Advice for final ivf please - I’m 46 and collection is tomorrow

[Aquarius_hope]

Hello ladies,

Hope you are all well!!

I just wondered if I could get some advice please....

As some of you already know, it’s been a long journey for me to get to this final ivf cycle! I now have one egg that is ready to be collected tomorrow!! Not quite what I was expecting.. but one egg is better than zero eggs ... and as everyone keeps telling me, you only need one egg & one sperm!

So, my question is... I would throw everything at it to have the best chance of success (ie embryo glue and assisted hatching) .... but my partner is not keen on the hatching at all. He thinks it’s too risky to laser our one & only poor little embryo .... if it gets to that stage, that is!

Have you ladies got any advice....?

Has anyone is their mid 40’s been in this position...?!

Has anyone else with only one egg (& possibly one embryo 🤞🏼🤞🏼) had to make some difficult decisions....?

I would really appreciate some help/ guidance ladies 😘

Our consultant didn’t encourage us either way (he said that the evidence isn’t that strong)... but our embryologist is the total opposite and says it works, she has seen great results with it and that we should definitely do it for our last go!!

From what I understand, it’s better for older ladies as the outer shell of the embryo is usually a little tougher, so it needs all the help it can get to “hatch”.

Anyway, I look forward to hearing your replies!!!

Big hugs for now 🤗 xxx

[FluffyPink]

Hi Aquarius,

Just wishing huge, huge luck for your egg collection.

I’m sorry I don’t know much about assisted hatching so won’t sway you either way. Interesting that your embryologist recommended it, however.

I hope someone else here can be of help! xxx

[Aquarius_hope in reply to FluffyPink]

Thank you Fluffy Pink!

So sorry - I missed your message earlier when I logged on 🙈.

Thank you so much for your support ... means a lot xxx

[FluffyPink in reply to Aquarius_hope]

Thanks Aquarius! Everything crossed for you. xxx

[Aquarius_hope in reply to FluffyPink]

Hello ladies!

Hope you are all well.

I just wanted to let you know that my amazing egg has made it to the fertilisation stage!!! Yippeeee!! I’m sooooo happy!! However, I need to make a big decision tomorrow... transfer on day 2... or take a huge risk and transfer on day 3 with assisted hatching!!! 🙈🙈

Nothing has changed either.. consultants still saying there’s not much evidence... whilst the Embryologist is extra keen for me to wait until day 3!! Ahhhhhh!!

My gut is go for day 2 tomorrow... as I would be more than devastated if my poor little embryo didn’t make it to day 3.

Can’t believe I am in such a good place in one way... but total turmoil in another!! This journey is just crazy... and I thought I had prepared for everything!!

Anyway, thank you again for all your help, advice and support xx I really appreciate it!!

Night night for now xx

Ps hope I will be able to sleep tonight!!!!

[jengi]

Best of luck with your egg collection tomorrow. I hope your egg is safely retrieved. You might find the HFEA website helpful to guide you on your decision with add on treatments. Will you be doing ICSI?

hfea.gov.uk/treatments/trea...

Big hugs Xx

[Aquarius_hope in reply to jengi]

Hello ladies!

Hope you are all well.

I just wanted to let you know that my amazing egg has made it to the fertilisation stage!!! Yippeeee!! I’m sooooo happy!! However, I need to make a big decision tomorrow... transfer on day 2... or take a huge risk and transfer on day 3 with assisted hatching!!! 🙈🙈

Nothing has changed either.. consultants still saying there’s not much evidence... whilst the Embryologist is extra keen for me to wait until day 3!! Ahhhhhh!!

My gut is go for day 2 tomorrow... as I would be more than devastated if my poor little embryo didn’t make it to day 3.

Can’t believe I am in such a good place in one way... but total turmoil in another!! This journey is just crazy... and I thought I had prepared for everything!!

Anyway, thank you again for all your help, advice and support xx I really appreciate it!!

Night night for now xx

Ps hope I will be able to sleep tonight!!!!

[Aquarius_hope]

Aww, thank you Jengi. I appreciate your advice. I will check the website now xx

Ps Yes, we will be doing ICSI 🤞🏼

[Fertilityjourney]

Just a quick message to wish you all the luck. Xx

[Aquarius_hope in reply to Fertilityjourney]

That’s very sweet of you! Thank you so much 🤗🤗 xx

[Aquarius_hope in reply to Fertilityjourney]

Hello ladies!

Hope you are all well.

I just wanted to let you know that my amazing egg has made it to the fertilisation stage!!! Yippeeee!! I’m sooooo happy!! However, I need to make a big decision tomorrow... transfer on day 2... or take a huge risk and transfer on day 3 with assisted hatching!!! 🙈🙈

Nothing has changed either.. consultants still saying there’s not much evidence... whilst the Embryologist is extra keen for me to wait until day 3!! Ahhhhhh!!

My gut is go for day 2 tomorrow... as I would be more than devastated if my poor little embryo didn’t make it to day 3.

Can’t believe I am in such a good place in one way... but total turmoil in another!! This journey is just crazy... and I thought I had prepared for everything!!

Anyway, thank you again for all your help, advice and support xx I really appreciate it!!

Night night for now xx

Ps hope I will be able to sleep tonight!!!!

[Ozma4]

Hi, I am also going through my last go at IVF and had also just the 1 viable follicle this time. I'm nearing 40. Very low AMH. The first hurdle is for them to recover the egg from it which they did then wait to see if it fertilised. It did! Though very fragmented. My clinic says that (and I agree completely) due to me having only 1 egg collected that it will be put back on day 2 as its best to be in its natural environment rather than stuck in a lab.

