The purpose of IVF is to stimulate the ovaries in a controlled manner to produce many follicles-eggs. Normally, multiple follicles are produced each month at the beginning of the cycle in both ovaries, of which only one or rarely two complete their development and lead to ovulation, with the remainder being destroyed.
In IVF we give hormone drugs, which encourage the completion of the development of these primary follicles.
Their growth is monitored by frequent ultrasound scans and by measuring some hormones in the woman’s blood, in order to achieve the best possible growth. The stimulation phase lasts 9-12 days, with one last injection given for the final maturation of the ova, and 34-36 hours after ovulation is planned.
It should be emphasized here that the process of stimulation, even if repeated several times in a woman’s life, does not lead to premature menopause, since the eggs produced would be destroyed anyway during this cycle.
