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Infertility
vannaha97
member
2 failed IVF cycles/poor egg quality
vannaha97
member
in Infertility
Hi everyone I am in search for any success stories or similar experiences. Long post ahead!
My husband and I started trying to get pregnant in October of 2020.My husband was 24 and I was 23 years old at the time. After 7 months of negative pregnancy test I felt like I needed to dig deeper and see if maybe something was wrong. I scheduled an appointment with my local GYN and had a few blood tests done and also had the tube test. All results were normal. Everything looked fine. My husband was told to have a semen analysis and his results showed 1% morphology, however all other parts of test were normal. My GYN suggested trying a little longer so we did. At the 1 year mark of trying we were still not pregnant. I was referred to a fertility clinic by my GYN doctor and had my initial consult soon after. I had another saline ultrasound which also came back normal along with other labs that came back normal. I was given the unexplained infertility diagnosis. My RE recommended we do IUI with super ovulation. Four rounds later we were still not pregnant, even though I responded well to the clomid and had 2-3 follicles each time.
Moving onto IVF..
My RE discussed IVF with ICSI as our next treatment. Our first Egg retrieval yielded 15 eggs! At 24 years old I was given a 75% chance of success since I was young and had no known problems and the ICSI was gonna help with my husbands morph issue. The embryologist called with my results. Out of 15 eggs only 7 were mature and only 4 had fertilized. I was so shocked with the results and couldn’t believe only 4 had fertilized! A few days later I was given a call that all of my embryos arrested. My doctor explained that the lab informed her that a lot of eggs were not mature and were mishaped and non elastic. I was so confused and didn’t understand. My husband and I were Devastated!
Egg retrieval round 2..
After 3 months off and trying new supplements (CoQ10, Biotin, Vitamin D) we decided to try another cycle. My doctor switched my protocol in hopes of yielding more eggs to hopefully get a better outcome. This round 19 eggs were retrieved. Like the first round a lot of my eggs were not mature and they looked a lot like the first egg retrieval. Our of the 19 7 were mature and 5 fertilized. On day three post egg retrieval I was given an update that one embryo had started to become and early blast. Day five come and my embryo was continuing to develop. On day 6 I was given another update that another embryo was starting to develop. I was thrilled! I was told that my embryos could develop one more day and if they didn’t reach a certain freezing stage they would be discarded. The embryos were graded 4CC and were initially gonna be discarded but I wanted to give them a chance regardless of the statistics. Both embryos were transferred and unfortunately did not implant.
After a peer review my clinic seems to think that my eggs are causing the issues. The peer review team seems to think there is no other options other than donor eggs/ embryos. My RE is open to trying another round with a Different protocol. I am 25 years old and just can’t seem to understand why all of my blood work and tests are normal, but my embryos are poor and egg quality is supposedly poor. I have asked to be checked for endometriosis as I have a few symptoms, but no one takes me serious and I’ve practically begged to be checked.
Looking for similar situations and if anyone knows if endo could be my problem or cause poor embryo/ egg quality? Also, could my husbands sperm be the problem even with the good fertilization using ICSI? I am willing to try anything and not give up on my own eggs!
My husband and I started trying to get pregnant in October of 2020.My husband was 24 and I was 23 years old at the time. After 7 months of negative pregnancy test I felt like I needed to dig deeper and see if maybe something was wrong. I scheduled an appointment with my local GYN and had a few blood tests done and also had the tube test. All results were normal. Everything looked fine. My husband was told to have a semen analysis and his results showed 1% morphology, however all other parts of test were normal. My GYN suggested trying a little longer so we did. At the 1 year mark of trying we were still not pregnant. I was referred to a fertility clinic by my GYN doctor and had my initial consult soon after. I had another saline ultrasound which also came back normal along with other labs that came back normal. I was given the unexplained infertility diagnosis. My RE recommended we do IUI with super ovulation. Four rounds later we were still not pregnant, even though I responded well to the clomid and had 2-3 follicles each time.
Moving onto IVF..
My RE discussed IVF with ICSI as our next treatment. Our first Egg retrieval yielded 15 eggs! At 24 years old I was given a 75% chance of success since I was young and had no known problems and the ICSI was gonna help with my husbands morph issue. The embryologist called with my results. Out of 15 eggs only 7 were mature and only 4 had fertilized. I was so shocked with the results and couldn’t believe only 4 had fertilized! A few days later I was given a call that all of my embryos arrested. My doctor explained that the lab informed her that a lot of eggs were not mature and were mishaped and non elastic. I was so confused and didn’t understand. My husband and I were Devastated!
Egg retrieval round 2..
After 3 months off and trying new supplements (CoQ10, Biotin, Vitamin D) we decided to try another cycle. My doctor switched my protocol in hopes of yielding more eggs to hopefully get a better outcome. This round 19 eggs were retrieved. Like the first round a lot of my eggs were not mature and they looked a lot like the first egg retrieval. Our of the 19 7 were mature and 5 fertilized. On day three post egg retrieval I was given an update that one embryo had started to become and early blast. Day five come and my embryo was continuing to develop. On day 6 I was given another update that another embryo was starting to develop. I was thrilled! I was told that my embryos could develop one more day and if they didn’t reach a certain freezing stage they would be discarded. The embryos were graded 4CC and were initially gonna be discarded but I wanted to give them a chance regardless of the statistics. Both embryos were transferred and unfortunately did not implant.
After a peer review my clinic seems to think that my eggs are causing the issues. The peer review team seems to think there is no other options other than donor eggs/ embryos. My RE is open to trying another round with a Different protocol. I am 25 years old and just can’t seem to understand why all of my blood work and tests are normal, but my embryos are poor and egg quality is supposedly poor. I have asked to be checked for endometriosis as I have a few symptoms, but no one takes me serious and I’ve practically begged to be checked.
Looking for similar situations and if anyone knows if endo could be my problem or cause poor embryo/ egg quality? Also, could my husbands sperm be the problem even with the good fertilization using ICSI? I am willing to try anything and not give up on my own eggs!
Re: 2 failed IVF cycles/poor egg quality
The team I applied for treatment followed my every step from a to z and I was really satisfied. The important thing is that they truly understand your story and be professional. If you are really sure of these two, start treatment without delay.
I'm truly sorry to hear about your fertility challenges. It's understandable that you're seeking answers and options. It's possible that endometriosis could be a contributing factor to your difficulties with egg quality and embryo development. While your husband's sperm morphology issue was addressed with ICSI, there could still be other sperm factors affecting fertilization.
It's crucial to discuss your concerns about endometriosis with your fertility specialist and explore different treatment protocols. Don't lose hope, and keep advocating for your health and fertility options. Many couples facing similar challenges have eventually found success, so stay determined and open to different approaches on your journey to parenthood.
I am also suffering from infertility the difference with me is age and I was diagnosed with stage 3 endometriosis. I am 34, I have poor egg quality due to my endometriosis, I have done 4 rounds of IVF all with different outcomes. I know it’s not easy physically, emotionally and economically, but please don’t give up on your dreams of having your own baby. Endometriosis does affects your egg quality but you are young and if you do have endometriosis there’s ways around it trust me. Sending positive vibes your way.
My advice to you: listen to your gut and don't give up on your dreams. If you believe you have an issue with endo, seek a specialist who will help. And if you want to get pregnant with your own eggs, search for a way to make it happen.
I wish you all the best!