How long does it take to do IVF? Can I choose the gender of my baby through IVF?

Many infertile couples choose to do IVF. How long does it take and what are the procedures? Can you choose the gender of your baby through IVF? Let me tell you the answer~

Misunderstandings about IVF

1. Test-tube babies are "artificially created" by hospitals and are not the flesh and blood of the couple.

This is the biggest misunderstanding. Many couples seeking medical treatment do not accept IVF. A big psychological barrier is that they mistakenly believe that IVF is "artificially made" for them by the hospital using medical methods, or that it is cultivated for them by the hospital using eggs from the egg bank and sperm from the sperm bank, and is not their own flesh and blood. In fact, most IVFs are cultivated with eggs and sperm from both spouses, and the hospital cannot have so many surplus eggs and sperm. Unless the couple seeking medical treatment has no eggs (such as premature ovarian failure) or no sperm (such as azoospermia), and apply to the hospital to provide eggs or sperm. Of course, IVF is not "artificially made" by the hospital using medical materials.

2. Test-tube babies are “abnormal babies” and may be mentally or physically handicapped

This is also another major psychological barrier for infertile couples to refuse IVF. In particular, an article was published some time ago reporting that the IQ of IVF babies is lower than that of naturally conceived babies, which has caused doubts among many infertile couples. In fact, after more than 20 years of development, hundreds of thousands of IVF babies have been born around the world, and early IVF babies also gave birth to normal babies. Some larger-scale follow-up surveys and studies have confirmed that there is no significant difference between IVF babies and naturally conceived babies in terms of birth defects and subsequent physical and intellectual development. Infertile couples can rest assured.

3. IVF has a low success rate and is very expensive

Many infertile couples seeking medical treatment are concerned about the success rate and fees when applying for IVF technology. The success rate of early IVF technology was indeed low, below 10%, but with the advancement of science, the technology has become increasingly mature and the success rate has continued to increase. At present, the success rate of large medical institutions in China that have been carrying out this technology for a long time and have rich experience has reached about 40%, close to the international advanced level. This success rate does not mean that only 40 out of 100 couples who undergo IVF can succeed, but only means that there may be 40 chances of success in 100 operations, which is much higher than the probability of a normal couple conceiving in sexual intercourse. The average probability of a normal couple conceiving in sexual intercourse is about 5-6 ovulation cycles, which is about 20%. As for the cost, each hospital charges differently. At present, the average cost of carrying out this technology in China is about 15,000 yuan per time, not 100,000 or 80,000 yuan as rumored.

IVF is best for multiple births or sex selection

Due to the use of ovulation-inducing drugs, the multiple pregnancy rate of IVF is higher than that of the normal population. The ultimate goal of implementing assisted reproductive technology is to obtain healthy children, and single pregnancy is the safest. As for gender selection, although there is such technology (preimplantation genetic diagnosis, or PGD), it is only for some patients with genetic diseases, the cost is higher than that of ordinary IVF, and the pregnancy success rate is low.

IVF technology has brought good news to infertile patients, allowing them to realize their dream of becoming parents again. However, some infertile patients do not know much about IVF technology and think that it takes a long time to do IVF. So how long does it take to do IVF? What is it actually like?

How long does it take to do IVF?

How long does it take to do IVF? IVF experts point out that IVF treatment will last about 20 days and require going to the hospital every day.

The IVF process

1. After excluding contraindications and confirming indications, prepare three certificates (ID cards of both parties, marriage certificate, and birth permit) and submit them to the nurse in the registration office for inspection.

2. Improve the preliminary examination for in vitro fertilization.

3. Monitoring follicles: Use vaginal B-ultrasound to monitor the size of follicles, and cooperate with blood hormone tests to adjust the dosage. When the diameter of one or two follicles is greater than 1.8cm, and the number of follicles greater than 1.4cm is equivalent to the E2 value, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) can be injected to promote follicle maturation. Eggs can be retrieved 34 to 36 hours after hCG injection.

4. Egg retrieval: Egg retrieval is generally carried out under the guidance of vaginal B-ultrasound under the injection of analgesics or intravenous anesthesia. The egg retrieval needle is passed through the vaginal vault and directly reaches the ovary to absorb the eggs. The eggs are immediately transferred to a culture dish containing embryo culture medium under a microscope and cultured in an incubator at 37°C.

5. Sperm collection: The time of sperm collection is the same day as the day of egg collection. Wash your hands before sperm collection and use masturbation to collect semen. The small cup provided is sterile. Do not touch the edge of the cup or the inside of the cup when collecting. The semen collected is processed by swim-up method or Percoll density gradient centrifugation.

6. In vitro fertilization: 4-5 hours after egg retrieval, place the processed sperm and eggs in the same culture dish and culture them together for 18 hours. The fertilization can be observed under a microscope. If the sperm quality is too poor to allow natural fertilization, microinjection must be used to force fertilization (refer to intracytoplasmic sperm microinsemination).

7. Embryo transfer: The fertilized egg can develop into an 8-16 cell embryo after 48-72 hours of in vitro culture. At this time, the number of embryos to be transferred is determined based on the patient's age, whether she has been pregnant before, and the quality of the embryos. The excess embryos can be frozen and stored. Embryo transfer does not require anesthesia. Currently, embryos are usually transferred 2-3 days after fertilization.

8. Hormone supplementation after embryo transfer: Currently, progesterone is given by injection to support the corpus luteum.

9. On the 14th day after embryo transfer, morning urine and blood HCG test are performed to confirm pregnancy. On the 28th day after pregnancy, B-ultrasound is performed to check the number of fetuses and the site of embryo implantation.

Can IVF choose gender?

The IVF technology is becoming more and more mature, and some even say that it can be used to give birth to a boy or a girl. This has rekindled the hopes of some people who are looking forward to having a son. But can IVF choose the gender of the baby? Does it violate national laws? The following editor will answer your questions.

The third generation of test-tube babies can "customize babies"

On August 24, 2012, the world's first test-tube baby was born safely after being screened with whole genome sequencing technology. The parents gave the embryo cells from in vitro fertilization to the doctors, who screened the genes to see if there were any chromosomal abnormalities or deletions. Based on the screening results, the medical scientists implanted the fetus with normal chromosomes into the mother's womb, and the baby was born.

This technology means that parents will be able to select the best genes and cultivate the babies they want, such as "super humans" with higher IQ, stronger bodies or extraordinary talents in certain aspects. Professor Zhou Shaohu, director of the Department of Reproductive Medicine at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, explained that the so-called "customized babies" can also be called third-generation test-tube babies. Generally, only third-generation test-tube babies can choose gender, but this has certain indications. Only those with sex-linked genetic diseases can do this kind of gender selection, otherwise it is illegal.