What is hor­mon­al stim­u­la­tion?

Hor­mon­al stim­u­la­tion specif­i­cal­ly sup­ports the growth of one or more fol­li­cles in the ovary. The goal and inten­si­ty of the treat­ment depend on your indi­vid­ual sit­u­a­tion and the planned ther­a­py.

In women with rare or absent ovu­la­tion, the treat­ment can serve to devel­op a sin­gle mature fol­li­cle and trig­ger ovu­la­tion. Stim­u­la­tion can also be used specif­i­cal­ly as part of an insem­i­na­tion. In con­trast, for IVF, the mat­u­ra­tion of sev­er­al eggs is usu­al­ly desired so that mul­ti­ple eggs can be obtained dur­ing egg retrieval.

  • Tablets: Letro­zole or Clomiphene

    Tablets are often used as the first treat­ment option. They sup­port the mat­u­ra­tion of the fol­li­cles. Letro­zole is fre­quent­ly pre­ferred today, espe­cial­ly for women with PCOS and absent or rare ovu­la­tion, as stud­ies have asso­ci­at­ed it with high­er ovu­la­tion, preg­nan­cy, and live birth rates.

  • Injec­tions (FSH / LH hor­mones)

    If the fol­li­cles do not respond to stim­u­la­tion in tablet form, or if stronger or more tar­get­ed stim­u­la­tion is nec­es­sary, FSH or com­bined FSH/LH prepa­ra­tions can be used. The dosage is deter­mined indi­vid­u­al­ly and accom­pa­nied by ultra­sound and, if nec­es­sary, hor­mone checks so that the reac­tion of the ovaries can be pre­cise­ly assessed and the treat­ment adjust­ed.

When is hor­mon­al stim­u­la­tion use­ful?

Hor­mon­al stim­u­la­tion can be used in dif­fer­ent sit­u­a­tions – depend­ing on whether we want to sup­port miss­ing ovu­la­tion, bet­ter con­trol the tim­ing of an insem­i­na­tion, or bring sev­er­al eggs to matu­ri­ty as part of IVF/ICSI. Which form of stim­u­la­tion is use­ful depends on your cycle, your age, your ovar­i­an reserve, and the planned treat­ment.

  • for long-term desire for chil­dren and increas­ing age
  • when fol­li­cle mat­u­ra­tion is to be specif­i­cal­ly sup­port­ed and the tim­ing of ovu­la­tion bet­ter con­trolled as part of an insem­i­na­tion
  • as part of an IVF or ICSI treat­ment, in which sev­er­al fol­li­cles are specif­i­cal­ly brought to matu­ri­ty

Who can hor­mon­al stim­u­la­tion be suit­able for?

Logo Ikon For cycle dis­or­ders or absent ovu­la­tion

If fol­li­cles do not mature reg­u­lar­ly or ovu­la­tion occurs rarely or not at all – for exam­ple with PCOS – low-dose hor­mon­al stim­u­la­tion can sup­port egg mat­u­ra­tion and enable tar­get­ed ovu­la­tion. The goal here is usu­al­ly the mat­u­ra­tion of a sin­gle fol­li­cle.

More on cycle dis­or­ders

Logo Ikon At an advanced repro­duc­tive age or with a long-term desire for chil­dren

With increas­ing age – espe­cial­ly from the mid-30s and even more clear­ly from around 38 years – the prob­a­bil­i­ty that a sin­gle egg will lead to a preg­nan­cy decreas­es. Depend­ing on the form of treat­ment, hor­mon­al stim­u­la­tion can there­fore be use­ful to bring sev­er­al fol­li­cles to matu­ri­ty in one cycle and increase the chances per cycle. This approach can also improve the chances of preg­nan­cy if the desire for chil­dren has exist­ed for a longer peri­od.

