A Typical Regimen of Drugs

This is the typical monthlong schedule of injections, according to the Genetics & IVF Institute, Fairfax, Va.:

Five to seven days before the expected onset of menstruation, the patient gets a blood test. She then begins seven to 10 consecutive days of .2-milliliter injections of Lupron, a drug that suppresses naturally occurring hormones, thus allowing the physician to artificially control the reproductive cycle.

On Day 7, the patient has another blood test so that an injection of Pergonal, usually three to four ampuls, can be added while the Lupron dosage is being decreased. Pergonal stimulates multiple egg production.

The two injections continue daily based on blood tests and sonograms for eight to 12 days.

Then the patient receives an injection of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) to complete the maturation of eggs. Eggs are retrieved 34 hours later for laboratory fertilization.

After two to three days, embryos are transferred into the uterus. Daily injections of progesterone to prepare the uterine wall for implantation begin before embryo transfer and continue until a pregnancy test 11 days later.