BostonIVF - The Arizona Center- Mini Stim IVF

What are the advantages of mini-stim IVF?

It is much easier for a patient to undertake a mini IVF cycle than a conventional IVF cycle. There are far fewer injections, blood tests and doctor visits.

As less medication is used and fewer office visits are required, the cycle cost is about half of conventional IVF

An ovulation induction that uses less medications and produces fewer embryos, produces better quality embryos than an ovulation induction that uses significantly higher doses of medications.

IUI treatment costs less than Mini-stim IVF, but the risk of multiples is higher. With Mini-stim IVF, only one embryo is transferred, while with IUI you can’t control how many eggs will become fertilized. As a result, the risk of multiples is very low and at most, twins.

In good prognosis patients, it provides embryos from both immature and mature eggs, which in theory should translate into a higher pregnancy rate.

Mini-stim IVF completely compensates for male factor when DNA damage in sperm is present while IUI only partly compensates for it. BostonIVF - The Arizona Center can perform Sperm DNA Fragmentation testing to determine the damage and find the undamaged sperm.

Mini-stim IVF completely compensates for tubal factor, but other therapies only compensate in terms of producing extra eggs

Mini-stim IVF has a lower risk of leading to ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, or OHSS.

Mini-stim IVF

Who is a good candidate for Mini-stim IVF?

Patients under the age of 35 fair best with this treatment, especially if they have good ovarian reserve. However, proper ovarian function is necessary.

Treatment lasts around two weeks and requires very little time making it a good

Those who could do IUI first, but move to Mini-stim IVF because it is a more efficient way to achieve pregnancy.

Those who are candidates for conventional IVF but choose Mini-stim for its benefits (cost savings, simplicity, fewer drugs in lower amounts, fewer embryos created)

Anyone concerned about multiple births

Women over 40 or patients with decreased ovarian reserve who have a lower success rate with IVF

For Mini-stim IVF at Fertility Centers of Arizona we:

1. Always use oral stimulation medications (clomiphene or letozole)

2. Always use injectible medications (usually Braville) containing 75 to 150 units of FSH per day (usually for 5 to 7 days)

3. Sometimes manage the endometrial lining with estrogen.

4. Always use ICSI on all eggs

5. Use assisted hatching when indicated

6. Use conscious sedation so the patent does not feel the egg retrieval

For mini-stim IVF at Fertility Centers of Arizona, we rarely (or never):

1. Down regulate the pituitary with drugs like lupron, centritide or ganirelex

2. Plan to freeze eggs for later transfer (done to manage endometrial lining)

3. Use more than 150 units (two ampules) of gonadotropins a day

4. Use as a primary procedure for a PCOS patient

What is Mini-stim IVF?

Mini-stim IVF is similar to typical IVF in that you have monitoring throughout the cycle, egg retrieval, fertilization in the lab of the egg and sperm, and embryo transfer. What's different is in how much medication is used to stimulate the ovaries to produce eggs While typical IVF aims to produce as many eggs for retrieval as possible, Mini-stim uses weaker medications or lower doses of medicatins to produce a gentler and milder ovulation induction that produces only a few good embryos.

For some women, it’s also possible to do mini IVF with no ovulation stimulation drugs. This is sometimes also known as a “natural cycle.” This wouldn’t be appropriate if there are any problems with ovulation preventing pregnancy, but it may be an acceptable choice in cases of blocked fallopian tubes and some cases of male infertility.