Is your clinic suggesting waiting to see if it gets to blastocyst stage in the lab first before then being put back, so that they can cut it? I'm afraid I don't know anything about assisted hatching at all but like others have said I'm surprised that the embryologist has been so recommending of it. Its already a hard enough descision for you to make. They're meant to give you facts but not sway you either way really as in my mind I'd be now thinking... the embryologist says to go for it so it must work.... therfore there isn't really a choice anymore and if we didn't go for it I'd always think even more so.... what if...!

I'd need to look on websites and do a little research before deciding further, plus knowing the pros and cons for it all.

I hope egg collection goes really well for you and I've got my fingers crossed all goes as planned 🤞.

[Aquarius_hope in reply to Ozma4]

Aww, thank you for your reply Ozma!

I’m so excited for you ... and wish you all the best with your embryo!

Yes, you’d think the advice would be consistent at the clinic... but obviously everyone has their own opinion 🙈.

I did look at the HFEA website too and they don’t recommended it due to lack of evidence... but my place has seen great outcome with it! Oh boy!

Anyway, I will take one step at a time and get through today first before doing anymore research!

Thank you again for your wishes and for sharing your story with me!!!

Big hugs 🤗 xxx

[Ozma4 in reply to Aquarius_hope]

Sounds like a good plan! Will be thinking of you today. Good luck xx

[Aquarius_hope in reply to Ozma4]

Ps Ozma4... do you mind me asking ... how is your treatment going so far??

I have everything crossed for you too!

Xxxxx

[Ozma4 in reply to Aquarius_hope]

Sorry haven't seen this until today. I'm now 14days past transfer but test day not until Monday. I now have absolutely no symptoms whatsoever, not even sore boobs anymore. I do not think it has worked but will wait out for test morning. I always find it weird that the clinic makes no contact to check in on you during this time but I know they are always busy. How are you?? Xx

[Aquarius_hope in reply to Ozma4]

Aww, bless you!! I will be keeping all my fingers crossed for you on Monday my lovely!! 🤞🏼 🤞🏼 🤞🏼 Just try not to worry about signs & symptoms of pregnancy... some ladies don’t even know that they are pregnant for weeks or months! ☺️

I can’t believe that we made the 2WW too!! My poor little egg survived egg collection, we had successful fertilisation and our own little embryo by day 2! We were still undecided about assisted hatching until the embryologist said - “if you do assisted hatching you need to wait until day 3 but there is only a 50/50 chance that the embryo will survive until tomorrow, however if you don’t want to do assisted hatching come into the unit this afternoon for a transfer ASAP”!!!! I tell you, at that point it was a no brainer! We have an embryo (which is a blooming miracle at our age!!), so we had a transfer on day 2 with embryo glue only!! Been keeping everything firmly crossed since then! ☺️☺️

We do our test on Wednesday... and all my friends and family are praying like mad for us!! It’s so sweet.. I’m really feeling a lot of love around us at the moment which is helping me a lot 😍😍.

Anyway, sending lots of hugs and baby dust luck.. and let me know how it goes next week xxx

🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗

[Aquarius_hope in reply to Ozma4]

Hello ladies!

Hope you are all well.

I just wanted to let you know that my amazing egg has made it to the fertilisation stage!!! Yippeeee!! I’m sooooo happy!! However, I need to make a big decision tomorrow... transfer on day 2... or take a huge risk and transfer on day 3 with assisted hatching!!! 🙈🙈

Nothing has changed either.. consultants still saying there’s not much evidence... whilst the Embryologist is extra keen for me to wait until day 3!! Ahhhhhh!!

My gut is go for day 2 tomorrow... as I would be more than devastated if my poor little embryo didn’t make it to day 3.

Can’t believe I am in such a good place in one way... but total turmoil in another!! This journey is just crazy... and I thought I had prepared for everything!!

Anyway, thank you again for all your help, advice and support xx I really appreciate it!!

Night night for now xx

Ps hope I will be able to sleep tonight!!!!

[Aquarius_hope]

Hello ladies!

Hope you are all well.

I just wanted to let you know that my amazing egg has made it to the fertilisation stage!!! Yippeeee!! I’m sooooo happy!! However, I need to make a big decision tomorrow... transfer on day 2... or take a huge risk and transfer on day 3 with assisted hatching!!! 🙈🙈

Nothing has changed either.. consultants still saying there’s not much evidence... whilst the Embryologist is extra keen for me to wait until day 3!! Ahhhhhh!!

My gut is go for day 2 tomorrow... as I would be more than devastated if my poor little embryo didn’t make it to day 3 when I have come so far and beaten all the odds!!!

Can’t believe that I am in such a great place in one way... but total turmoil in the other!! This journey is just crazy... and I thought I had prepared for everything!!

Anyway, thank you again for all your help, advice and support xx I really appreciate it!!

Night night for now xx

Ps hope I will be able to sleep tonight!!!!

[jengi in reply to Aquarius_hope]

Excellent news! So happy for you! I’d be guided by the embryologist as they are the ones seeing the egg, sperm, developing embryo etc. I guess either way it’s a gamble and you may always wonder what if I took the other option. Go with your gut instinct. Best of luck! Xx

[Aquarius_hope in reply to jengi]

Thank you for your lovely message Jengi! I guess I will see what the Embriologist says this morning.. but I’ve never been so nervous in my whole life!!

Big hugs 🤗 xx