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Many fertility treatments are available for patients having difficulties starting a family. One of the most well-known treatments is in vitro fertilization (IVF).
At a basic level, IVF involves combining sperm with eggs (often using ICSI) and allowing the resulting embryos to develop in our dedicated fertility clinic for up to five days. Once a healthy embryo is sufficiently grown, it is transferred into the uterus to implant and achieve pregnancy.
Other healthy embryos that are not transferred can be cryopreserved (frozen) to remain viable.
An IVF procedure can be highly effective, and there are several options available for treatment.
Types of IVF Cycles
Dr. Saadat is a fertility expert who offers several types of IVF treatments. At Reproductive Fertility Center, we offer the following IVF cycles:
- Single-cycle IVF
- IVF using an ovum donor
- IVF using a surrogate
What Is Traditional IVF?
Traditional IVF refers to the conventional amount of fertility drugs (ovulation induction medications) used to stimulate a woman’s ovaries to produce multiple eggs. This can be ideal for certain patients who want multiple children over time.
We offer IVF plans, including single cycles or multiple cycles, depending on the patient’s desires and Dr. Saadat’s expert fertility analysis. Traditional IVF treatments are highly effective for most patients.
What Is Natural IVF?
Natural IVF treatments use lower amounts of fertility medication to stimulate the production of multiple eggs. It will also include egg retrieval and embryo implantation procedures, just like traditional IVF.
Who Can Benefit From Natural IVF?
A natural IVF treatment may help patients who prefer lower doses of fertility medications. This can be especially helpful for women who are sensitive to significant hormone changes. Patients with medical conditions that make traditional IVF challenging may also benefit.
In these cases, we offer natural IVF treatments to help patients achieve their family planning goals.
How Is Natural IVF Different From Traditional IVF?
The main difference between natural and traditional IVF treatments is that natural IVF uses less ovulation induction medication. Natural IVF treatments include similar monitoring steps as traditional IVF, such as blood and pregnancy tests. However, because less medication is used, we monitor the patient less than with traditional IVF.
Natural IVF treatments generally cost less than traditional IVF.
How Does Natural IVF Compare to IUI Treatments?
Natural IVF treatments have a higher success rate compared to intrauterine insemination (IUI) treatments. A natural IVF treatment acts as a midpoint between traditional IVF and IUI in terms of cost, chances of a successful pregnancy, and time required.
Natural IVF treatments have some advantages over IUI treatments. IUI treatments insert sperm just outside the uterus. This can increase the odds of successful fertilization. An IUI treatment provides a high likelihood of successful fertilization, but it is not guaranteed. Natural IVF treatments further increase the odds of conception further by combining the sperm and egg.
Another significant advantage of natural IVF compared to IUI is that it allows Dr. Saadat to perform genetic testing and diagnosis if there are multiple embryos.
For more information about how these treatments compare, read our blog about IUI vs. IVF.
Contact Reproductive Fertility Today!
If you are interested in learning more about natural IVF or other fertility treatments we offer, call (310) 881-8846 to schedule an appointment at one of our Southern California offices.
