For a breakthrough in the treatment of infertility, it came and went by with remarkably little comment. IVF treatment without drugs doesn't sound particularly exciting. It's not a fancy new test or technique or operation. In fact, it's rather old. But if IVF without drugs (or unstimulated IVF) takes off in fertility clinics across the world, it could revolutionise the experience of IVF for those undergoing treatment.
The first baby born of unstimulated IVF was Louise Brown, the first IVF baby ever. But fertility specialists soon realised that ovarian stimulation drugs could be used to bring about many more than the one mature egg a woman normally produces each month. With more eggs available for fertilisation and more embryos available for transfer, IVF success rates were improved.
Nearly a quarter of a century later, unstimulated IVF could be back on the agenda. Improvements in ultrasound scanning, egg collection and embryo culture could mean that just one embryo is enough for a successful conception.
The advantages of unstimulated IVF could be significant. Because it avoids the use of drugs, women undergoing treatment are not exposed to the risk of hyperstimulation syndrome. Using just one embryo for transfer also means that the risk of multiple pregnancies is removed. Probably more significantly, unstimulated IVF would cut out the cost of the drugs, thereby reducing the expense of IVF significantly.
But unstimulated IVF, if it begins to be offered to patients, will also have disadvantages. It won't work for all women, particularly those who aren't ovulating properly. It will also mean that no spare embryos will be able for freezing after the IVF cycle, meaning that patients will need to undergo further cycles, stimulated or unstimulated. Finally, one study doesn't mean that unstimulated IVF is all it's cracked up to be. It's not entirely clear that success rates are as high as those associated with stimulated IVF. But for the cost of IVF to come down and the physical experience to improve, further studies of unstimulated IVF are needed.
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