Güven Hospital IVF Center serves couples who wish to make their dream of having a baby come true, with its advanced technological infrastructure and experienced team.
Our team—comprising specialists in Obstetrics and Gynecology & IVF, Urology, Genetics, Embryology, and Anesthesiology with extensive experience in IVF and reproductive endocrinology—plans personalized, up-to-date treatment approaches for each couple, supported by evidence-based medical practices. In addition to IVF applications, advanced laparoscopic and endoscopic surgical procedures required for infertility treatment are performed using the most recent technological innovations.
What Is IVF?
IVF (in vitro fertilization) can be defined as enabling the fertilization process—normally expected to occur within the female reproductive system—to take place under laboratory conditions when this union is prevented due to various medical conditions.
The IVF method, which drew attention with a name reminiscent of terms used in science fiction novels and became widely known after the birth of the first IVF baby in 1978, has become increasingly common over the years. With advancing technology, the success rates of IVF and the number of babies born through this method have risen rapidly, making IVF a significant source of hope for couples who are unable to conceive.
Today, IVF is used as a current and important treatment option that complements other methods such as ovulation induction, intrauterine insemination (IUI), and surgical treatment in couples experiencing difficulty conceiving.
Many conditions affecting women and men may prevent having a child. The factors for which IVF treatment may be effective are listed below:
Causes of Infertility in Women
- Tubal blockage
- Adhesions between the uterus, ovaries, and other reproductive organs
- Endometriosis (also known as a “chocolate cyst”)
- Unexplained infertility (cases where the cause cannot be identified with current diagnostic methods and other methods have been unsuccessful)
- Advanced maternal age
- Absent or irregular ovulation
- Failure to achieve pregnancy despite sufficiently long use of other methods (surgeries or insemination treatments)
Causes of Infertility in Men
- Low sperm count
- Reduced sperm motility
- Absence of sperm in semen
Current Methods Used in IVF Treatment
IVF treatment can be performed in different ways as a result of the development of various methods over the years for obtaining and combining eggs and sperm.
1. Conventional IVF (In Vitro Fertilization)
In the “in vitro fertilization technique,” which was the first IVF method to be used, medications are administered to stimulate the ovaries to develop multiple eggs. After the eggs reach maturity—determined by ultrasound examination—they are retrieved.
In this method, oocytes with an intact cumulus-corona complex (not enzymatically denuded) are co-incubated with 100,000 to 150,000 motile sperm prepared for insemination. After fertilization occurs, cell division is monitored. Among the resulting embryos (the earliest developmental stage), those with the most suitable characteristics for pregnancy are selected and transferred into the uterus of the expectant mother.
2. Microinjection (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection - ICSI)
Unlike conventional IVF, in this method, after the eggs are retrieved, a single selected sperm cell is injected directly into each egg using a fine needle. Each oocyte is enzymatically denuded (the cumulus-corona complex is removed), and a selected sperm is placed into the oocyte using a micropipette.
Stages of IVF Treatment
IVF treatment consists of five stages.
1) Patient Evaluation and Determining the Medication Protocol
The first stage of IVF includes an initial consultation and examination performed on the 2nd or 3rd day of the woman’s menstrual cycle, followed by any necessary tests. The main method used to evaluate the ovaries and uterus is ultrasonography. If the ultrasound examination does not reveal any issue that would prevent starting treatment, hormone levels are assessed.
Once eligibility to begin treatment is confirmed, a personalized treatment plan is selected based on factors such as the woman’s age, the cause of infertility, test results, and ovarian characteristics. The medications to be used, their dosages, and the day of the cycle on which controlled ovarian hyperstimulation will begin are planned accordingly.
2) Controlled Ovarian Stimulation (Development of Eggs)
To stimulate the ovaries, the woman begins daily injections on a specific day of the menstrual cycle as planned. After medication begins, the response to treatment and follicular development are evaluated through ultrasound monitoring every few days and by checking changes in hormone levels in the blood.
During periodic ultrasound examinations, measuring changes in follicle diameters and observing estradiol levels reaching certain ranges in blood tests provide information about healthy egg development. Depending on the maturation status of the eggs, the timing of the trigger injection (to induce final maturation) is determined.
The duration of medication use varies according to individual characteristics and response to treatment and typically lasts between 8 and 14 days. Egg retrieval is performed 35–36 hours after the trigger injection.
3) Egg Retrieval
Egg retrieval (oocyte pickup - OPU), which involves collecting eggs for laboratory use, is performed under sedation anesthesia while the patient is asleep to ensure comfort and prevent pain.
Under transvaginal ultrasound guidance, a needle is used to aspirate the follicular fluid from the follicles. The collected fluid is placed into tubes and transferred to the embryology laboratory. Under the microscope, the presence of eggs in the fluid is confirmed, and the eggs are isolated from the follicular fluid.
After the procedure, patients are observed for a short period and then discharged home.
4) Fertilization
Mature eggs that are capable of being fertilized (metaphase II oocytes) are selected. On the same day—egg retrieval day—fertilization is performed in the laboratory using sperm obtained from the male partner.
Fertilization can be carried out in two ways. The first is the conventional IVF method, in which sperm and eggs are placed together and fertilization is expected to occur spontaneously. The second is the microinjection method (ICSI - intracytoplasmic sperm injection).
In this method, specialized microscopes are used.
