When a couple decides to start a family, they consider a number of different variables. The greatest approach to initiating a family is through natural means.
If, however, the couple’s efforts to conceive naturally fail after trying for more than a year, they will begin exploring alternative treatments and procedures to increase their chances of becoming pregnant.
This blog will explore alternatives to traditional IVF that have been shown to improve pregnancy rates.
What Are the Types of IVF?
Besides the standard type of IVF, there are three other types.
- Natural cycle IVF
- Mild stimulation IVF
- In Vitro Maturation (IVM)
All the Best for your IVF Journey !
Natural Cycle IVF
IVF with a natural cycle is identical to IVF with a traditional or stimulated cycle. Natural cycle IVF does not require medicines to stimulate the ovaries to produce many eggs, which is the sole difference between the two methods.
Only 3–4 days’ worth of medicine is required during the natural IVF cycle.
The other steps of the process are identical to those of normal IVF, including consulting with a fertility specialist, receiving no more than a few injections to initiate ovulation, surgically harvesting eggs, and finally transferring the embryo into the uterus after it has developed in the laboratory.
Process of natural cycle IVF
The cycle of nature IVF involves retrieving an egg that has been naturally fertilized by the woman’s menstrual cycle. There are very few injections or medicines used throughout the entire process.
The objective of the natural cycle of IVF is to obtain one egg selected and grown naturally by the body over the monthly cycle. The fertilized embryo is retrieved and placed back into the uterus for conception.
The best and closest type of IVF is the natural IVF cycle, often called natural fertilization, because no or very few injections were required. In natural cycle IVF, the quality of each egg is prioritized over the quantity.
Benefits of using natural cycle IVF
- Treatment that is both risk-free and economical.
- There is a lower potential for having more than one baby.
- It reduces or removes the possibility of OHSS.
Risks of natural cycle IVF
- There are chances of preterm labor, miscarriage, and delivery.
- The newborn will have a low birth weight.
- The process of retrieving eggs might be challenging at times.
Mild stimulation IVF
The main distinction between mild stimulation and natural cycle IVF would be the number of fertility injections/drugs used.
In mild stimulation IVF, fertility medicines are taken in smaller quantities and for a shorter amount of time to prevent and minimize the danger of negative effects.
To produce fewer than 8–10 eggs of high quality, which can contribute favorably and lead to a healthy pregnancy, is the aim of mild stimulation.
Process of mild stimulation
Following your initial assessment, which is carried out during the ovulation phase, medical professionals could suggest certain fertility injections in lower doses to help boost the ovulation and so encourage your body to generate healthier and more eggs than usual.
When the follicles are fully developed, the professionals remove them and merge them with the healthy, washed sperm that has been gathered. To achieve fertilization, the sperm and eggs are mixed and placed in an incubator.
Finally, the developed embryos are reinserted into the uterus in an attempt to conceive.
Benefits of mild stimulation IVF
- Injections or medications in very small amounts are initially administered.
- The likelihood of OHSS occurring is decreased.
- There is a reduction in the cost of each cycle.
- It is possible to lower one's chances of having more than one baby.
Risks of mild stimulation IVF
- The success rates are lower than those of regular IVF.
- There is a higher chance that no eggs will be retrieved.
- It may require numerous cycles
In Vitro Maturation (IVM)
A woman’s eggs are removed before they develop as part of the assisted reproductive technology (ART) procedure known as in vitro maturation (IVM). The eggs are subsequently raised in a lab using a medium that has traces of hormones.
The mature eggs are subsequently manually fertilized using intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Once the embryos have started to develop, they are transferred to a woman’s womb.
Process of IVM
The woman doesn’t need fertility drugs or injections because immature eggs are harvested during IVM. However, it helps to identify any issues upfront, and this treatment is only carried out after all blood tests and transvaginal ultrasounds have been performed.
Premature eggs are removed, put in cell culture, and treated with particular hormones until they mature. The ICSI process involves the sperm being developed and then injected into each mature egg. In an effort to conceive, 1–4 embryos are placed inside the womb.
It is all right to take a pregnancy test to find out whether you are pregnant after waiting 12–14 days.
Benefits of using IVM
- It reduces the likelihood of developing OHSS.
- The duration of the entire process is rather brief.
- It is an IVF method that is economical.
Risks of IVM
- Limitations for women who have PCOS
- There is a greater possibility of having more than one baby.
Conclusion
Before you decide which type of IVF is best for you, you should talk to an expert in fertility. They can help you figure out which type of IVF is best for your body.
Before you start treatment, it is important to get all your blood tests and transvaginal ultrasounds done. This will help both you and your doctor figure out what the next step should be.
Always have hope because wonders can take time, but in the end, everything will work out for you.
FAQ
About half of all in vitro fertilization (IVF) attempts made by women under the age of 35 are successful. The older you get, the less likely it is that you will be successful.
The probability that a woman under the age of 35 will become pregnant by in vitro fertilization (IVF) on the very first attempt (that is, the very first egg extraction) is 55%, according to the national average. However, as the woman ages, that number falls in a consistent manner.
However, ten to twelve mature eggs are a good number of eggs to have after egg retrieval. This is because not all of the eggs that are retrieved will be developed or mature enough to be fertilized, so having this number of eggs gives a woman a good chance of having at least one normal embryo, which in turn gives a woman a chance of pregnancy of sixty-five percent.
Consuming fresh fruits and vegetables, such as bananas, oranges, berries, dates, sprouts, broccoli, and so on, will help alleviate the digestive issues you’ve been experiencing post-IVF and ensure that both you and the baby remain in good health.
