In Vitro Maturation (IVM)
Under normal circumstances, one of a woman’s eggs matures in her body each month. When fertility is an issue, immature eggs can be collected from the body and matured in the laboratory. This procedure can be a step in the in vitro fertilization (IVF) process or an alternative.
Normally, one or sometimes two eggs are released and mature each month. The egg is shed in the monthly menses if it is not fertilized. Conventional IVF procedures require a woman to take high doses of hormones to mature several eggs at the same time inside her body. The IVM procedure removes immature eggs from the body and develops them in the laboratory. The mature eggs are then fertilized, and the resulting healthy embryos can be reintroduced back into her body.
IVM creates multiple viable embryos without using high doses of injectable hormones. This procedure minimizes side effects and reduces the risk of overstimulation from the hormones. It also eliminates the inconvenience of needing multiple injections.
Contrary to many IVF centers, Neway Fertility does not discard immature eggs. If immature oocytes are obtained during egg retrieval, our embryologists mature them in our laboratory. This process enables our patients to enhance their chances of conceiving.