More on the desire for chil­dren over 40

Logo Ikon Before an insem­i­na­tion

Before an IUI, hor­mon­al stim­u­la­tion can sup­port fol­li­cle mat­u­ra­tion and opti­mal­ly coor­di­nate the tim­ing of the insem­i­na­tion with ovu­la­tion. Depend­ing on age and the ini­tial sit­u­a­tion, the mat­u­ra­tion of sev­er­al fol­li­cles may be use­ful to increase the chance of preg­nan­cy per cycle. In doing so, we take care to keep the risk of mul­ti­ple preg­nan­cies low.

More on Insem­i­na­tion

Logo Ikon For IVF or ICSI

Hor­mon­al stim­u­la­tion is an impor­tant part of ther­a­py in IVF or ICSI treat­ment. The goal is to bring sev­er­al fol­li­cles to matu­ri­ty at the same time so that as many eggs as pos­si­ble can be obtained dur­ing egg retrieval. How strong­ly we stim­u­late and which pro­to­col is suit­able is indi­vid­u­al­ly tai­lored to ovar­i­an reserve, age, and pre­vi­ous treat­ments.

More about IVF / ICSI

Logo Ikon Social Freez­ing treat­ment

Hor­mon­al stim­u­la­tion is also an impor­tant part of treat­ment in social freez­ing. The goal is to bring sev­er­al fol­li­cles to matu­ri­ty in one cycle and obtain as many eggs as pos­si­ble, which can then be cry­op­re­served.

More about social freez­ing

Dr. Corinna Mann explains an ultrasound image on the monitor during a consultation.

Expert Assess­ment

Gold stan­dard

Hor­mon­al stim­u­la­tion is a proven and well-con­trol­lable treat­ment option in fer­til­i­ty med­i­cine. Depend­ing on the ini­tial sit­u­a­tion, it can be used in very dif­fer­ent ways – for exam­ple, to sup­port an irreg­u­lar cycle, as part of nat­ur­al cycle opti­miza­tion, before an insem­i­na­tion, or as part of an IVF or ICSI treat­ment.

It is cru­cial for us to dose the treat­ment indi­vid­u­al­ly and to pro­vide close mon­i­tor­ing. This allows us to pre­cise­ly assess the reac­tion of the ovaries, adjust the med­ica­tion if nec­es­sary, and specif­i­cal­ly con­trol the num­ber of matur­ing fol­li­cles.

Process of Hor­mone Treat­ment for Fer­til­i­ty

Hor­mon­al stim­u­la­tion is indi­vid­u­al­ly tai­lored to your cycle, your ovar­i­an reserve, and the planned treat­ment. Dur­ing the treat­ment, we reg­u­lar­ly mon­i­tor fol­li­cle mat­u­ra­tion and adjust the med­ica­tion if nec­es­sary.

  1. Ini­tial Con­sul­ta­tion and Basic Exam­i­na­tions

    At the begin­ning, we dis­cuss your med­ical his­to­ry, exist­ing find­ings, and your cycle. Through ultra­sound and hor­mone diag­nos­tics, we assess your ovar­i­an reserve, among oth­er things, and deter­mine the type of stim­u­la­tion and dosage on this basis.

    Make an appoint­ment
  2. Start of Stim­u­la­tion

    Depend­ing on the treat­ment goal, you start with tablets or hor­mone injec­tions. We deter­mine the dosage and dura­tion of treat­ment indi­vid­u­al­ly and adjust them to the reac­tion of your ovaries.

  3. Ultra­sound and Hor­mone Mon­i­tor­ing

    Dur­ing the process, we mon­i­tor the growth of the fol­li­cles and the uter­ine lin­ing using ultra­sound and hor­mone deter­mi­na­tion. This allows us to assess how your ovaries are react­ing and when the next treat­ment step is appro­pri­ate.

  4. Trig­ger­ing Egg Mat­u­ra­tion

    When the fol­li­cles are suf­fi­cient­ly devel­oped, final egg mat­u­ra­tion is ini­ti­at­ed with a so-called trig­ger shot. For sex­u­al inter­course or insem­i­na­tion, this allows the tim­ing of ovu­la­tion to be specif­i­cal­ly planned. For IVF, ICSI, or social freez­ing, we coor­di­nate the tim­ing of the egg retrieval accord­ing­ly.

