Conventional Cycle IVF uses no drugs to stimulate the growth of follicles and follows the natural selection of the leading follicle.
Conventional IVF is necessary for many patients. It utilizes drugs to obtain multiple eggs and create multiple embryos to increase your chances of becoming pregnant. In Natural Cycle IVF there is no use of stimulation drugs. Your body naturally selects your best egg. When mature, usually around the tenth day of your cycle, the egg is retrieved. Egg collection is a straightforward procedure. With only one follicle, it takes less than 5 minutes to retrieve the egg. Many patients complete the procedure without the need for sedation or pain relief medication and can return to work the same day. Your egg is then fertilized with your partner’s sperm using modern laboratory techniques. Two to three days later a single embryo is replaced in the uterus during embryo transfer procedure. Two weeks later we test for a pregnancy. The entire process is based on your menstrual cycle and takes 10-14 days. You have no or minimal use of drugs and an exceptionally low chance of multiple pregnancy.
Many women opt for Natural Cycle IVF to minimize the cost and the discomfort associated with ovarian stimulation. There are cases in which the outcome with Natural Cycle IVF is predicted to be the same as with stimulated IVF, in which case we would advise it as the treatment of choice.