How Long Does IVF Take
How long does IVF take?
Before we go further on the subject of ‘How long does IVF take?’ it is important to understand what IVF stands for and the whole process behind it. IVF stands for ‘In vitro fertilization’. Normally an egg is fertilized by a sperm inside the human body, but in this process an egg is fertilized outside the human body by a sperm artificially. The purpose of this is to treat infertility when all the other methods of reproduction have failed. The meaning of ‘in vitro’ is ‘in glass’ so basically it means to fertilize in glass outside of the body.
The whole process of ‘How long does IVF take?’ requires monitoring woman’s ovulation cycle and when the time is accurate the Ovum or the Egg is removed from the ovaries of the woman. Later this Ovum is introduced in a fluid medium to the sperms which fertilizes it. This fertilized Egg, which is also called as a ‘Zygote’ is then transferred to the Uterus of the woman for the purpose of establishing pregnancy. The famous name for the child born by this process is ‘Test Tube baby’.
The total duration of how long does IVF take are categorized into five decisive phases.
First Phase: This phase involves the duration when the initial consultation is done and the monitoring of ovulation cycle of the patient is initiated. There are a various factors that may prolong the duration of monitoring which may include menstrual cycle, financial details etc.
Second Phase: This is the phase when the planning of the ovulation cycle is put into practice and each day is calculated with respect to the menstrual cycle that has preceded and the one that is yet to arrive. Based on this calculation the days are determined when the woman is ovulating. The duration of this phase may usually last from 20 days to a month depending on menstrual cycle that has already been monitored ever since the initiation of phase one of ‘how long does IVF take’.
Third Phase: This phase is the initiation of the Cycle and from the start to the terminal period it usually lasts for two weeks. This is the time during which prescribed medications in form of injections are to be taken and a periodic check-up for monitoring is to be done to determine how long does IVF take.
Fourth Phase: Finally in this phase the ovum or the Egg is retrieved from the ovaries and the Zygote is planted into the Uterus. The time period between retrieval of Eggs and putting back the fertilized eggs back into the Uterus usually are three to five days.
Fifth Phase: In the final phase of the IVF process of ‘how long does IVF take’ the pregnancy tests are made so as to confirm pregnancy which usually takes two weeks time. From the day of initial consultation to the day of pregnancy can take approximately two to three months in normal conditions.
