From 17...to 1. Pls send baby dust & success stories!

[Darcy1996]

Hi all - 2nd IVF round hope-seeker here!

I was so thrilled to have 17 eggs this round > 12 were mature > 6 fertilized and were looking strong at day 3.

By day 5 (yesterday) of those 6, we had just 2 reach blastocyst and looking strong and hatching, 1 possible but unlikely and the balance not playing ball or degenerating already.

Today (Monday), day 6, we still have the 1 possible-but-unlikely, and 1 blastocyst that they were able to biopsy this morning for the PGT-A testing, graded a 5AA. It's been frozen now, whilst we have the next excruciating wait 😆 for the 10 day turnaround for the PGT-A testing, and also to see if the slow one catches up.

Last round we collected/achieved 10 eggs, but did not get any that were strong enough to be biopsied at all, so I’m glad the longer stims & change of protocol has given a blastocyst that’s developed enough to test this time.

I knew from our first round and lots of you 40+ here sharing experiences, that the drop-off rates would be a lot but my goodness I was not ready for each stab of the knife 🔪 at each stage.

I also know we are very lucky to be able to self-fund (thank you Gaia!) and be having IVF at all, and I will take just one 5AA embryo, just pleeease get through testing 🤞🏻. I know 1 🥚 is all it takes..although I am now petrified re it getting through PGTA testing at all.

Does anyone here have a story to buoy me up of success with their one and only?

And if you have read this far, thank you🙏💜

[Kate-92]

Hello, I had similar numbers to you... 17 eggs collected (16 mature) so we expected a nice little number of blastocysts to transfer / bank BUT we ended up with just 2 fortunately graded 4AA which we were ever so thankful for after the drop's at all of the stages - I would have been happy with 1! (We didn't have PGT) & i am currently 31 wks pregnant. A friend of mine had over 30 eggs collected & ended up with just 1 blastocyst, her little girl is 18 months old. wishing you lots of luck x

[Darcy1996 in reply to Kate-92]

Oh my goodness Kate-92 thank you for sharing and congratulations on your pregnancy! 🤰🏻💜 I was so thrilled with 17 eggs but my goodness the slow growing eggs have messed with my head! I’m trying to hold onto “it just takes 1”…how did you stay sane? X

[Kate-92 in reply to Darcy1996]

I found it very difficult I’ll be honest and I didn’t have the additional testing thrown into the mix ! My friend who had had 30 eggs collected did warn me, but nothing can warn you for how it feels seeing those numbers decline. Just to add I am 38 too, hubby is 45 x how long does it take for testing results to come back ? x

[Kate-92 in reply to Kate-92]

I just read 10 days ! 😬 I was bad waiting for 5 for our NIPT results x fingers crossed all is well 🤞🏼🙏🏼 x

[Darcy1996 in reply to Kate-92]

It just feels so out of my control…as in, no amount of supplements or stopping caffeine can help that embryo now so I have to hope we’ve done enough 😬😬

[Kate-92 in reply to Darcy1996]

The waiting is the worst - Because your right at this stage its out of your hands. I feel like the whole IVF process is to some degree... try to keep yourself as busy as possible and i really hope that it brings you good news x

[Darcy1996 in reply to Kate-92]

Thank you…I’ve never listened to so many podcasts!!

[Nakijo in reply to Kate-92]

Congrats, how old were you when you did this collection? And did you take any supplements and added HGH during Stims?

[Kate-92 in reply to Nakijo]

38 when I did the collection at the beginning of November last year. I am 39 next month. The only supplements I took were folic acid in folate form, vit D & vit B6 & B12. (I still take folic acid, vit d & omega 3) Cut out drinking about a month before and ate a balanced diet. My protocol was 225 meriofert for 5 days, then on top of that introducing fyremadel in the evening for 5 days - my trigger was gonasi. I have a high AMH for my age as I wasn’t actually ovulating which is why we couldn’t get pregnant and needed the IVF. We did have a high abnormal fertilisation rate where more than one sperm got into the egg - they did say if we had to go through collection again they would perform ICSI x thank you for the congrats, where are you up too with your journey ?

[Nakijo in reply to Kate-92]

Thansk for the response. I have decided to take a break for 3 months and then return to IVF when I am 41

[Kate-92 in reply to Nakijo]

You do what’s best for you, only you know your body & your well-being both mentally & emotionally 🤍 wishing you all the best x

[neonpg]

I've got everything crossed for you! No success story personally but just wanted to say that I too have faced that brutal drop off. In two rounds of IVF I've had 25 eggs collected, of which 20 fertilised. And guess how many blasts I got out of those 20 embryos? Two.

Anyway enough about me, a 4aa is amazing and if it's euploid it should hopefully give you a good chance of success!

