New approaches to IVF

You may not be aware of the existence of the International Society for Mild Approaches in Assisted Reproduction, or that it held a World Congress on the subject in London a few days ago, but if you've had any personal experience of IVF, you would probably welcome moves to make it an easier treatment.

When you go through an IVF cycle, you can end up feeling like a battery hen as your ovaries are stimulated to churn out more eggs at one go than Nature would deem possible. The doctors and scientists in the International SocIety for Mild Approaches in Assisted Reproduction are advocates of a more gentle approach, which they hope will prove to be just as successful.

Some consultants do offer a form of IVF where you don't take any drugs to stimulate the ovaries, known as natural cycle IVF. Although it has many advantages, it doesn't have particularly high success rates, which often puts people off. Now, more doctors are considering mild, or "soft", IVF where patients are given far lower doses of drugs. There will not be as many eggs, but research presented at the World Congress suggests that the resulting embryos may be better quality, with fewer genetic abnormalities.

This milder approach can cost less as it cuts down on the hefty IVF drugs bill, and it can also be less risky for patients, as it reduces the chances of over-stimulating the ovaries which can be dangerous. IIVF may seem a bit of a sledgehammer treatment for what are often subtle fertility problems, and a milder form of treatment could be the way ahead.