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Embryo Transfer
Three to five days after egg collection, the embryos are placed inside the woman's uterus. The embryologist loads the embryos into a very soft catheter along with a small volume of the culture media in which they are growing. Houston IVF uses EmbryoGlue® with each embryo transfer. EmbryoGlue® is an implantation promoting medium for transfer of embryos back into the woman, with physical properties more similar to the uterine secretion, and will therefore assist the embryo during the implantation process. Houston IVF's pregnancy rates rank with the highest in the country. EmbryoGlue® has been used with every embryo transfer since Houston IVF started offering IVF services to women in 2002.
The physician then inserts the catheter through the cervix and injects the embryos inside the uterine cavity during a speculum examination. The process is similar to an insemination, although it is done under abdominal ultrasound guidance in order to ensure that the catheter is in the proper position prior to deposition of the embryos. The number of embryos transferred depends upon the age of the patient, the quality of the embryos and the stage of their development. Houston IVF follows the guidelines set forth by the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), click on the following link to read the 2004 report.
Guidelines on the Number of Embryos Transferred
After egg retrieval, patients are given progesterone and estrogen medications to help create a uterine lining that is optimal for embryo implantation. Two weeks after the egg retrieval, a pregnancy test (hCG level) tells us if we were successful. Pregnant patients have a repeat hCG test after 2 days to ensure that the hormone is rising appropriately. An ultrasound study is performed approximately 4 weeks after the egg collection to document fetal number and viability.
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