Department Services

What are the stages of IVF treatment?

Before undergoing IVF treatment, couples need to read and approve an informed consent form that provides information about the treatment, procedures, and potential issues. IVF treatment requires daily and hourly monitoring. The success of the treatment can be maximized through patient compliance and teamwork. How is IVF treatment performed? Firstly, our expert doctors decide on a protocol tailored to the individual. The most crucial part of the IVF stages involves evaluating the woman's age, egg reserve, past surgeries, the presence of endometriosis, hormone levels, and the assessment of previous treatment protocols.

How does IVF work?

We can briefly explain the question 'How does IVF work?' as follows: The IVF treatment begins on the second or third day of the menstrual cycle. After a gynecological examination, the egg reserve is reevaluated. Medications called Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) are administered to stimulate egg development, calculated based on the woman's body mass index (BMI), egg reserve, age, and previous treatment doses if applicable. The injections are given in the abdominal or arm area. The injection treatment is considered successful when at least three eggs reach 17 mm. The third stage of the IVF treatment process is the collection of eggs. The process of collecting matured eggs after the maturation injection is called "Oocyte Pick Up," shortly OPU. After this 15-minute procedure performed under general anesthesia, the procedure transitions to Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI). If the eggs used in the ICSI procedure are of sufficient quality and maturity, fertilization occurs at an average rate of 80%. Following this, the embryos created in the laboratory through the treatment are transferred to their natural environment, the uterus, in the process called "embryo transfer." In the luteal phase period after embryo transfer, medications are given to support the attachment of transferred embryos. The luteal phase period lasts for 12 days. At the end of the process, a pregnancy test is conducted to determine the results."

Patient Preparation

Firstly, it is essential to ensure that the couple desiring a child has undergone general health check-ups, and there are no obstacles or additional problems for pregnancy. For in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment, the following tests should be conducted for the patients:

• The man should provide a semen sample for analysis after three days of sexual abstinence. If deemed necessary by the urologist, the man may also need to undergo blood tests for hormones and genetic analysis, as well as other relevant examinations.
• The woman should have blood tests for hormone levels and undergo ultrasound on the second or at the latest the third day of menstruation. In specific cases, hormone and ultrasound tests, regardless of the menstrual cycle, may be conducted based on the doctor's recommendation.
• A cervical smear (smear test) should be taken from the woman after the end of menstruation.
• If deemed necessary, procedures such as hysteroscopy (observation of the inside of the uterus with a camera) or hysterosalpingography (HSG) can be performed. Those covered by any social security institution need to meet the conditions specified in the current legislation of the Healthcare Implementation Communiqué (SUT) to benefit from this coverage for IVF treatment.