PGS testing vs Time-lapse imaging

[C_C_H]

Hello! I have just received my 5th BFN and struggling to understand what’s going wrong. I had the ERA test done plus additional progesterone testing and lubion injections added to my protocol so I went into this round feeling hopeful! I’m now of course thinking about next steps and as I will be doing a fresh round I wanted to look into either PGS or time-lapse imaging. Has anyone had any success with either after multiple failed rounds? Any advice welcome!

[Wehavethis]

Some of my posts highlight PGS as well as interactions with others who have done so x

[sunset212]

Hi c_c_H. i am sorry you are going through this agonising time to getting your BFP. I have been there and know the feeling. I did go on to be successful having my son in 2019 and i am sure you will too once more is know about what is stopping you getting a bfp. Without knowing much of your background, there are generally two principle reasons embryos fail to implant: aneuploidy ( not the correct number of chromosomes or issues with the woman in some way in being able to implant/accept the embryo. With having 5 BFN's , if you are over 40+ this could be the reason , if you are below 40, then you may need to look further with your consultant/clinic about what may be stopping implantation. Do you have PCOS? Endometriosis? Are you transferring blastocyst stage embryos ( day 5/6) and are you doing a medicated or natural FET. A change in protocol may work better for you? I did a natural FET as i ovulate naturally and took progesterone day after ovulation until 12 weeks. Have you had all the relevant testing.. thyroid check, prolactin levels, uterus MOT? used embryo glue during transfer? have you had a recent check of your uterus for polyps, fibroids etc.. Has your lining been thick enough i.e 8mm minimum before transfers? What type of progesterone do you take. I was on cyclogest but i know some ladies on here have also tried lubion injections as they have been needed if very low on progesterone. If age is a factor it might work best to PGS next time because as many as 70-80% of embryos at 40 or more are aneuploid so its common to only have one normal embryo in a given cycle as you reach 40. Time lapse is also beneficial as the embryos are undisturbed as they grow and take pictures of their development every 10 minutes so provide the embryologist more insight into their potential it also removes some element of observer error. I can't offer any experience to PGS testing as haven't used it personally but my clinic does offer time-lapse as standard. I hope your consultant and you can discuss next steps to investigating before considering transferring any more until more is known. Best wishes x

[C_C_H in reply to sunset212]

@sunset212 thank you very much for your reply! My main reason for IVF is PCOS and lack of ovulation. I have had all of the relevant tests and am also on treatment for NK cells plus this time we introduced lubion to ensure my progesterone levels stayed above 50. My lining was 8mm 5 days before transfer so really everything was in place. I’m only 34 so all a bit of a mystery....anyhow, I think PGS seems like the next logical step but like you said, my consultant should have some advice on what’s next. I appreciate your message, thank you! X

[sunset212 in reply to C_C_H]

Your very welcome, hopefully it gets sorted and the next time is your time X

[Lisichka]

Hi thereHow frustrating, I completely understand!

We ended up doing PGS on our second round as we wanted to eliminate every reason we were not successful with our transfers ( I was 32 when we did our first round and also don't ovulate properly). Like you, we also did ERA. PGS was a good move because it gave us the peace of mind knowing we are transferring only embryos with high level of potential. We had 15 embryos and 11 were deemed normal. Transfer with the PGS-tested embryo worked for us but we also changed protocol and did ERA so I'm not sure what actually helped. I think it's a good idea to PGS given all the BFNs. Good luck xx