  5. Next Treat­ment Step

    Depend­ing on the treat­ment, sex­u­al inter­course, insem­i­na­tion, or – in the case of IVF, ICSI, and social freez­ing – egg retrieval fol­lows at the appro­pri­ate time.

  6. Preg­nan­cy Test

    After sex­u­al inter­course or insem­i­na­tion, a preg­nan­cy test can be tak­en about two weeks after ovu­la­tion. For IVF or ICSI, a preg­nan­cy test is per­formed two weeks after the retrieval.

Close-up of a flower vase in the bright practice atmosphere at the fertility center in Munich for a relaxed consultation.

Hor­mon­al Stim­u­la­tion for Fer­til­i­ty – Your Advan­tages with Us

Sched­ule a con­sul­ta­tion
  • Per­son­al­ized Sup­port

    Your ded­i­cat­ed fer­til­i­ty doc­tor accom­pa­nies you through­out the entire stim­u­la­tion, knows your his­to­ry, and can adjust the treat­ment indi­vid­u­al­ly as it pro­gress­es.

  • Indi­vid­u­al­ly Tai­lored Ther­a­py

    We dose the stim­u­la­tion indi­vid­u­al­ly to enable a well-tol­er­at­ed and safe treat­ment.

  • In-house hor­mone lab­o­ra­to­ry

    Hor­mone lev­els are deter­mined direct­ly at our clin­ic and are avail­able to us with­in a few hours, so that the next treat­ment steps can be planned prompt­ly.

  • Good Acces­si­bil­i­ty & Flex­i­ble Appoint­ments

    Ear­ly mon­i­tor­ing appoint­ments, short com­mu­ni­ca­tion chan­nels, and good acces­si­bil­i­ty make treat­ment eas­i­er in every­day life. If you have ques­tions about med­ica­tion, dosage, or the fur­ther process, you will receive feed­back quick­ly.

 

