As many of you know, I was at the Fertility Show last weekend at London Olympia. I met an amazing woman there, IVF consultant Professor Geeta Nargund. Geeta formed Create – the pioneers of ‘natural’ or ‘mild’ IVF.
Geeta’s argument is that standard IVF, using high doses of drugs, has a detrimental effect on the quality of the eggs and the uterine lining. Natural IVF uses the one egg that a woman will have naturally produced in that menstrual cycle. Mild IVF, where the amount of drugs used is greatly reduced may produce a maximum 5 eggs. Her argument is that mild IVF produces the same results as conventional IVF but with better longer term consequences. For instance, mild IVF results in a lower risk of having a low weight, pre-term baby, as well as reducing incidence of OHSS. Women going through mild IVF, have a better experience, with less injections and side effects and a better psychological experience. They create better quality embryos and uterine environments and have healthier babies.
In mild IVF, women take injections daily for 5-10 days and may also take tablets (including clomid or tamoxifen, Hcg, FSH and an antagonist).
Geeta suggests that any woman who has been told that she has low AMH or ovarian reserve, and any older woman, should consider mild IVF.
Create have clinics in London and Bristol. Geeta can do consultations for £200 which also include a blood flow scan and 3D scan of the uterus. Women having mild IVF should expect to make about 3 visits to clinic prior to egg collection.
I believe that CARE also offer mild IVF. They have clinics nationwide but including Sheffield, Manchester and Nottingham. They would scan on day 2 and 8 of stimulation then daily until egg collection. Check their website here.
I think any woman who has been told that her chances of success with standard IVF or that their only chance of conceiving may be to use donor eggs due to their low ovarian reserve should consider finding out more about Mild IVF.