3rd round failed end of journey?

[Apricottree]

Just heard that none of our fertilised eggs have made it on our 3rd round put of 9 collected. The other rounds we at had 1 then 2 good enough to transfer. Im 38 and have endometriosis and wonder why this time we've ended up with no chances. Is it worth trying again or have my eggs just deteriorated even further. Maybe this has saved me the suffering of building up for an unsuccessful transfer but struggling to accept its the end of our journey without another attempt at implantation.

[Endofitall]

I’m so sorry. I can only imagine the awful pain you feel today hearing this.

Was there any change in stim protocol etc that might explain the result this time? Did you use ICSI? Has your partner’s sperm been thoroughly check out (ie getting 9 eggs is pretty good with endo) so I wouldn’t assume it’s just down to egg quality.

Sending hugs. I hope you can have a good discussion with the team and even a second opinion or two before deciding on next steps. But for now look after yourself. X

[Apricottree in reply to Endofitall]

Thank you! Partners sperm looked normal apparently but we haven't had dna fragmentation test an don't know of any others? We did icsi and no change in protocol. It was short protocol. Thanks

[Endofitall in reply to Apricottree]

A sperm dna fragmentation test is a good starting point. My husband’s sperm was always “perfect” “super sperm” etc on semen analysis according to fertility clinic but there was stuff to work on from the dna fragmentation test.

[Apricottree in reply to Endofitall]

Oh really, that's so interesting. What did they recommend you work on from that?

[Endofitall in reply to Apricottree]

They found that by reducing the abstinence period, because sperm were sat around for less time, the dna fragmentation went down (improved). So he now is advised to have 24 hr abstinence before treatment sample rather than the standard 3-5 in many clinics. And to keep busy in the lead up 😂sounds fun but he says it’s hard work after a while 😂. His oxidative stress levels on the semen sample (another test) was good (low) so he wasn’t advised any other changes. However I know others were particular supplements are advised and/or cleaner lifestyle (my DH has already done all this) and others where it’s lead to varicocele treatment. Have you heard about Toby Trice’s story?

[Apricottree in reply to Endofitall]

So sorry I'm just catching up on these. Started a new job and been so worn out. Thank you so much for the info, no I haven't heard of Toby Trice?

[Kitkat10]

yes worth trying again, each cycle can be very different without much reason. I had 9,7 and 3 eggs collected from 3 different cycles. The last one worked 🤷🏻‍♀️ even though it seemed to be the least successful numbers wise.

Are you long or short protocol?

I hope you have chance to get some information/ answers from your follow up consultation. There might be some medication changes they can suggest? Xx

[Apricottree in reply to Kitkat10]

They've use the same medication each egg collection. I'm on short for EC and not quite sure what long would entail and how it benefits? Then I have had long for FET with 1 month suppression. Sperm was normal apparently but haven't looked into dna fragmentation but would there be anything we can do about that?

[soccerkt6 in reply to Apricottree]

Just to jump in here - yes, there is absolutely stuff that can be done to help with dna fragmentation. We also had three failed cycles (like you, our third cycle was devastating and resulted in no embryos by day 5). But after that we finally got serious about figuring out the cause of my husband’s dna frag and he ended up getting his (fairly small) varicocele embolised which - miraculously - allowed us to conceive naturally.

For some men, improving dna frag can be as simple as improving their diet and lifestyle and taking supplements. And for others it might take something like what my husband had to do. But you’ll never know if it’s even an issue unless your partner gets tested! I always say do the test - you won’t regret having the extra information xx

[Apricottree in reply to soccerkt6]

Thank you so much. Can i ask was sperm said to be normal until you went for that test? That's so heartwarming that you conceived naturally after all that you've been through xx

[soccerkt6 in reply to Apricottree]

Yeah, his sperm count and motility was always great. His morphology was often borderline low - around 2-3% and they normally want >4% - but every doctor we spoke to said that morphology was irrelevant and not to worry about it. In retrospect, it was our one and only clue that something was off and we should have done more investigations sooner. But hindsight is 20/20… 🤷🏻‍♀️

So yes, there can still be dna frag issues even if his semen analysis comes back perfect. The only way to know for sure is to do the dna frag test. xx

[Vassi]

Hi, I am in the same position today i just received that news and its just devastating isn't it, I'm sorry you are going through it too.My last two protocols have been long and it entails about 3 week of down regulation before you can start stims. The idea is to quieten the ovaries down so when you start stimming all follicles grow more evenly. In this respect it worked for me and we retrieved 15 eggs both times as oppsed to 8-11 on short protocol, however none made it to day 5 both times when I'd previously had between 1-3 blasts on short protocol. I personally don't like how ling it takes as it's taken me 4 months for two cycles when I don't have time on my side so I doubt I'll try that again. It's so hard to know what to do, but you are younger than me and have a much greater chance so please dont give up hope. Sometimes as unfortunate as it is, it's just a shitty round.

I wish you all the best and hope you find the strength to keep going.

[Apricottree in reply to Vassi]

Oh gosh youve just heard...so sorry to hear youve had this too 😔 Hope you have the space to absorb and process it a bit with some pampering and treats when you're ready. Here if you want to chat and thank you so much for sharing that info. It will be a good question for me to ask about long protocol again especially now im more informed. Sending love and best wishes to you xx

[Vassi in reply to Apricottree]

Thank you I hope you're doing okay and here if you need to chat too xx

[MD54999]

Hey im so sorry to hear your cycle was unsuccessful. It's a really draining and difficult journey. I had four rounds of IVF, and I've stage 4 endometriosis. I transferred two blasts last round (I only got two) and it was the only transfer that worked. I had 7 eggs collected. I had a laparoscopy after the second round and my clinic really tried to focus on improving my egg quality. Did you do down regulation before the round? I did 40 days on the pill to suppress the Endo and also took testosterone for 21 days before starting stims to help with egg quality and it seemed to make a difference. Also took coq10. Like you I did the short protocol. I would definitely ask your clinic if they can recommend any medication changes to improve outcomes/ quality. I hope you take some time out to recover and process everything, it's exhausting. Sending you lots of support and the best of luck with next steps xx

[Harlo86]

I'm so sorry but I just wanted to throw out their, check your partners folic acid. If low it can affect sperm health chromosomal abnormalities etc xx