natural frozen embryo transfer guidelines please 🙏

[Nabsal]

I all , I just received call from clinic and doctor suggested me to do natural transfer as my cycle is very regular please guide me is it good and what I can expect from it. Also they saying they will put my day 3 embryo in lab to reach day 5 and then transfer please guide I am very confused. My first cycle with icsi already failed. So really upset. Please guide me.

[Londonlady2024]

Hi, because you have one embryo your clinic should transfer your day 3 embryo once thawed. Culturing to day 5 is risky because you may lose your embryo. Normally there is about 50% drop off day 3 to day 5.

[Nabsal in reply to Londonlady2024]

Shall I ask them to transfer as day 3 then to put in lab for day 5

[Nabsal in reply to Londonlady2024]

also they are saying to do natural transfer not the medication one

[Londonlady2024 in reply to Nabsal]

My cycles were regular but I was given hrt medicated cycle (frozen) and alhamdulillah it worked x

[Nabsal in reply to Londonlady2024]

Was it medicated

[Londonlady2024 in reply to Nabsal]

HRT medicated cycle

[Nabsal in reply to Londonlady2024]

Mean of HRT mean it is medicated one and not natural one

[Londonlady2024 in reply to Nabsal]

Yes - HRT means hormone replacement therapy. It can easily be timed for transfer.

[Nabsal in reply to Londonlady2024]

So shall ask them to do that

[Londonlady2024 in reply to Nabsal]

It's your personal choice. Natural cycle successful for many but relies on your cycle rather than taking medication to time the transfer

[Londonlady2024]

It's your personal choice, but I wouldn't be risking putting my one and only embryo to culture to day 5. However miracles can happen and biology isn't an exact science.

Why did your clinic freeze your embryo at day 3 and not culture to day 5 then freeze? If it was not good enough to freeze at 5 then that should indicate your answer. Hopefully they agree to a day 3 transfer. If they don't, make sure you insist.

Best wishes xx

[Nabsal in reply to Londonlady2024]

Have you done acupuncture as well before embryo transfer

[Londonlady2024]

I have not done acupuncture. Just healthy eating, vitamins/supplements and walking. No alcohol, no smoking and no coffee or tea (never, I only drink water).

[Nabsal in reply to Londonlady2024]

Which vitamins and supplements I am going to transfer soon please guide.

[Londonlady2024 in reply to Nabsal]

The ones mentioned in that book it starts with an egg, except dhea and melatonin.

[Nabsal in reply to Londonlady2024]

I have eaten same but confused for embryo transfer which multivitamin shall I eat .

[Londonlady2024 in reply to Nabsal]

Continue the same ones, if you find out you are pregnant after tww NHS recommends folic acid and vitamin d. But you can take pregnancy multivitamin once pregnant if you wish.

[CyclingAddict]

I've never heard of this happening. I think you need to ask them why they made the decision to freeze it at 3 days. I know if you're doing an NHS cycle, they don't work weekends, so you can be unlucky with timings if your egg collection is mid-week, so this is a possibility. I know it can be tricky to get a meeting with a consultant in the NHS, but I'd see if you can try and get one, and go with a list of questions X

[Nabsal in reply to CyclingAddict]

They are saying they put in lab again and see till day 5 also they are saying to do natural cycle for embryo transfer not medication one I really have no idea what is going on. Just depressed 😔 and panicking

[CyclingAddict in reply to Nabsal]

Don't be afraid to ask them about it. You have every right to know why they decided to make this decision. And don't be afraid to say that you disagree. It can be quite hard to assess an embryo's quality at day 3 and, really, the best place for an embryo to be is in a womb. I agree with everyone else it's a risk.

[Doodlebug23]

For me the one that worked was modified natural. So relying on my own cycle then a trigger shot and progesterone support. Good luck 🍀

[Nabsal in reply to Doodlebug23]

Oh yes exactly same my clinic is saying to do test every day and then trigger and then progesterone support after trigger is it right . Did you do the same

[Doodlebug23 in reply to Nabsal]

Yes exactly that! Got me my BFP so I say go for it! When you think about it your body is doing what it would naturally to get pregnant so makes sense. Got everything crossed for you 🤞🏼

I used ovulation strips till got darker and then clearblue with the smiley face to confirm.

