FAQ's IVF and ICSI

Is it necessary to receive hormone treatment, when performing IVF?
No, but hormone treatment improves the chances of achieving pregnancy significantly. IVF can be carried out in "spontaneous cycle", i.e., the woman's own cycle. Usually the woman only develop one egg, and it gives a certain risk that we can not get get enough eggs at the egg retrieval, or that the egg is not fertilized or splits. With hormone therapy there is a better chance to obtain eggs by aspiration, and that more than one egg is fertilized and divide correctly.

The down regulation is starting on day 21, can I be pregnant at the time?
Yes, it happens sometimes. If your period does not come about a week after the "downregulation" is started, in rare cases it is because the woman has become pregnant. This can be examined with a pregnancy test. If the test is positive stop downregulation. It is not harmful for the fetus that the woman has been down regulated for a short period.

Is there a greater risk of getting cancer in the abdomen, if you have had IVF?
No.

Does it hurt to take eggs out?
Usually not. We are the only clinic in Denmark that uses Anaesthetic nurses to handle pain coverage in connection with egg retrieval for IVF, ICSI and egg donation. Anaesthetic nurses make sure there is optimal pain coverage and we additionally supplement with local anesthesia in the top of the vagina.

How many times can I get IVF?
There is no limit. The first 3-4 times the chance of getting pregnant is just as good every time. After this pregnancy chance decreases. Read more.

Can you get an ectopic pregnancy with IVF?
Yes, but it very rare. Although we always place the fertilized eggs back in the uterus, it may happen that an egg will move to a fallopian tube and begins to grow as an ectopic pregnancy.

How many embryos (fertilized eggs) attaches to the uterus in IVF?
In most cases one or two. We discuss the number of embryos with you. To reduce the likelihood of becoming pregnant with twins, it may be appropriate to put one embryo back in younger women (under 37 years), especially in the first treatment cycle.

There were two perfect embryos put up, but I didn´t get pregnant. What went wrong?
Generally, it is about 30% of the fertilized eggs placed into the uterus, which develops into a fetus. Therefore nothing went "wrong", if it is was not successful.

Can embryos fall out after they have been placed in the uterus?
No. The endometrial lining is slimy and sticky, and the embryos do not fall out. If you do not become pregnant, it is not because the embryos have fallen out, but rather because they have not been able to grow in the endometrium or could not develop further.

Can fertilized eggs that are not placed into the uterus be saved?
Yes. Fertilized "surplus" eggs can be frozen and used later. The embryos can be thawed and used both if the woman was not pregnant in the first place or they can be used later for a second child. Frozen embryos may be stored until the woman is 46 years old.

What is ICSI?
Micro insemination - also called ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) - is a form of IVF treatment used if the sperm quality is poor. The sperm is not itself able to fertilize the eggs. In ICSI a single sperm cell is sucked up into a very thin needle and injected directly into the egg. The procedure takes place in the laboratory in a special microscope with high magnification.

Why do ICSI on half of the eggs ("½ ICSI)"?
In some cases it is difficult to predict whether the sperm are able to fertilize the eggs. It may be, for example if the sperm count is moderate, and the sperm moves worse than normal, or if there are many sperm with abnormal appearance.

It may also be useful in the case, in which all tests are normal and insemination has been carried out without achieving pregnancy. So it may be appropriate to divide the eggs into two groups and letting the sperm attempt to fertilize one half. On the other half ICSI is performed in order to optimize the chances for fertilization of some of the eggs.

The procedure is called "half ICSI" and is usually done only in the first treatment cycle. Then we know if the sperm are able to self-fertilize the eggs, or whether it is henceforth necessary to use ICSI for all the eggs.

More facts about IVF / ICSI here.