One concern I have always had, was treating women like holstein cows. Using veterinary style medicine on infertile women. Pumping them full of potent hormones to turn them into breeding – egg spitting out machines. So, I have been following rather closely, a new woman friendly form of IVF. Here is a recent study from Dutch physicians on the topic:

Minimal-stimulation IVF 'suitable for all'
Source: Human Reproduction 2006; 21: 2375-83

Single oocyte IVF offers favorable implantation rates and a negligible
risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome.


A novel IVF protocol is being recommended by Dutch physicians, who say
that using a single oocyte is both low-risk and patient-friendly.

Their recommendation comes from a study of "minimal-stimulation" IVF, in
which a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist was
administered at the late follicular phase together with recombinant
follicle stimulating hormone (FSH).

This protocol virtually eliminates the risk of ovarian hyperstimulation
syndrome, explain M. Pelinck (University Medical Center Groningen, The
Netherlands) and co-authors, as well as facilitating oocyte retrieval
and reducing the need for a resting cycle.


"Minimal-stimulation IVF is an attractive option for patients who, for
ethnical or religious reasons, are opposed to the generation of spare
embryos," they say.

In the present study, 336 women completed 844 cycles of IVF. The overall
pregnancy rate was 8.3 percent per cycle, and the cumulative pregnancy
rate after up to three cycles was 20.8 percent per patient. Subgroup
analysis found no difference in outcomes according to the indication for
IVF.

"Minimal stimulation seems suitable for all indications for conventional
IVF," Pelinck and team conclude.

"Owing to considerable loss in every step of the procedure, the embryo
transfer rate is low, but this is compensated by a favorable
implantation rate."

Posted: 5 September 2006

(c) Current Medicine Group 2006

Author Profile

Jennifer Lahl, CBC Founder
Jennifer Lahl, CBC Founder
Jennifer Lahl, MA, BSN, RN, is founder and president of The Center for Bioethics and Culture Network. Lahl couples her 25 years of experience as a pediatric critical care nurse, a hospital administrator, and a senior-level nursing manager with a deep passion to speak for those who have no voice. Lahl’s writings have appeared in various publications including Cambridge University Press, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Dallas Morning News, and the American Journal of Bioethics. As a field expert, she is routinely interviewed on radio and television including ABC, CBS, PBS, and NPR. She is also called upon to speak alongside lawmakers and members of the scientific community, even being invited to speak to members of the European Parliament in Brussels to address issues of egg trafficking; she has three times addressed the United Nations during the Commission on the Status of Women on egg and womb trafficking.