Intravaginal Culture: Should You Consider this “New” Fertility Treatment?

How does intravaginal culture compare to IUI and IVF and who should consider this new fertility treatment? Our guest is Dr. John Park, a board certified Reproductive Endocrinologist with Carolina Conceptions.

Hit the Highlights
  • Option for fertility treatment: oral medication to stimulate ovulation, IUI with or without injectable medications, IVF and IVC.

  • What are the difference in these treatment options and who should consider them?

  • May have heard of it as INVOcell because they manufacture the device?
  • What is the IVC process?
  • Are there criteria of who is best suited for intravaginal culture?
  • What are the advantages to using intravaginal culture?
  • How much does a typical IVC cycle cost compared to an IUI or IVF cycle. Where do the cost savings come from? Medication, incubation
  • Do you use the standard stimulation protocol or do you use a minimal stimulation.
  • How many embryos can be grown in the INVOcell device?
  • Are there advantages for using a woman’s vagina as an incubator over using a laboratory incubator?
  • What do you do with any extra eggs that are retrieved?
  • How do pregnancy rates for IVC cycle compare to IUI or IVF cycle?
  • Does IVC produce the same percentage of embryos that are of the quality to transfer?
  • Are embryos from IVC transferred at the blastocyst stage or earlier?
  • Use of INVOcell with donor sperm by single women, lesbian couples, and heterosexual couples with male factor infertility.
  • In your experience, are there some psychological benefits to IVC over other forms of fertility treatment.
  • Use with lesbian couples to allow both to participate.
  • How does intravaginal culture compare for multiple pregnancies?
  • How does IVC compare for creating excess embryos?
  • Can IVC improve access to care.

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Music credit: Michael Ashworth

Image credit: fernando zhiminaicela