Potential Trigger but need advise please

[Lelo3479]

Hi, hope you are as well as can be for you! X

So we had our egg collection yesterday and were very gratefully surprised that they collected 17 eggs (I'm 40yo, 1st attempt at IVF).

This morning even better news, all 17 were mature and using ICSI 15 FERTILISED, so so so so pleased!

The clinic is so pleased with this and the odds that they'll now leave them until Monday morning which is our transfer day. They'll only call if it's bad news on the Monday morning.

I spoke with an Embryologist and I'm very reassured, but me being me I asked about checking tomorrow anyway so if needed I could have any hanging on by a thread transferred instead of none on Monday afternoon. They said its not usual but they could speak with the team (very kind of them) but the odds are so good that not disturbing them at all is the best way. Using my brain I've agreed to leave them until Monday.

But I'm still wondering what if they drop off overnight.... Has anyone else had such good odds and all fail? Thanks in advance x

[Hidden]

Hope you get some replies to your post The numbers are looking great - well done you Also just wanted to wish you good luck with the rest of your treatment

Take care

Janet-Partner

[Lelo3479 in reply to Hidden]

Hi Janet, thank you x

[Millbanks]

Hi lovely,

Those are some great numbers!

I just wanted to prepare you though that the usual drop off rate for eggs / embryos is quite a lot. For context I had the following numbers:

18 eggs collected / 18 fertilised / 4 embryos (aged 36)

6 eggs collected / 6 fertilised / 2 embryos (aged 37)

14 eggs collected / 12 fertilised / 8 embryos (age 37) - this was very unusual!!

14 eggs collected / 12 fertlised / 3 embryos (age 38)

I was really shocked after my initial egg collection because I was expecting so many more as we had so many eggs, but I was reassured that this was a very normal rate.

I've seen it go both ways - with those numbers it's unlikely that you won't get at least 1 embryo but it can happen. Its best to go in with low expectations and anything else is a bonus xx

[Lelo3479 in reply to Millbanks]

Hi Millbanks, that is so helpful thank you! My partner and I have said even if we have 20% of embryo's, 3 on Monday, that would be great. I just can't bare the idea we won't have any 😕. But definitely best to prepare myself.

I know they're professionals, but I'd think if any that aren't doing well day 2-3 could survive if inside, I'd want them put in and then on day 5 any left that are doing great, freeze them 😅. But I'm not an Embryologist lol.

4 rounds, you have really been through it! Have you had the wait without checking and news for 4 days? How'd you cope? Lol, god knows I'll be terrible on the 2WW! Have you had any stick? Sorry you don't have to answer if you don't want to, xx

[Millbanks in reply to Lelo3479]

In IVF there are so many "waits" and they are all awful - 😂

I know some clinics will do a 3 day transfer but I think often if they don't think they are developing well at day 3 then there's little point transferring them as they may not survive, and if they are growing well then they would always prefer them to be blastocycts and grow to day 5 or 6.

My clinic always gave me a day 1 fertilisation rate, a day 3 update then a final update of how many were frozen on day 5 (and sometimes 6 too).

Haha yep! I've been through most things in IVF!! Any questions shoot them my way.

We were very lucky to have our 6th transfer stick and have a 2.5 year old angel boy from it - sometimes I can't believe what a miracle he is! xxx

[Lelo3479 in reply to Millbanks]

Awww that is amazing news! Congratulations xx

Ours do day 2-3 if you don't have many fertilised and they're not developing well, which really reassured me. I really didn't expect to be told to wait with no checks and no news is good news for 4 days lol, I'm terrible waiting at the best of times!

Thank you for your offer of questions that is very kind of you xx

[Millbanks in reply to Lelo3479]

Thank you ❤️ It was a mission I tell you! But we were so lucky to get there in the end.

The waiting is so hard, but once it's over you'll be like - wow that was only 4 days - such a drop in the ocean in the grand scheme of things. Try to keep busy and stay grounded. Don't dream of loads of embryos or no embryos - just accept that what will be will be - there is absolutely nothing you can do about it at this stage, but you can learn from it if you need to xx

[Lelo3479 in reply to Millbanks]

Awww that is such wise sound advice thank you ❤️ xx

[Boo718]

I agree with Millbanks . It can honestly go either way. I’ve seen people with 4 eggs only one fertilised and that one made it. I’ve also seen 23 eggs 20 fertilised and none make it. It’s such a tough journey. Best to go in with low expectations. Then anything more is a bonus. I would suggest if you do get a good few, genetically testing them if you can. Save the heartache of transferring abnormal embryos xxx we’ve been on this journey for a while happy to help if you have any questions xxx

[Lelo3479 in reply to Boo718]

Hi Boo718, Thank you. I did think about genetic testing, but have my heart set on a fresh transfer and any more frozen if we're lucky. If this fresh doesn't stick/develop to term, I'll discuss it with my partner xx

[Alexie07 in reply to Lelo3479]

I’m 40 and recently been through three rounds. FET each time and 2 chemical pregnancies from them so my next round they’ll be testing as I’ve just waited 2 months for a chemical pregnancy to pass. You do lose time with the miscarriages.

