Day 5 call from embryologist

[cass1063]

hi all - had ten eggs fertilised with ICSI using partners sperm. Just had our day 5 call from the embryologist and she said that they weren’t developing how they’d like and were going to give it another day.

I actually didn’t really want to delve into how many are still about as I’m trying to manage my expectations (I’m 40 in two weeks).

This is our first time and I’m pretty gutted after the call.

Has anyone experienced the same with being told they’re waiting til day 6 due to poor development? I know a lot can happen in a day….

thanks so much!

[raverg]

I think that it’s still early in the day and some of them could turn into blastocysts throughout today, or tomorrow morning. So you could still get day 5 blastocysts and day 6 blastocysts are possible, I had one last cycle.

[cass1063 in reply to raverg]

I hope so! I’m just curious as to whether she would’ve told me if there were day 5s ready and they just wanted to give the others more time. Or if there are none that are developed enough at the moment. I guess I’ll know more tomorrow!

[raverg in reply to cass1063]

I think she would have, they have no reason to hold back information and especially good news. But as I said, it’s still early in the day and embryos can change a lot from the morning till the evening, even in their grading - an average blastocyst can become a great quality blastocyst by the evening. So fingers crossed that you get at least 1-2 by tomorrow 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

[neonpg]

Firstly, just want to send you all of the compassion. Waiting for day 5 has been without a doubt the hardest part of the process for me for all four of my IVF cycles.

In my case I did Day 5 fresh transfers, so I only found out when I arrived at the clinic how the embryos were doing. If I had anything still in culture they would ring me on Day 6 with an update on those.

While I've sadly never had a Day 6 blast to freeze, I've heard so many stories of people whose embryos have made it, and they've then gone on to have healthy pregnancies with those Day 6 blasts!

One thing I'll add is that 40 is definitely not too old and IVF can work for you. I'm hoping you'll get the outcome you wish for, but if not then I'm sure your treatment team will make some tweaks so get more success in your second round.

[PeppyMiller]

Hi,

It's all nerve wracking, especially the first time, isn't? On my current cycle I had 3 fertilised eggs with ICSI that weren't quite there on day 5 but one of them made it to day 6 with 4AA grading and is now frozen 😊 I'm always on the verge between realistic and hopeful, so I know how gutting your position is, but just know that it could happen and your little embryo could be blooming just now! x

[Anxiousintrovert]

just to give you some hope, all my day 5 embryos failed, but the day 6 one is now a healthy little girl.

[fidgetmcgee]

best of luck today. I really hope that you get good news.

I’ve just done my first cycle as well and didn’t get the results expected/hoped for. It is such a difficult process and the attrition rate from eggs is just so so brutal. I hope you can take good care and be kind to yourself , it’s all a lot to go through!

[Orttc]

Hello- the 5 day wait is just unbearable isn’t it. On my previous cycle we were told none were looking good on say 5 so they would keep them going over night and see how they looked on day 6. They didn’t sound that hopeful but then on day 6 they called back and said 4 were good enough to freeze (varying in quality from 5AB to 3BC). She said that there is good evidence now that day 6 embryos are no less successful than day 5 ones.

I really hope you get good news tomorrow! X

[2thFairy]

Hello Cass. Indeed a lot can happen in a day! Hang in there! We also had ICSI, 10 eggs retrieved and 8 fertilized with ICSI. On transfer day (Day 5) we only had two mature enough for transfer. They gave the other 6 another day and all 6 matured sufficiently overnight to freeze. There is hope xx

[cass1063]

thanks all, just had the call and there is one to freeze of average quality. The rest stopped developing around day 3/4. Very disappointed with the conversion rate but hoping there are some steps to take to make sure we’re in a better position next time… 💗

[Millbanks in reply to cass1063]

Hi lovely, I know it's really hard but that is actually a very normal conversion rate from egg to blastocyst. Try not to get too hung up on the quality because they will only freeze the ones that are good enough to transfer. Often the lower quality ones are the ones that stick!

Best of luck with your transfer xx

[fidgetmcgee in reply to cass1063]

So glad that you’ve got 1 to freeze but totally understand the disappointment- I was in the same boat. I hope this little fighter is the one Take good care and best of luck with the transfer when it happens!