Dealing with my first failed FET
Hi ladies,
I am 42 and found out that my first FET has failed despite the fact that my embryo was PG tested. I know that ivf success rates for women at my age are low. My AMH is 15.5. Should I just give up and move on with my life? I would be keen to hear some positive stories from you who are in similar situations.
Many thanks!
Gosh I know your pain. I lost my first pgs FET in August and was devastated for months. I had my hopes up because it was pgs and hadn't properly prepared myself for the possibility of failure.
Take time to grieve but be kind to yourself.
Now, there is absolutely no reason to give up! Your amh is amazing and you've produced pgs normal embryos.
Get an ERA/Emma/Alice biopsy to check you did the FET at the precise moment (I had a chemical and needed to adjust the timing by 12 hours). I also needed probiotics because I had barely any good vaginal bacteria.
Then get yourself tested for blood clotting issues pai-1 & TEG. I did all the other blood clotting panels and came back normal but when I tested for psi and TEG it came back positive so I needed clexane (and baby aspirin after after 8 weeks).
Also not sure if you did a natural or medicated FET but I was natural + trigger + progesterone (so not so natural) and I had my progesterone levels checked constantly and at one stage was on 3 x Lubion injections per day and 4 x cyclogest pressures and still not getting above 100 so had to switch to prontogest progesterone in oil injections which hurt as they're intramuscular but now my progesterone is fine.
Dr also added metformin & Progynova.
I have a history of high and aggressive natural killer cells so I do intralipids a week before transfer and as soon as I get a bfp. I also go to the extent of having them every two weeks for the first 12 weeks and then monthly thereafter.
So far it's very early days and we are only at 5+4 weeks but praying this one sticks.
There is a lot you can do so please don't think about giving up!
Also if you are doing natural fet I found the clear blue advanced DUAL HORMONE ovulation sticks to be an absolute game changer! You can test often throughout the day do you don't miss the vital lh surge. The other one with the monitor only let's you test once in the morning which is crazy because the lh surge could start just after you test and you'll be out by 24 hour before you pick up your peak. I was testing 3 x a day and caught it early evening.
Anyway. I'm sorry again this is happening but all is not lost, you can do this! Xx
Oh I also had a Hysteroscopy donde to check everything was fine in my uterus. Sometime there can be things like polyps or fibroids pre scar tissue or an odd shaped uterus that just can't be seen on a 3d ultrasound so get a Hysteroscopy done before your next FET. I did mine under sedation along with the ERA (era is meant to be done adder ovulating when lining is thicker and Hysteroscopy ideally done just after period when lining has shed so it's clearer to see but my Dr said it was fine to do it both at same time and I wasn't going to object of it meant less pain!) Xx
Hi Fingerscrossed, thanks soooo much for your support and wonderful tips!!! I will definitely ask my consultant about all the tests you have recommended to me. You have given me some hope and touched my heart! Appreciate this! ❤️❤️❤️
Like you, I did a medicated FET but only got my progestrone test result on the transfer date which was low, like 30 after my transfer was done. Due to my test result, the clinic upped my progestrone. I was not fully prepared for a pgs tested embryo transfer failure. I have been having broken sleep as my mind is trying to work out why it did not work.
I am so happy to know you are pregnant!!! Congrats!Out of interest, did you do another pgs tested transfer which has led to your pregnancy. I wish you a happy and healthy pregnancy!!! Xxx
You're welcome.
Yes I had 6 pgs normal blastocysts on ice. First was a chemical and then just transferred my second on 30th Nov but it's ultra early days and I'm prone to early losses so trying not to get my hopes up.
It's not good they didn't test you progesterone earlier. My Dr tested my progesterone on 27th two hours after my Lubion injection and it came back at 81 he wasn't happy and wanted it above 100 so upped it to 3 Lubion daily + 3 cyclogest. He then treated me again on transfer day and it was only 91 so he put me straight on prontogest progesterone in oil shot x 1 daily + 3 x cyclogest daily and it shot up to 216. It had dipped and fluctuated to 155 and 169 yesterday but he seems fine with it as long as it's above 100.
Feel free to ask me anything and I'll try and help you out. Best of all don't lose hope! Get the ERA done. It takes a whole cycle because they're replicating an fet cycle did you do all the drugs etc but instead of transferring an embryo they'll do the biopsy so whatever protocol you intend on doing for your fet you must do for the ERA to get accurate results xx
Thanks so much for offering to help me!!! I am sending you lots of positive vibes and baby dust. It is great your doctor mointored your progestrone. I feel that you are in safe hands and am sure your pregancy wouls go smoothly. Let's keep in touch! Thanks again! Xx
Great info Fingerscrossed38 thanks for sharing.
Are you still on the progesterone injections and what's your dosage for that please?
