14.02.2010   How we became parents.

...Ava Peter in St. Petersburg had a very good reputation and very high pregnancy rate so we decided to use them also because it is easy to get cheep flights from our country....

12.11.2009   Thank you, AVA-Peter.

My husband and I had tried to have children for few years when we found out that the only way for me to conceive was through egg donation. In 2005 We contacted a private fertility clinic in Finland and during the next 2 years went through several egg dona

IVF procedure starts ith stimulation of ovulation. Unlike the natural cycle, hormone stimulation allows for several oocytes to mature. The matured oocytes are retrieved from the ovary to be fertilized. Having several oocytes is vital since not every oocyte may be fertilized as well as not all the embryos have equal chances for implantation. Hormone therapy is selected individually to ensure that a sufficient quantity of the oocytes matures, as well as to avoid associated complications.

First, the organism is prepared as well as possible for hormone stimulation. The menstrual cycle is regulated to control ovulation and the oocyte retrieval period. Medicines are used to suppress (downregulate) the production of own hormones stimulating the ovary (FSH and LH) – this is called downregulation. The medicines used in the downregulation phase are called GnRH-agonists. 

Downregulation is applied for stimulation in long protocol starting on the 19^th-22^nd day of the cycle.

The medicines used for this preparation are available as daily injections, nasal spray or depot injections. Thanks to this preparation, it is easier to improve overall stimulation regulation.

GnRH antagonists are also used to suppress individual hormone production in a short-term stimulation (short antagonist protocol). They are applied already in stimulation phase (after menstruation). This protocol helps to reduce the total treatment time, as well as reduce the likelihood of symptoms of hypooestrogenia.

The doctor will select the treatment protocol on an individual basis.

Oocyte maturation is stimulated by various medicines containing natural hormones. They differ by production technology.

HMG is received from the urine of women in postmenopause. HMG contains equal amounts of FSH and LH.

Recombinant FSH is produced using up-to-date biotechnologies. It is a protein identical to the natural hormone. That is why patients better tolerate it.

Urinary medicine purity and FSH content may differ considerably, and these medicines provoke allergic reactions more often than recombinant FSH. However, conception rates after stimulation with recombinant FSH or urinary medicines do do not differ significantly.

Stimulation with FSH (Gonal-F, Puregon or etc.) usually starts on the 14^th day after the downregulation starts (for a long protocol) or within the first three days of the cycle – for a short protocol (1^st cycle = 1^st day of menstruation).

Treatment using gonadotropins usually lasts 11-13 days. Intracutaneous (or intramuscular) hormone injections are made at the same time of day. If GnRH-antagonists are used to suppress the production of individual hormones, they are injected starting from the 5^th – 7^th day of the stimulation process. The injections can be performed either at home or in the clinic.

So, the treatment in the long protocol takes usually 3 weeks, whereas in the short one - 11-14 days.

Stimulation is performed under regular ultrasound monitoring , which helps to control the quantity and size of follicles, and endometrial thickness. This is vital for selecting the optimal time for HCG administration and the oocyte retrieval (follicular puncture). Furthermore, the monitoring helps to reduce hyperstimulation risk.