The baby you always wanted

Getting pregnant

Pregnancy is a complicated process that depends on many factors:

• The production of healthy sperm by the man and healthy eggs by the woman

• Unblocked fallopian tubes that allow the sperm to reach the egg

• The sperm's ability to fertilize the egg when they meet

• A genetically healthy embryo the ability of the embryo to implant in the uterus.

Repeatedly encountering difficulty at any of these steps can lead to infertility.
The reality is that human reproduction is a fairly inefficient process. In one cycle for the average fertile couple, the chance of fertilisation from any particular meeting of egg and sperm can be about 80%, but by the time of the expected menstrual period roughly half of the early embryos have already failed to develop.

Many of these lost embryos are fundamentally abnormal and are unable to survive. In fact, the menstrual period might not even be delayed and the couple not realise that an early pregnancy has been lost. If a menstrual period is missed, a quarter or more of the remaining embryos can still fail later.

Various clinical studies have calculated the chance of pregnancy among population groups who do not use contraception, and indicate that the probability of a live birth after exposure in any one month averages about 1 in 5, or a 20% chance.

The age factor

By age 36 a normal woman's chances of conceiving per month is decreased by half. The downward slope continues until by age 45 the average natural fertility rate per month is approximately 1%.

What is IVF?

• IVF stands for in vitro fertilisation. In vitro literally means 'in glass' and with this form of assisted conception, fertilisation takes place in a dish in the laboratory. (At one stage, scientists also used test tubes for fertilisation, hence the term "test tube baby". Any assisted conception procedure where fertilisation takes place outside the body is a form of IVF.

• IVF was originally devised to overcome infertility caused by blocked or absent fallopian tubes. Today, IVF is used to treat many more reproductive problems, including irregular ovulation, low sperm count or motility, and unexplained infertility.

How does IVF work?

• Depending on a woman's age, anywhere between 1 and 30 follicles, known as 'recruits', will begin to develop in each menstrual cycle. Whatever her age though, only one of these developing follicles will dominate and ovulate at the level of the hormone FSH that a woman produces naturally.

• With IVF, the goal is to keep the level of FSH constant, and thus to encourage more of the recruits to develop mature eggs, which are collected surgically under vaginal ultrasound guidance. The eggs are then fertilised in the laboratory, cultured for several days, and then one, or rarely two embryos are transferred back into the woman's uterus.

Getting started

An appointment should be made to meet with our nurse coordinator. It is a good idea to coordinate this meeting with your menstrual cycle. A stimulated cycle begins on Day 19 after the beginning of your last period, so an interview between about Day 12 and Day 18 of the period would be ideal.

How long will you need to stay?

Total stay in Thailand will be about 4 weeks. Depending upon the information received and when the stimulation cycle will be, the doctor may suggest you start on the oral contraceptive pill. You must arrive Bangkok a week before your menses to be prescribed the GnRH analogue drug (usually start about 8 days before expected first day of next menses).

The Cost

The Cost will be 245,000 Thai Baht (8,130US$)-285,000 Thai Baht (9,400US$)

*Price based on the Thai Baht currency. Click the following link to see the latest exchange rate for other currencies. Please note price may vary after the surgeon has seen your photographs.

Price includes ovarian stimulation + IVF (ICSI) + PGD for aneuploidy screening + embryo transfer (a range to allow for those patients who require extra medication or services)

Price does not include accommodation, taxi and flights.

Schedule

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