Central Maine Fertility Center/Boston-IVF

The IVF Process

Only small percentage of couples seek IVF

Only a small percentage of couples seeking help with infertility problems turn to in vitro fertilization in order to conceive. But for that relatively small number of couples who may be desperately hoping to start a family – the procedure can be invaluable.

When a couple visits the Central Maine Fertility Center with an infertility problem, physicians there first complete a diagnostic work-up that may include a hormonal assay, semen analysis, x-ray and ultrasound exams, and sometimes a minimally invasive surgical exam. The vast majority of infertility problems can be treated without IVF intervention at a relatively modest cost.

However, if the diagnostic review leads to a conclusion that in vitro fertilization is the likely answer, the Central Maine Fertility Center offers couples a place where they can begin the process.

Working in partnership with Boston IVF, the Central Maine Fertility Center initiates the process of inducing ovulation. This requires close monitoring of the patient so that when the egg is ready to be harvested, fertilized by the father’s sperm in the lab, and the embryo transferred to the womb, the process can be accomplished quickly and effectively.

Research indicates that the average IVF process can be up to 48 percent successful on the first try. For women under the age of 35, it jumps to between 61 percent and 64 percent. Natural fertilization is about 20 percent effective in any given monthly cycle.

Once the time of a patient’s ovulation is established by testing, she travels to the IVF Center in Waltham, Mass., where her eggs are retrieved, fertilized, and incubated for 52 to 56 hours. The woman then returns and the embryo is transferred to her womb.