Pgt-a testing of last embryo

[Vassi]

Hi again ladies, I'm in a bit of a dilemma with my clinic, this round I got two blasts, one was transferred fresh on Sunday and one good quality 4ab was frozen on day 6.

My instructions to the clinic were to call me with a day 6 update prior to biopsy or any pgta testing as we had 5 embryos still going at that stage. My thinking was as its always been, if I was to get 5 blasts I would have opted for testing but only one made to a good quality blastocyst on day 6 and i was going to take my chances if it was only one. Probably also because my specialist said I should stop trying with oe after this.

Long story short they called me on day 6 and told me they biopsied it (without my approval). Now they are giving me the option to opt out of finding out the result and transfer it, however my specialist will know the result. Seems kind of weird to me. How can he put me through a cycle if the result comes back abnormal?! Apparently it's within my legal rights though.

I've done lots of reading about embryos having the ability to self correct, and the fact the test is not 100% accurate giving false positives or negatives. I need some advice or rational thinking because my mind is all over the place as it is being in 2ww.

If you got this far thank you, sending love and luck to you all x

[Swimming87]

Firstly good luck with your transfer a d I hope the 2ww is not too stressful 🤗Weird they've biopsied without consent but I guess you had the original plan of biopsy them all so that may have counted as your consent to biopsy. Regardless, the point is now that if you decide not to know the outcome and transfer then you'll have the chance to see how your embryo may develop, it may have tested aneuploid (abnormal) BUT I assume your doctor wants to give you the chance to see it through a transfer in case it is a mosaic (so has a mixture of good and bad cells which often resolve themselve as development advances). On the flipside if you were to know the results and it's aneuploid/abnormal then your doctor won't be able to transfer (at least that's the case where I am in UK). Speak to your doctor and make sure that by choosing not to know you're giving yourself more chances. I hope it helps and totally understand the confusion and overwhelmed you're experiencing XX sending love 😘

[Vassi in reply to Swimming87]

Thank you for your message ❤️ Yes they have said if I find out the result and it's abnormal they can't transfer it but it's strange to me that they can if they know its abnormal, like they would potentially know if I'd miscarry or it would fail. The points you made make sense though, I will have a think about what to do next. Wishing you all the best xx

[Swimming87 in reply to Vassi]

Just wanted to clarify Each clinic uses a different company for PGT testing and so the reporting of mosaicism etc may differ. Do check with your clinic as everyone situation and protocols are different. I've just decided to test my only embryo I got from my last cycle as I don't want to undergo a very expensive FET if it's aneuploid. Take care xx

[Vassi in reply to Swimming87]

I will check with them, thank you for the advice and good luck with your little embryo xx

[fidgetmcgee]

Im sorry you’ve got this dilemma on your hands

Embryomans newsletter recently mentioned a study that found that all embryos are mosaic when all their genes are tested which really throws into doubt the whole pgta testing practice/industry for people without known genetic disorders they wish to screen for.

So if it were me I would opt to not know and transfer but I totally respect that wouldn’t be what is right for everyone. I think it’s a question of which risk you prefer as sadly heartbreak is possible either way.

Whatever you decide I wish you all the best and lots of luck and love

[Vassi in reply to fidgetmcgee]

Thank you for replying, I have never been sure about pgta testing it didnt sit right with me discarding the embryos we tried so hard to create. Theres no guarantees either way. Wishing you all the best on your journey xx

[Sarah770]

I would transfer without knowing the result. It seems to me that they would never transfer an embryo that stands absolutely no chance.

[Vassi in reply to Sarah770]

Thank you, I would think so too! Xx

[Sarah770]

good luck, I know this is very easy to say but do it and move on mentally to something else it is the best way to deal with it - your time will come!

[Vassi in reply to Sarah770]

Thank you ❤️ I am so very blessed with a beautiful son from a natural pregnancy, this journey has been to give him a sibling 🙏 sometimes I wish I hadn't started ivf and just kept on naturally. But hindsight. Not giving up hope just yet xx

[Sarah770 in reply to Vassi]

Be patient, you will get your baby’s do not worry. The more you transfer the more you get chances

[Darcy1996]

That is so hard and I am so sorry. I am going for PGTA testing, but we have not had good news from that, so for me, I would absolutely try a transfer now without but so so hard. Good luck with whatever you choose 💜

[Vassi in reply to Darcy1996]

Thank you, I was always uncertain about pgta so I never did it, but it's made my journey long (11 transfers) and age was not on my side. They always put it down to embryo quality but im not so sure, Later was diagnosed with high nk cells, thyroid, endometritis amongst a few other things.Not receiving good news from it would be devastating, im sorry. I had rounds where I got no blasts and it's crushing.

Its strange that this has happened on my last embryo, i feel like i do need to try it. I've read stories of women transferring 'abnormal' embryos and having a perfectly healthy baby so maybe the test is inconclusive.

I wish you all the best on your journey ❤️

[Darcy1996 in reply to Vassi]

And all the best to you, and peace with your decision x

[MontsJ]

Are you a member of the PGT-A Facebook group? Stories on there, along with the recent PGT post shared by @embryomanofficisl on Instagram/facebook make me now feel very wary of PGT-A. I’m 43, the drawer to transfer a genetically normal embryo is huge, the time saved is vital. But the drawer to not lose an embryo that could just work is also huge. If you are open to the possibility of a miscarriage - is are on your side? - then I would transfer. So difficult isn’t it…

Some thoughts

- Why would they biopsy and send off for PGT-A but not pass the cost on to you?

- or is your doctor doing that so they know for the future what your results are even if you don’t. Seems too good to be true?

- because the only other reasp I can think of is to allow the embryologists/those in training to practice the biopsy technique?

The fact they’ve biopsied and after this given you the option to test is highly unusual and I would want to understand why, and they have to be completely upfront and honest and their reasoning.

[Vassi in reply to MontsJ]

Hi MontsJ, I'm not on Facebook but have just followed embryomanofficial on instagram and very fascinating stuff there.

Time is not on my side I'm 43 going on 44 soon. I don't know if I can continue after this last embryo, mentally & financially drained. I've already suffered a miscarriage and a few chemicals and although I would absolutely be heartbroken if that was to happen again I know deep down I gave it my all and gave all my embryos a fighting chance.

In regards to the pgta, there was a basically a communication breakdown, they were supposed to call on day 6 and tell me how many of the 5 made it to blast before biopsying any of them. They called with my update that one had made it and they had already biopsied it. I told them they were supposed to call before they biopsied anything and the embryologist simply said she didn't get the message. Anyway, she said she will talk to my doctor and we will touch base the next day about our final decision to send the cells for processing. The next day I got a call saying the cells had already been processed and it was too late to stop it, so my option was to opt out of finding out the result so I could do a fet if i wished but my doctor will be sent the results. So frustrating! I guess this is their way of seeing if a potential abnormal embryo can be successful? Can't think of any other reasoning. Because of the error, they are not charging me for the biopsy, gee thanks, haha!

I hope you're doing ok, thanks for taking the time to reply and wishing you all the best xx