An IVF clinic is a facility where the fertility treatment in vitro fertilization is performed. It is designed for helping patients who cannot conceive the traditional way. In vitro fertilization is a process in which the woman's egg is fertilized with the man's sperm in a laboratory setting, rather than in the womb. A staff of professionally trained physicians and technicians work in an IVF clinic. Most IVF clinics will have a storage center where donor sperm and donor eggs may be kept until the fertilization process is completed.
Fertility doctors at an IVF clinic will assist couples in their attempts to have babies when other attempts to conceive children have failed. In such cases, the couple trying to conceive will come to the clinic for a solution, and many will be willing to pay a large fee. IFV treatment may include various procedures and drugs.
Doctors at the IVF clinic will typically perform routine examinations of both partners, then perform a series of fertility tests. A woman's fallopian tubes and uterus may be analyzed to determine if a potential pregnancy may be achieved naturally, or if the pregnancy may pose a risk.
When it has been determined that a couple is unable to achieve a normal pregnancy, in vitro fertilization is an option. The physician from the IVF clinic may prescribe a course of hormone therapy for the woman, which will induce the production of eggs. Usually within a few weeks, several of her eggs will be removed before she has ovulated. This will not require invasive surgery, but typically involves a process that can be performed on an outpatient basis.
Sperm will be extracted from specimens of semen that have been taken from the man. The woman's eggs and man's sperm are then placed together for fertilization in a laboratory dish. Later the embryo will be transplanted into the womb, where the course of pregnancy will go forth. In some cases, couples may have to make several attempts before the IVF treatment is successful.
Other than a laboratory, examining, and procedure room, an IVF clinic will typically have the latest technological equipment available. Some in vitro fertilization clinics have storage banks inside their facilities. This allows for couples to freeze and store eggs and sperm to be used later.