No blasts on day 5/6

[Anonymous]

Wondering if anyone has gone down this same path:

Healthy 38/39 yr old couple, sperm normal (even DNA tested normal), FSH is 6, AMH is 1.0. Done 4 retrievals. Total of 28 eggs. All fertilize and divide and make it to day 4 but only 1 turned into a blast/embryo. They literally degenerate around day 4/5 and making it to early or late morula. We did PGS and tested the 1 that made it and it tested abnormal on the 15th chromosome.

Anyone have a story of eggs not making it to day 5?

Thanks for any advice.

[Anonymous]

I'm having the same issue. So frustrating!! I'm 41 with a slightly lower AMH, but good FSH and I get a good # of eggs, usually 11-12. I've done 4 rounds and only 1 round had a lower # of eggs (5) when we tried a protocol other than EPP.

So far, only 1 blast (good quality) on day 6 and it didn't take. We also transferred 2 fresh morulas on day 5. After 2 rounds with nothing getting past day 4, we decided not to do PGS b/c of the risk to any blasts we do get.

It sucks. I've been on typical supplements for a year. I started DHEA and acupuncture prior to my last round and I'm doing 1 more, before going with a donor egg. I'm going to try to do a day 3 transfer this time (higher pregnancy rates, but not higher live birth rates, I know). My progesterone was too high on the last round to make a fresh transfer a good idea, so I had to freeze the 1 blast we got.

I'm of the "hang in there" school of thought, subject to your reasonable financial and emotional tolerance levels. It's definitely a process and for a lot of people it takes lots of tries. Good luck!!

[Anonymous]

Day 3 transfer! My RE will only do that for me after none of my embryos made it to day 5. Next cycle worked and DD is 1 years old. We are trying for #2 and we have 10 frozen day 3 embryos. There are some that believe the body is a better environment than the culture.

[Anonymous]

Same thing, AMH over 3. None made to full blast in 5 cycles (always retrieved 12-15 eggs). In 6th cycle 5 made to blast, all PGS abnormal. End of the road for own eggs...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Same thing, AMH over 3. None made to full blast in 5 cycles (always retrieved 12-15 eggs). In 6th cycle 5 made to blast, all PGS abnormal. End of the road for own eggs...

PP, also day 3 transfer didn't help. a couple times we even transferred 5 (five) day-3 embryos, and nada.

[Anonymous]

Question to those that transferred on day 3 - why are you willing to take a risk with untested, potentially chromosomally incompetent embryo? This is an honest question. How would you deal with such a pregnancy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Question to those that transferred on day 3 - why are you willing to take a risk with untested, potentially chromosomally incompetent embryo? This is an honest question. How would you deal with such a pregnancy?

omg they will deal with it like 99% of people who don't use IVF to get pregnant

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Question to those that transferred on day 3 - why are you willing to take a risk with untested, potentially chromosomally incompetent embryo? This is an honest question. How would you deal with such a pregnancy?

I have the same worry---if I could test the embryo then why not so I could have a little piece of mind. But this option is on the table now. The "myth" that some eggs dont do well in a petri dish is starting to seem true. We can not find another reason. Looking for you guys for some wise wise wisdom!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Question to those that transferred on day 3 - why are you willing to take a risk with untested, potentially chromosomally incompetent embryo? This is an honest question. How would you deal with such a pregnancy?

omg they will deal with it like 99% of people who don't use IVF to get pregnant

The questions is why are you willing to take a risk....those that can get pregnant without IVF clearly have been able to get pregnant with less trouble. If we are going to make egg meet sperm then why wouldnt we want to test the embryo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Question to those that transferred on day 3 - why are you willing to take a risk with untested, potentially chromosomally incompetent embryo? This is an honest question. How would you deal with such a pregnancy?

omg they will deal with it like 99% of people who don't use IVF to get pregnant

The questions is why are you willing to take a risk....those that can get pregnant without IVF clearly have been able to get pregnant with less trouble. If we are going to make egg meet sperm then why wouldnt we want to test the embryo.

Because they won't make it to day 5. We have no other choice but to take the chance and do the NIPT at 10 weeks. And like PP said, it's basically the way it's always been done until the PGS train got rolling in very recent years.

[Anonymous]

Not all PGS tested embryos result in a live birth or are 100% normal (PGS tested normals can have small / undetectable with current methods, genetic defects). There are no guarantees in life. We’re all doing the best we can to win with our own personal odds. I would take the risk. Wishing you the best.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Question to those that transferred on day 3 - why are you willing to take a risk with untested, potentially chromosomally incompetent embryo? This is an honest question. How would you deal with such a pregnancy?

omg they will deal with it like 99% of people who don't use IVF to get pregnant

The questions is why are you willing to take a risk....those that can get pregnant without IVF clearly have been able to get pregnant with less trouble. If we are going to make egg meet sperm then why wouldnt we want to test the embryo.

because the embryos are not making it, it's and extra cost and not even 100% accurate either way

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Question to those that transferred on day 3 - why are you willing to take a risk with untested, potentially chromosomally incompetent embryo? This is an honest question. How would you deal with such a pregnancy?

omg they will deal with it like 99% of people who don't use IVF to get pregnant

The questions is why are you willing to take a risk....those that can get pregnant without IVF clearly have been able to get pregnant with less trouble. If we are going to make egg meet sperm then why wouldnt we want to test the embryo.

because the embryos are not making it, it's and extra cost and not even 100% accurate either way

NP - and because, for me, it was either not getting pregnant at all (no blasts) or getting pregnant and taking on the risk.

[Anonymous]

FWIW I did a fresh cycle 2 years ago and did not do PGS and was successful. You'll never know. It's all a gamble.

[Anonymous]

I don't think we should scare people about transferring a 3 day embryo. Plenty of people get pregnant without IVF/FET and we have no idea whether those natural pregnancies were started with embryos who might not have made it to 5 days in a petri dish. I certainly would go for a 3 day transfer if this were my situation. Wishing you ladies the best of luck.