Reproductive Medicine

Normally, the egg and sperm meet at the fallopian tube (oviduct) where the fertilisation occurs. Then the fertilised egg (embryo) travels down the fallopian tube to the uterus, implants into the uterine wall and grows to pregnancy, if uterine conditions are favourable. The IVF procedure assists this process for the potential mother, whose fallopian tubes are blocked or if the sperm and egg cannot physically meet naturally. 

In fact, IVF refers to the conventional in vitro fertilisation technique for patients with normal sperm parameters. The egg(s) are retrieved from the ovaries after controlled ovarian stimulation and ovulation induction. Eggs are then cultured in a controlled environment (mimicking human body temperature, humidity and oviductal fluid) in the IVF laboratory, and the sperm is added to the culture dish containing the eggs. The resulting embryos are transferred to the patient’s uterus on Day 2 to Day 5, or as late as Day 6.