One of the IVF treatments we provide is the Natural Cycle IVF. As its name suggests, it is tailored to the patient’s natural cycle. The difference with classic IVF is that the ovaries are not stimulated to produce more oocytes. Only in some cases, minimal ovarian stimulation is required to obtain one or two naturally mature oocytes (modified natural cycle).
In the natural cycle, a single egg grows and matures in the ovary. During the egg retrieval, only one egg is collected for fertilization. In a stimulated IVF cycle, the patient follows a personalized protocol with injections for about 10-12 days to stimulate both ovaries and mature more eggs.
You can see the steps of the Natural Cycle IVF in the image below and compare it with the modified natural cycle treatment and also the stimulated treatments (long and short protocol).
For many women the natural cycle is more appealing, as this method does not include any medication and seems to be rather simple and less ‘medical’. “I am afraid to take medicines”. It is the fear of IVF medication that concerns women. IVF medication, however, are natural hormones the body is designed to produce, simply given for a short period of time in increased quantities.
Whether with a natural cycle or IVF, what makes the difference, is that every woman, every couple, every case is special. The fertility expert will investigate each factor and guide you in the best possible way, with a personalized plan and close monitoring of the treatment.
Advantages
-no meds
Factors to consider
-lower success rate
-the one egg might not be fertilized, so in this case, no embryotransfer is possible
Fertility expert Dr. Stavros Natsis points out:
"Every woman's fertility is different, so a tailor- made approach is required in each case. Usually, the natural cycle is chosen for women with low response to IVF medication (poor responders), with affected hormonal profile (very low AMH and high FSH) where the IVF medication does not make a difference. In any other case, we choose the normal IVF treatment in order to reduce the woman's stress and the number of IVF cycles that she may need, to a minimum ".
