Natural Cycle IVF
Nowadays IVF in the natural cycle has virtually no contraindications. The main condition for using this method is the presence of a regular ovulatory menstrual cycle.
What is IVF in natural cycle? IVF in natural cycle uses ultrasound monitoring of growth of the dominant follicle in the ovary of the patients with preserved ovulation.
With a follicle size of 18 mm, either under the control of an ovulation test, or after the intramuscular injection of an ovulation trigger, a follicle is punctured to obtain an egg. The rest of the IVF program process remains the same.
To increase the effectiveness of IVF, the program includes the study of egg’s spindle apparatus.
IVF in the natural cycle: pros and cons
The reason for the low demand for IVF in the natural menstrual cycle is that it is characterized by a fairly low efficiency. The pregnancy rate is lower than with insemination in the natural cycle, it is about 7% in terms of each started cycle.
This is due to the fact that not every mature follicle is an egg carrier. In addition, because of the puncture, only one egg is extracted, which may not be able to fertilize. Also, when using this method, there is a risk of canceling the oocyte collection procedure due to premature ovulation.
The advantage of this method is to minimize the risk of complications such as ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome.
The undoubted advantages of the IVF method in the natural cycle include the possibility of carrying out the procedure for several menstrual cycles in a row. However, note that a single puncture of stimulated ovaries will do less harm than multiple.
Another advantage of IVF in natural cycle is that comapered to other programs its cost is usually lower than in programs where superovulation stimulation is performed.
Also, unlike in other programs, no special preparation for IVF in the natural cycle is not required.
The package includes (depending on the Doctor’s prescription)
- Prescribing natural cycle treatment plan;
- Consultation with Infertility doctor (up to 3 times);
- Follicle ultrasound (up to 3 times);
- Hormone level tests for monitoring ovarian stimulation (LH, estradiol, progesterone express-tests – up to 3 times)
- One of the following medications:
- Diphereline (0.1)
- Chorionic gonadotropin (up to 10.000)
- Ovarian puncture in natural cycle
- Staying in a hospital ward for 3 hours for monitoring purposes
- Embryological stage:
- Oocyte identification and assessment;
- 2 sperm specimen preparation for fertilization;
- In vitro fertilization: ICSI;
- Embryo culture;
- Oocyte spindle apparatus assessment.
The package does not include
- Medications that are not listed in the program description;
- Medical assistance in case of emergency conditions;
- IMSI;
- Assisted hatching;
- Embryo biopsy;
- All kinds of preimplantation genetic diagnosis;
- Embryo storage;
- All consultations with related specialists;
- The use of donor material and its defrosting.
IVM procedure
IVM means in vitro egg maturation (in vitro) followed by IVF. The specialists of AltraVita clinic have sufficient capabilities and knowledge to conduct this process with high efficiency, as evidenced by reviews of IVF in natural cycle.
The combination of IVM and IVF methods makes it possible to simultaneously obtain a mature egg from a dominant follicle and a number of immature eggs from small (antral) follicles. Egg maturation takes place “in vitro”, and a mature egg undergoes fertilization in the standard way. High-quality embryos obtained by both methods are transferred into the uterus.
Indications for IVF in the natural cycle in conjunction with IVM
- Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
- Significant risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome
- A history of benign hormone-dependent tumors
- Contraindications to the induction of superovulation
- Factors Affecting IVM Choice
- The ability to avoid the risk of developing ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome
- Lack of hormonal stimulation
- Affordable cost of the procedure, which is caused by a small amount of hormonal drugs used
