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I've read that it is not very successful. I also think it's a poor name choice--it would be better to call in minimal stimulation IVF.

@Happygal: I think mini-IVF and natural IVF are different...mini-IVF is medicated with something like Clomid and Menopur and they aim to get around 3-5 eggs, or basically replicate what a low responder would get. With natural IVF you're really not medicated and they hope you ovulate. If you ovulate they retrieve that egg, fertilize it, and transfer it. In the end it's not doing much more than fertilizing an egg you would have made anyway, so if something like egg quality or implantation or ovulation is the issue it has to be repeated several times.

@Happygal: They definitely need to monitor you. A lot of women came from far away to my clinic for mini-IVF, and I do think it can be a good treatment for (demonstrated) low responders since high stims don't yield more eggs and can ruin actually ruin the quality. But my second RE was honest and said that since they knew for sure that sperm could get past the cervix and the SA numbers were good enough for him, he thought any form of IVF would just be a donation to the clinic on my part but I could do it to speed the process up.

@CatchAFallingStar: If you're considering alternative forms of IVF (and it seems you are) I'd suggest working with someone who wants to see a lot of tests on you first as well as your response to different treatments, and please have a consult with a clinic well-known for doing this. There are a lot of clinics that offer this but you want one that knows what it's doing and will be honest about your odds and isn't just in it for the money.

@septca: I agree! My DH has what I think is the male version of blocked tubes. We'd definitely consider doing natural IVF before regular IVF since there's no other issues I'm dealing with. I hate the thought of so many chemicals in my body! We're super lucky to have full infertility coverage, though, and we're going ahead with regular IVF since we're not sure how long we'll have that insurance. If our first round of IVF doesn't work and we lose our insurance, we'll definitely look into natural IVF.

@Mrs.Pinecone316: I hope it all works out for you. Can I ask which clinic you chose?