What does the procedure involve?
One cycle of IVF takes between four and six weeks to complete. When preparing for IVF, women take self-administered injections of fertility medications called gonadotropins, also referred to as a follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), daily. These are sometimes taken together with luteinizing hormone (LH). These medications stimulate the ovaries to release more mature eggs than usual. At the same time, these women take additional injections of medications called gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists or antagonists daily to prevent early ovulation. Generally, patients give themselves two or three injections a day for 10 or more days. During this time of ovarian stimulation, patients visit the clinic two or three times for an ultrasound (and sometimes blood tests as well) to check on the development of their eggs. Once they are ready, a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), which acts as a surrogate for the natural ovulation-inducing LH surge, is taken to prepare for the eggs’ final maturation and retrieval. Thirty-six hours after the hCG injection, the eggs are retrieved.