For women trying to get pregnant via IVF treatment, there are more options available than ever before. Whether you’ve tried traditional IVF before and are looking to pursue a less intense route or simply want to ease your way into the IVF experience, mild IVF is a great option to aid in fertility and increase the chances of conceiving. If you’ve had mild IVF recommended to you, either by your local Infertility Clinic Mesa or a friend who’s already tried it, you might be wondering what the procedure looks like and how it might compare to traditional IVF. It’s understandable that you might have questions. What exactly is mild IVF, and what concerns does it address? Why might someone choose to pursue mild IVF over traditional IVF? If you’re looking to get pregnant this year, here’s everything you need to know about mild IVF and how it works.
Mild IVF Procedures Only Happen During Menstruation
While traditional IVF consists of daily shots of hormone injection and suppression, mild IVF is known for its gentler approach to encourage egg production. Mild IVF shots are only giving during a woman’s menstrual cycle to increase the chances of fertility without subjecting a patient’s body to undue strain. In addition to reducing the stress and emotional fluctuations that often come with traditional IVF, mild IVF shots do not suppress hormones, creating a much less intense emotional response in patients. Since the shots are only administered around the time of ovulation, the embryos created are of a more sustainable variety and are more likely to “take” during the insemination process.
The Success Rates are High
Like conventional IVF, the likelihood of success for a mild IVF procedure is high. While conventional IVF, which requires daily shots and hormone suppression, has a success rate of 50%, mild IVF carries a success rate of 49.5%, which is close enough to be directly comparable to the conventional procedure in addition to being less invasive. Since mild IVF requires fewer shots, it’s also less likely to create unpleasant or dangerous side effects in patients. For patients who have had their eggs previously frozen, there’s an even larger likelihood of the pregnancy taking. The success rate for mild IVF with frozen embryo transfer is 56% in women over 36.
It Costs Less Than Traditional IVF
Since the number of total shots in the conventional IVF process is decreased by ¾ in mild IVF, the costs are much lower. Many women are unable to undergo conventional IVF simply because they don’t have the money to try even one, much less two or three separate cycles. Mild IVF, however, costs nearly 1/3 of the price of a traditional IVF treatment per cycle. While conventional IVF can range anywhere from $15,000 to $16,000 per cycle, mild IVF cycles cost around $5,000-$7,000. This means that for the cost of a single traditional IVF treatment, women who are unsuccessful during the first cycle can try two or three times with mild IVF treatments. Since these treatments are much less hard on the body, multiple tries are also a more viable option for mild IVF users.
It Reduces the Risk of OHSS
Traditional IVF requires patients to inject themselves daily with shots that drastically alter their mood and hormonal balance. As a result of this, certain women may find themselves at risk for OHSS, or Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome. This occurs when there are too many hormones in a woman’s system, leading to a painful condition involving swelling ovaries, abdominal pain, and tenderness in the area. Severe OHSS is even more painful, with symptoms ranging from blood clots to vomiting. OHSS happens when the amount of estrogen is increased to an unhealthy point, and the condition affects 2% of women undergoing traditional IVF. However, because mild IVF procedures only take place during one week each month, the chances of a woman contracting OHSS are virtually zero. To date, there have been no cases of women getting OHSS from mild IVF treatment.
There is No Hormone Suppression
Traditional IVF provides daily shots that work to first suppress your natural hormonal cycle and then kick it into overdrive, leading to a flooding of estrogen in the system that creates a more fertile atmosphere during ovulation. Mild IVF, however, does not use hormone suppression, which creates a much less invasive procedure and decreases the risk of OHSS and other unpleasant side effects considerably. For women who wish to undergo a gentler version of traditional IVF, mild IVF is the ideal option.