In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a type of treatment to help you or your partner get pregnant.
You may need IVF if you want to have a baby and you:
- need donor sperm
- need donor eggs
- have fertility problems
What IVF is
IVF is where eggs are fertilised with sperm in a laboratory.
When an egg is fertilised, it is called an embryo. The IVF process usually makes a number of embryos. A specialist selects an embryo to put in the womb. Sometimes you can freeze other embryos for future use.
How to get IVF
IVF is available through the HSE if you meet certain criteria. The first step is to talk to your GP about any fertility problems.
You can also pay to get IVF privately.
When to go to your GP about fertility problems
Getting IVF and other specialist treatment through the HSE
The IVF process
The IVF process usually includes:
- taking medicines to increase the amount of eggs
- a procedure to collect the eggs - this is called egg retrieval
- getting a sperm sample
- the lab mixing the eggs with sperm - it can take a few days for an embryo to form
- a specialist checking any embryos for quality
- a procedure to put an embryo into the womb through the cervix
Your specialist can discuss the risks and benefits of putting 2 embryos into the womb.
Storing embryos
If there are extra good-quality embryos, they can be frozen (cryopreserved) for the future.
Number of treatments
IVF treatment happens in rounds and cycles.
A round of treatment usually includes collecting eggs and is made up of cycles.
Cycles may be called:
- a fresh cycle - the first cycle where eggs are removed and put with sperm to form embryos
- frozen cycles - when you use any extra frozen embryos
You can get 1 round of treatment for IVF through the HSE if you meet the access criteria. A round of treatment includes a fresh cycle and any frozen cycles from your frozen embryos.
If you get private treatment, you can get more than 1 round of treatment. But you have to pay for each round of treatment.
Having more than 1 round of IVF does not guarantee you will have a baby. But more than 1 round may increase the chances of pregnancy.
Risks of IVF
IVF does not always result in pregnancy. The process can be physically and emotionally demanding.
Counselling and talking to other people doing IVF can help.
Help and support for fertility problems
Other risks of IVF include:
- side effects from medicines, such as hot flushes and headaches
- multiple births (such as twins or triplets)
- an ectopic pregnancy
- ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome - where the ovaries overreact to the medicines used during IVF
IVF success rates by female age
There are many things that can affect the chances of getting pregnant though IVF. Age affects both male and female fertility.
The chances of getting pregnant after 1 fresh cycle of IVF treatment reduce as female age increases.
These figures are from a study in the UK. They show pregnancy rates for women using their own eggs and their partner’s sperm in 1 fresh cycle of IVF.
If you have frozen embryos, your overall chances of getting pregnant may increase as you use the embryos.
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority in the UK provides data on fertility treatment.