Posted on Mon Apr 27, 2009IVM--A Cheaper And Less Invasive Alternative To IVF IVM (invitro maturation) is a new fertility treatment currently undergoing trials in the United States. This procedure, so far, has shown great promise in helping women overcome fertility and is less invasive and cheaper than a traditional IVF procedure. Conventional IVF treatments require a woman to inject herself with shots daily in order to encourage the ovaries to produce mature eggs. When ready, the eggs are harvested, combined with sperm in a lab, and then the fertilized eggs are returned to the woman’s womb. With IVM, eggs are removed from the ovaries prior to maturation, therefore negating the need for hormone injections. The small eggs are then matured in a lab and when ready, are fertilized with sperm and implanted in the woman’s womb like in IVF. The elimination of hormone injections makes this treatment much easier to deal with for most women and also allows doctors to offer it for $5,000 less than IVF. However, the best candidates for IVM are young, thin women with good egg production. This then rules out women over 30, who are the majority of fertility patients.