Double Stimulation & Embryo Pooling

When it is not possible to collect enough egg from any patient in one IVF cycle then your clinician can advise double stimulation or embryo pooling. In double stimulation clinician will do stimulation twice and do successive 2 OPU in one menstrual cycle. In embryo pooling clinician may ask you to go for 2-3 continuous IVF stimulation in each cycle and pool the embryos for further embryo transfer.

Who Needs DS or Embryo Pooling?

Patients need to understand that very few patient need double stimulation or embryo pooling. Below mentioned patients may need but not necessarily-

1. Poor ovarian reserve. ( AMH < 1.2 , day-2 egg count < 7)
2. Advanced maternal age and poor reserve ( Age > 35, AMH < 1.2 )
3. Poor responder (Previous IVF cycle had less number of eggs.)

Who Does NOT Required DS or Embryo Pooling?

Again we want to emphasize that patient should understand the proper reason if clinician advise double stimulation or embryo pooling, are they really falling in the category of poor ovarian reserve or poor responder. We can not neglect the side effects of double stimulation on woman’s body so whenever this is done , it should be justified and indicated. Below mentioned patients does not usually need DS or embryo pooling-

1. Normal ovarian reserve ( AMH > 1.2 , day-2 egg count > 7 )
2. Young age with normal ovarian reserve
3. PCOS
4. If one IVF stimulation gives bad quality egg or bad quality embryos. ( Indeed your clinician should analyze the situation deeply and find out the reason for bad quality egg)