Mild stimulation IVF
This programme entails ovarian stimulation with lower doses of Gonadotrophins and/or oral medication compared to conventional ovarian stimulation. It is a compromise between the latter and a natural cycle IVF and aims to combine the benefits of both programmes.
Namely, mild stimulation achieves the collection of multiple oocytes per cycle, more than a natural cycle, but less than conventional stimulation, while also minimizing the dosage of the medication. The collected oocytes are subsequently fertilized in controlled laboratory conditions with the partner’s or donor’s sperm and the resulting embryos are either transferred (fresh embryotransfer) or cryo-preserved for future use.
This programme may be suitable to women in the following groups:
- Low ovarian reserve and/or history of low ovarian response to normal stimulation.
- Risk and/or history of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS).
- History of hormone-dependent cancer.
- Patients with Polycystic Ovaries/Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS).
- When mild stimulation is preferred due to various concerns (safety, religious, financial etc).
This programme offers several benefits, such as:
- Statistically better quality oocytes compared to conventional stimulation cycles (only the oocytes with the best potential are recruited in mild stimulation cycles).
- Better implantation rates in fresh embryotransfers (minimal impact of the stimulation on endometrium function).
- Reduced medication cost.
- Reduced side-effects and reduced risk of Ovarian Hyper-stimulation Syndrome (OHSS).