The IVF Blueprint: Everything You Need to Know About In Vitro Fertilization, Egg Freezing, and Embryo Transfer

In this empowering resource, the doctors behind the Fertility Docs Uncensored podcast shed light on in vitro fertilization, the complex process of retrieving eggs from ovaries and fertilizing them with sperm in a lab. The authors address fertility testing to determine if IVF is the right path and what to expect during and after the process. Encouraging women not to get stuck on futile attempts to figure out why they can’t get pregnant, the authors focus on specific topics such as the side effects of IVF medication, supplements and lifestyle changes for improving the chances of a healthy pregnancy, and the benefits of genetically testing embryos. They succeed in demystifying the science behind egg stimulation and retrieval and embryo transfers. Furthermore, they offer compassion and sensitivity when describing the mental anguish associated with negative pregnancy tests and the limbo experienced between egg retrieval and fertilization, as well as reasons other than infertility that women choose IVF, including recurrent pregnancy loss, genetics, and the need for a sperm or egg donor. The result is an informative guide for people hoping to take charge of their fertility. (Sept.)