[Football61]

Hi. Massive congrats on your numbers - they’re fantastic. I’m afraid I don’t have a positive story, but I just wanted to explain my reasoning. I carried out two IVF cycles last year with my own eggs, when I was 44. In my first cycle, they retrieved 16 eggs. 14 were mature and 13 fertilised. The embryologists said that they were confident that I would have a good handful of blastocysts to send for PGT-A testing on Day 5. I asked for an update on Day 3 - they said this wasn’t the norm, but they were happy to do it in order to ease my anxiety. On Day 3, they called to tell me that of the 13 embryos, only 3 were left in the game. To say I was shocked (and devastated) would be an understatement. I had such high hopes after my egg collection. By Day 5, I’m sorry to say that only one had made it.

I really, really don’t want to put a downer on your fantastic news (and keep in mind that I was 4 years older than you). The only reason I’m imparting my story is because I literally think I would have collapsed from shock if I hadn’t received an update on Day 3 - and had simply discovered on Day 5 that my embryos had reduced from 13 to 1. Although the news on Day 3 was very upsetting, it helped to soften the blow and set expectations.

I’m not sure that they need to ‘disturb’ the embryos on Day 3 in order to check how they’re doing? I can’t remember the technical term, but aren’t they observing them through a screen, etc?

Wishing you the very best of luck xxx

[Lelo3479 in reply to Football61]

Hi Football61, thank you for sharing, and sorry to hear you're journey hasn't been positive.

My fear is hearing all don't make it to day 5, yet early transfer could help them, day 1 seems so early to decide some will make it.

I think they have to remove them from the incubator and use a microscope to view them.

I hope you are OK, best wishes xx

[Football61]

Thanks, much appreciated. I’ve moved over to egg donation now, so all good! Have just looked it up, and my clinic used ‘EmbryoScope’ and time-lapse imaging to monitor the embryos - so that they didn’t have to remove them from the incubator. Have they said that they definitely don’t do that? x

[Lelo3479 in reply to Football61]

Oh well done, so thoughtful of you ❤️. Yes they have it, but you have to book it in advance and it costs nearly £1000! My partner and I discussed it but they don't let you watch the videos remotely and only get a video of the one they implant after the implantation so I didn't think it was worth it. Wish we had now lol xx

[K_LNB]

I had 24 mature eggs, all fertilised and eventually ended up with 1 embryo. The rest all ‘failed’ somewhere between day 3 and 5. However I should say that even the clinic themselves were astonished and considered ours to be an exceptional case. At the time my partner was taking medication for ADHD which is essentially the same stuff as recreational speed! Even though we researched it all with the clinic and found no evidence to suggest links with infertility, once he stopped taking it we got pregnant naturally. Anecdotally on the other hand, most of my friends have had numbers like yours and had something like 3-8 embryos at the end of it. So I case it’s a case of cautious optimism! I’ve got my fingers crossed for you and wishing you all the best!

[Catlover89]

That is amazing news! You must be thrilled with that. When I had my EC, I had 27 eggs. They called the next day to say 18 were mature and 10 actually fertilised, so although it’s still great I was also still surprised how quickly it drops! They also did ICSI for us. They called me then on day 3 which they said was normal practice, and by then I still had 10 embryos, and then by day 5 it had dropped down to 7, so I was made up with that but obviously just shows how things can change along the way, so I’m not sure I could have handled not knowing what was happening mid way through, and it also prepares you for the final number. I mean it sounds like you have great odds which is reassuring for you, but at the same time it’s so hard because literally anything could happen. I ended up having them all frozen as i developed mild OHSS, and just had my first FET last week! On the dreaded 2WW…I wish you all the best with it all and keeping my fingers crossed for you x

[Twiglet2]

I always ask for a day 3 update, my clinic check then on day 3 anyway to see if they need to change to a day 3 transfer or not. If not they don’t normally phone with an update unless you’ve asked for one. I would defo ask for day 3 update it always helps me prepare better for day 5. It also gives an idea of when drop off happens or straight away or after day 3, which can help then understand maybe why! and last time I was offered a day 3 transfer if I wanted as only 2 were going well. I waited until day 5 though as I would rather see if they were gonna make it that far than wait 2 weeks for a negative test! Ended up with one transferred and one in the freezer that round, It’s all personal preference though xx

[Vix12345]

Your initial numbers are brilliant. A lot depends on the quality of the eggs/sperm. It doesn't have to be huge drops. We collected 11 eggs, all were nature and all fertilised with icsi and we ended up with 7 blasts. So the drop can be dramatic, but it doesn't have to be, it really is individual and no one can predict it. I wish you all the best.