What does test tube downregulation mean?

The general public is not familiar with IVF down-regulation, but couples who want to get pregnant should know the significance of IVF down-regulation. IVF downregulation is an important process in IVF. Without this process, the pregnancy process cannot continue normally. Both girls and boys should have some understanding of IVF downregulation and find a pregnancy plan that suits them under the guidance and advice of a doctor. So, what exactly does test tube down-regulation mean?

1. What does downregulation in IVF mean?

During a normal menstrual cycle, the increase in FSH in a woman's body will stimulate the development of a group of follicles, but in the end only one egg will mature and be released. When doing in vitro fertilization, women often hope to obtain more eggs. Therefore, the purpose of downregulation is to lower the FSH and LH values, and then use exogenous hormones to promote the release of follicles, so that the follicles will be more even and the number of eggs released will be more.

Usually, down-regulation therapy starts on the 18th to 20th day of menstruation, and doctors will prescribe contraceptive pills for about 21 days (starting on the 5th day of menstruation) to patients in need. Generally, menstruation will come 3-7 days after stopping the medication, and then ovulation induction will begin on the 2nd or 3rd day of menstruation.

2. How will the body react to the downregulation injection?

In the early stages of down-regulation injections, endometriosis may be induced due to increased plasma estradiol levels, which will disappear after 1-2 weeks. After the first injection, uterine bleeding may occur, and ovarian enlargement, pelvic pain or abdominal pain may also occur. Other adverse reactions include hot flashes, vaginal dryness, decreased libido, and dyspareunia. A small number of people also experience symptoms such as headaches, joint pain and muscle pain.

The side effects of downregulation injections are actually not serious, because no matter what disease you have, you will feel dizzy, nauseous, etc. after the injection. However, after taking the down-regulation injection, symptoms such as fatigue, fever, and headache may also occur. There will be slight pain during the injection, so don't worry too much.

The side effects of the downregulation injection will usually last for at least a month, but depending on each person's physical condition, the side effects will disappear quickly for some people, while for others they will last longer. There is no need to worry about these side effects, nor to take any medicine to alleviate them, because doing so will be harmful to your body.

3. What are the criteria for successful in vitro fertilization downregulation?

(1) FSH: In the down-regulation program, the FSH value needs to be measured before ovulation induction. FSH < 10 IU/L is normal for down-regulation, and FSH < 5 IU/L is normal for ovulation induction. In order to fully down-regulate, ovulation-inducing drugs can only be started at this time. Serum FSH reaches a stable concentration 5 days after the start of ovulation induction, and there is no obvious change after stopping it for several days. Therefore, the serum FSH value after ovulation induction cannot be used to evaluate whether exogenous Gn is sufficient. (2) LH: In the down-regulation regimen, serum LH is an important indicator of adequate pituitary down-regulation. LH <10IU/L is considered normal down-regulation, and <5IU/L is considered adequate down-regulation. (3) E2: After down-regulation, when serum E2 is <50 pg/ml, the ovaries are completely suppressed. However, if E2 is too low, it indicates that the dosage of ovulation-inducing medication should be increased and the duration should be prolonged.