Is it possible w/only a few eggs?

[Anonymous]

I will trigger tonight or tomorrow. Re said I will likely have only 4, 5, or 6 eggs at retrieval. I am losing hope. Do you have any experience with success given those numbers at retrieval?

[Anonymous]

It only takes one. Hopefully you'll have something to transfer, although you may not have any to freeze.

4-6 sounds good for having 1-2 fertilize and make it to 3 or 5 days. Sometimes they find more during retrieval. Just keep your hopes up until proven otherwise.

[Anonymous]

OP, do not stress out about this. Try to relax. It only takes one and they think you may have 4, 5, or 6?!! That's awesome!

Trust me - there are many of us on this board that would have loved to have that many.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Also, keep in mind, they may find more eggs at retrieval. Throughout my first IVF, they told me 4-6 eggs. At retrieval, they retrieved 12 eggs, 10 of which fertilized. 6 made it to day 5.

[Anonymous]

We did shared donor DE, but our "share" was only 5 eggs. From that total, we had one 5-day blast to transfer and two more to freeze.

[Anonymous]

OP, I had some awful numbers with eggs. During one attempt they only got 3 and only one fertilized, but it stuck around. At another retrieval they found 3 more eggs than expected when I triggered, and I conceived then too.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

There is a lot more than number of eggs that contribute to a successful cycle. 4, 5 or 6 eggs at 40 is a lot different than the same number of eggs in your 20s. Try not to get hung up on quantity--it is about quality.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I never got many eggs (diminished ovarian reserve, diagnosed at age 31). Here are my 9 fresh cycles and their success (or failure). If you only make a few eggs, it may take longer to get pregnant via IVF, but it doesn't mean it is impossible. Remember, it only takes one!!! On two of my successful cycles, I only had 2 eggs fertilize!!

I have been pregnant 4 times. One pregnancy ended in stillbirth due to a car accident (i.e., there was nothing chromosomal wrong with the baby). Of these 4 successful cycles (and 5 failed cycles...all fresh cycles), I had 6, 6, 8, and 15 eggs.

Current pregnancy: 8 eggs, 3 mature, 2 fertilized, 2 3-day 7-cell and 8-cell transferred (AGE 34)

Stillbirth pregnancy: 15 eggs, 10 mature, 9 fertilized, 2 3-day 8-cell and 7-cell transferred, 2 5-day frozen (AGE 33)

2nd child: 6 eggs, 4 mature, 2 fertilized, 2 3-day 8-cell and 7-cell transferred. (AGE 32)

1st child: 6 eggs, 6 mature, 6 fertilized, 2 3-day 8-cell and 7-cell transferred transferred, 2 5-day frozen (AGE 29)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I never got many eggs (diminished ovarian reserve, diagnosed at age 31). Here are my 9 fresh cycles and their success (or failure). If you only make a few eggs, it may take longer to get pregnant via IVF, but it doesn't mean it is impossible. Remember, it only takes one!!! On two of my successful cycles, I only had 2 eggs fertilize!!

I have been pregnant 4 times. One pregnancy ended in stillbirth due to a car accident (i.e., there was nothing chromosomal wrong with the baby). Of these 4 successful cycles (and 5 failed cycles...all fresh cycles), I had 6, 6, 8, and 15 eggs.

Current pregnancy: 8 eggs, 3 mature, 2 fertilized, 2 3-day 7-cell and 8-cell transferred (AGE 34)

Stillbirth pregnancy: 15 eggs, 10 mature, 9 fertilized, 2 3-day 8-cell and 7-cell transferred, 2 5-day frozen (AGE 33)

2nd child: 6 eggs, 4 mature, 2 fertilized, 2 3-day 8-cell and 7-cell transferred. (AGE 32)

1st child: 6 eggs, 6 mature, 6 fertilized, 2 3-day 8-cell and 7-cell transferred transferred, 2 5-day frozen (AGE 29)

I'm so sorry for your loss PP. How did you manage to afford so many cycles? Did you do shared risk?

[Anonymous]

Yes! It's totally possible to get pregnant with only a few eggs.

My first round of IVF (2010) - 6 eggs retrieved, 5 fertilized, 2 made it to day five, transferred two and BFP. Singleton pregnancy. DD is now three years old.

My second round of IVF (2013) - 6 eggs retreived, all fertilized, three made it to day five, transferred two, froze one. Now have three month old twins and a frozen embryo for next time around (if we decide to try again).

Do NOT lose hope. Truly, you only need one good one to get pregnant.

[Anonymous]

Following this thread. To the PP poster with 3 month old twins and a 3 year old- why did you transfer 2 the second time? were you ok with twins? how hard is it having twins with a toddler? we are trying for #2 and plan to do single embryo transfers one at a time b/c we're afraid of having twins with a toddler - it seems hard enough to juggle newborn twins without any other children, let alone the second time around when you've only experienced a singleton and have a toddler at home. curious how it's going

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Following this thread. To the PP poster with 3 month old twins and a 3 year old- why did you transfer 2 the second time? were you ok with twins? how hard is it having twins with a toddler? we are trying for #2 and plan to do single embryo transfers one at a time b/c we're afraid of having twins with a toddler - it seems hard enough to juggle newborn twins without any other children, let alone the second time around when you've only experienced a singleton and have a toddler at home. curious how it's going

Hi PP,

We transferred two the second time because the quality of the blasts were not great (ACs) and I was older (40). Our doctor (Widra / SGFC) is actually very pro-SET, but felt that our chances were very slim for a pregnancy if we only transferred one because of the combination of blast quality and age. Interestingly, the embryo we froze on day 6 turned out to be an AA quality blast.

We didn't necessarily want twins, but realized the possibility of twins given that we were transferring two embryos. Our chances of pregnancy were something like 17% and of having twins something like 7%, so they were pretty low.

How is life with a toddler and baby twins? Well, it's getting easier as DH and I get our sea legs and as the twins emerge from the newborn phase, sleep a little longer at night, are starting to nap longer stretches in the daytime, and are more interactive. But yes, it's intense. It's absolutely doable, though.

I should note that DH and I don't have any help, hired or family. If you can afford a nanny PT at the beginning or a night nurse that would certainly make it easier going. I think the hardest part of having two babies is that it's nonstop - one baby naps but the other is awake, one diaper is changed but the other is dirty, etc. Add to that picture a wonderful but still very young three year old and it's a lot, even for two very engaged and devoted parents. I should note that our oldest is in pre K, though, so it's not all three of them at home with me at once. DH and I definitely tag team and we get it done, but it certainly takes both of us. We are outnumbered.

I will be going back to work in July so that will add a new wrinkle to this. I have to say overall that it's been an amazing and wonderful experience. Tough but wonderful.

[Anonymous]

^^PP here - and best wishes on your next round!

[Anonymous]

I never retrieved more than 6 eggs, always transferred three (generally nor great quality). First ivf resulted in a singleton who is now three. I went through 4 rounds for DC2, always having the same low responder results. (4 because none were good enough to freeze at day 5). DC2 is now 2.

Good luck!! It can happen with low numbers.

[Anonymous]

I had four possible eggs at retrieval, but only three turned out to be viable. All three fertilized and made it to day five, but since we were doing DNA testing, none of them were freezer ready so they continued to grow them to day six. I lost one on day six, but the other two made it to freezing and my perfect looking A level embryo came back a week later as being genetically completely messed up , while my only other B level embryo was genetically perfect. I did a FET cycle last July with my one and only embryo and I am due a week from this Saturday. As they say, it only takes one! Hang in there OP!