Not necessarily. An ovarian stimulation cycle can start between the 1st and 4th day of the period without using contraceptives. However, they have many uses in our specialty.
Contraceptives can be given because a follicular cyst (also called a persistent follicle) is observed before performing ovarian stimulation. In this case, they are used for at least 14-15 days to reduce the follicle and leave the ovaries in a basal state, ready to start ovarian stimulation. They are also very useful in patients with endometriosis since, in some cases, they can reduce the symptoms and size of some endometriomas.
One of the main advantages of contraceptives is that they reduce the risk of asynchrony occurring during ovarian stimulation. An asynchrony is nothing more than the accelerated growth of a few follicles and, consequently, a worse result when performing the ovarian puncture. This would cause the collection of many fewer oocytes than would correspond to the patient and a suboptimal result.
Another advantage is that they help plan the start of ovarian stimulation and therefore the distribution of the workload of assisted reproduction centers. However, overusing contraceptives for more than 2 weeks prior to ovarian stimulation may result in a slower response and poorer results.
