World IVF Day 2025: What is IVF? Fertility expert explained the complete process step-by-step..

Do you know how special 25th July is for couples who dream of becoming parents? Yes, on this day, World IVF Day' is celebrated, which is dedicated to the wonderful gift of science that has filled countless empty laps.

Yes, have you ever wondered how the 'test tube baby' we hear about is prepared in the lab? Let us understand this entire process (IVF Step-by-Step Process) step-by-step from Dr. Abha Majumdar (Director, IVF Centre, IVF and Human Reproduction, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Delhi).

Which couples are suitable for IVF?

IVF begins with the identification of couples who are having difficulty conceiving in the normal way. Such as:

Women whose fallopian tubes are blocked

Those who have severe endometriosis

Men whose sperm count is very low

Or when pregnancy is not happening despite all the reports being normal

When such couples are selected, their health checkup is done first.

A health checkup is important first.

Various systems of the body of both the man and the woman are checked, such as:

Kidney and liver functioning
Blood sugar and thyroid
Blood composition
Metabolic profile
If any imbalance is found, it is balanced before medicines are administered. The IVF process is started only when the health is found to be fine.

The process starts from this day of the period

The woman is called to the IVF center on the second or third day of her period. Some necessary blood tests and an ultrasound are done there. After this, the process of hormonal injection starts.

These injections are given daily, and they are like normal insulin pens, which the woman herself can apply to her stomach or thighs.

Eggs are ready in 10 days.
The purpose of these injections is to mature the follicles present in the ovary. Usually, in 10 days, these follicles are ready to form eggs. In between, on the 6th day, once again, a blood test and ultrasound are done, so that it can be decided whether the dose of injection needs to be increased or decreased.

Trigger injection and then egg retrieval
When the eggs are fully mature, a "Trigger" injection is given. After 36 hours, the eggs are removed, which is called "Egg Retrieval".

This process is done without any cuts or stitches. With the help of a special type of vaginal ultrasound probe, eggs are removed through the woman's vagina. During this, the woman is given light sedatives so that she does not have any kind of trouble.

Now eggs and sperm are available in an IVF lab.

The eggs extracted are directly handed over to the Embryologist. He separates them from a special fluid and keeps them safe in the incubator. After this, the semen taken from the male partner is also tested.

If the sperm are weak, then each sperm is injected directly into the eggs using the ICSI (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection) technique.

If the sperm are normal, then the eggs and sperm are kept together and allowed to fertilize naturally.

The first step of birth: Formation of the embryo

The next day, it is seen how many eggs have turned into embryos. Embryos are the first stage of human life - this is the life created in the lab, which later becomes a baby.

These embryos are developed in the IVF lab for 5 to 6 days. After this, they are transferred to the mother's uterus.

Embryo transfer and the beginning of life

Usually, on the 5th day, one embryo is shifted into the woman's uterus using a very delicate technique. It is a painless procedure.

The remaining embryos are frozen for safekeeping so that they can be used in the future. Many IVF clinics transfer only one embryo at a time so that the pregnancy remains safe and controlled.

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