What are the Difference Between NaturalCycle IVF and Stimulated Cycle IVF

by Neha Nitu Ela Woman Neha

Natural cycle IVF does not involve the usage of hormonal injections while stimulated cycle involves stimulation of ovaries using hormonal injections to ensure growth of multiple follicles. Natural cycle IVF is suitable for women having proper ovulation and egg growth.

IVF Treatment is a process of forming embryos in the lab by extracting eggs outside the female body. Extracted eggs are mixed with sperm sample to produce embryos. Embryos hence formed are transferred back into the female uterus, which results in the growth of a beautiful baby.

IVF or test tube baby can be done in two ways:-

Natural Cycle IVF

Natural cycle IVF is a process in which a single egg is retrieved from the female ovaries which forms naturally during the process of ovulation.

Number of Egg Retrieved: 1 Egg

Number of Embryos Formed: 1 Embryo

Advantages:

Natural cycle IVF has multiple advantages over stimulated cycle.

No Ovary Hyper Stimulation: During Natural IVF, no hormonal injections are being used during the process. This makes sure that the woman does not suffer from the harmful side effects of injections. Ovary Hyper Stimulation Syndrome (OHSS) is a condition, which occurs due to the consumption of high doses of hormonal injection. OHSS can cause failed IVF cycle, bleeding and abdominal cramps. Since, natural IVF cycle does not involve the usage of injections hence, the woman is saved from its harmful effects also.

Cheaper: Natural IVF treatment is much cheaper as compared to traditional or stimulated way of IVF as it does not involve the usage of injections. IVF injections are very costly and they are responsible for the half cost of IVF treatment. If injections are not used, then cost of the treatment is reduced to half. Hence, IVF treatment cost if done in a natural way without using injection costs Rs. 75,000. Many clinics provide this service to the women who have normal and proper ovulation.

Disadvantages:

Natural cycle IVF has some disadvantages also which are summarized below:

No Frozen Embryo: Single embryo is formed during the procedure of IVF. Hence, no embryos can be frozen for the future use. If IVF cycle fails, the patient will have to undergo the entire process of egg retrieval, which is painful as well as time consuming.

No chances of Twins: Due to the formation of single embryo, only one embryo will be transferred to the uterus. Hence, there are no chances of having twins.

Stimulated Cycle IVF

Stimulated Cycle IVF is a procedure in which a female is given multiple injections to promote the growth of multiple follicles in a single cycle. Injections are given from day of the woman’s cycle.

Number of Egg Retrieved: Multiple eggs can be retrieved depending on the woman’s ovarian reserve. On an average, around 10-15 eggs can be retrieved in a single cycle.

Number of Embryos Formed: Multiple Embryos can be formed depending upon the number of quality eggs retrieved. On an average, around 4-5 good quality embryos can be formed.

Advantages:

Stimulated cycle IVF has multiple advantages over Natural Cycle.

Multiple Embryos are formed: Due to the formation of multiple embryos, remaining embryos after transfer can be frozen for the future use. This ensures the woman does not have to go egg retrieval procedure again and again.

Disadvantages:

Expensive: Due to the usage of costly hormonal injections, the cost of stimulated IVF cycle shoots and it is around Rs. 1,50,000. Moreover, these injections are to be taken on the right time. If a single dose is missed, it can create problems in the final result of IVF process.

Does harm to the body: Injections are very harmful and has various side effects such as abdominal cramping, vomiting and dizziness. These side effects can some time cause in IVF failure. Over consumption of drugs also result in OHSS, which is a very serious condition and can also be fatal sometimes.

The type of treatment to be followed depends on the female’s body receptivity as well as medical condition of the couple. Only under favorable conditions, natural cycle IVF is performed. Otherwise, most of the times, doctors perform stimulated cycle only as it has higher success rates.