16 eggs collected only one fertilised and transferred

[Goldenthread]

Has anyone else had a similar experience with a positive outcome? I am 43 just startng ivf as when we were tested 18mths ago we were told we had a good chance of conceiving naturally (my 3.5 year old was conceived naturally at 39). AMH has dropped a bit since then (27 pmol to 19) and FC 25 down to 11. Husbands sperm count 25 million but he wasn't tested this time round.The consultant was really pleased after egg collection and we were ecstatic, so it was a devastating blow to find out the next day oy one fertilised. Thank god that survived overnight and was transferred. Trying to stay positive as I know it only takes one but am concerned with our ages (husband 44) it's down to quality. Positive thoughts welcomed and any stories with happy ending too!

[Orangeflowers]

I hope 🤞 this one works for you. My embryologist said that only a small number work at this age, so if there's still one in the game that must be the one!! (the ones that wouldn't have worked have been eliminated) 😊

I'm in a similar position to you - 43 and secondary infertility. I get good numbers of eggs but poor development and quality.

When I did my first round at 41 and was successful I had 14 fertilise with IVF, then as I turned 43, I only had 2 fertilise from a similar number mature. I switched to ICSI and it improved - 4 to 6 fertilise now. Have you tried ICSI?

I'm starting another fresh round now.

All the best that this works for you. It sounds like you have a good chance x

[Goldenthread in reply to Orangeflowers]

Thanks Orangeflowers . I think there is a big drop off after 43 in fertility (consultant said so while back) which I guess explains the low fertilisation rate. May I ask how many rounds you've had? Did any eggs make it to freeze? Need to focus on this current little embryo for now but ICSI wasn't advised before (1st cycle) as tests showed all was ok. If this doesn't work they suggested that next cycle so it's good to know it's improved fertilisation for you.I do wish I'd started IVF sooner but we are where we are! Lots of luck and baby dust to you😊

[Orangeflowers in reply to Goldenthread]

Hey, there was no indication I needed ICSI until I had poor fertilisation either. First round was in 2020 and I was successful on my second transfer. I've now had 4 cycles since I turned 43, and transferred doubles on all but one. I've only managed to bank two blastocysts which are currently frozen. I'm on my third day of stims for my 5th fresh cycle at 43 now.

ICSI can show up what the issues are and why the embryos aren't fertilising. For me it's shown that the wrong number of pronuclei are produced which is to do with faults with the ageing eggs.

Good luck and keep us updated xx

[Goldenthread in reply to Orangeflowers]

Thanks Orangeflowers that's good to know re ICSI. Just put if curiosity, I'm wondering why you had moved onto another fresh cycle without transferring frozen ones? Not that we have any, but the package we're on doesn't allow you to start another cycle till you've used all the frozen ones.

[Orangeflowers in reply to Goldenthread]

I wasn't on a package at that point precisely for that reason. I wanted to bank embryos as waiting to do frozen transfer(s) delays when the next fresh cycle can start. Conscious of my age and it being a numbers game.

Hoping all is going well with you. As others have said, it only takes one x🤞

[HollyT7]

24 follicles, 16 collected, 9 mature, 3 fertilised via ICSI. Fresh transfer bfp ended in chemical, first frostie transfer bfp is 3 in May and our final frostie transfer is... currently blowing bubbles next to me... born at the end of September 💙💙 I know its an absolute killer when you end up with low numbers, I thought we had no chance, but look at me now. It only takes one, don't lose sight of that ❤️

[Kitkat10]

yes I only had one fertilise and he is now 1 year old 💕

I only had 3 eggs collected so your numbers are amazing! Much better than mine. Good luck x 🍀

[Goldenthread in reply to Kitkat10]

Thanks for the support Kitkat10 ! May I ask how old you were when you did IVF? As I suspect egg quality due to age may be the main issue for us x

[Goldenthread]

Unfortunately I got a BFN today, period had already started right on que. It's a reliable bugger! We only have one more round on the package we paid for, don't think we can do more financially/emotionally/physically. It's feeling like the end of the road :(I don't know how people do this over and over!

Any words of positivity welcomed, I'm really struggling to motivate myself to do anything this morning.

[DreamingOfTwo79 in reply to Goldenthread]

I am so sorry you had devastating news this morning, take all the time you need to process this and be kind to yourself. I am 44 and also conceived my son naturally when I was 39. My investigations showed a much smaller chance than yours to be successful with IVF but we're currently awaiting the start of our first FET next month with one of our two PGT-A euploid embryos. It may be worth looking into a few more investigations and taking supplements for three months before you attempt your final round? Did you fertilise via ICSI? We actually chose PIMSI for our protocol as that ensured only the most promising sperm was selected for fertilisation after my partner's DNA fragmentation came back quite high. I was on three months' DHEA supplementation 75mg a day (three tablets daily) plus CoQ10 and other supplements (all the details are in my profile) and we used a growth hormone during egg stimulation and added Melatonin to my last EC cycle which was the one that produced our best fertilisation to blastocyst conversion rate (only three fertilised out of 7 but they all turned into good quality blasts, two of which tested euploid). Wishing you the best of luck for your next cycle, keep up the faith, it is not the end yet! XX

[Goldenthread]

Thanks for your support DreamingOfTwo79 . We had our follow up consultation today, they hadn't recommended ICSI as the sperm looked good from the tests and was also a good sample of the day. But they've recommended it for next time, as that should sort the lack of fertilisation. My lining was v good I was told at 12mm and we're already been doing supplements plus acupuncture (just me the later) for 6 months. Just a bit nervous that there is now a lot resting on this next and likely final cycle.