Sorry in advance - I know this sounds a bit negative but isn’t meant that way. Just something that’s been on my mind and I can’t find any information about!
Does anyone know if it’s possible that all embryos created from the same cycle could be dud, but that a different cycle could produce viable embryos??
I had 11 Frosties from my first round and know I’m really lucky for that. But I keep reading about how quality can suffer if you’re over stimulated. We’re having another frozen cycle with 2 embryos very soon but after that our grades drop off considerably and I’m wondering if it’s worth starting from scratch with a new round?
Written by
Solly-44
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Ohh 11 Frosties sounds amazing!! 😯 I’ve got 3 in freezer from my 3rd round of icsi and am wondering sort of similar about quality etc... I’m pretty sure mine are ‘average’ at bc grade 😬 just wondering what you are considering dropping off grades? 😘
It’s a conundrum isn’t it?! So our best ones were described as ‘very good but not excellent 🙈’ (both 4ab’s but 1 continues hatching so was regraded as a 5AB). They drop down to ‘average/poor’ which I’ve read lots of clinics wouldn’t have bothered to freeze 😬
I think anything AB is amazing 🤩 I’ve read AAs are quite rare 😉 our clinic wouldn’t freeze a CC which is what I got on round one. But they freeze BC etc. I will transfer what we have (one at a time) but I don’t feel very hopeful. I do like the comment below though- if it’s a frozen blast then there is potential 🙏 best of luck to you x
On my second cycle we had one fresh transfer and seven Frosties at top grade. The fresh transfer gave me my daughter and late onset OHSS - so clearly it wasn’t ideal circumstances! Now trying for a sibling. First FET didn’t stick, now on 2ww after second FET. I’ve heard/read of plenty people, also on here, who didn’t have much hope we lower quality Frosties but those stuck, whereas higher quality ones hadn’t. See what your consultant says but I’d not take the decision for a fresh cycle lightly... good luck with whatever you decide, hope your time comes very very soon! Xx
Ah good luck!! When do you test? 🤞 Yes you’re right, there have been some lovely stories on here about ladies having success with lower grade embryos after bfn’s with their ‘better’ ones x
Hey Solly, I’ve been wondering about this too! From the same batch so far - Ive had :
1 fresh= missed miscarriage
1st FET= failed
2nd FET=very, very early chemical pregnancy
I’ve now 4 Frosties left but these are all lower grades then the first three transfers I had. I’m hoping to do my 3rd FET this month or next! But like you I’m thinking of doing another fresh if next one doesn’t work! Xxx
It’s a really difficult decision isn’t it?? I imagine it’s even more difficult when like you you’ve had positives 😔 I’m sorry they didn’t work out, will be keeping everything crossed for your next go xx
Thank you! Fingers crossed for you too! Mine was 4aa that miscarried and 5bb that was a chemical. The 5bb had apparently expanded really well and was looking good too. 😞Think the failed one was a 4aa too. The 4 I have left are lower grades but I don’t know what they are exactly. I asked the embryologist to explain but he said it’s a really complicated system and all I needed to know is that if they make it to the freezer then they all have the potential to make it! After speaking to quite a few of the embryologists the grading really doesn’t always reflect the outcome so I’m trying not to obsess over it! Just hoping 1 can make it! 🤞🏻xxx
Thanks love! We had a 5AB and a 4AB so far. 1 continued to expand after thawing so was regraded, the other they said stayed exactly the same. We’ve got 2 x 4BBs for next time, then they drop off a bit 😬 X
No we’ve been lucky enough to be NHS funded but we will be self funding going forward if this doesn’t work.
Unfortunately our dr said they can’t be tested as they don’t tend to re-freeze well but I’d definitely consider it if we do end up doing a fresh cycle x
I’ll start by saying clearly I’m no expert, but here’s what my embryologist has said. Basically any embryo reaching the extended blast stage, irrespective of grading, has the potential to be genetically normal. And the likelihood of normalcy is largely the same for embryos that reach that stage on day 5 or day 6 (if put back in a FET cycle on day 5).
So basically, to the extent your clinic has only frozen blasts with the potential required, the grading is almost academic. It then becomes a bit like a game of bingo in terms of pulling the right, or genetically normal embryo, out of the bag. That’s where if we had the money and all clinics offered genetic testing of blasts it could save a lot time and heartache (in my view).
That’s emotionally hard when you have produced a large number of blasts. I had this situation a few years ago; 7 blasts (5 day 5 and 2 day 6). It took a twin miscarriage and a further transfer of a day 5 & day 6 embryo to get my son. We have 3 embryos left.
For what its worth, we decided to do a further round of IVF recently with genetic testing before doing any more transfers. The rationale was largely driven by my age, being 41, and not wanting to ‘waste’ months of time doing transfers that could yield nothing or a miscarriage. Unfortunately that cycle resulted in 4 blasts with one being a mosaic (both normal and abnormal cells). We now have the decision to make as to whether to transfer that or take a punt on the remaining untested embryos.
I guess this is a long winded way of saying there is always a chance of a baby from a blast irrespective of the grading. What might help is to ask your clinic typically what percentage of blasts are typically genetically normal for your age. My clinic said at 39 (my first cycle) you’d expect around 30% to be normal and at 41, around 20%. That stat seems to reflect my situation broadly.
Good luck and I hope you get lucky with the blasts that you have left. If you have options, you have chances. It’s just a long and emotional journey.
Thanks for the positivity 😁 ✨ 🙏 I feel like I need to stop thinking about our bc grades and be happier that they are blasts in freezer. At what stage can they do pgs? Does it have to be before freezing? Can you give me ball park figure of the cost? ❤️
Thanks so much for your reply - it’s really helpful.
The consultant did say they’d expect 50-60% to be genetically abnormal given my age (I’d just turned 37 at the time of egg collection) and that statistically the next double transfer should work so I guess I’m getting ahead of myself. It’s easy to worry!
I did ask about testing but he said they wouldn’t advise it as they don’t tend to re-freeze well but like you we’d probably try it if we did another fresh cycle. Good luck whatever you decide xx
My clinic advised against genetically testing blasts already frozen due to the risks of defrosting, biopsying and refreezing. I’m sure they’d do it if I pushed them, but will defer to their advice / experience.
If I’d known we’d get so many blasts the first time I would have requested it, but I think my response surprised them (and me).
In terms of costs, I believe it can vary massively. Our clinic charges £900 for biopsy (flat fee irrespective of number of blasts) and then £450 per embryo for testing. That said, this isn’t insane when compared with the cost, time, emotions of multiple FETs. Some clinics I believe batch up embryos across patients for testing to reduce costs. I live in London where everything seems super expensive!
Sorry, to your first question, you’re likely best genetic testing at extended blast stage to reduce the number and therefore cost of the embryos being tested.
Hi Solly_44, I had 3 fresh IVFs cycles in 2011/2012 and from my second attempt we had 6 embryos (2x 5AA, 2x5AB and 2x5BB). We put 1 AA in 2012 and it didn't work.
I had FET last week and the remaining 5AA didnt survive thawing process so we went with AB. My point is that you never know with these grading.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Success stories needed
2WW driving me insane! 
Treatment dilemma
1 or 2 embryos dilemma? Please advise if you can.
PGT-A results, what to do?
