Before the first step in IVF or ICSI (hormone therapy) cycles, a pre-treatment with a contraceptive can be administered, most often an oral contraceptive.
A COC (combined oral contraceptive) contains both progestogen and oestrogen, as does the vaginal ring which could also be used prior to fertility treatment.
A pre-treatment with a progestogen or oestrogen alone could also be implemented before hormone therapy. These pre-treatments suppress the production of hormones by the patient. Therefore, they may improve the woman's response to hormone therapy in IVF/ICSI cycles. In this way, adverse events such as cyst formation (fluid-filled sac that develops in the ovary) and the number of pregnancy losses could be reduced, and pregnancy outcomes could be improved.
