Ovarian Stimulation

Ovarian stimulation is the process of inducing ovarian follicular development and oocyte (egg) maturation using medications.

It is a standard procedure in assisted reproduction and is used in conjunction with in vitro fertilisation (IVF), intrauterine insemination (IUI) and other assisted reproductive techniques (ART).

Ovarian stimulation vastly increases the efficiency of ART by enabling the collection of numerous mature eggs per cycle. It can also be used to induce ovulation in anovulatory women, and thus benefits many infertile couples by enabling them to conceive.

The process of ovarian stimulation for ART involves at least two, and usually three stages:

• Medications (oral or injections) are administered to stimulate the growth of ovarian follicles which then begin the preliminary maturation of eggs;
• Medications are administered to ensure that eggs remain within their follicles, rather than being released into the fallopian tubes;
• Medication is administered to stimulate the final maturation of the eggs, following which the ovarian follicles rupture and release the eggs. Then will proceed to associated ART procedures, for example IUI or oocyte pickup for IVF.

Your doctor will carefully monitor the effect of these hormones. Blood tests and vaginal ultrasound scans will be performed to observe the response of the follicles in the ovary. You may need to have a few scans during one treatment cycle.

The treatment process will be explained to you during the consultations, and detailed instructions will be given regarding how and when the medications involved should be administered.

Please feel free to contact us for more details.