IVC INVOCELL
What is INVOCELL?
INVOCELL is a new fertility device which holds the eggs and sperm in your body for fertilization and incubation, allowing you to be more personally involved in the process.
In traditional IVF, sperm and egg are combined in a laboratory dish until for fertilization and incubation. INVOCELL moves that process to a small culture device (intravaginal culture or IVC) that is held in a prospective parent's body instead of in our clinic.
Who is INVOCELL right for?
INVOCELL might be right for you if you've you are planning to use a donor egg or you and your partner both have a uterus or vagina and would both like to have a biological connection to the pregnancy.
Additionally, other factors that might contribute to your decision to proceed with INVOCELL are:
You'd like to use eggs frozen during fertility preservation
You'd like to use sperm frozen during fertility preservation but have not had success with IUI.
You have any of the following challenges:
Fallopian tube damage or blockage
Ovulation disorder
Endometriosis
Uterine fibroids
Previous tubal sterilization or removal
INVOCELL is not right for patients who would like to use their partner's sperm, but who have low sperm count, poor sperm motility and/or abnormal sperm morphology.
What is the process actually like?
At Main Line Fertility, we want you to know exactly what to expect from every part of your journey with us. Each of us knows personally how hard it can be to venture into the world of family-building; we will make sure that you know exactly how long things will take, how much it will cost, and what the rates of success are.
One INVOCELL cycle takes about four weeks from start to finish. Here are the steps you can expect:
Fertility Health Consult
First, you and your partner(s) (if applicable) will meet with your physician for testing and a personalized discussion of your fertility health and family planning goals. Together, you will decide if in vitro fertilization is the right choice for you and create a personalized treatment plan.
Ovarian Stimulation
Over a period of 9-12 days, we will stimulate your ovaries with self-administered injections. These injections utilize a thin needle (similar to what a diabetic might use for insulin shots) and are given subcutaneously, which means below the skin (as opposed to in the muscle). You will also have approximately five to seven early morning monitoring appointments to assess whether the injections are working.
Egg Retrieval
Once the monitoring shows that the egg maturing process has worked, you will come to our on-site surgery center where your doctor will gently guide a needle attached to a catheter through your vaginal wall to collect your eggs. The painless procedure will take 10-20 minutes and you will be under twilight anesthesia. Most patients don't even remember the procedure, and you may bring a partner or friend with you if you'd like. There are no stitches or scars and most patients return to work the following day.
Fertilization - IVC with INVOCELL
The eggs and sperm are placed in the culture device for fertilization and incubation. Your doctor will then place the culture device inside the retention device, and position them in your vagina. The INVOCELL Intravaginal Culture (IVC) device is small enough to sit in your palm. It’s about 1.5 inches tall and just over 1 inch wide. During this time, you should avoid any strenuous physical activity or any other activity that could change the temperature of the vagina, such as taking a bath or using a sauna.
Embryo Growth
The IVC will remain in your body for 72 hours. After this incubation period, your doctor will remove the device from your body and examine the quality and quantity of the embryos that have developed. Some patients will benefit from non invasive preimplantation genetic testing after this step of the process.
Transfer
During embryo transfer your doctor will insert a speculum into the patient's vagina and then, using an ultrasound for accuracy, the doctor will then pass a catheter through the cervix and into the womb. The embryos are then passed through the tube during this short, pain free procedure.
How much does INVOCELL cost?
INVOCELL is a somewhat less expensive option, saving patients up to 40% off the traditional costs of IVF. However, fertility care can be expensive and for many patients the cost of treatment can be a significant hurdle. The actual cost of fertility treatment is based on a number of factors including your fertility goals, treatment plan, insurance coverage and prescription benefits.
At Main Line Fertility, we offer financing, discount programs, and clinical research trial opportunities to make care accessible for more patients.
Please contact us to schedule a fertility health consult and discuss INVOCELL costs for your specific needs.
How many rounds of INVOCELL should we expect?
When it comes to any fertility process, there are so many variables at play (age, hormone levels, other medical considerations) so we can't say exactly how long it will take for any one person to conceive. But when it comes to INVOCELL, there are some specific things we know:
On average, a single INVOCELL cycle has about a 25% chance of resulting in successful pregnancy and live birth.
With egg freezing, multiple INVOCELL cycles can be completed with a single egg extraction.
How can partners be involved in the process?
At Main Line Fertility, we are eager to include partners at every step of the process.
For patients whose partners have a uterus or vagina, INVOCELL also offers a unique opportunity for both partners to take part in "carrying" the pregnancy. One partner can have the IVC inserted for the fertilization of the embryo, and another can carry the pregnancy to term.
Partners are ideal support people before, during, and after any medical procedure. Let your partner know what kind of support you need-- physical, emotional, or otherwise-- so they can give you the support you need.
Partners can also do a lot of the logistical and emotional labor involved in a conception process. They can call to book appointments, pick up prescriptions, ensure sperm is transported safely, and help with administering injections and taking medications. Fertility processes go well when both partners feel equally engaged and invested in the process. Don't be afraid to ask for help from your partner, to offer help to your partner, and to ask for what you need (regardless of whether you're the person conceiving or not).
If you and your partner will be selecting a sperm or egg donor, you can work together to decide which characteristics or qualities you may look for in a donor. There are several mobile apps that can be used for picking a baby name; you AND your partner enter names you each love and then the app presents you with the names you both selected. These apps can be used for selecting sperm or egg donors! You can both look through a cryobank library of donors or think through potential donors in your life, list the names or donor numbers in the app, then see which donors you both selected.
If a patient's partner also has a uterus, that individual can do a fertility check-up as well! This can be useful in case the first intended patient isn't able to conceive and carry a pregnancy due to a medical condition; knowing about the partner's health ahead of time can help you strategize about other options. Going through a fertility check-up can also help build critical empathy between partners-- the partner knows more about what the patient is experiencing and can provide even more effective support along the way.
Should we use fresh or frozen sperm?
For INVOCELL, pregnancy outcomes for fresh and frozen sperm are similar and which you will use will depend on your proximity to the donor.