2 eggs didn't survive the ICSI process - has this happened to anyone else?

[PaulaDag]

Hi All,

I had my EC yesterday and we got 4 eggs. All mature and ICSI'd and in the embryoscope yesterday. Today they called this morning to say 2 didn't survive the ICSI process. A bit annoyed that she didn't fully explain what happened as I said did they collapse during the night and she said yes they aren't viable. So assumed they didn't get to the fertilization stage. The obviously didn't collapse during the procedure but after.

Why might this happen? It was a senior embyrologist doing the lab work as I asked that. I asked if it could be egg quality and she said its implied but we don't know for sure. Really upset as this has never happened before and I'm thinking is it because I did back to back cycles or all the supplements I'm taking or all the stress I've had from my family lately? One of the nurses did say stress or anxiousness can affect things but this was said prior to egg collection as a stims scan. I never get many as I'm 43 but so shocked this has happened. The embryologist said 30% either don't survive the ICSI or fail to ferttilize. She said the one who did the ISCI made one note that one of the eggs was slightly resistant when injected.

Has anyone has this happen to them and know what causes it? Any questions i should be asking? We've always had really good fertilisation in the past only one hasn't fertilisied. Our problem has mainly been they collapse /arrest on day 4.

So upset that half are gone just like that.

xx

[LCharlton]

There are so so many things that could be causing this, but just to reassure you it really is normal. We had two ICSI cycles where 3 out of 8 mature eggs fertilised and one ICSI cycle where 1 out of 4 mature eggs fertilised - in our case to do with my husband's very poor sperm quality but probably also partly my age (40 and 41 at the time). Fingers crossed for your two xx

[PaulaDag in reply to LCharlton]

Hi, thanks for the reply. Do you know if not fertilising is different to not surviving the ICSI process or is it the same thing? I got the impression it was two different things but may well not be. Did your 5 and 3 eggs collapse under ICSI procedure or after? thanksxx

[LCharlton in reply to PaulaDag]

They just don't fertilise or they fertilise abnormally, as I understand it. The embryologist did describe one of them doing something odd to me but I didn't totally understand what happened and I don't remember the details. I know our usual fertilisation rates are very low (at under 40%) but it sounds like yours have been unusually high so far - I understand average is something like 70-80%. We've just done an IVF (not ICSI) cycle with donor sperm and the fertilisation rate was 70% so my husband's sperm problem was definitely a key factor xx

[Jumpppy]

I had this 1 cycle where some of my eggs were "over mature" so the egg itself disintegrated during ICSI process. This for me was different than not fertilizing where 2 nuclei are not found (I think that's what they look for). But potentially different clinics express these things differently?

Good luck!

[DianeArnold Partner Nurse Fertility Network UK]

NHi PaulaDag. Oh dear, sorry to hear this. Perhaps a DNA fragmentation check with the sperm might be an idea? See what your specialist says. Good luck! Diane

[Mellyboo111]

Oh sorry to hear this but this happen to four of my eggs. The only difference is i had 18 eggs and the remainder did survived. They didnt give the reason why they just said they had the sperms to the eggs and nothing happened to four of them. But hopefully you will have a better outcome next time.