With guidance from your IVF co-ordinator you will inject yourself 2-3 every day, using very small needles for 8-12 days to stimulate the growth of multiple follicles in the ovaries.
You need to monitored during the follicle stimulation phase. You are monitored using a vaginal ultrasound and a blood hormone test to ensure you are on the correct dose of your medication.
(Is this performed in Panama or at home in the US? – US patients only get 10 days annual leave, so we are aiming to perform the whole IVF cycle within 10 days).
On arrival in Panama, you will come into the clinic for an ultrasound scan to check that the follicles are the right size. If your fertility specialist is happy then you will be given an injection to mature the eggs ready for retreival within the next 24-36 hours.
This is a simple painless procedure that takes about 20 minutes and is performed under light sedation. Usine an ultrasound guided catheter your fertility specialist will retrieve the mature eggs from the ovaries. Patients can usually leave the clinic after an hour and only require a mild painkiller for any discomfort after the sedation wears off. After the retrieval, progesterone will be prescribed to prepare the uterus for the embryo transfer.
16 - 18 hours after fertilization, developing embryos grow under strict conditions in our IVF laboratory. The embryos are monitored for the next 3-5 days until they reach blastocyst stage. Our IVF laboratory prefers to transfer in blastocyst stage, as published data support its higher success rates.
In consultation with your fertility specialist, you will decide how many embryos you would like to transfer. We make sure the uterus is ready for implantation and your embryo transfer is then scheduled. This procedure is very simple and quick, the best quality embryos are selected and transferred to your uterus via a small catheter. Any remaining embryos are then frozen for future use.
This is perhaps the most difficult time of the entire IVF process. Once the embryo transfer is complete you are able to travel back to your home country. But only on day 14 after embryo transfer can you take a pregnancy test to see if the cycle has been successful. Please read our blog on getting through those 14 days. It can be an agoniszing time and the temptation to test earlier is hard to resist. But good things come to those who wait.
