Who Should Consider Mini IVF?
Understanding Infertility
Infertility affects 1 in 8 women.
There are many possible causes of infertility that call for a variety of treatments. Every patient has a unique story, and at Pearl Mini-IVF, we’re committed to creating a personalized care plan that meets your needs.
We believe that mini IVF has the potential to fundamentally change the IVF experience for all fertility patients.
At Pearl, we combine our gentle but highly specialized mini IVF protocol with nutrition counseling, genetic counseling, as well as options for acupuncture and couples therapy. Mini IVF offers more than a natural and economical alternative to traditional IVF; it’s a treatment that may be the only option for women suffering from some particular causes of infertility - and one that traditional IVF doctors may not perform or be familiar with.
While mini IVF can be successful for all fertility patients if you fall into one of the following groups of patients you may benefit even more from the natural, low stimulation protocol offered by Pearl Mini-IVF.
Medical Reasons to Choose Mini IVF
Sometimes after a failed conventional IVF cycle, women feel that they just can’t face the physical and emotional challenges as well as the financial burdens of another cycle of conventional IVF in what you could almost describe as “IVF burn-out.”
Mini IVF is a safer, healthier, and far less demanding alternative. Many women who have failed a conventional IVF cycle find success with mini IVF.
Why you should try mini IVF? The reduction in medication, number of office visits, and paired with the more natural approach of mini IVF leave many patients wishing that they've started with mini IVF to begin with.
Patients with PCOS are at a higher risk of a possible adverse side effect of ovarian stimulation medications known as ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS).
Why you should try mini IVF? The reduced medication regime with mini IVF reduces this risk considerably.
High levels of hormonal drugs associated with traditional IVF are unlikely to produce multiple eggs in women with low ovarian reserves because they have fewer eggs available, to begin with. Producing fewer high-quality eggs via mini IVF could be a much better option.
Why you should try mini IVF? Traditional IVF cycles are often canceled if not enough follicles (fluid-filled sacs that contain the eggs) are shown on an ultrasound. With mini IVF, the goal is always to produce fewer high-quality eggs so cycles are not canceled due to low or poor stimulation, saving you time, energy, and money.
Conventional IVF medications can result in increased mood swings and possibly even depression. These effects could be a result of the high amounts of hormonal medications used during a cycle. Mini IVF uses 80%-90% fewer medications which significantly reduces the side effects.
Fewer appointments, monitoring visits, and required time off from work have also reduced stress for many of our patients.
Why you should try mini IVF? Fewer side effects from medications and fewer appointments allow for a safer, less anxiety-driven experience for patients.
The aggressive administration of hormones in conventional IVF cycles can have many negative medical and psychological effects on patients.
Mini IVF lowers or eliminates many medical conditions that may present themselves during traditional IVF cycles. Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) for example is a condition that causes the ovaries to swell and become painful. Due to the limited number of medications used, the likelihood of OHSS occurring is close to 0%.
Mini IVF also reduces pregnancy complications associated with twins and triplets by only transferring and focusing on delivering one healthy baby at a time.
Stress and anxiety levels have been shown to be lower in mini IVF patients due to the fact that it has a less regimented treatment protocol and requires fewer office and morning monitoring visits.
Why you should try mini IVF? Patients who subscribe to a natural or holistic approach to their overall health and wellbeing may prefer mini IVF as it is a safer and healthier alternative treatment to traditional IVF.
Unfortunately, many cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy can significantly damage ovarian function in women and drastically decrease the odds of being able to achieve a pregnancy naturally.
Preserving your eggs through fertility preservation (egg freezing) will allow you to build your family once you recover with eggs unaffected from cancer treatment.
Why you should try mini IVF? Mini IVF could be a medical imperative to avoid the danger of hormone treatment exacerbating cancer.
Personal Reasons to Choose Mini IVF
We have all seen images on social media of IVF babies surrounded by empty syringes to show how much their family has gone through to bring their precious little one into this world. Fortunately, with mini IVF, you won't have that Instagram opportunity.
On average, a traditional IVF cycle consists of 30-60 hormone injections over the course of a single cycle. That is at least 1-2 injections per day.
A Mini IVF uses just 3-5 hormone injections in total, with some cycles only needing a single injection to trigger ovulation.
Why you should try mini IVF? Mini IVF involves far fewer injections than traditional IVF.
The exact cost of any fertility treatment will vary from patient to patient since the needs for precise levels of medication will vary according to the individual. However, the cost of reduced stimulation IVF is certainly lower than for conventional IVF, often around half the cost per cycle.
A reduced need for monitoring appointments also results in lower costs to the patient as well as the savings from less travel and time off from work.
Why you should try mini IVF? Costs are reduced due to the amount of medication received during a cycle and the number of office visits required.
A mini IVF cycle focuses on producing 1-2 high-quality eggs (oocytes) resulting in fewer embryos being created. For some patients deciding on what to do with the unused embryos (freezing them for later use or discarding) may pose a moral dilemma.
With this additional concern removed, the patient and physician can focus simply on the desired outcome of one healthy child.
Why you should try mini IVF? Fewer to no embryos are frozen or discarded after a cycle is complete.