Natural IVF vs Conventional IVF: Which Is Right for You?

Many aspiring parents have difficulty conceiving naturally. If you are one of them, you are not alone. Modern science has helped many such couples experience parenthood through the revolutionary ART technique, IVF. What most people don’t know is that there are two different approaches to IVF: natural and conventional. So, which is better for you: natural IVF vs conventional IVF? Read on to find out.

Aspiring parents in India can choose from three types of IVF treatments: conventional, natural, and mini IVF. Each type differs in the numbers of medications used and the duration of treatment. Choosing the right one for you involves identifying which one works for you and your fertility journey.

Conventional IVF

Conventional IVF is the most popular type of IVF treatment in India. Also called traditional IVF, it involves the use of fertility drugs that stimulate your ovaries to produce multiple eggs. These eggs are retrieved and fertilised. Out of the resulting developed embryos, the best ones are selected, and one or two of them are placed in the woman’s uterus.

Note: Most clinics, including Bloom IVF, only transfer a single embryo at a time to prevent the possibility of multiple pregnancies. Two embryos are only transferred in exceptional conditions, and the patient is made aware of the risks before the attempt.

Who Is It For?

Conventional IVF is ideal for patients who are dealing with all kinds of fertility issues. It is the recommended form of IVF for those with severe infertility issues.

• Works for all types of infertility cases
• Ideal for severe infertility issues
• Couples suffering from both male and female factor infertility
• Ideal for patients with damaged fallopian tubes or irregular periods
• Patients who want extra embryos to be produced during IVF and stored for later use.

Pros of Conventional IVF

• One of the most successful assisted reproductive technologies with high success rates
• Can be used in all types of infertility
• Allows for preimplantation genetic testing (PGT), which screens embryos for inherited diseases and genetic or chromosomal birth defects.
• With multiple eggs, there’s a chance that more than one embryo may develop.
• You can choose to freeze any unused embryos and store them for future use
• You can choose to undergo ART procedures such as ICSI or laser-assisted hatching for better success rates.

Cons of Conventional IVF

• Fertility drugs may have unpleasant side effects, such as swelling of the ovaries
• Sensitivity to fertility drugs can cause a rare condition called ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, which can cause nausea, pain, blood clots, and weight gain.
• You’ll have to receive a lot of injections during the stimulation period.
• It is a time-consuming process and requires many visits to the clinic
• Egg retrieval can result in multiple eggs, causing significant ovarian distention.
• Higher risk of multiple pregnancies if two embryos are transferred at the same time, which can increase the risk of complications during birth.

Natural IVF

Natural IVF is an alternative to conventional IVF treatment. It is not as well known and has been enjoying growing popularity in India. In this type of IVF, your doctors retrieve the single, naturally selected egg that is released during a woman’s cycle rather than inducing the ovaries to produce multiple eggs.

Contrary to popular belief, natural IVF is not entirely drug-free. While the process does follow your natural ovulation cycle, you will usually receive a shot of hCG or Lupron to ‘trigger’ ovulation before egg retrieval.

However, since natural IVF uses a minimal amount of medication, you do not experience side effects like mood swings, bloating, etc., before embryo transfer. After your transfer, you’ll take progesterone supplements to support the health of the uterine lining.

Who Is It For?

It is an ideal option for older women who have a low ovarian reserve, as they may produce the same limited number of eggs even after ovarian stimulation. We also recommend it to younger women with high-quality eggs, especially if they are unable to conceive due to mild male factor infertility.

Natural IVF can also work well for women who are sensitive to hormonal therapy and at an increased risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). Some patients may choose to undergo natural IVF if they are against freezing or discarding eggs and embryos due to religious beliefs or if they want to reduce the amount of medication they need to take for IVF.

We recommend natural IVF if you have a family history of or are prone to developing hormone-dependent cancers. Patients with severe endometriosis or high follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels are at a high risk of developing OHSS due to fertility medication and are also a good fit for natural IVF.

Pros of Natural IVF

• Reduces the side effects of hormonal injections and ovarian stimulation drugs
• Eliminates the risk of serious complications like OHSS
• Shorter process with quick egg retrieval and fewer appointments
• Cheaper than traditional IVF and hence more accessible to infertile couples
• Less invasive and causes the patient less emotional distress
• No need for daily injections, which is ideal for those with fear of needles

Cons of Natural IVF

While natural IVF has many benefits, let’s also take a look at the disadvantages it has when compared to other IVF options.

• In case of premature ovulation, doctors lose their chance to extract the mature egg and need to wait for a new cycle to try again.
• No guarantee that the single egg retrieved will create a viable embryo or result in a successful pregnancy
• Success rates of natural IVF are extremely low, sometimes as low as 7%, as only a single egg is fertilized in each cycle
• Lower live birth rates and a lower rate of pregnancy
• No extra eggs or embryos that you can store for later use.

Mini IVF

Less medication and hormonal injections may be less stressful on the patient than conventional IVF treatment. If you are interested in going the natural route but are worried about the low success rates of natural IVF, you can choose a third option—mini IVF.

In mini IVF, you receive lower doses of fertility medications during treatment, primarily oral medications such as Clomid rather than the gonadotropin hormone injections used in conventional IVF. The goal is to produce a few eggs of high quality.

This approach causes fewer side effects and lowers the cost of IVF treatment in Mumbai.

Who Is It For?

• Those who have a diminished ovarian reserve
• Those who do not want to discard embryos for religious or personal reasons
• Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and those who are at high risk of OHSS

Pros of Mini IVF

• Reduces IVF treatment time by almost 2 weeks
• Reduces risks and side effects from hormone medication
• Lowers the risk of OHSS
• Unused embryos from the process can be frozen and stored for later use

Cons of Mini IVF

• Lower success rates than conventional IVF
• Not recommended for all patients

Natural IVF vs Conventional IVF vs Mini IVF: Which Should You Choose?

Feature	Conventional IVF	Natural IVF	Mini IVF
Medication Level	High	Minimal	Low
Number of Eggs Retrieved	Multiple (10-15)	One	Few (2–10)
Success Rate	High	Low	Moderate
OHSS Risk	Yes	No	Low
Cost	High	Low	Moderate

So, which is better: natural IVF vs conventional IVF? Some patients prefer the all-natural appeal of natural IVF, which honors the body’s biological cycles.

Natural IVF prices are lower than those of conventional IVF. However, it has a lower success rate too. While natural IVF and mini IVF are both very affordable and versatile options, conventional IVF is still the most popular treatment due to its much higher rate of success.

The lower cost of medication and treatment, milder approach, and more bearable physical side effects make natural and mini IVF the preferable option for certain patients. However, these treatments are only recommended to a small subset of patients. Ultimately, it is up to you and your fertility specialist to decide which course of treatment will give you the best chance of success.

Ready to take the next step in your fertility journey? Book a consultation with our IVF specialists at Bloom IVF and let us help you choose the best IVF approach for your needs.

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