IVF and embryo transfer (ET) requires the female partner to receive a series of injections of potent fertility drugs, which cause her ovaries to produce several mature oocytes at the same time as opposed to just one in a normal, unmedicated menstrual cycle. The oocytes are removed from the ovaries under light sedation by an intravaginal aspiration process that takes just a few minutes to perform. A semen specimen is obtained from the male partner, and eggs and sperm are combined in the IVF laboratory. Within three to six days, embryos developing from this process are evaluated, and some are selected for embryo transfer.

Embryo transfer (ET) involves loading selected embryos into a thin, flexible plastic tube, which is gently passed through the opening in the cervix leading to the interior of the uterus. Under ultrasound guidance (SCRC employs the use of 3-S/4-D "real-time" technology, the most precise wway to transfer embryos), the embryos are expelled into the uterus, and the plastic tube withdrawn. In about 12 days, a blood test for pregnancy is performed to determine whether the transfer resulted in a pregnancy. ET is just one of many facets of the assisted reproductive technology used at our offices in Beverly Hills, Santa Barbara, Valencia, and Ventura to help patients conceive a healthy child.