[K_LNB]

I have regular cycles and had a natural cycle transfer. I had to use ovulation test sticks morning and evening to detect hormone surge (indicating ovulation) and then the clinic timed my transfer from there. In my case I had a day 5 blastocyst in the freezer so they waited until 5 days after my surge to thaw it and transfer. I was prescribed progesterone pessaries to use throughout.

[Nabsal in reply to K_LNB]

Yes but they saying they will trigger as well ovitrall is it right with you as well and pessaries I will start after trigger ??

[K_LNB in reply to Nabsal]

I could be wrong but I understood that a “natural cycle” transfer was without medication (other than the progesterone suppositories). I think you need to get some clarification from your clinic - it doesn’t sound like they’ve been very clear!

[Nabsal in reply to K_LNB]

Yes I have booked my appointment again before go for transfer. .

[Emilye92x]

I had a fresh ICSI transfer which was unsuccessful then a natural FET which resulted in our little baby boy!

I had to check when I was ovulating then when I hit peak I went in for a scan, then I was started on progesterone. 5 days later I had the transfer and that was that! Soooo much less stressful, I’ll be hoping to do it again when we decide to try for number 2

I can’t comment on the 3-5 day embryo information - maybe contact your clinic to get a bit more clarity and understand the risks.

Best of luck! X

[Emilye92x in reply to Emilye92x]

If you have any questions about the natural transfer please do ask - if you do decide to go ahead I would recommend the clear blue smiley face ovulation tests. They’re quite expensive but there’s no discrepancy at all about when you hit your peak!

[Nabsal in reply to Emilye92x]

Thank you for replying and explaining it . Also thank you for giving hope . Yes I will book again my appointment with them to clear why they putting my day 3 embryo again in lab ?? But thank you so much ☺️

[Twiglet2]

natural vs medicated is about the same odds of working if you have regular cycles and regularly ovulate fine. I’m not sure why they froze your embryo on day 3 to then cultivate it before transfer I would be asking a lot more questions around that. Did you not have a post on saying they weren’t freezing on day 3 as you had several still going at day 3 and they were waiting until day 5? What made them freeze this one in particular?

If you do all the prep for a medicated transfer (especially one with down regulation for a month before hand) and then the embryo isnt suitable for transfer on day 5 then that is a lot to put your body through for no transfer which is maybe why they have suggested natural FET? Defo ask some questions though especially why they can’t time for day 3 transfer xx

[Nabsal in reply to Twiglet2]

Thank you will definitely ask going to book my appointment today again!

[Twiglet2 in reply to Nabsal]

It might be that as you couldn’t have a fresh transfer they want a chance to transfer something even if it hasn’t yet gotten to blast stage and not they had left it to cultivate they couldn’t have frozen that bit they could transfer it had it been a fresh transfer so this way kind of mince that. That’s the only thing I can think of why they would maybe do it this way 🤗 best of luck to you!!

[Nabsal in reply to Twiglet2]

I totally don’t understand but clinic doctor was saying yesterday if it reaches to day 5 blastocyst stage and then transfer it would be greate . IA k ! It will reach but I still have some questions to ask from them ! Please pray for me it’s my second cycle with icsi 🙏

[Ukulele_unicorn36]

I’m in the middle of my first natural cycle with a frozen 5 day embryo transfer happening this Friday! It’s been the best thing not going through a medicated transfer as I feel like my body and hormones have been completely natural and I don’t have any side effects at all. The only problem is I’ve had a stinker of a cold the last while so feeling a bit run down due to this but generally I’m much better than a medicated one. I just took the Clearblue ovulation sticks till I hit LH peak and then the clinic booked me in! I will have progesterone support afterwards.

After 5 failed transfers, the best advice I can give you is ask the clinic questions. It’s not their fault, it’s their job but sometimes they forget that you are perhaps new to all this and that you may not fully understand. My clinic has a nurses line and an email address that you can contact if you need to and this has been really helpful to me. I haven’t used it a lot, but sometimes you can write info down or not fully understand so don’t be afraid just to double check with them.