What Our Patients Say

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Sandra B
105 days ago
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Had a very good experience, I felt very well taken care of, everyone very professional, standardized routines, can definitely recommend
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Lauren W
141 days ago
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We flew from overseas to work with Dr Mann and her team. Everyone was so kind, empathetic and extremely helpful. Everyone spoke English and made us feel very welcome. We could not have asked for better care than what we received from Dr Mann and her team. Bonus, the offices are beautiful.
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Andrea C
185 days ago
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After visiting two other fertility clinics (one of which I left in tears), I had almost lost hope of finding a place where I would truly feel heard. Then I met Dr. Sarah Comploj, and everything changed. From the very first consultation, I felt genuinely listened to and treated as an individual. Unlike my previous experiences, where I was quickly told I needed IVF without anyone really taking the time to understand my situation or carefully review my test results, here I felt that my case truly mattered. Every step was explained thoughtfully, and my concerns were taken seriously. What stood out the most was that I never felt like just another patient or that the focus was on money. Instead, I felt that the entire team was committed to helping me achieve my dream in the most appropriate and personal way possible. Today, I am holding my one-month-old baby in my arms, and I will forever be grateful for the care, compassion, and expertise I received here. I can only highly recommend this clinic and Dr. Comploj 🩷
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Viktoria O
323 days ago
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Every appointment I’ve had over the last few months has been consistently informative, professional, and conducted in a personal manner. The treatment plan was explained in detail and any concerns or questions always answered. She also speaks perfect English if required. I’m impressed with how well organised the clinic is and how quickly results are processed, and last-minute appointments made available. For anyone who is going through the struggle of infertility it’s a difficult and vulnerable time, but I always felt so reassured and in good hands with Dr Mann.
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Local R
331 days ago
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A heartfelt thank you to Dr. Gerber for the exceptional support and warmth during a very sensitive journey. I always felt respected and in good hands. Truly grateful.
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V D
452 days ago
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I'm very grateful for my experience, the staff from reception to the doctors were very kind. You can feel accompanied during the treatment. Also, overall I had a successful treatment, especially considering my age, it's a costly treatment but it's worth it. So I'm very happy for the result, my doctor was Sara Comploj.
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Marina
489 days ago
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I had a wonderful experience with the Kinderwunsch practice, and especially with dr. Corina Mann. From the very beginning, dr Mann was attentive, knowledgeable, and truly invested in helping me achieve the best possible outcome. She took the time to understand my goals and tailored my treatment plan to make sure I had the best chance of success. Thanks to her care and expertise, I was able to maximise my results and reach my goals. I always felt supported, informed, and in the best hands. Dr Mann always answered my countless questions with a smile :) I’m incredibly grateful for her dedication and would wholeheartedly recommend her to anyone starting their fertility journey.
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Carmencita
491 days ago
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I just want to say a big thank you to the whole team of Dr. Mann and Dr. Albrecht. I felt really taking care off in this Praxis and really can recommend everyone to go to this clinic, as here you can get at least the most possible personalization and time dedicated to you! Thanks again for your support!
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Maria K
587 days ago
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Since my doctor was busy and couldn't do the procedure herself, I had an appointment with Sarah to have my fallopian tubes checked. I was very nervous before the procedure, but it turned out to be for nothing! Sarah described and explained every step of the procedure and was extremely friendly.
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Jay B
1149 days ago
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Our multiple years-long Kinderwunsch journey was spent under the care of Dr. Mann and her Kinderwunsch practice team. Dr. Mann is not only a highly competent expert in her field, she's also empathetic and kind. She treated each appointment with a sense of being genuinely invested — listening to concerns or questions, planning for my unique treatment needs, and explaining processes or procedures without rushing (because she knows it's likely your first time going through something ... even though it might be her 40000th time). Her practice is busy and it's because she's the best. The practice team is cheerful and helpful. The waiting area is comfortable with pleasant music, flowers, and they even laid out gingerbread during Christmas time. They have a lab on-site so results are often same-day. I particularly found the technology they use to share results via email quickly so helpful. And I always felt at ease speaking in my native language and not pressured to try to keep up with unfamiliar German terminology. I'm forever grateful to have found Dr. Mann. We plan to visit soon with our new plus-one :) - RB & JB
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Aparna P
1649 days ago
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Dr.Albrecht is really good and friendly. She is best at her own way. But reception staff is very very very worst and disappointing. They themselves book an appointment and say it’s not booked. Luckily in Doctorlib my appointment was visible. Staff is very very rude. And they respond very rudely. I can give 0 rating for Staff at reception.
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Cindy L
1670 days ago
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We had an absolutely wonderful experience with Dr. Mann. Her positive energy and competence was so reassuring and much appreciated during the potentially stressful time of trying to have a baby. I really loved how we could communicate in either English or German over complicated and sensitive reproductive matters. She took the time to answer all of our questions and offered us a wealth of information regarding the treatments. And her staff brought the same good vibes and Expertise to the practice. Some of the best and painless blood draws I’ve ever had, and they were always very responsive through emails as well as telephone communication. Online appointment system was also great. Video consults super convenient. The setting of the practice itself is an oasis of peace and calmness. As soon as I stepped through the doors I felt relaxed with the music, green plant wall, and well designed and decorated space. Technology and quality of equipment is very good. Yes, sometimes the waiting time had been 30+ minutes, but because the patient care is so excellent, I’ll be back for future treatments as needed, and would highly recommend this practice and team to anyone.
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Raluca O
1854 days ago
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I have only the best words to describe my experience at the clinic. I personally worked with Dr. Albrecht and she was amazing. Every appointment was done on time, informative and clear on what the next steps are. She offered details and support with my every question. Where I wasn’t sure of my German we swapped to English to make sure I understood everything. The clinic is run in a very efficient way, organized, planned and as a process oriented person I loved it!

