IVF involves a series of carefully coordinated processes managed by a multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals. Throughout the treatment, professionals provide either recommendations or suggestions based on the patient’s clinical evaluation and test results.
A recommendation is a professional opinion on the most appropriate course of action to maximize the chances of success. Declining a recommendation may negatively affect the outcome of the treatment. A suggestion, on the other hand, presents an optional approach that the patient may choose to follow without necessarily affecting the overall procedure.
For women over the age of 36 considering IVF, hormonal tests such as LH, FSH, and AMH are important in assessing ovarian function. While normal LH and FSH levels (typically 4–10 IU/L) and an AMH level between 1.0 and 3.5 ng/mL may indicate a satisfactory ovarian reserve, these results do not guarantee that enough high-quality eggs will be retrieved for IVF.
Many women assume that a normal ovarian reserve automatically means they are ideal candidates to use their own eggs for IVF. However, ovarian reserve tests cannot accurately predict the number of mature eggs that will be collected during egg retrieval. Likewise, ultrasound scans may show multiple follicles, but follicles do not always contain viable eggs. The presence of eggs can only be confirmed after the follicles have been aspirated during the retrieval procedure.
For this reason, women who strongly prefer to use only their own eggs should consider having a donor egg backup, particularly if they are of advanced maternal age or have other risk factors for reduced egg yield. Despite ovarian stimulation, some patients may produce fewer than five eggs, which can significantly reduce the chances of a successful outcome.
In general, retrieving fewer than ten eggs may place the IVF cycle under greater pressure, as fewer eggs typically result in fewer embryos available for transfer. Although successful pregnancies can still occur with a lower egg yield, retrieving ten or more eggs generally provides a better opportunity to develop multiple viable embryos, thereby improving the likelihood of a successful pregnancy.
