IVF: Had embryo transferred but wasn't at blastocyst stage

[charlotteo86]

Hello,

I had an embryo transferred last Monday but sadly - out of three that fertilised - only one had continued to grow and it hadn't reached the desired blastocyst stage. The clinic said it was still worth putting back in but warned me the chances of getting pregnant were now lower.

I spent all of last week desperately upset like we had had the negative already but this week, I've felt a bit more positive (perhaps unwisely) and have I've wanted to try to get a bit more information but I can't find much about it anywhere.

Has anyone on here had an embryo transferred that hadn't quite grown to the proper size? Suppose I'm just trying to find out how bad the odds really are.

Also having pretty bad cramps although it seems they could mean absolutely anything!

Anyone who's been through anything like this who has any advice would be really appreciated.

Thanks xxx

[bextoliver]

Hi Charlotte, just wanted to say I’m in the same boat. I had a three day embryo transferred on Monday. From my understanding, it’s not quite as effective as a blast but not that much less likely either. I’ve read a lot of success stories from people who did three day transfers so stay hopeful! Crossing my fingers for you!

[charlotteo86 in reply to bextoliver]

Thanks so much for replying - I have wondered about people who had day 3 transfers. It seems the info to suggest day 5 transfers are better is a new(ish) thing and there must have been many people who've successfully gotten pregnant with day 3. It's just such an extreme emotional rollercoaster isn't it - one day it's great news and you've got three embryos and a few days later almost all hopes dashed. I've got my fingers heavily crossed for you too- sometimes that's all you can do! xx

[bextoliver in reply to charlotteo86]

It really is an emotional roller coaster. Thank you so much! keep me posted on how things go 😊

[Shirazlover2013]

Hi Charlotte, my first round sounds very similar to your experience. We had 3 eggs but by day 5 only one had developed normally and it was at “early blast” stage so not yet a proper blastocyst. The clinic transferred it as they said it looked good but unfortunately we got a BFN. So I’ll can’t personally testify to any good news. But I have a friend who had 1 embryo and 1 morula (not yet a blast either) transferred and she’s now expecting twins!! Not to mention all the people who’ve had day 3 transfers and gone on to have babies, none of those would have been at blastocyst stage when transferred. A lot of it is luck, just plain good or bad luck. You’re still in with a chance so you can still hope for the best. Got everything 🤞 for a good outcome for you xx

[charlotteo86 in reply to Shirazlover2013]

Thanks so much for your reply and positivity. I'm sorry you didn't have a good outcome. Are you trying again? It does just seem to come down to luck in the end which I find quite frustrating because it's so much out of your control! But it's nice to know other people have gone through the same thing. I hope your next journey is a bit more positive. xxxxx

[Shirazlover2013 in reply to charlotteo86]

Yeah I got straight back on the wagon and did another round. We changed a few things for our 2nd round and got more eggs but struggled with maturity and fertilisation so ended up with just 1 embryo (proper blast this time). Sadly Friday just gone we had our 2nd BFN 😪. For us it’s back to the drawing board, need to take some things back into our control. We’re changing clinic and getting some new opinions on what we can do for a 3rd round. Xx

[charlotteo86 in reply to Shirazlover2013]

I'm sorry to hear that. Sounds like it's the best idea to take a step back and reassess what your next option is. Our clinic only offers one free NHS round so if this go fails we'll have to have a serious rethink about what/how we do things next. Sending so much luck for you in the future xxxxxx

[MakingbabyNM in reply to charlotteo86]

Hi Charlotte I have a friend that struggled for years to get her baby!who is now 2 months old and He is the result of 1 ungradeable and one molar embryo! Stay strong 💕 xx

[charlotteo86 in reply to MakingbabyNM]

Thanks so much for the positive response. It's good to know there are people who have still gotten pregnant with a less than desirable embryo xx

[Lili2023]

Was your embryo a successful pregnancy?

I just had a transfer this Wendsday Feb 15th, but my embryo only reached a 10 stage cell Morula.

[charlotteo86 in reply to Lili2023]

Unfortunately it didn't but a couple of rounds after this one, it was discovered that my eggs were of very poor quality and we eventually went down the donor egg route so at whatever stage they were put back in, it's highly unlikely they would have worked. Re-reading some of the comments above, it seems like there's as much chance of a positive with a not quite blastocyst as a blastocyst so don't give up. And despite all of the problems I faced with bad eggs and multiple attempts, I now have a gorgeous almost 2yo son and am 16 weeks pregnant with a second. You will get there. Good luck xxxx