IVF - What is IVF treatment?

IVF (in vitro fertilization) is also known as in vitro fertilization and involves fertilization outside the body in a laboratory. The woman is given drugs to help her body get ready for fertilization.

A few days after fertilization has taken place and the embryo has started to divide, the embryo is returned to the uterus. Hopefully, it will then attach and continue to divide, eventually developing into a fetus and then a born child. Around 4% of all babies born have come to life through IVF.

What is IVF?

IVF is an abbreviation of in vitro fertilization and is also known as in vitro fertilization. It involves removing eggs and fertilizing them outside the body in a laboratory. After a few days, the embryo is placed in the uterus and hopefully sticks and develops into a baby.

Who can do IVF?

If you are not able to conceive naturally, an investigation will be started to determine the cause of the infertility. If there are no known underlying causes, help is usually sought after a year of trying to conceive naturally.

The investigation may show, for example, that there is damage to the fallopian tube or that pregnancy is made difficult by endometriosis. Sometimes it may be a case of underlying diseases in one of you being detected, which can sometimes be treated with medication and fertility improved. In some cases, it may be a case of impaired sperm or egg function, or that you, as a same-sex couple or single person, do not have access to sperm. Eggs or sperm can be donated, and sometimes it is not possible to determine the cause of infertility.

IVF is covered by the high-cost coverage if you go through the regional queue system. The length of the queue depends on the region you belong to. You have the right to seek treatment in another region, in which case you will be placed in its queue. The number of attempts you get via the high-cost protection varies between regions. If you choose to go directly to a private clinic instead, you pay according to their fees. In order to have IVF financed via the regions, you must be under 40 years of age as a woman and a maximum of 55 years of age as a man. If you, as a woman, have frozen eggs, you can use these before your 45th birthday. If you as a couple already have children together (biological or adopted), or if you as an independent woman already have children, IVF will not be offered via the high-cost coverage, but you will then have to pay for the test.

Does IVF have an age limit?

In the case of publicly funded and assisted treatment, the age of the woman and her partner must be at least 25 years. However, the woman must be under 40 at all times, and the man under 56.

Can I do IVF as a single person?

Single women can receive assisted reproduction in Sweden since 2016. There are a number of criteria to meet in order to undergo IVF treatment via publicly funded treatment. For example, the woman must not be the parent of another child, must be self-sufficient and have Swedish citizenship. Read more about this HERE.

IVF - how does it work?

There are different ways of doing IVF and they are done after an individual medical assessment. You may need to be medicated to get into a menopausal-like state and then given medication to stimulate the ovaries. You may also be given medication during your natural cycle that stimulates the ovaries while you are given medication that prevents ovulation from occurring. Both ways try to stimulate the formation of as many follicles as possible. Once enough follicles have formed, you are medicated again to allow the eggs to mature and a few days later the egg is aspirated. The egg can then be fertilized by letting the sperm swim itself into the egg. If the sperm are few or of poor quality and are unable to enter the egg on their own, the laboratory can help the sperm to enter. Sometimes there is no sperm in the semen, in which case the doctor can check for sperm in the testicle or epididymis, from which they can be retrieved directly.

Once the eggs have met the sperm in the laboratory dish, they are allowed to develop into embryos over a few days. The laboratory staff look at the dishes to see how cell division is taking place and whether it looks normal. After about 5-6 days, the embryos that have developed normally are transferred. In Sweden, only one embryo is transferred because of the risks of a possible multiple birth. Only in exceptional cases are two embryos returned. If there are any left over, they may be frozen for possible further experiments. Embryo transfer is a short procedure where the embryo is inserted into the uterus through a thin plastic tube. At the same time, the doctor uses ultrasound to check that it is in the right place.

Two weeks after the reintroduction, you can take a pregnancy test. If the test is positive, you will usually be asked to return to the IVF clinic for a vaginal ultrasound about three weeks after taking the test to make sure that everything looks fine. It is up to you to decide when you want to contact the maternity service where you want to spend your pregnancy. Please bring the paperwork you receive from the IVF clinic to the return visit to your antenatal clinic when you are admitted.

Can you increase the chance of egg attachment in IVF?

The best thing you can do to increase your chances of getting pregnant is to live a healthy lifestyle. For example, studies show that both overweight and underweight women have a harder time getting pregnant. Eating a balanced diet, exercising, avoiding smoking and alcohol, and cutting down on caffeine will increase the chances of the egg attaching.

Undergoing fertility tests and treatments can be an emotional rollercoaster. Hope and despair are emotions that can easily follow one another. Some people want to take a break and catch their breath after a negative pregnancy test, while others want to try again straight away. You can book counseling through your health center, for example, if you want to stay within the high-cost coverage, otherwise you can apply privately.