1. A combination of medications is used to stimulate the woman’s ovaries to produce many eggs in one cycle, in a process called controlled ovarian stimulation (COS).
2. The mature eggs are removed from the woman’s ovaries – usually through a slim needle inserted through the wall of the vagina.
3.  The eggs are examined and placed into a culture dish in the lab. At the proper time, they are mixed with specially prepared sperm. Later, if fertilization occurs, the resulting embryos are grown in the lab for a few days.
4. One or more embryos are transferred back into the woman’s uterus, where an embryo may implant and result in an ongoing pregnancy.
5.  A pregnancy test is done two weeks after embryo transfer. If conception does not occur, all steps of the cycle should be evaluated by the treatment team and discussed with the patient in a follow-up meeting.

For most couples, whether or not to undergo IVF is a major decision that requires them to assess medical, emotional and financial factors.

Consult your doctor on the following:

• Why are you recommending IVF for me?
• What are my alternatives to using IVF?
• What are the risks of each step in the process?
• What is it like for most women as they go through each step? (This will help you predict what the impact may be on your time, physical well-being and emotions).
• What is my chance to become pregnant and deliver a baby as a result of this treatment?
• How does that compare to my chances with other treatments or no treatment at all?