IVF Treatment in Nigeria (In Vitro Fertilization)

Understanding each stage of IVF can help patients feel more informed and confident throughout their fertility journey. Although every treatment plan is personalised, most IVF cycles follow a series of carefully coordinated steps.

Step 1: Comprehensive Fertility Assessment

Every IVF journey at Nordica Fertility Centre begins with a detailed consultation.

During this appointment, your fertility specialist will review your medical history, reproductive history, previous treatments, and lifestyle factors that may affect fertility.

A comprehensive fertility assessment may include:

• Pelvic ultrasound scan
• Hormonal blood tests
• Ovarian reserve assessment
• Semen analysis
• Additional laboratory investigations where necessary

The findings from these assessments help determine the most suitable treatment plan and medication protocol for your individual needs.

Step 2: Ovarian Stimulation

In a natural menstrual cycle, the ovaries usually release one mature egg each month.

During IVF treatment, specially prescribed fertility medications are used to stimulate the ovaries to produce multiple mature eggs. Producing several eggs increases the number available for fertilisation, improving the likelihood of developing healthy embryos.

Throughout this stage, your response to medication is carefully monitored through:

• Regular ultrasound scans
• Hormonal blood tests
• Follicle measurements

These assessments help fertility specialists adjust medication when necessary and determine the ideal time for egg retrieval.

Once the follicles have reached the appropriate size, a trigger injection is administered to complete the final maturation of the eggs before collection.

Step 3: Egg Retrieval

Egg retrieval is a minor procedure performed under conscious sedation to ensure patient comfort.

Using ultrasound guidance, a fine needle is passed through the vaginal wall to collect mature eggs directly from the ovarian follicles.

The procedure usually takes approximately 20 to 30 minutes, after which patients are monitored for a short period before returning home the same day.

At the same time, a semen sample is collected from the male partner or prepared from previously frozen sperm or donor sperm where applicable.

The sperm sample is then processed in the embryology laboratory to select the healthiest sperm for fertilisation.

Step 4: Fertilisation in the Embryology Laboratory

Once the eggs and sperm have been prepared, fertilisation takes place in Nordica’s advanced embryology laboratory under carefully controlled conditions.

As part of our IVF protocol, Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) is routinely performed. During ICSI, a highly trained embryologist injects a single healthy sperm directly into each mature egg using specialised microscopic equipment. This technique helps improve fertilisation rates, particularly in cases involving male factor infertility.

Depending on each patient’s clinical needs, additional laboratory technologies may also be recommended to optimise sperm selection, embryo development, or implantation.

Following fertilisation, the embryos are monitored closely over the next several days to assess their growth and quality before the most suitable embryo is selected for transfer.

Step 5: Embryo Development and Monitoring

After fertilisation, the embryos are cultured in carefully controlled laboratory incubators that replicate the conditions inside the human body. During this period, experienced embryologists monitor each embryo’s growth, cell division, and overall quality.

Embryo development is assessed daily to identify those with the highest potential for implantation. At Nordica Fertility Centre, embryos can be cultured to the blastocyst stage (Day 5 or Day 6) when clinically appropriate. Blastocyst culture allows embryos more time to demonstrate their developmental potential, helping embryologists select the most viable embryo(s) for transfer.

Depending on your individual treatment plan, your fertility specialist may recommend additional laboratory technologies to further support embryo selection and implantation.

Step 6: Embryo Transfer

Embryo transfer is the final procedure in an IVF cycle and is typically simple, painless, and does not require anaesthesia.

During the procedure, one or more carefully selected embryos are placed into the uterus using a thin, soft catheter under ultrasound guidance. The number of embryos transferred depends on several factors, including the patient’s age, embryo quality, medical history, and current clinical guidelines.

Following embryo transfer, progesterone medication is prescribed to support the uterine lining and encourage successful implantation. Patients can usually return home shortly after the procedure and resume most normal daily activities as advised by their fertility specialist.

Step 7: Pregnancy Testing and Early Pregnancy Care

Approximately two weeks after embryo transfer, a blood pregnancy test is performed to determine whether implantation has occurred.

If the test is positive, an ultrasound scan is scheduled a few weeks later to confirm:

• The location of the pregnancy
• The number of gestational sacs
• Foetal heartbeat and viability

Hormonal support may continue during the early weeks of pregnancy to help create the best possible environment for continued development.

Regardless of the outcome, the Nordica team remains available to provide medical guidance, emotional support, and recommendations for the next steps.