Yes I'll be on it for 12 weeks if I get that far! Prontogest 100mg vial daily plus I also do 3 cyclogest Pessaries daily. Injection is intramuscular not subcutaneous though xx
Hello! I'd like to share my story with you and maybe inspire you to go on with IVF. I am 41 now and I was struggling with infertility for 7 years. I had a miscarriage during my first round of IVF 5 years ago. I was devastated. But time goes by... We went abroad for IVF with the strong conviction that we will have a baby against all odds. We could have had 5 embryo transfers, but thanks God our second attempt was successful. It was the hardest time of my life. I thought the second attempt would fail too (I was 39), but a miracle has happened. Our son is almost two years old now! <3
So don't give up! Your AMH is great, the only thing I can advise you is using fresh material for IVF. Chance of getting pregnant increases with a fresh cycle of IVF. Good luck xx
Hi, I am so sorry to hear that you had a tough journey and a miscarriage. It is wonderful to know that you have got a happy outcome! I am so happy for you! Thanks very much for sharing your tips with me and your suppport. I have no frozen embryo left so I need to do a fresh cycle
xx
Sorry your first FET failed! You’ve got a better AMH then I have and I’ve just turned 37 so I would say don’t give up yet you’ve still got a good chance! 💪🏻xxx
Thanks so much for your good vibes and support!!! I am sending you lots of baby dust! Xxx
You’re welcome & thank you! Xxx
So sorry your first FET didn't work out. I too am having PGD and we also only had one embryo and the cycle failed a few weeks ago. It's so tough facing another six months until being pregnant is a possibility. Take any counselling they offer you at the clinic you're at. And take care of yourself. X
Thanks so much for your support. I am so sorry to hear you had the same experience. It was so upsetting, wasn't? How are you feeling? I hope you take time to heal and pamper yourself. Stay positive! Xx
It was really upsetting. Far worse than I thought it would be even though I knew it was more likely not to work. I'm feeling far less raw than before. Dreading Christmas and NY and itching to get started again in January. I've been really poorly this week and I think it's because my immune system has taken a battering with the stress. Have rested up and aside from family duties won't be doing much again until the NY. Sending love xx
Hi, you have totally spoken my mind. Having waited for six weeks to get a pgs tested embryo transfer done, I felt that the BFN had put me back to square one!!!
Like you, I do want to a Jan first cycle but think it is too early. So I am hoping I can get one done in Feb or March.
I am so sorry to hear you have been really poorly. I hope you take time to recover. We totally need to take care of ourselves! Try to pamper yourself at Xmas and have relaxing things to look forward to ! Sending you lots of positive vibes!!! Xx
Thanks - you too. Our clinic said I needed two periods before starting again and am just finishing my second so starting down reg stimming in early Jan. It's different drugs to last time to hopefully get a better result.
That is great news!!! Out of interest, why did you need to wait for two periods to come before you start your next cycle? Sending you lots of baby dust! Let's keep in touch! X
it's just the clinics rules. i had to wait for two periods between egg collection and FET and it's the same between FET and stimulation too.
i don't know if you are planning to do another fresh cycle but if you do, take micronized DHEA (75 mg/day) for 3 months before transfer, and have your eggs retrieved when the lead follicle is between 16-18mm (early egg retrieval). This is what the top IVF clinics for older women in the USA do, and is what I did on my last cycle at 43 years of age and i am now 22 weeks pregnant 
ps. i know you said you did get a normal embryo for your last cycle but this advice above might increase your changes of getting more than 1. Coenzyme Qq10 is supposed to be good for older women because even if you have a normal embryo, they can sometimes lack the energy to implant - this supplement is supposed to help with that..
Hi, thanks so much for your great tips and your positive story! Congrats! I wish you a happy and healthy pregnancy!
Yes, I am planning to do a fresh cyle in spring and have been taking Coenzyme10 and DHEA for about 6 months and took them before my last cycle. Thanks for letting me know of the early egg retrieval. Did you get pgs testing done on your embryos on your last cycle?
Thanks again!
absolutely no problem also i forgot to add that human growth hormone has been shown to have a really good effect on eggs, and that was what was going to be my next additional drug if this cycle had failed. I didn't get PGS testing - they don't do that in Germany where I am based, and I think even if I could have, there is a slight chance that an abnormal embryo could be mosaic and might turn out to be a normal baby, so that would be a reason I would maybe not do it. In the end I only had 2 blastocysts to transfer anyway, but they were both good quality and i had had a super good fertilisation rate with this cycle, so i felt relatively optimistic that it might work. Here is more info about early egg retrieval: centerforhumanreprod.com/fe...
Thanks so much! You are a star! I am glad you had had a successful outcome. Wishing you a v healthy pregnancy! Xx
thank you, and i really hope that you have a successful outcome!
Thanks for your support! ❤️❤️
FET advice
FET Diet 
Post FET failure, how to recover 
First period after fet?
