Recently, the national Internet buzzword “in vitro fertilization” is getting hotter and hotter, and people are getting clearer and clearer about assisted reproduction. However, there are still some people who don’t know much about IVF, and even still stay at the stage of “IVF is a child that grows up in a test tube”. What is IVF? What is the difference between the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th generation of IVF? What is IVF? First of all, a disclaimer is needed: IVF is not a baby that pops out of a test tube, nor is it a child that grows up in a test tube. So what exactly is IVF? In layman’s terms, IVF is a medical technique that helps people get pregnant and have children: doctors scientifically remove sperm and eggs, fertilize them together to form a fertilized egg, grow the fertilized egg into an embryo in a laboratory, and then “release” the embryo into the uterus, and voila! What are 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th generation IVF? The first generation of IVF is known as In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and Embryo Transfer (ET), which is the most common form of in vitro fertilization (IVF). This is the assisted reproductive technology that most of the fertility centers in China can do, and it is also the technology that has the highest number of cycles and is used the most times. To explain it in layman’s terms, the first generation of IVF involves retrieving the woman’s eggs through ovulation and the man’s semen at the same time, allowing the sperm and eggs to unite naturally in a laboratory environment without any intervention. The advantage is that the sperm that combines successfully with the egg is the equivalent of thousands of horses crossing a log bridge, breaking through to reach the other side, and must be of high quality. The disadvantage is that for couples who are born with weak, abnormal or no sperm and need IVF to assist them in getting their own healthy babies, the first generation has not solved their problems fundamentally. The 2nd generation of IVF is definitely a boon for gay men, and its main feature is that it can put a single sperm into the cytoplasm of the egg cell, thus fertilizing the sperm and egg. To put it simply, the “fertilization” part of the process has been greatly improved. If the sperm and egg are not able to complete fertilization on their own accord, then the doctor will have to use “2nd generation IVF” to give them a hand. Myth: When many people hear about second generation IVF, they naturally understand that it is a more advanced technology with a higher success rate than the first generation. In fact, the second generation of IVF is not as advanced as the first generation of IVF, but is suitable for different patients. The combination of sperm and egg in first generation IVF is closer to natural fertilization. Each egg is removed and 5,000-20,000 sperm are placed into it. After a competition between the best and the worst, one of the best sperm combines with this egg to form a fertilized egg, which eventually forms an embryo. This process requires more sperm. The second generation of IVF, as mentioned earlier, requires only a few sperms and is particularly suitable for male infertility. However, there is no need to be overly concerned, as the sperm selected using the second generation technique is also currently screened, and there is no significant difference between the success rates of both generation 1 and generation 2 at major established fertility centers. The 3rd generation of IVF is the same as the 1st generation and the 2nd generation before the doctor puts the embryo into the uterus. What is the difference between the 3-generation technology? The difference is that before the embryos are placed in the uterus, the doctors will run the embryos (mini babies) through a genetic diagnostic to see if there are any chromosomal disorders. In the end, the embryos with problems will be eliminated and those without chromosomal genetic disorders will be placed in the uterus. Of course, it is possible to analyze the gender of the embryos with 3-generation IVF technology, but the doctors will not tell us if there is no sex chromosome disease involved. Moreover, our restrictions on couples applying to use the 3rd generation IVF technique are very strict, and only a very small number of couples meet the criteria. The 4th generation of IVF Great name: Embryo cell transfer technology English name: GVT You may want to ask whether there exists a 4th generation of IVF technology? The answer is yes, the following to introduce the latest IVF technology: cytoplasmic replacement, also commonly known as the fourth generation of IVF (or triple IVF) cytoplasmic replacement technology. By doing oocytoplasmic replacement between aging eggs and young eggs, the genes of the aging eggs plus the cytoplasm of the young eggs are used to synthesize new eggs, which can better cope with the problem of aging eggs and improve the possibility of pregnancy for older women. The genetic material in the cytoplasm is less than 1%, and the nucleus of the egg carries the genes. The nucleus of the egg cell of the elderly patient is removed and placed in the egg cytoplasm of the young egg for cultivation, which can greatly improve the quality of the egg and solve the problem of egg aging, and greatly increase the success rate of IVF for the elderly patient. The main problem solved by IVF is the woman’s advanced age and egg cell aging. With the help of her superior follicles, the original inferior follicles will be “exchanged”, which will eventually ensure the generation of high-quality embryos (and the genes are still the same for both husband and wife). Currently, there is still a lot of controversy over the 4 generations of IVF and it has not been popularized in the clinic. So which type of people are these 4 IVF techniques suitable for? Each generation of IVF technology will be applicable to different groups of people. As the saying goes, “prescribe the right medicine for the right condition”, so does the IVF technology, we have to “use different IVF technology for the right condition”, which saves both money and trouble. How to choose? Take a look at the table below! What are the preparations for IVF? First of all, we need to clarify the cause of infertility and find out whether IVF is suitable for you. Conditions for IVF: The purpose of IVF is to help infertile patients get a healthy and smart child, and must follow the principle of eugenics. Therefore, men and women who want to do IVF must be physically and mentally healthy, free of hereditary diseases, and the age of the woman is usually no more than 40 years old, and the age of the man is no more than 55 years old. Because when the woman is too old, the rate of natural conception is high, the possibility of fetal malformation is also higher than that of the younger ones, and the number of comorbidities during pregnancy increases. In addition to the same problems mentioned above, the older infertile women who undergo IVF often do not respond well to ovulation stimulation, and are forced to give up the treatment in the first stage, and the quality of the eggs is relatively poor, with a low rate of pregnancy, which is not easy to be successful. It is best to bring along information and certificates of past examinations and treatments when attending the clinic to avoid wasting time on repeated examinations. The information includes: 1. The report of tubal patency examination: X-ray film of uterine tube iodized oil imaging, report of fluid circulation under ultrasound or hospital certificate of laparoscopy or open surgery are all acceptable. 2.Check for ovulation: Pathology report of the uterine endometrium within one year and the basal body temperature of the last three months. 3.Husband’s semen routine laboratory test report in the recent six months. 4. Hepatitis B surface antigen antibody, e antigen antibody and core antibody of both husband and wife, Hepatitis C antibody, liver function and blood type laboratory report, blood sedimentation and tuberculin test of the woman; serum HIV antibody. Once the above information is complete, the couple can visit the Fertility Treatment Center and before officially entering the cycle, they will visit the clinic ten days before the expected menstrual period, have another gynecological examination, and undergo a test transfer to detect the depth of the uterine cavity and the direction of the catheter during the transfer of the embryo.