Minimal stimulation is a relatively new (ART) technique that offers a gentler version of ovarian stimulation compared to traditional IVF and can be an excellent procedure to bridge the gap between Natural Cycle IVF and traditional IVF. Mini-IVF is designed to recruit only a few (but high quality) eggs, thus avoiding the risks of hyper-stimulation, reducing the number of injections and dramatically reducing the cost of medications.
Minimal IVF stimulation will yield, on average, 3-6 eggs and can produce 1-4 embryos, increasing the chances for at least one healthy embryo for transplantation. With mini-IVF, we get smaller numbers of eggs, but most of them make perfect embryos. Even for poor prognosis cases of older women with low ovarian reserve, there is an advantage to mini-IVF over high dose stimulation. The drugs can be oral ovulation agents such as Clomid, combined with low doses of gonadotropins or antagonist with a low dose of hMG/FSH. The egg retrieval procedure is identical to that done in traditional IVF with intravenous sedation (anaesthesia).
What are the major advantages?
- Minimise exposure to medications during ovarian stimulation
- Reduce health risks of Ovarian HyperStimulation Syndrome (OHSS),
- Reduce costs associated with the medications used
- Reduce the time between cycles
Minimal ovarian stimulation IVF The need for more ‘physiological’ IVF treatments, less costly approaches, is rapidly gaining in popularity Minimal IVF protocols may begin with a natural cycle or after a short course of birth control pills (oral contraceptive pills or OCPs) or a course of estrogen preparation to regulate the cycle. The choice of Minimal IVF depends on patient preference and specific medical conditions as well as hormone levels. In select groups of patients (under the age of 35, normal ovarian reserve) pregnancy success rates for Minimal IVF treatment are excellent.
What are the disadvantages of Mini IVF?
- Fewer eggs (oocytes) are available for fertilisation
- and as a result fewer embryos available for transfer than with conventional IVF.
- The freezing (cryopreservation) of excess embryos is unlikely since fewer embryos are created.
A higher no embryo transfer rate since the likelihood of no eggs (oocytes) collected at egg retrieval is higher.
At Assisting Nature we specialise in Minimal IVF protocols that are safe, proven, effective, and highly affordable. A comprehensive consultation with us will help determine if you are a good candidate for Minimal IVF and or what other courses of action may lead you on your path to a successful pregnancy.