Failed 1st Round/Retrieval

lilpug15 · July 2022

Hi, I'm new to the forum and I just had my 1st egg retrieval a week ago on 7/9/22. I should state that I'm 40 about to be 41 in a couple of months. The initial process was going really well and I responded well to the hormones with 36 follicles and 21 eggs retrieved. Out of the 21, 16 were considered mature. Through ICSI we had 11 eggs that were fertilized and they called to tell us that on day 5 all were still growing but by day 6 there were no blastocysts out of the 11 amd it dodnt look good. I'm so down and feeling hopeless and sad that this may never happen or that my eggs may be bad. Every other test showed normal cycles, HSG test, hormone levels and follicles for my age, and my husband had a vasectomy reversal that didn't work out which is why we started IVF; but come to find out perhaps it is also the quality of my eggs...

Any advice or positive thoughts would be appreciated. I just got the news today so it is hitting pretty hard at the moment. A friend of mine told me to join a forum or group so here I am reaching out. Thank you and much love to everyone on here.

ttc3y · July 2022

@lilpug15 I’m so sorry that happened to you. That is absolutely gutting. I can sympathize. We had a similar experience and nearly similar result after our first egg retrieval too and it was definitely a big blow in our fertility journey. I was also dealing with my biological clock and did my egg retrievals at 37yo and 38yo.

I know right now you are still emotionally processing but when you are ready, I have some practical thoughts and resources that may help you move forward with some hope and optimism.

I highly recommend the book “It Starts With the Egg” by Rebecca Fett if you haven’t read it yet. She presents science evidence based recommendations to help women and men be successful on their fertility journey and optimize egg quality. I used a lot of her recommendations preconception.

You may even want to consider seeing a naturopath or functional medicine provider (I recommend IFM.org to find a local practitioner) who specializes in fertility to help optimize your body for a second round. They can give you more a tailored recommendation to your specific situation. They will evaluate your health from a different lens that conventional medicine won’t cover. They can look for genetic mutations like MTHFR or heavy metal toxicities which can affect fertility and egg quality. They will give you solutions on how to overcome them.

When I prepared for my 2nd egg retrieval, I discovered I had multiple small genetic mutations (through a company called Strategene) that affected my ability to process beta carotene into active Vitamin A which is important with genetic transcription and reproduction. I started taking a Vitamin A supplement 3 months before my 2nd egg retrieval. Long story short, we were much more successful and created 3 genetically perfect embryos to freeze and transfer when we were ready. Literally the difference between my first egg retrieval and second egg retrieval was the Vitamin A and living in less stress. Something as simple as that to enhance your biology could make all the difference. But go get tested and seek professional help. I don’t recommend taking high doses of active Vitamin A unless needed. There is such a thing as Vitamin A toxicity.

I wish you success in having your baby. Don’t despair quite yet. Fertility is a winding road for sure and there are unexpected twists and turns along the way. But hopefully I have given you a few ideas that may help you reach your goal when you are ready to move forward again. Definitely rest, heal, and when you are ready, keep moving forward. There is still hope. Sending you lots of positive baby vibes your way and wishing you a successful fertility journey! ❤️

lilpug15 · July 2022

Thank you so much for sharing your personal experience and I will definitely look into that and order the book.

I'm also looking into acupuncture, CoQ10, and some other basic supplements that they say really help. I will also look into the additional blood test to see where there may be other deficiencies.

We had the genetic screening done that showed we are low risk, but that doesn't always translate to egg quality either.

Thank you for your wonderful suggestions! Happy that your 2nd round was successful and I'm hoping we will be able to obtain a similar result 🙏 ❤

inthewoods23 · July 2022

Why did they continue to let them grow to day 6? Normally if a blast has the appropriate number of cells on day 5 that's when they freeze them. For slower growers they will let them keep going until day 6 to catch up to the right number of cells.

ttc3y · July 2022

@inthewoods23 My fertility doc let our embryos grow up to Day 6. I don’t think it’s an unusual practice.

ttc3y · July 2022

@lilpug15 I was looking for this resource with the original message I had sent you but could find it at the time. Here is another resource to consider as well. I didn’t use it for my journey but it might be helpful for yours and others: https://fertilitypregnancy.org/

dark_place · July 2022

Hi @lilpug15 ,

I'm in a similar boat here. This is my first time posting -- actually found this forum because I wasn't sure what else to do and am pretty upset. We got the news today that we didn't have any embryos make it to day 5. Even at day 3, they weren't looking good apparently.

I'm still processing all this emotion. I wonder how many rounds it takes on average to get a successful blast and then successful pregnancy? I knew this process would be hard and emotional, but didn't imagine it being such a rollercoaster ride.

We also haven't been able to get any real answers from our center and can't get in to talk to a doctor for another 10 days. Is that normal? It seems like such a long time to wait after getting such devastating news.

Luckily, I guess, my DH is optimistic that we can make diet and exercise changes and have things be more successful the second time around. I would like to hear what a doctor has to say though. Ugh - why is this so hard.

I don't mean to be so negative. Just wanting to share my thoughts with others who understand.

Wishing everyone positivity and success.

ttc3y · July 2022

@dark_place I’m so sorry you went through a difficult outcome with your first egg retrieval. I don’t know how many rounds are needed on average. However, I did run into a statistic during my journey that if you collect at least 15 mature follicles from an egg retrieval, the chances of having a successful pregnancy is high (I apologize, I don’t remember the specific percentage number and couldn’t find the resource anymore). But I hope that knowledge helps you bring more clarity. I wish you to have a successful fertility journey and find the answers you need to move forward. ❤️

atlgagrl · July 2022

Every cycle is different. I have heard of couples who got zero blastocysts one cycle and many next one. You got follicles this time so you are responding. Take 2 months to take coq10 and other supplements after checking with your doc. Egg quality may improve and also think of it as completely new roll of a dice and hope for a better outcome.

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