Ask the Pros: Demystifying the IVF Process with Dr. Deanna Brasile
If you've ever found yourself wondering what IVF actually involves — or whether it might be right for you — you're not alone. For the third segment of Main Line Fertility's "Ask the Experts" series with 6ABC's Action News, Dr. Deanna Brasile, Reproductive Endocrinologist and Infertility Specialist, sat down with 6abc to walk through one of the most talked-about yet misunderstood fertility treatments available today.
What Actually Happens During the IVF Process?
IVF moves through a few key stages: medications to help stimulate the ovaries to mature multiple eggs at once, which are then retrieved while the patient is under light sedation. From there, the eggs are fertilized with sperm in the lab, and resulting embryos are transferred into the uterus five to six days later. For patients pursuing preimplantation genetic testing (PGT-A), embryos are biopsied, frozen, and transferred in a later cycle.
One question Dr. Brasile hears often is why so many eggs are retrieved in the first place. "Not every embryo makes it all the way to a transferable stage," she explains. "And even a genetically normal embryo carries roughly a 65% chance of resulting in a live birth, so starting with more eggs gives patients the best possible odds." Age is also a significant factor — the risk of chromosomal abnormality rises in embryos as a woman gets older, which is why the number of usable embryos varies from patient to patient.
Who Is IVF Right For?
IVF can be the right path for people facing a wide range of diagnoses, including blocked or missing fallopian tubes, PMOS, unexplained infertility, recurrent pregnancy loss, male-factor infertility, and age-related infertility or decreased ovarian reserve. It's also a meaningful option for LGBTQ+ couples building their families, with pathways like donor sperm IVF, donor egg IVF, and reciprocal IVF available.
It's worth noting that IVF today looks very different from its early days. Advances like PGT-A have made single embryo transfers far more successful, which means the risk of multiples — once a common concern — has dropped significantly. That kind of progress is part of what makes IVF one of the most controlled and effective fertility treatment options available.
If you're curious whether IVF might be part of your journey, the team at Main Line Fertility is here to help you figure it out. Schedule a consultation today and take the first step with a team that's in your corner.