About a decade ago I read about how some clinics in Europe were forgoing the IVF lab and incubating embryos right inside the vagina of those going through IVF. My mind was blown!

This sort of technology’s extra exciting because it has the potential to take out some of the hard-to-control "lab factors" that sometimes result in decreased embryo numbers. But — as cool as this technology was — I marveled for a moment, then filed it away as not available in the US.

Fast forward a handful of years and I'm pleased to say this technology is now not only approved by the FDA but has officially arrived in IVF clinics state-side.

It definitely isn't the right fit for everyone. Especially if your IVF clinic has a rocking lab you might still get more embryos the traditional IVF route. But it's new enough that I wanted to tap someone who knows about it to share more with the TBYW audience and put it on your radar. After all, exploring options is a powerful and truly holistic thing.

Without further ado, here's what Dr. Jensen — an RE who added this technology to her clinic — shared when I asked if she'd tell us more.

Is INVOCell Right For You?

by Jani Jensen, MD | Reproductive Endocrinologist

Have you heard of INVOCell? If you’re like many people, the answer is no.

Patients often ask “What’s new in fertility treatment?” and truth be told, most of the innovations surround In Vitro Fertilization (IVF).

INVOCell is an innovative type of fertility treatment that has recently started gaining traction. First developed by a French scientist nearly three decades ago, INVOCell did not have widespread use in the United States until approximately two years ago, when a large pharmaceutical company acquired the rights to the technology, allowing manufacturing, marketing, and distribution to be scaled upward.

So, what is INVOCell?

In short, INVOCell is a unique system that uses a clear 1.5 inch chamber to hold eggs and sperm, allowing them to (hopefully) combine into embryos that are then able to be transferred into a patient’s uterus. What makes the system unique is that instead of the eggs and sperm incubating in an IVF lab for several days, the patient becomes her own incubator, as the chamber is held in the vagina for five days before removal.

While this may sound strange at first, with a little explanation it makes sense: under conditions where patients naturally conceive, women don’t remain perfectly still for several days, waiting for a fertilized egg to travel from the fallopian tube (where fertilization occurs) to the uterus. There are periods of activity and rest, and so “normal” conditions for an early embryo in the body are different from those of embryos in an incubator. INVOCell allows patients to have these normal activities and it is possible that these conditions are favorable to embryo development.

"To get multiple eggs to develop at the same time, INVOCell patients take the same medications used for IVF but at a lower dose."

INVOCell has some similarities to IVF in that eggs must first be retrieved from the ovaries in order to be placed in the chamber. To get multiple eggs to develop at the same time, INVOCell patients take the same medications used for IVF but at a lower dose. The result is that fewer eggs are obtained from an INVOCell cycle than for traditional IVF, but the medication cost savings can be significant. While a typical number of eggs obtained in an IVF cycle for a woman aged 35 or less is 10 - 15, the number of eggs obtained in an INVOCell cycle is often 3 - 8. Following retrieval, the sperm and eggs are immediately combined in the culture chamber and the device is carefully placed in the vagina.

Five days later, the patient returns to the clinic and the chamber is removed, opened, and examined in the embryology lab. However, instead of sperm and eggs in the chamber, the embryology team is now hoping to find healthy embryos. Once embryo(s) are identified, one or two can be placed into the uterus. If there are any extra embryos available, they can be frozen for potential future use.

Success rates for INVOCell fall in between IUI (10% per cycle) and IVF (up to 70%, depending on patient age). Reported delivery rates are approximately 25 - 30%, although we have seen slightly higher in practice.

Who is right for INVOCell?

In my opinion, the best candidates for INVOCell are the following:

Patients who are not seeking more than one pregnancy from a cycle of fertility treatment. Since fewer embryos are typically available in an INVOCell cycle compared to IVF, many patients will not have extra embryos available to freeze for future use.

Patients who are using donor sperm. The success of an INVOCell cycle using donor sperm will be much higher than IUI with donor sperm. Although the overall cost of INVOCell is higher than IUI, the savings from not having to purchase multiple vials of donor sperm may offset the price difference.

Women who are younger than 35 years and have normal ovarian reserve.

Patients who do not desire genetic testing of embryos, as this cannot easily be done with INVOCell embryos.

Those individuals or couples looking for a more affordable alternative to IVF.

Guest Author

Dr. Jani Jensen is a doubly board-certified Reproductive Endocrinologist practicing in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. She is passionate about her work and believes that Empowered Women Empower Women.

Nicole Lange

LICENSED ACUPUNCTURIST
HOLISTIC FERTILITY EDUCATOR