Wishing you all the luck and dust 🍀✨

[Nabsal in reply to Ukulele_unicorn36]

Thank you so much 🙏 . All the very best of luck to you as well. 🤞.

[Aquaharmony]

I had a very positive experience with a natural FET transfer after my body wasn't responding well to attempts to do a medicated transfer and having to cancel. I had fully natural no trigger but at this point my gynecologist had done many scans on me at various stages of my cycle so was confident a trigger wasn't necessary. In terms of vitamins I kept it simple folic acid with vitamin D and iron with vitamin C. This was based on my previous deficiencys and I had been taking them for a long time ahead of the transfer. I think the minimum is 3 months that is recommended ahead of ivf for folic acid and vitamin D. I am very unusual as I did a day 1 freeze of two embryos and a day 3 transfer as they did a thaw and checked progress. I ended up with a BFP and twin pregnancy but sadly one stopped growing at around 5 weeks. The other is doing really well but it still early days. My research and the opinion of my Gynaecologist was once thawed the chances are higher the sooner you transfer the better. However, there are also good reasons why you might choose to wait. However, personally I wanted to just give my last two from my round the best chances possible so I asked for an earlier transfer date than was initially offered. Whatever you decide I wish you the best of luck. Also I recommend the clear blue early ovulation test as I struggled with the other ones but going that one to be really easy to use. 💜✨

[Nabsal in reply to Aquaharmony]

so you mean I can ask them to transfer day 3 just thaw my embryo and transfer don’t put in lab till day 5 ?

[Aquaharmony in reply to Nabsal]

You can ask them to transfer earlier. You may wish to factor in time to see how it does after the thaw. I waited 24 hours. Originally they wanted to wait 48 hours but in my case they didn't recommend waiting to Blastocyst. My chances of getting better quality embryos in the future were low though.

[Nabsal in reply to Aquaharmony]

So I will ask them too to wait 24 hours not more then that or will question to ivf consultant doctor wht is best to do ?

[Aquaharmony in reply to Nabsal]

I think you should discuss with the ivf consultant doctor what is the best option for you as they will be able to give you the right advice to help you make an informed decision. I was guided by my consultant in the decision I made and it was fully supported. When I asked to schedule the transfer a day earlier they were very encouraging. Everyones situation is different but it is important you have all the right information so you can make the right decision for you and understand your options. I hope your consultant can take time to go over your options with you and wish you the best with whatever you decide xxx

[Nabsal in reply to Aquaharmony]

🙏 thank you so much for explaining. And wishing very best 🤞safe journey

[Nabsal in reply to Aquaharmony]

Did you take optibac as well ?

[Aquaharmony in reply to Nabsal]

No I didn't so I am afraid I can't comment on it. Although I am sure others on here will have experience of it.

[Nabsal]

so you mean I can ask them to transfer day 3 just thaw my embryo and transfer don’t put in lab till day 5 ?

[Leef86]

Both my successful pregnancies are the result of FET natural modified, with 5 day embryos, although these were both frozen on day 5. I did ovulation tests morning and night and had scans to monitor that my body was gearing up to ovulate and then the clinic had me do a trigger injection to precisely time ovulation for transfer. I had 2 of these transfers and both worked, whereas my 3 x fresh transfers resulted in 1 miscarriage and 2 BFNs. I found the natural modified process to be great, I liked having less medicine to take and with my current pregnancy it allowed me to run treatment back to back from a failed fresh transfer to FET without needing a break.

I did receive acupuncture as part of both successful cycles, I saw my acupuncturist the in the morning before my transfer and then again in the evening after transfer, and then again the following week while I was waiting to test (as well as weekly in the lead up to transfer). I'll never know if it really made the difference but my clinic said they've seen some encouraging results from patients that do have it and it's just a nice bit of peace and calm on what is a fairly hectic/full on day. So I'd say if you enjoy acupuncture and it helps you de-stress it certainly won't do any harm.

Agree with contacting the nurses line if you have one to get answers to all the things you aren't sure about, our nurses were great and very responsive, I always had my questions answered and was referred on to consultants quickly when they couldn't answer. And definitely worth asking why they want to thaw and culture your current embryo rather than just transferring as a day 3.

[Nabsal in reply to Leef86]

Thank you so much for explain me 🙏