If you’re wary about the costs and side effects of traditional in vitro fertilisation (IVF), you may have heard of a more recent technique called minimal stimulation in vitro fertilisation. The cost of this treatment, known as the “mini-IVF,” is half that of a typical IVF cycle. It also has significantly fewer adverse effects and requires much lower doses of medicine. And of course, it still helps you become pregnant.

Many people looking into IVF and egg freezing has questions about low-dose, minimum stimulation, and “natural” treatments (medication methods). Mini IVF is not typically advised by Extend Fertility because research has found that it is substantially less successful and efficient. Continue reading to learn more about small IVF and how we approach IVF and egg freezing stimulation.

What is Mini IVF?

A daily low-dose medication called Clomid or Letrozole, which helps jump-start egg production, is administered as part of mini-IVF for 10 to 12 days. Every few days, ultrasounds are necessary to determine whether the eggs are growing healthily.

The patient will need to administer up to three “trigger injections” of Menopur into her abdomen during this period, as well as a simple nasal spray of Synarel or a comparable medication 36 hours before egg retrieval. Synarel eliminates the requirement for recurring progesterone injections, which are frequently administered in conventional IVF following the transfer phase. These actions promote the development of numerous eggs. After receiving the shot, the eggs should be mature enough to undergo an egg retrieval procedure within the following 24 to 48 hours.

Although a woman has the option to have the procedure without anesthetic, it is typically performed under it. A single embryo is then implanted back into the uterus once the eggs have been fertilized. If there are extra embryos, they can be frozen and kept for a future FET cycle.

The Procedure

Every IVF cycle using minimal stimulation proceeds in a manner that is quite similar to that of a typical cycle. Patients use oral contraceptives up until the start of ovulation induction. The patient will start taking lower dose oral meds to promote ovulation instead of injectable drugs.

The patient will be monitored and have ultrasounds performed during the ovulation induction phase to ensure that the follicles inside the ovaries are developing into eggs. In contrast to individuals undergoing standard IVF, patients choosing mini-IVF will still need to administer injections, but they will do it less frequently and in smaller dosages. Prior to egg retrieval, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), often known as a trigger shot, will be injected.

Following egg retrieval, the partner’s or donor’s sperm will fertilise the eggs, which will then be developed into embryos in a lab before being implanted into the woman’s uterus.

How does mini-IVF stack up against other techniques?

In the early phases of the procedure, when oral drugs are used to induce the development of eggs in the ovaries, minimal stimulation is similar to medicated intrauterine insemination (IUI). The success rate of a single small IVF cycle is higher than that of a single IUI.

Mini stimulation IVF is frequently referred to as the link between traditional IVF and natural cycle IVF. Without using any medicines, natural IVF replicates the normal IVF egg retrieval procedure. This indicates that no ovarian stimulation occurs in individuals other than during ovulation naturally.

There may or may not be an embryo produced by natural IVF rounds, which normally produce 1-2 eggs. In comparison to traditional IVF using injectable hormones, natural IVF is more affordable because there is no need for medication.

Mini IVF increases the likelihood of becoming pregnant while saving money compared to traditional IVF by producing more eggs and frequently more embryos. Usually, 3-6 eggs and 1-4 embryos are produced during a short stimulation session. The quantity of embryos that must be frozen, given away, or destroyed is therefore reduced.

Do you qualify for mini-IVF?

Mini-IVF may be the best option for you if the following advantages of the procedure appeal to you.

• Less discomfort brought on by the negative effects of fertility drugs, such as soreness at the injection site.
• Producing eggs of superior quality that are suitable for fertilization.
• Reduced chance of having issues, such as OHSS
• A course of treatment that is specially designed to meet each patient’s distinctive requirements.
• For people who prefer to use less fertility medication, there is a kinder treatment option available.
• Decreased out-of-pocket expenses as a result of using less fertility medicine.

Success rates for mini-IVF

As a result, Mini-IVF is an excellent choice for women who are worried about having less eggs due to advanced maternal age, which is classified as 35+. According to a 2013 trial involving 520 women that was presented at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine conference in Boston, success rates for Mini-IVF in women over 35 were one-third higher and women in their 40s were twice as likely to become pregnant than if they had used conventional IVF.

Women who are considering or have had Ovarian Rejuvenation, a relatively new procedure intended to gently stimulate the ovaries in order to aid in the development and release of fresh eggs, have another option in mini-IVF.

Risks and drawbacks of mini-IVF

In mini-IVF, fewer eggs are extracted, which lowers the likelihood of a successful pregnancy.

If eggs are harmed during the retrieval process or if they are determined to be poor candidates for fertilisation, the 10-15 eggs recovered during normal IVF serve as a backup. Because the doctor has fewer eggs to work with while using mini-IVF, there is a lower likelihood that these eggs will result in healthy embryos when they are fertilised in a lab.

Because of this, it’s very uncommon for couples to go through several cycles of mini-IVF before getting pregnant. This may lengthen the time it takes to get pregnant. It might also cancel out any financial savings from going with the less expensive IVF option.

A multiple pregnancy, or being pregnant with twins or more, is another potential disadvantage to take into account. This is still a possibility, even if it is less likely with mini-IVF than with regular IVF, which allows for the implanting of many embryos. Preterm delivery is a possibility for both the mother and the child in a multiple pregnancy. For both mother and baby, preterm delivery can result in difficulties.