Risks of Hor­mon­al Stim­u­la­tion

Side Effects of Med­ica­tion

Dif­fer­ent side effects can occur depend­ing on the med­ica­tion. Most med­ica­tions are well tol­er­at­ed. Tem­po­rary mild symp­toms such as mood swings, headaches, dizzi­ness, and hot flash­es may occur. With high­er stim­u­la­tion, a feel­ing of pres­sure in the low­er abdomen can also arise due to the grow­ing fol­li­cles.

Risk of Mul­ti­ple Preg­nan­cies

If sev­er­al fol­li­cles mature at the same time, the risk of a mul­ti­ple preg­nan­cy increas­es. How high this risk is depends, among oth­er things, on the med­ica­tion used, the num­ber and size of the fol­li­cles, and age. There­fore, we mon­i­tor fol­li­cle devel­op­ment close­ly and adjust the treat­ment if nec­es­sary. In pure ovu­la­tion induc­tion, the goal is usu­al­ly the mat­u­ra­tion of a sin­gle fol­li­cle.

Ovar­i­an Hyper­stim­u­la­tion Syn­drome

Espe­cial­ly with stim­u­la­tion using gonadotropins as part of IVF, ICSI, or social freez­ing, ovar­i­an hyper­stim­u­la­tion syn­drome (OHSS) can occur in rare cas­es. Through indi­vid­u­al­ly adjust­ed dosages, reg­u­lar ultra­sound and hor­mone mon­i­tor­ing, and mod­ern stim­u­la­tion pro­to­cols, the risk is sig­nif­i­cant­ly reduced today.

Absent or Insuf­fi­cient Reac­tion

Some­times the ovaries respond very lit­tle to the stim­u­la­tion or a cycle does not devel­op as expect­ed. In such cas­es, we adjust the dosage or review togeth­er which fur­ther course of action is appro­pri­ate.

Logo Ikon

Costs of Hor­mon­al Stim­u­la­tion

The costs of hor­mon­al stim­u­la­tion depend on the indi­vid­ual treat­ment plan, the dura­tion of the ther­a­py, and the required scope of med­ica­tion. Gen­er­al­ly, the total costs con­sist of med­ical ser­vices such as con­sul­ta­tion, ultra­sound mon­i­tor­ing, and hor­mone analy­ses, as well as the pre­scribed stim­u­la­tion med­ica­tions.

To the cost overview
Ini­tial con­sul­ta­tion with basic diag­nos­tics — €470–550

also includes repro­duc­tive med­i­cine ultra­sound and a basic exam­i­na­tion of hor­mones in our lab­o­ra­to­ry

(up to 1 hour)

Make an appoint­ment
Cycle mon­i­tor­ing (per appoint­ment) — approx. €150–170

Cycle mon­i­tor­ing serves the close mon­i­tor­ing of stim­u­la­tion by means of ultra­sound exam­i­na­tions and blood sam­ples in order to safe­ly con­trol fol­li­cle growth and plan the tim­ing for ovu­la­tion.

Make an appoint­ment
Oth­er Cost Com­po­nents

In addi­tion to the treat­ment costs men­tioned, the fol­low­ing costs are usu­al­ly added. The amount depends, among oth­er things, on the cho­sen treat­ment pro­to­col and the indi­vid­ual sit­u­a­tion.

  • Med­ica­tions for hor­mon­al stim­u­la­tion (approx. €400–1,500 depend­ing on stim­u­la­tion and ovar­i­an reserve)
Notes on Billing

No fixed or flat-rate prices: We bill on the basis of the offi­cial scale of fees for doc­tors (GOÄ). Accord­ing to the GOÄ, we are not allowed to quote fixed or flat-rate prices for med­ical ser­vices. The prices men­tioned are intend­ed to pro­vide ori­en­ta­tion and are typ­i­cal for the treat­ments men­tioned.

Pos­si­ble VAT lia­bil­i­ty: Med­ical ser­vices may be sub­ject to VAT (cur­rent­ly 19%). This applies if, after diag­nos­tics have been car­ried out, no med­ical indi­ca­tion or con­firmed diag­no­sis is present and it is there­fore not a med­ical treat­ment in the strict sense. This can be the case in par­tic­u­lar with social freez­ing treat­ments, but also with the treat­ment of sin­gle moms and same-sex cou­ples.

