What Is Natural Cycle IVF and Its Advantages

What is Natural Cycle IVF?

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Natural Cycle IVF is a fertility related practice that involves the cultivation of a woman’s natural egg follicle in the complete absence of fertility drugs. The egg that has been naturally matured is then harvested through surgical aspiration and the fertilization with the sperm happens in vitro.

This procedure is in contrast to standard IVF, which involves the use of drugs to promote egg growth, which means that all the eggs can be harvested, fertilized and the best ones are transferred back into the uterus. 

Natural Cycle IVF, on the other hand, is a good alternative for patients who are looking for a less time consuming, less expensive and less complicated solution. In Natural Cycle IVF, the woman grows an egg without the use of any drugs, which means that generally only one egg develops, and on some rare occasions, maybe two.

How does Natural Cycle IVF work?

With NV-IVF, women grow their own egg in a naturally healthy way without the intervention of drugs which is followed by careful monitoring and ultrasound to avoid a situation where an early ovulation may be missed.

What are Advantages of Natural Cycle IVF?

It has been reported by practitioners of natural cycle IVF that the embryo quality of a natural cycle IVF is far superior to the embryos derived from stimulated cycles. Although there may exist subtler ways in which exogenous gonadotropins, otherwise known as pharmaceutical hormones, affect the egg quality negatively.

Several studies, including the journal of fertility and sterility, have stated that when under treatment with a natural cycle IVF, patients tend to avoid complications such as ovarian hyperstimulation.  

Patients also avoid consuming expensive medications while the laboratory related costs are also considerably brought down which bring down the financial drain on the treated couple. 

In the event that an egg retrieval is not performed, a significant treatment credit is carried forward to the next procedure.

In the event that an egg retrieval is performed but an embryo transfer does not occur on account of the no egg being obtained, no fertilization occurring, or the embryo not progressing to the blastocyst stage, it is common practice for the patient to earn a treatment credit that can used for other unutilized services.

Studies have shown that approximately 80% of Natural Cycle In Vitro Fertilization patients undergo successful retrieval and a good majority of these end up producing an healthy egg. 

Unfortunately, it is not feasible for each one of these embryos to reach the blastocyst stage and the generally observed pregnancy rates per natural in vitro fertilization cycle treatment cycle are around 10% to 20%, based on widely collected statistical averages.