What is Test Tube Baby?

What is Test Tube Baby?
A process is referred to as "in vitro" (outside the body) fertilization. Simply put, eggs are removed from the mother's ovary and incubated with sperm from the father. After fertilization, the "pre-embryos" are allowed to divide 2-4 times (in a "test tube", hence the name) and then returned to the mother's uterus where they can develop normally. Through these procedures, women with otherwise untreatable infertility problems have given birth to healthy babies.

This means that we do in the lab what should normally happen in the bedroom (but is not happening because of a medical problem, such as blocked tubes, as a result of which the couple is infertile). Many people still have many misconceptions about a test tube baby. Some feel that the baby is "artificial?! However, we cannot manufacture synthetic babies in the lab! Basically, in a test tube baby treatment, we try to assist nature.

This treatment does not adversely affect a woman's health - or the health of the baby. Many women are concerned that the hormonal injections they will need to take will make them fat. This is a myth - these are the same natural hormones the body normally produces - we give them as injections in order to help the woman to grow more eggs. This treatment does not cause a woman to run out of eggs any sooner either!

Every month, 40 eggs start to grow, of which 39 die and only 1 matures. In IVF treatment, the hormonal injections rescue the eggs, which would have died in the normal course. A woman's age must be considered. Older women feel additional pressure as they feel their biological clocks are ticking and time is running out. The majority of I.V.F clinics put a ceiling on the age for women eligible for this treatment. The general limit is 38 years, Depending on the technique that will be used to retrieve the eggs (oocytes) a preliminary laparoscopy or ovarian ultrasound scan may be required,
so that the accessibility of the ovaries can be determined The eggs are now incubated for 4-24 hours in a specially prepared culture medium in order to ensure that adequate maturation has occurred. 100,000-1,000,000 specially prepared progressively swimming sperm are then added to the incubated eggs. Fertilisation takes place within the next 24 hours. 2-3 days later the embryo transfer takes place.