How successful is the drug-free in vitro fertilization (IVM) method?
If you are looking for an answer to the question of how useful and successful drug-free in vitro fertilization applications offered to patients who miss a child and apply for IVF, be sure to read this article.
Offered as an alternative to IVF, IVM, that is, drug-free treatment, is performed by maturing the eggs in a laboratory environment. This method has been used since the late 1990s. Immature eggs collected in IVM with short-term drug use or no drug use are matured in the external environment and then fertilized and transferred.
The method was first proposed with the aim of performing IVF without the use of drugs in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (who have ovulation problems) who overreacted to drugs.
What is the benefit of IVM?
Women with polycystic ovary syndrome are extremely sensitive to the action of drugs that stimulate the ovaries, called gonadotropins. Because of this, they are prone to a complication called ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), which may require hospitalization. In particular, the hormones secreted during pregnancy further stimulate the ovaries that have been stimulated by drugs. As a result, fluid leaks into the abdominal cavity and causes blood clotting problems. The risk of OHSS disappears when in vitro fertilization is started without stimulating the ovaries with drugs.
IVM success rates
The feature that makes the IVM method superior to the in vitro fertilization method with drugs is the absence of drug use. On the other hand, pregnancy rates with IVM are lower than in vitro fertilization with drugs. Despite its advantages, the main reason why IVM has not become widespread is that its success rates are not at the desired level. It is inevitable that this technique will become widespread with the introduction of new and more advanced IVM culture media.
No scientific evidence yet
There is no scientific evidence for the use of IVM in women with previous failed IVF and in women whose ovaries are poorly responsive to medications. It is extremely inconvenient to present this method, which is currently used in a very limited patient group, as if it were a panacea.