Get Your Own Biological Baby – Test Tube Baby

We have all heard the term test tube baby. But most of us do not know how this wonder is created. Here’s a detailed study about test tube babies.

What is a Test Tube Baby?

Test tube baby is a name for babies that are conceived outside the woman’s body via a scientific procedure called In-Vitro fertilization (IVF Treatment). The whole process is set in a laboratory. The focus of the procedure is to take the egg from the mother’s ovary and fertilize it with the sperm of the father. Test tube baby Procedure has proved to be a boon for women having fertility issues.

Procedures involved

Here’s a description of the steps involved in the process. There are four phases.

1. Egg Stimulation:

• Medications are given to the patient to trigger egg production.
• Multiple eggs are needed to increase the chances of a successful process. This is the reason why doctors give fertility medications to increase egg production. Medications are suggested depending on the patient’s response.
• Ovaries, blood samples, and hormone level determination and examination are done using a transvaginal ultrasound.

2. Egg Retrieval:

• Retrieval of the egg is performed via a minor surgery. Imaging ultrasound along with the help of a hollow needle is used to retrieve ovarian follicles.
• The duration of this procedure is half an hour. The follicular fluids are observed by the embryologist to trace the availability of eggs.
• After retrieval, the eggs are preserved in an incubator until insemination.

3. Culture of Fertilization and Embryo:

• Male sperm samples are collected for insemination.
• Eggs and sperm are mixed for their fusion and stored.
• If the chances of fertilization are low, then the ICSI procedure is considered.
• A single sperm is injected into the egg to increase the chances of fertilization.
• The fertilized eggs will be considered as an embryo only after receiving confirmation from an embryologist.

4. Transfering eggs and ensuring the quality of embryo:

• Embryo transfer is the fastest procedure.
• The embryo is examined and assessed based on its quality as well as age.
• The transfer of a single embryo with a blastocyst is recommended under normal conditions. The rest of the embryos are preserved. Such a step decreases the risk of twins or triplets.
• The doctor inserts a catheter and pushes predetermined embryos into the uterus.
• The method is done with the help of ultrasound.
• After completing this method, a pregnancy test is conducted after 2 weeks.