Hey everyone, I hope you’re all doing well. So, I recently received the news that I have no viable embryos and low egg quality. I have to admit, it hit me hard. I’m feeling a mix of emotions - disappointment, frustration, and a bit lost.
I was wondering if there’s anyone else out there who can relate to this? It would be comforting to know I’m not alone in navigating this challenging journey. If you have any experiences, advice, or words of encouragement to share, I would really appreciate it. Thanks in advance for your support!
This is me. My doctor says I have low quality eggs, they seem to stop growing by day 3. Here are my retrieval stats:
1st: 9 retrieved, 9 fertilized, 1 mosaic embryo
2nd: 13 retrieved, 6 fertilized, 1 mosaic embryo
3rd: 16 retrieved, 9 fertilized, no embryos
4th: 10 retrieved, 9 fertilized, waiting on day 5 update.
It’s tough to go through a retrieval and not get any embryos. I’m sorry you’re going through this. The fourth retrieval was a different protocol, which is supposed to improve quality. I added omnitrope, but it made no difference. I haven’t made any lifestyle changes other than quitting pot and limiting alcohol, which also made no difference. Keep trying and consider protocol tweaks. Sending good vibes.
I’m sorry to hear that! I don’t have any advice, but I’m wondering what exactly they meant by “signs of low egg quality”?
You are not alone in facing low egg quality after retrieval, it can be disheartening. Many others have gone through similar situations and found success with a second retrieval or changing their protocol. Talk to your doctor about improving or adjusting the procedure for another round. Stay positive and keep moving forward, you’ve got this!
Is there also a possibility of sperm fertility issues, or is it solely dependent on egg quality?
We only had one embryo that tested aneuploid after the first retrieval, suggesting a possible issue with egg quality. However, we made a conscious effort to improve our health in the three months leading up to the second retrieval. By focusing on increasing mitochondrial function through weight training, protein intake, supplements, and vitamins, as well as maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle, we were able to retrieve four embryos, three of which were euploid – a success rate that exceeded expectations for my age of 37. While luck may play a role in fertility outcomes, I believe that by taking control of our health, we maximized our chances of success in our journey towards parenthood.
You may need to consider a different protocol. It would be a good idea to consult with your doctor. I am currently taking Mitogenol supplements, which have been specifically designed to improve egg quality. Perhaps you could also give them a try.
I strongly advocate for the use of Omnitrope/HGH (human growth hormone) as it has been shown to improve success rates. I started using it during my second cycle and noticed an increase in the number of quality embryos produced. While it is expensive at around $1k out of pocket, it was worth it for us. Our doctor recommended one dose every day for the first 9 days of stimulation and advised that it remains in your system for some time, making it beneficial to use for consecutive cycles. Our experience has shown that this advice is accurate, as our third and fourth cycles using the same protocol as the second were the most successful. I have included a link to my tracker for reference. Trigger warning: euploids.
We made several changes during this cycle, including switching to mini IVF with low stimulation meds to improve egg quality, adding human growth hormone during stims, using a second sperm sample from my husband at the clinic, treating the embryos with calcium ionophore, using a different lab for extra precaution, and transferring two day 3 embryos. Additionally, we continued taking vitamins throughout the process.
After experiencing all embryos arresting on day 3 following a recent retrieval, our reproductive endocrinologist suggested that this may be due to a sperm issue. He recommended ejaculating frequently in advance to address any potential sperm DNA fragmentation issues. Initially, my husband had abstained for several days before producing his sample, but with the new guidance, we followed a different approach by ejaculating once a day and abstaining only for 24 hours before retrieval. This resulted in 3 untested embryos during the second retrieval, and I am currently 5 weeks pregnant after the second transfer. Although we also used a different protocol for the retrievals and have not been told about low egg quality, changes in ejaculating frequency are the only sperm-related adjustment we made.
I am sorry to hear about what happened after getting 31 eggs. I also struggled with low egg quality, with only one day 5 embryo in my first round, which is now my son. After two rounds with no embryos, my fourth round resulted in transferring two embryos on day 3, and one of them has stuck. I am currently 16 weeks pregnant. Perhaps transferring embryos on day 3 could be worth considering if they were looking good. Best of luck to you!
(Trigger Warning: loss, success) Despite struggling with severe endometriosis, adenomyosis, and diminished ovarian reserve, I had a low egg retrieval count but achieved good fertilization rates and embryo development by day 3. However, I never had any embryos progress to blastocyst stage in the lab, and experienced losses with day 3 transfers. After 13 years of trying with my own eggs, I finally accepted using donor eggs. The very first fresh transfer with donor eggs was successful, and I am now 31 weeks pregnant. While some believe day 3 issues are due to sperm, I believe our struggles were largely due to my own poor egg quality.
Do you have a high AMH level for egg count? IVF clinics often use high doses of stims for more eggs, but lower doses may result in better quality. I used supplements recommended by my RE for better egg quality and reduced inflammation, along with a high protein diet. First round only produced 2 lower quality embryos with no success, but the second round resulted in 5 embryos and I am currently pregnant. Making a few changes can make a big difference.
I am sorry to hear about your experience. I can relate to it as my second ER also resulted in 0 embryos. My doctor suggested fertilizing half of the eggs with ICSI/Zymot/Calcium Ionosphere and the other half with conventional fertilization. The rationale behind this was that using a needle for delicate eggs could potentially harm them. All 7 of my mature eggs fertilized using this method. For you, having a higher number of eggs retrieved may result in a greater sample size for answers. I hope you find more clarity and success in your second retrieval.
I only had 3-5 cells in each attempt, with 1-2 being fertilized. Unfortunately, I experienced one unsuccessful pregnancy due to bad quality and low quantity. Have you considered trying Menopur for better quality results?
I apologize for the situation. I switched to a lower stim protocol (+HGH) and saw an increase from 1 abnormal blast to 6 pending PGT-A. I recommend seeking a second opinion from a different clinic. My previous clinic quickly blamed my eggs, but it turned out to be more of a protocol issue once I switched clinics.