Working with your body, not against it. Why natural and mild IVF is better for women, mothers and babies

• Frustration– because you’re finding it hard to get clear information on why you are struggling to fall pregnant, or time is ticking away as you wait for your next appointment.
• Anxiety– because you might be considering private treatment but it’s hard to understand all the options available, or you’re concerned about how your body will cope with the grueling side effects of fertility drugs.
• Heart break– because your family is not yet complete.

If you’re experiencing problems with fertility - and one in seven couples around the country do find themselves in this situation - then there’s a good chance you are going through some of these emotions. As pioneering fertility doctors specialising in natural and mild IVF, we understand. We believe every woman deserves the opportunity to be a biological mother, and we have been supporting women to do that for nearly twenty years.

Every month we meet hundreds of women in our clinics around the country. Each individual’s circumstances are different, but so often their concerns are the same. Many have friends or family who have been through conventional IVF treatment, so they’re worried about how they would bear weeks of injections, the physical and emotional impact of the menopause-like symptoms caused by shutting down their cycle, and the health risks and complications linked to the higher doses of drugs used to stimulate the ovaries.

The same results, but a completely different experience

The truth is, it doesn’t have to be like that. The natural and mild IVF treatment that we have pioneered achieves success rates equivalent to or better than the national average for IVF, with reduced side effects and better long-term health outcomes for women, mothers and babies

What is natural and mild IVF?

It sounds simplistic, but all you need for a healthy baby is one high quality egg and one high quality sperm, to create one high quality embryo.

The focus in conventional IVF is to increase the quantity of eggs collected in each cycle. Treatment usually takes 4 weeks, often with daily injections. It works by shutting down your normal cycle (down regulation), and then boosting your ovaries to produce a lot more eggs than they naturally would, with higher doses of fertility drugs and medication.

Our natural and mild IVF, by contrast, is much gentler, and works with your body’s cycle. We achieve the same success rates as conventional IVF, with lower or no doses of drugs, eliminating many of the side effects and health worries that are a concern for women considering IVF.

Our approach works because for successful IVF, quality of eggs is more important than quantity. There is considerable scientific evidence to show that embryos produced from IVF cycles with lower stimulation can be of higher quality than those produced in conventional IVF, and that embryos produced in conventional IVF could have an increased risk of chromosomal abnormalities, which can affect the likelihood they will develop into full-term healthy babies

How does our approach work?

Natural IVF, which is suitable for older women of those with low egg reserve relies on your body’s natural selection mechanism to collect the healthiest and highest quality egg or eggs in a natural cycle, with no drugs or medication. Our Natural Modified treatment relies on medication in the form of tablets or injections over 3-4 days before egg collection and again aims to collect naturally selected eggs.

In Mild IVF, which is suitable for women with normal egg reserve, our specialist doctors tailor treatment to prescribe ovarian stimulation within your natural cycle, designed to create a mild response. In contrast to the four weeks of medication required in conventional IVF, total duration is usually around 8-10 days, and there is no down regulation (no need to shut down your cycle).

What does it mean for you and your baby?

Healthy mothers, as well as healthy babies are at the heart of everything we do.

Over many years, we have honed treatments that are as successful as conventional IVF, but kinder to your body. With lower doses of medication, or even none at all, your treatment will be faster and more streamlined, there will be fewer injections and far fewer physical and emotional side effects. Health risks linked to higher doses of hormones and drugs will be lower, and because less medication is used, treatment is likely to be more affordable than conventional IVF.

As well as the benefits for you, there is evidence that babies born from natural IVF tend to have healthier birth weights than those born from conventional IVF treatment, and babies born from more natural forms of IVF treatment are also less likely to be premature.

Need more information?

We know that managing fertility issues can feel lonely and overwhelming. Our aim is to make your experience as stress free as possible and we’re proud that the way we work makes a real difference to women and families [link to case studies], at a difficult time. With us you will receive tailored treatment led by experts, and access to advanced ultrasound techniques and the latest technology in the field. 

We know that you will have questions, and we want to help – so please contact us for a chat, or to arrange an initial consultation.