An in vitro fertilization treatment consists of many phases. The first one is what we call ovarian stimulation, a process where hormonal medication is administered in the form of daily subcutaneous injections from the first days of the cycle and for about 10 days, depending on each patient.
Why is it done? Is it essential?
Ovarian stimulation aims to achieve an adequate number of oocytes - by ovarian stimulation - to perform the in vitro fertilization treatment. This procedure guarantees us the precise moment of ovulation and the correct maturation of the oocytes, imitating what happens in the feminine natural cycle.
It is important to remember that a high percentage of patients usually have low ovarian reserve caused mainly by the age of the woman so this treatment can be differential when getting a pregnancy.
On the other hand, in women who produce eggs normally, it could be proposed not to perform an ovarian stimulation but to perform an in vitro fertilization using a natural cycle. However, this process has much lower pregnancy rates, so that an ovarian stimulation is performed in almost all cases.
What steps are taken?
During the treatment, you will have to go to the clinic several times to measure the follicular development by ultrasound controls, usually no more than three ultrasounds are necessary to be able to schedule the ovarian puncture or oocytes extraction.
This way, we monitor the ovarian response waiting until the right time, where it will be administered an injection that will induce ovulation after 36 hours, for a subsequent extraction and fertilization in the laboratory.
In some cases, the follow-up is complemented with hormonal tests that help us to predict the ovarian response to the treatment.
Why Barcelona IVF?
The ovarian stimulation treatment is different for each patient, so more doses do not imply having better results. In Barcelona IVF we bet on the individualization of the treatment, individually adjusting the stimulation protocol according to weight, age or other important factors such as your ovarian reserve.