either in the form of tablets or injections, to help the ovaries produce and release a single egg each month. Injections are only used if there is no response to the milder tablets that are prescribed. The way the patient responds to taking the medication is monitored with a series of transvaginal ultrasound scans and hormone blood tests.
Intrauterine insemination (IUI) using partner sperm
IUI is the simplest form of assisted conception and involves the injection of specially prepared sperm into the woman’s womb. For this, a sperm sample is harvested from the man and then prepared in the lab prior to insemination. The insemination itself is timed to correspond with ovulation so that the couple has the best possible chance of becoming pregnant. IUI increases the chance of pregnancy to about 19-22%. The procedure involves a fine catheter, which is passed through an open cervix to allow the sperm to pass directly into the womb
In vitro fertilisation (IVF)
In vitro fertilisation (IVF) literally means ‘fertilisation in a glass’. Babies conceived and born from IVF are commonly called ‘test tube babies’. During this procedure, eggs that have been collected from the ovaries are fertilized with sperm in an incubator and the resulting embryos are then grown in a laboratory for 2-5 days before being placed back in the womb.
IVF is recommended for :
Women with blocked, damaged or absent fallopian tubes
Men who have abnormal sperm
Couples who have failed to conceive from less invasive techniques like IUI
Unexplained infertility
IVF cycles involve the need for women have hormone injections to boost the production of eggs and prevent natural ovulation. The eggs are then collected and fertilized using your partner’s sperm. The resulting embryos are then transplanted back into the woman’s uterus.
If the woman is under age 40, one or two embryos can be transferred. If the woman is older than 40, 3 embryos may be transferred. However, the number that is transferred is usually kept as low as possible to avoid risks including multiple pregnancies. We offer embryo freezing and frozen embryo transfer as options for future IVF treatments.
Sperm collection
Male partners will be asked to provide fresh sperm at about the same time their partner’s eggs are collected. The healthiest sperm are selected following a special process that is carried out in the laboratory.
In certain cases, surgical sperm retrieval is recommended. These include a low sperm count, testicular tubal blockage/damage/absentee. Surgical sperm retrieval is done through PESA and TeSA techniques and done under local anaesthesia
PESA (percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration) – sperm are collected from the epididymis using a fine needle
TeSE (testicular sperm extraction) – a biopsy is taken from the testicular tissue in order to remove some sperm.
Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm injection (ICSI)
When the husband’s sperms have poor motility or the count is very low, IVF will not work. In these situations, ICSI is the only option. ICSI is a procedure in which a single sperm is injected into an egg i.e. fertilization is done by humans. The resulting embryo is then transferred back into the uterus. This is carried out in laboratory using a specially adapted microscope. ICSI is advised for couples where the sperm quantity or quality is very poor, or when IVF has resulted in failed fertilization. It is also used when the sperm has been collected by surgical sperm retrieval.
Embryo freezing (vitrification)
Embryos that are 5-6 days old and that are left over from an IVF or ICSI cycle are suitable to freeze. We use state-of-the-art vitrification technology to freeze embryos, which are kept in liquid nitrogen storage at -196°C. At this temperature all biological activity in the embryo stops and the embryos will be stable for many years. Current regulations allow us to store embryos for up to 10 years. These embryos can be used at a later date in frozen embryo transfer cycles.
Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET)
FET is when eggs that have already been collected, fertilized and frozen in laboratory are transferred into the womb. The management of FET cycles is simpler and cheaper than beginning fresh new cycles. If you have a regular cycle, the embryos are transferred soon after ovulation. If you do not have ovulatory cycles, or the cycle is irregular or absent, the embryos are transferred during an artificial cycle using hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to build up the lining of the womb.
Blastocyst transfer
Blastocyst transfer is a technique in which embryos formed as a result of fertilization are cultured in the laboratory for 5-6 days. During this time, the cells of the embryo rapidly divide and on day 5 the embryo is referred to as a Blastocyst.
Transferring the Blastocyst into a women’s uterus may improve the chances of implantation and in turn, a successful pregnancy. It also reduces the risk of multiple pregnancies, which is a problem with Assisted Reproductive Techniques (ART).
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