Photo by Amr Taha™ on Unsplash
Amid nationwide attacks on reproductive health and justice, a new fertility treatment provides hope to those trying to conceive. It’s called in vitro maturation (IVM), and it mirrors most of the procedures of in vitro fertilization (IVF), with one key difference: doctors collect immature eggs instead of mature ones.
IVF provides a way for people struggling with infertility to have children, either personally or via surrogacy. However, as a recent article from The Atlantic mentions, it can be emotionally, financially, and physically draining, as it involves hormone shots, weeks of doctor’s appointments, and it may cost up to $20,000 per cycle. Before the process starts, IVF patients undergo multiple ultrasounds and blood tests. During IVF, the patient with ovaries receives hormonal injections that encourage egg maturation, then the eggs are retrieved. After that, the mature eggs are fertilized by sperm in a lab using a small needle, and the fertilized eggs (now called embryos) are placed in a uterus. If the embryo implants in the uterine wall, the individual is pregnant! A full cycle of IVF can take two or three weeks.
Another type of assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment is IVM, which follows most of the procedures of IVF. The key difference is that doctors collect immature eggs in the IVM process, which allows patients to skip most or all of the hormone shots that IVF uses to increase egg production and maturity. After the immature eggs are collected, they are placed in a cell culture for one to two days, then combined with a protein dimer called cumulin and c-AMP cell signaling molecules to make them mature. IVM procedures are the same as IVF after this step, starting with the fertilization of the mature eggs and the implantation of the embryos inside the uterus.
The American Pregnancy Association estimates that one IVM cycle costs from $5,000 to $7,000 in comparison with $15,000 to $20,000 per IVF cycle. However, because pregnancy rates are slightly lower with IVM, it is not necessarily more cost-effective than IVF, as patients may forgo the cost of IVF’s hormone shots but need to repeat the IVM process. Similarly, one cycle of IVM takes less time than a cycle of IVF, because it takes about a week to complete the required blood tests and transvaginal ultrasounds for IVM, compared to multiple weeks of IVF.
IVM is a better treatment option for patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), recovering from cancer, and those who have a limited number of remaining eggs. Additionally, it can be useful for IVF patients whose eggs are not mature enough when collected. Although patients with blocked, damaged, or removed fallopian tubes, ovulation disorders, premature ovarian failure, uterine fibroids, genetic disorders, and infertility are eligible for IVF, they could also benefit from IVM. On the other hand, patients with normal ovulation patterns experience more success with IVF, demonstrating the importance of choosing a procedure that is right for you.
A recent scientific article on IVM points out several policies that would support commercial and widespread development, including innovation from clinical teams, “a legislative landscape that enables embryos to be used for research,” and education and training centers to teach best practices for clinical IVM. These support systems are integral to upholding personal bodily autonomy and allowing individuals who want children to choose the best path for them. Even as the Trump administration attempts to roll back our rights, medical advancements such as IVM offer new ways to ensure individuals retain access to innovative reproductive options.
