Hi everyone - sorry, this is a long one! Grab a brew…
Our first IVF round failed in February and we didn’t get any in the freezer. My OH’s semen analysis was really positive, so the focus has been on me with my low AMH levels, previous ovarian surgery and age (38). We only got 2 eggs, both fertilised, one made it to day 3 but had high fragmentation and didn’t stick.
Our clinic was running a trial at the time of EC and asked if we wanted to be a part of it so we agreed. It was for the DNA fragmentation analysis. As it’s a trial it means we don’t receive the full report but just get a call with the basics. Results are in - high fragmentation!
This was such a shock considering the doctor had joked about his ‘super sperm’ results previously. We will have ICSI for the next round and they suggested a Mediterranean diet, cut alcohol and start taking impryl. They’re unsure if the embryo fragmentation was caused by the sperm only, or if my eggs played a part too.
I’m having surgery in a week to remove a large dermoid ovarian cyst which I know can have a negative impact even more. I changed surgeons to speed things up and now round 2 is being pushed back to give him the 3 months.
Whilst my OH wasn’t on supplements for the whole of the 3 months before his sample last time, we did cut back on caffeine and alcohol. Our diet and exercise was already good so I’m worried there’s not much we can change to improve things.
On EC day my OH did his sample and then we were told that it hadn’t been treated in time (it was very early and we got the impression that there was a lack of staff to complete the task) so he had to do another sample 20 mins later. Can’t help but cling on to hope that this test was completed on the second sample which I assume wouldn’t be the best quality? I didn’t think to ask during the call so I will try and find out.
I’m wondering if we should pay for the test to be completed ahead of the next round? I’m quite uneducated with this, but I assume we would go ahead regardless of the results (given that we are making as many changes as we can for 3 months)? Is retesting literally just for info?
If we did the test, is it done on EC day or before the cycle starts?
Any guidance on high dna fragmentation is much appreciated. Any success stories of double issues and ago also welcomed!
thank you for reading xx