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IVM: in vitro maturation at Infertility Solutions
IVM is a variation of IVF which uses immature eggs removed from the ovaries without stimulating the ovaries with medications to produce mature eggs. The eggs are instead matured in the laboratory. They are then fertilized, cultured and transferred as in conventional IVF.
If you are a candidate for conventional IVF, you should learn about IVM.
Most of the difficulty for a patient undertaking IVF is taking multiple medications requiring injections and the monitoring with blood tests and ultrasounds required to assess that process over a two week period of time. This approach is not necessary for many patients. Most young patients and many older patients who require IVF always have a number of small follicles or cysts visible in their ovaries by ultrasound. These small cysts are called antral follicles and contain immature eggs. If treated with gonadotropin mediations, these small cysts will grow and either ovulate or produce mature eggs that can be harvested with IVF. For IVM, eggs from these antral follicles are harvested without stimulation them to become mature.
IVM is a variation on natural cycle IVF, but is much more successful. At Infertility Solutions, our pregnancy rate with IVM is similar to our pregnancy rate with conventional IVF (for the same aged patients). However, the process with IVM is much simpler for the patient. High doses of injectible medications are not used. Side effects from medications are much lower (especially for patients with PCO). The treatment cycle is shorter. Almost no blood tests are required. Compared to conventional IVF, few ultrasound monitoring visits are required. The decrease in medications and monitoring reduces the self pay cost of an IVM cycle to about half of a conventional IVF cycle.
We are one of very few programs in the United States to offer IVM. We are certainly the first program in the Lehigh Valley and in NE Pennsylvania to offer IVM. We also have the first pregnancy using IVM in Lehigh Valley/NE Pennsylvania.