In Virto Fertilisation (IVF) is an advanced method opted by medical science to effectively deal with, resolve, address, and treat infertility contributing to happy parenthood.
This artificial pregnancy process comprises the fertilization of an egg outside the body in a laboratory setting and transferring the embryo inside a woman’s uterus.
For a better understanding, let’s glide across the hallway of steps followed during a IVF Procedure:
- Stimulation Of Ovary: As the first step in an IVF procedure, a woman first takes fertility medicine that vitalizes and stimulates ovaries [Ovulation Induction] to produce more than one mature egg.
- Follicuoar Aspiration: After the ovary releases multiple eggs, skilled professionals perform follicular aspiration to remove them from a woman’s ovaries.
- Insemination followed by fertilization process: After follicular aspiration, scientists fuse the extracted eggs with sperm in a lab dish. In some cases, they use an additional process called intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). With ICSI, a single sperm is injected directly into the matured egg.
- Embryo Culture: Fertilized eggs(embryos) are provided the environment to nurture and develop kept in an incubator with the most favorable conditions.
- Transfer of embryo to the uterus [Blastocyst transfer]: From the culture, the best embryos are picked and transferred inside the woman’s uterus using a thin catheter.
Given the high hopes that circulate along the completion of an IVF, failure is always a probability that must be unignored and blatantly discussed.
After 1st IVF failure when to try again?
If this is one’s query “How Many Failed IVF Cycle Is Normal in an IVF Program?“, one ought to know that generally, up to 3 failed IVF Cycle is normal in an IVF program, consecutive in nature.
This doesn’t signify that a couple wouldn’t be able to experience the bliss of conceiving. Let’s identify the reasons and causes behind the failure
Reasons For 3 Failed IVF Cycles
As mentioned in the above article clearly, up to 3 failed IVF cycles are normal in an IVF program and the reasons may be as follows:
- Age factor: Age is a crucial factor that determines the chances and rates of fertility, whether naturally or through procedures like IVF. This is due to women at advanced maternal age having low-quality eggs along with low egg count. Women over 35 often have a lower ovarian reserve. This may suggest a sharp decrement in healthy embryo development.
- Quality of the sperm: In males, sperm quality plays in vital role in fertility. The low sperm count could alter fertilization and healthy embryo development.
- Ovarian Reserve: A reduced ovarian reserve along the age in women affects the number and quality of eggs retrieved for an IVF procedure. Diminished levels of anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) and/or Antral follicle count (AFC).
- Genes: Science and biology is unique! The genetic imbalances, mutations in the DNA along chromosomal abnormalities strikingly reveal IVF failures. The genetic material might impact embryo development and alter the implantation process.
- Lifestyle and Stress: Even after a successful IVF process, lifestyle ways like smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, improper dietary practices, unstable mindset, chronic stress, anxiety, and depression might negatively impact the IVF.
- Uterine Abnormalities: Any pre-existing abnormality or uterine problems such as the growth of polyps, tissues, fibroids, and glands might unfavorably alter the IVF process. In accordance, hormonal uterine abnormalities such as PCOS, quality of egg, and size of uterus, hold the power to cause an uncessful IVF.
Symptoms Of IVF Failure
While the reasons for IVF successful IVF are narrowed down to, wide areas, symptoms are easy to track down and monitor. One should consider speeding to a doctor if these symptoms emerge:
- Cramping, bleeding
- Lessening of usual pregnancy symptoms such as nausea or breast tenderness
What Actions Follow After 3 Failed IVF Cycles?
3 failed IVF cycles what next? can be the hopeful question. Your legal health counselor, doctor, or expert will follow up and review reproductive health such as the quality of eggs, sperm, embryos, uterine functioning, and other co-related aspects as the immediate move.
After a mere examination, tests such as hormonal assessments, genetic testing, and uterus tests print precise reports.
Doctors implement new procedures with changes to medication protocols to increase the chances of success in the next IVF cycle.. What follows next is monitoring throughout all these processes!
Exploring Options After 3 Failed IVF Cycles
Getting disheartened is natural and while these feelings hijack a couple’s rational decision-making there are steps to look forward to:
- Determining the cause of failure
- Discussing other available and suitable options as per health and reports
- Taking a break from trying to conceive
- Emotional support lending
- ART with donor eggs or sperm
- Experiencing parenthood through adoption
IVF success doesn’t just rely on the treatment but needs established pillars in many aspects like lifestyle changes. Likewise, staying a healthy BMI, avoiding smoking and alcohol, and additional treatments contribute to genetically healthy embryos.
Moving On: Support For Couples After Failed IVF
Above all, failure after failure, especially after 3 consecutive efforts could invite severe emotional distress, often led by hopelessness. However, there is always a way out of the dark tunnel.
We highly recommend counseling services for couples. At Pacific IVF, we care about your mental well-being. Through a joint effort, it is always possible to figure out alternative ways of parenthood even after multiple IVF failures.
With guidance and a break, our professional medical counselors help you prepare for the next IVF session, emotionally, mentally, and physically.
