'Duo-Stim' Treatment
Duo-Stim, referred to as Luteal Stimulation at Demeter Fertility, was pioneered in Australia by Dr David Knight over 10 years ago in an attempt to help women with limited time to collect more quality eggs in different phases of a woman's menstrual cycle.
Luteal Stimulation is a technique that allows us to collect eggs twice in a cycle, once before and again after ovulation. Normally, during IVF, stimulation happens early in the menstrual cycle, before ovulation. However, research has shown that eggs continue to develop even after ovulation, and we can retrieve them by stimulating the ovaries in this later phase (the luteal phase).
How It Works:
- First round of stimulation (Follicular Phase): Starts at the beginning of the cycle and leads to the first egg retrieval.
- Second round of stimulation (Luteal Phase): Begins right after ovulation, leading to a second egg retrieval.
- Eggs from both retrievals are fertilized and frozen for future use.
Who Can Benefit?
- Women over 40 who typically produce fewer eggs.
- Patients labelled as “poor responders”, meaning they don’t produce many eggs during IVF.
- Cancer patients needing to freeze eggs quickly before treatment.
Is It Effective?
The small studies done suggest that the pregnancy rates achieved from collecting eggs after ovulation are about the same as standard egg collection pregnancy rates. A recent presentation of 2403 cycles of eggs collected after ovulation showed a baby rate of 25.9%, a rate that is as good as any where in the world!
Why Consider Double Stimulation?
✔️ Doubles the number of eggs collected in a single cycle
✔️ Increases the chance of getting a high-quality egg
✔️ Reduces the number of separate IVF cycles needed
✔️ Great option for patients with a low response to IVF