In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)   | | In vitro fertilization is a process in which eggs from the women and sperm from a man are fertilized outside the women's body in the IVF laboratory. After two to five days the embryo is placed in the women's uterus to grow further. | | What is Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART)? Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART), where human eggs, sperm and embryos are handled in a controlled environment of very specialized laboratory help infertile couple in their quest for a child. Under normal circumstances, the human egg, the oocyte, never leaves the women's body. Techniques during which these eggs are retrieved and handled outside the women's body are called Assisted Reproductive Techniques | | What exactly happens during an IVF procedure ? | | Ovulation Induction: Medications are used to make ovary produce a crop of eggs than a single egg as it does under normal circumstances. | | Oocyte retrieval: The eggs are retrieved from the ovary at the right time, under Ultrasound guidance through the vagina. The eggs are withdrawn using specially designed needle and suction pump. During the procedure, pain relief or a sedative is given. It does not involve open surgery or general anesthesia.  
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Laboratory Process: | The sperms are added on to the eggs in a culture dish and placed in a specifically designed cubicle of an incubator. The dish is taken out and examined 24 hours later for evidence of fertilization. If the egg is successfully fertilized a single cell with two pronuclei from both parents is seen.    
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Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) | Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection is a process in which a single sperm is injected directly into an egg. |
 | | This is the chosen procedure in cases of Male Infertility(where very few sperms are available for Fertilization) abnormal Oocytes or Fertilization failures.This procedure is called Micro Manipulation and requires special equipment and highly skilled technical personnel. |   | In men with severe deficiency or abnormality of the sperm and even azoospermia (total lack of sperms in the semen), sperms may be available in the testis itself. For these people the sperm may be obtained by aspiration or biopsy extraction from the testis and a single sperm is used for ICSI procedures with remarkable success.This has revoutionized the treatment of Male Infertility |   | | In the event of inadequate good quality sperms, the scientist will select one active sperm from the semen and using micro manipulation technique place the sperm inside the egg. The egg then is placed inside the incubator and the same laboratory process will take place. |
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Epididymal Sperm Aspiration and Testicular Sperm Extraction (ESA/TESE) | When the male partner is unable to produce any semen the sperms can be aspirated or a small biopsy can be done and the sperm can be extracted from the available tissue. ICSI procedure will follow this and the egg will be placed in the culture medium and the incubator. |
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How long do these little human beings grow in the laboratory? |    | These embryos are maintained in the laboratory under ideal culture conditions for anywhere between 2 and 5 days. It is difficult or impossible to sustain human growth in the laboratory beyond 6 days. | | Do Test Tube Babies really grow in Test Tubes ? |  | Fertilization in the laboratory take place in a droplet of culture medium placed in a flat culture dish called a Petri Dish and not a Test Tube.Further growth can only be sustained for up to five or six days in the laboratory.The Embryo must be transferred to the womb within this period for further growth. | | What happens after that? |   | These embryos are placed back very gently in the mother's womb to implant and grow further. This is called embryo transfer. Usually no more than three embryos are transferred. The unused embryos can be frozen and stored for later use. | | Do "Test Tube Baby" and IVF mean the same thing ? | | "Test Tube Baby" is a colloquial term used to describe the process of In Vitro Fertilization.The term implies that the origins of the baby i.e. the process of Fertilization, happens in the laboratory. |
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Assisted Hatching| | Assisted Hatching is carried out to thin out the zona or shell around the embroyos to facilitate implantation.This is done where an implantation problem is suspected or proved. Blastocyst is a five or six day old Embryo. Culturing Embryo for a longer period helps in choosing the better embryos for the transfer and increasing the implantation rate. 
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Latest ISO Certification (9001:2008) Assisted Reproductive Technology Center, a unit of Women's Center has been certified as the first organization in Coimbatore to receive an ISO 9001:2008. It is also the first and currently the only IVF laboratory in India to be certified at this level. 
The center provides all reproductive medicine services including IVF, ICSI, TESE |
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