Thaw of embryos for older ladies

[Lilly12255]

I read an article saying that the loss rate can be high when thawing embryos for women above 42. Can anyone share any experience on this? I am worried as I am doing frozen cycle only. Xx

[Orangeflowers]

Thanks for sharing. I hadn't heard this. I guess it might depend on the quality of embryos frozen, which may be lower grade for older ladies. I will be defrosting 2 from my first cycle soon, so we'll see how it goes..! Good luck 💕 X

[Lilly12255 in reply to Orangeflowers]

Let us know how it goes. Crossing my fingers for you.

[Lilly12255 in reply to Orangeflowers]

Are they day 3 or 5?

[Orangeflowers in reply to Lilly12255]

Day 6! 5AB and 4BC+, if I am remembering correctly. I had the 3AB fresh and that failed. These were my 3 that made it to embryo stage from 20 eggs. Not the best on the face of it, so will need some luck! X

[jengi]

I read this previously, often wondered if there was an updated version. I’ll have a look, if I find something I’ll let you know

hfea.gov.uk/about-us/news-a...

[Lilly12255 in reply to jengi]

That would be egg freezing. My clinic claims that embryos survive much better than eggs. To be investigated

[jengi in reply to Lilly12255]

Oh sorry, I read your post too quickly! My understanding is that embryos are more robust & survive freeze-thaw better than eggs. And it’s the quality of the embryo at freezing which is most important factor, ideally blastocyst stage, according to the studies I’ve read.

I found this article comparing less than 40 vs. greater than 40. It shows no impact of age sciencedirect.com/science/a...

[jengi in reply to jengi]

This one doesn’t have anything on age but you might find it interesting: academic.oup.com/humrep/art...

[Carelia]

Hi Lily, I would forget the age and focus only on the embryo quality. As a fast rule, the best freezing facility in the UK sets the freezing limit for embryos at 2BC (this is what they told me so it is up to date as per the past 6 months). Other clinics with less good facilities may set the grade higher but to combat that, I would ask your clinic upfront “what is the embryo/ blastocyst minimum grade that your clinic considers viable for freezing“. When you know that, there is no age conversation to be had. It is all about the embryo quality. You can then also compare the clinic you are considering to a real benchmark. I can say that with confidence as I did the rounds with this question (yes I did :-).

To finish, the minimum grade 2BC is proven to produce absolutely beautiful and healthy babies so there is no need to have high quality embryos. This is one of the many mysteries in the fertility field that “stubbornly remains” to be true - great for us in the older bracket

[Lilly12255 in reply to Carelia]

I did ask a clinic where I ended up not going on this and they had an older woman with embryos from several cycles frozen and none survived the thaw...

[josephnsn]

I had a FET 1 month after turning 42 and gave birth to a boy! I have read I think on 'The Duff' that frozen starts to become more successful than fresh for older ladies

[BBHH1]

Fresh day 3 is better for older women and fewer than 3 embryos. Plenty of studies and evidence for that. Single embryo transfer is good only for woman under 35 with good prognosis and good embryo. For older women even good embryo have less potential of turning into a baby. Quality of the embryo is as importante as age.

The doctors at CHR NY have the best experience with older woman and get results. They can do virtual consultation and second opinion and send a protocol to your doctor at home. I recommend you do that before your next cycle. I’m a doctor too and I can verify that they are the experts out there and your best chance.

centerforhumanreprod.com/

Good luck 🍀

[Lilly12255 in reply to BBHH1]

I was told by a London based gyneco that if you do 2 single embryo transfer, the cumulative chance of pregnancy after the 2 attempts is higher than with double transfer. Is that not true?