Conventional Stimulated Cycle IVF

Conventional Stimulated Cycle IVF treatment is carried out with the use of fertility drugs

Although CREATE Health encourage Natural and Mild IVF treatments in the first instance, we also offer conventional stimulated IVF treatments where fertility drugs are used.

Infertility treatments that use drugs may have higher success rates than Natural Cycle IVF but they carry potential risks, cannot be repeated in subsequent cycles and are more expensive.

Ovulation Induction

Ovulation Induction refers to fertility drugs that are used to trigger egg production.

Fertility drugs are used to stimulate the follicles in your ovary into producing multiple eggs within one cycle. You may get pregnant using fertility drugs alone, or they may be used with other fertility treatments such IUI and stimulated IVF.

The medications also control the time that you ovulate so sexual intercourse, IUI and IVF treatments can be scheduled for the most likely time to achieve pregnancy.

Different drugs are used to treat different conditions that can cause ovaries to fail to produce eggs. Fertility drugs are grouped into those that stimulate the brain, pituitary gland and the ovaries themselves.

Why choose Conventional Stimulated Cycle IVF?

Conventional Stimulated Cycle IVF is aimed at producing multiple eggs and subsequently multiple embryos, which can increase the chance of achieving pregnancy compared to Natural or Mild Stimulation IVF.

However, a woman’s ability to conceive a child reduces with age – the younger you are the higher your chance of success.

For June 2008 to June 2009, for women having Stimulated Cycle IVF using fresh embryos created from their own eggs, the percentage of cycles started that resulted in a live birth (national averages) was: 

•    32.9% for women aged under 35
•    27.1% for women aged between 35–37
•    19.1% for women aged between 38–39
•    13.1% for women aged between 40–42
•    5% for women aged between 43–44
•    1.9% for women aged over 44

Please contact us to arrange an appointment to discuss Stimulated Cycle IVF treatment options

The Conventional Stimulated Cycle IVF Procedure

A typical Stimulated IVF treatment may involve:

Ultrasound Scan

You will have an ultrasound scan during the cycle before you commence treatment, which starts on the 1st day or the 21st day of your menstrual cycle. The scan is painless and involves a small probe being inserted into your vagina.

Ovarian Suppression

A daily injection or nasal spray is used to achieve suppression of the pituitary gland, which in turn suppresses the ovaries.  A second scan will be undertaken after 2 weeks to ensure that this has been achieved.

Ovarian Stimulation

Several follicles are recruited in ovaries and ripened for fertilisation.

Hormones required for this are Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) responsible for growth of the follicle and egg, and Luteinising Hormone (LH) responsible for triggering ovulation. 

Different drug regimes will be used as appropriate to each case.  Further scans will be undertaken from around Day 8 to monitor the growth of follicles and lining of the womb. Blood tests may also be taken.

[If you are advised to use a LH-RH antagonist you will not go through the suppression phase. Instead, you will start your treatment with ovarian stimulation and given antagonist injections to block your LH surge and spontaneous ovulation.]

HCG Injection

When the follicles have reached an appropriate size, you will be prepared for egg collection and given an HCG injection (Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin).

This triggers ovulation and also helps achieve final ripening (maturity) of eggs. Egg collection usually takes place 36 hours after the injection, during which time it is important to relax and sleep well.

Egg Collection

This is an out-patient procedure, usually performed under sedation with ultrasound guidance.

You are required to fast on the morning of egg collection. It normally takes around 20-30 minutes, with a further period of rest before you are ready to go home.

Sperm Collection and Fertilisation

Your partner is asked to provide a semen sample at the clinic on the day of egg collection in readiness for fertilisation.

This sample will be prepared and the eggs inseminated. If ICSI is required, the embryologist will carry out this procedure. On the day after egg collection, the cultured eggs are examined to check for fertilisation.

Under normal circumstances, 70-80% of eggs will fertilise in the laboratory.

Embryo Transfer

Within 24 hours of fertilisation, the embryos are examined and graded depending on quality.

The embryo transfer procedure is quick and pain-free and is performed by passing a fine tube through the neck of the womb (cervix) and injecting the embryos high into the womb (uterus). A maximum of two embryos are transferred at any one time.

After Embryo Transfer

You can resume normal activities at this time - there is no evidence to support physical activities influence your chance of conception.

You may be given hormone pessaries to help implantation of the embryo. You may also wish to freeze any spare embryos of good quality for transfer at a later stage.

After 14 days, you will be asked to undertake a urine pregnancy test. If this test is positive, an ultrasound scan will be performed a week later to check that this pregnancy is in the womb and the number of gestational sacs. 

A further scan will be undertaken after 2 weeks to confirm that the pregnancy is on-going, at which point you will be able to see the fetal heart and take a picture with you!

Please contact us to arrange an appointment to discuss Stimulated Cycle IVF treatment options