Natural Cycle IVF vs Stimulated Cycles

When considering IVF, many people are surprised to learn that there is more than one way to approach treatment. Two common options are natural cycle IVF and stimulated IVF, each offering unique benefits depending on your fertility goals and medical history.

Natural cycle IVF follows your body's natural menstrual cycle, retrieving the single egg that matures each month. Little or no fertility medication is used, making it an attractive option for women who prefer a more gentle approach, have concerns about side effects from medication, or are unable to undergo ovarian stimulation.

On the other hand, stimulated IVF cycles use fertility medications to encourage the ovaries to produce multiple mature eggs in one cycle. Retrieving several eggs increases the chances of creating viable embryos and often improves the likelihood of pregnancy from a single treatment cycle. It also allows for embryo freezing, genetic testing (when appropriate), and potentially fewer retrieval procedures over time. 

A woman is born with all the eggs she’ll ever have. Most of these eggs remain dormant in the ovaries for years before being recruited into a months-long maturation process. During each menstrual cycle, a group of follicles begins developing, but under natural conditions, only one usually reaches full maturity and ovulates.

Contrary to the belief that ovarian stimulation takes advantage of follicles that can be used for future cycles, stimulation actually rescues some of the follicles that would be lost during that month’s natural selection. 

This procedure is especially important for older women as egg quality and quantity declines with age. With more eggs being produced and retrieved in a single cycle, there is a larger chance for more viable embryos to be transferred and succeed in the IVF process.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to IVF. Choosing between the two approaches should be based on a thorough fertility evaluation, medical history, and personal preferences. Discussing the benefits, risks, expected outcomes, and costs with a fertility specialist can help ensure that the chosen treatment aligns with your reproductive goals.

If you would like to learn more about the differences between natural cycle IVF and stimulated cycle IVF, tune in on the newest episode of The Egg Factor, featuring both Dr. Norbert Gleicher and Dr. David Barad here.