Anonymous wrote:Sorry to clarify, this is for a third child. I did IVF the first time because I was anovulatory, did a FET the second time with a tested embryo, and have embryos left. But now I cycle pretty regularly on my own. Age 36.
In this case, I would probably do FET again unless finances are an issue or you just really don't want to (this is a totally legitimate reason, BTW). 31 y.o. eggs are likely higher quality than 36 y.o. eggs, and you have the added benefit of knowing that they are genetically typical. Spending 6mos - 1 yr trying at age 36 is really different than at age 32 or 33...even if your cycles are normal other things could have changed in the last 5 years.
If you really want to avoid ART, I would still recommend getting a complete work up (hormone levels etc) before spending a long time trying naturally. (And you can always keep trying during the interim.) As an example, when we first started seeing an RE, the only issue was MFI. But after a miscarriage from and IVF cycle, I developed uterine scarring that went undiagnosed for over a year and led to a lot of failures. I know this is a very specific example that's unlikely to apply to you, but 5 years is a long time over which other fertility-related factors might have changed.