Answer from:
Speaking of the IVF long protocols, they are not as common today, mainly used by clinics and doctors in situations of low responses or when you have asymmetry between the growth of the follicles when you start your IVF protocol. It is longer as you use medication from the previous cycle which is an analog from the GNRH hormone, located in the hypothalamus. These medications are started on the luteal faze of the previous cycle. Once you have the hypothalamus, the pituitary glands blocked, then you can start using FSH, LH or any protocol that you like as well as any dose that you like. You have plenty of time to do it because there is no need to wait for the menstrual cycle, or after the cycle, you can start at any time because the pituitary glands are already frozen. It can be between a month and a half and whatever time you would like as it is another way to program things. For example if a patient is abroad and they need to catch a flight or are on vacation and must figure out when to start the IVF cycle as they would like to plan around their vacation, it gives you a way to control and program when to start. In a short protocol we use contraceptive pills but in a long protocol we use an analog.
Answer from:
A long strategy is whereby you use GnRH agonist to facilitate disruption of your pituitary gland with your ovaries so that we can control that cycle. That happens in the preceding month so around about day 21 – you start that GnRH agonist. Then have your period and then start stimulation. Because of that kind of extra week in advance and therefore overall it’s taking two months to do the IVF cycle, that’s what it means by a long protocol.