[Darcy1996 in reply to neonpg]

It’s just so hard isn’t it…and I thought I was prepared 🙈

[Darcy1996 in reply to neonpg]

And thank you so much 💜

[BlahBlah55]

I had my egg collection last month and only managed to get one egg collected!! Incredibly, it made it to a 4AB blast. I didn’t do PGTA but did a fresh transfer 2 weeks ago and got my BFP last week, so currently in very early stages of pregnancy from that one egg.

So the cliche “it only takes one” couldn’t be more true for me.

Good luck to you, keep us posted 🤞

[Darcy1996 in reply to BlahBlah55]

Oh BlahBlah55 congratulations!!

[Systema23]

I had my 2nd egg collection at 40 yo. Only got 8 and only one grade 3BB made it to blastocyst and was PGT tested.

I am currently 32 weeks pregnant with that ‘it only takes one’.

Sending you lots of baby dust xxx

[Darcy1996 in reply to Systema23]

Oh how gorgeous, thank you Systema23 and enormous congratulations! This was my 2nd round too…and we haven’t got to PGT testing before. How did you cope with the waiting for test results, I’m a day in and already stir crazy 🤣

[Systema23 in reply to Darcy1996]

Tbh I focused on 2 things. Making time for friends and heading back to the gym after retrieval.

I didn’t expect it to work, so I was just waiting for confirmation that the embryo was aneuploid and they wouldn’t transfer it and when they said it was good, I figured it wouldn’t implant since the previous one hadn’t worked and that was a better graded embryo.

Throughout that round it was more about acceptance of the fact I had done everything I could but couldn’t get to be a mum, rather than hoping that I would be. In fact until I could feel regular kicks I remained anxious and expected to miscarry.

A rather pessimistic view of it, but the clinic had been so negative I needed to prepare myself for the worst. Xx

[Darcy1996 in reply to Systema23]

I always it’s better to be proven wrong & pleasantly surprised than have all hopes dashed…but I think I live in a mix of realistic hopeful pessimism 🙈

[Nakijo in reply to Systema23]

Congrats dear. Did you take a break between collections? And how long was the break if you did?

[Systema23 in reply to Nakijo]

Yes I did. The break was about 9 months. Gave me a chance to adapt to changes in diet, exercise and supplements and give them time to take effect.

[Spicycurry]

That was a good amount of eggs. As far as I am aware, from day 1-3, it’s to do with egg quality but after that it’s no longer to do with egg quality. Has your partner had a semen analysis done recently? I know it’s a stressful time.

[Darcy1996 in reply to Spicycurry]

Thank you I didn’t know that split…we have had good numbers for my age at day 3 and even 5, then they slow down, stop or degenerate. We know my partner has low morphology at 1 % hence the ICSI & PICSI but I can never help wondering if there’s more abs the guys get a bit overlooked…

[Spicycurry in reply to Darcy1996]

Hi. My husband also had low morphology which he increased to 4% with diet, lowering caffeine, lycopene, supplements from It Starts with the egg. Also wheatgrass. We did IMSI instead of ICSI. It was better.

[Darcy1996 in reply to Spicycurry]

Oh I hadn’t heard of IMSI, thank you!

[Memacha]

on my second round of ivf, I got 10 eggs but the next day I got a call telling me to prepare for no transfer. On transfer day they said to come in as one had been slowly progressing but was still too underdeveloped by day 5 to grade. They transferred and no one was really holding much hope, I think they just transferred it cos there was nothing else. He’s now 20 months and cute as can be! I never believed the line it only takes one until it happened to me! Good luck

[Darcy1996 in reply to Memacha]

Oh my goodness you must have been on the edge of your seat for that will they/won’t they transfer!

[HollyT7]

24 follicles, 16 collected, 9 mature, 3 fertilised.…chemical with the first and two boys with the second and third. You can be just as lucky with the one!! The dwindle of the numbers are a proper stab at the heart and it’s so hard to keep in mind that it only takes one…but it’s a very real possibility!!! Xx

[Darcy1996 in reply to HollyT7]

Thank you Holly! I found the hardest call yesterdays, when they said “we are at day 7, so those that haven’t developed we need to remove from the substance now”…it felt like killing off opportunities (even tho I know they were slow growing and not viable really.

Congratulations on the 2 boys 💜

[HollyT7 in reply to Darcy1996]

It’s so hard isn’t it. You can’t wait for the phone to ring so you know but at the same time you don’t want to answer. I think that some of the most heart hurting calls are following collection. The baby that is meant for you will be on its way the way the universe intends. One day closer regardless ok? I’m rooting for you!! ❤️🍍xx

[Darcy1996 in reply to HollyT7]

You’re super kind, thank you so very much 🌈💜