Note on Cost Cov­er­age

We would be hap­py to pro­vide you with detailed cost infor­ma­tion for the planned treat­ment in advance. This allows you to clar­i­fy cost cov­er­age with your pri­vate health insur­ance (PKV) as best as pos­si­ble before­hand. Statu­to­ry health insur­ance (GKV) does not cov­er costs at our cen­ter.

Fre­quent­ly Asked Ques­tions about Hor­mon­al Stim­u­la­tion in Munich

How long does hor­mon­al stim­u­la­tion for fer­til­i­ty take?

Hor­mon­al stim­u­la­tion is per­formed in the fol­lic­u­lar phase of a cycle (1st half of the cycle) and usu­al­ly lasts about 8 to 14 days. The dura­tion depends on the reac­tion of the fol­li­cles.

In the case of cycle dis­or­ders, such as PCOS, it can some­times take longer for a fol­li­cle to mature suf­fi­cient­ly. If preg­nan­cy does not occur in the first cycle, sev­er­al treat­ment cycles in suc­ces­sion may be use­ful.

Do I have to come in for mon­i­tor­ing fre­quent­ly dur­ing stim­u­la­tion?

Reg­u­lar ultra­sound checks are impor­tant to assess fol­li­cle mat­u­ra­tion and num­ber and to adjust med­ica­tion. Depend­ing on the progress, hor­mone lev­els are also deter­mined. The inter­vals depend on how your ovaries react.

Can I work and do sports dur­ing hor­mon­al stim­u­la­tion?

As a rule, the treat­ment can be very well inte­grat­ed into every­day life. In the case of sig­nif­i­cant­ly enlarged ovaries or increas­ing symp­toms, we rec­om­mend reduc­ing inten­sive sport­ing activ­i­ties. We will dis­cuss what is appro­pri­ate in your sit­u­a­tion indi­vid­u­al­ly.

How high is the suc­cess rate for hor­mon­al stim­u­la­tion?

The suc­cess rate depends pri­mar­i­ly on age and the cause of the unful­filled desire for chil­dren. If, for exam­ple, fol­li­cle mat­u­ra­tion is dis­turbed and all oth­er require­ments are favor­able, the chances per cycle can be good. With increas­ing age, the prob­a­bil­i­ty of preg­nan­cy per egg decreas­es, so that oth­er or addi­tion­al treat­ment steps often become use­ful.

How high your per­son­al chances are can there­fore best be esti­mat­ed based on your indi­vid­ual ini­tial sit­u­a­tion.

What hap­pens if the body does not react to the treat­ment?

It can hap­pen that no fol­li­cle matures. In that case, depend­ing on the sit­u­a­tion, we adjust the dosage or the med­ica­tion and review the fur­ther course of action. In doing so, we par­tic­u­lar­ly take into account age, ovar­i­an reserve, and the pre­vi­ous reac­tion to the treat­ment.

Can hor­mon­al stim­u­la­tion increase the risk of mul­ti­ples?

Yes, hor­mon­al stim­u­la­tion can increase the risk of mul­ti­ple preg­nan­cies if sev­er­al fol­li­cles mature at the same time. How high the risk is depends in par­tic­u­lar on the num­ber of matured fol­li­cles, age, and the type of treat­ment. Through close ultra­sound and hor­mone mon­i­tor­ing, the treat­ment can be indi­vid­u­al­ly adjust­ed and safe­ly accom­pa­nied.

Is alco­hol allowed dur­ing hor­mon­al stim­u­la­tion?

Dur­ing hor­mon­al stim­u­la­tion, we rec­om­mend avoid­ing alco­hol as much as pos­si­ble or con­sum­ing only very lit­tle. Nico­tine should also be avoid­ed, and folic acid should already be tak­en when try­ing to con­ceive.