Reasons for IVF Failure – With the advancement in technology and better care facilities, the success rate for IVF is at its highest. In spite of this, there are cases where IVF fails. All this results in deep pain for the couple who wishes to parent a child. A couple who choose IVF for the treatment of their infertility spend a lot of money, and years of their life devoted, and in the last nothing is achieved. In this situation they might feel cheated, scammed, and slighted. In this case, the couple has two areas for consideration at this point: the emotional response to the loss that needs to be processed and the medical choices that need to be made regarding the next steps in the fertility journey. Many women who have had a failed IVF cycle will be successful on a second or even a third cycle. Not all the issues that influence IVF success can be corrected, but some can be addressed to help make the next cycle more likely to result in pregnancy including:
For the success of IVF, the age of the female partner is very important. As the age of women advances, their eggs also get older. As the age advances, fewer eggs are produced and the quality of the eggs decreases. All this begins to happen when the women are in their thirties, and the decline accelerates when the age reaches 37. The chance that an IVF cycle using fresh non-donor eggs will result in a live birth is, on average, almost 32 percent for a 35-year-old woman, but only 12 percent for a 41 or 42-year-old woman.
Poor embryo quality is another reason for the failure of the IVF cycle. Due to genetics or chromosomal disorders, the embryos generally fail to implant and grow. Again, older eggs are more likely to result in poor embryo quality.
The ovaries respond to the fertility medications with the production of multiple eggs, which is critical to the chances of conceiving with IVF. In some cases, women do not produce multiple eggs because their ovaries have fewer numbers of eggs in reserve than expected.3
Take a break after this loss. It is important because it helps to cope with the loss. The whole process of the IVF cycle takes a long time and gives a huge emotional and physical toll on your body. Take a week off from everything so that you can take care of and nurture yourself. Use this time to eat your favorite food or listen to your favorite music or engage yourself in sports or activities which like most. It is also recommended to take emotional support from a good licensed counselor.
After expressing a long deep emotional pain, it is necessary to pick yourself up and plan a meeting with your fertility specialist or doctor. The fertility specialist will review all the details of your cycle begins with the results of your ovarian stimulation, any egg quality or quantity issues, and any embryo development or transfer issues.
Meeting with your fertility specialist gives you a chance to discuss any new type of information learned from the cycle to then proceed with a more informed treatment plan for the next cycle. However, the emotional impact is very much, the failed cycle may provide some important information to the physician about you, your embryos, and what might be changed for the future to help increase your chances of success.
After the first round of a failed IVF cycle, patients may blame themselves for the loss or the failure. The number one step in preparing emotionally for the second round of the IVF process is accepting that it’s not your fault. There is not always a scientific reason as to why your IVF cycle failed. Sometimes, these procedures are successful, and sometimes, they are not.
Keep in mind that you have gone through the IVF process once already. The most challenging part is letting go of your expectations because they may affect you emotionally. Once you begin the second round of IVF following a failed cycle, it is a good idea to remind yourself to stop asking so many questions about your follicle counts or egg quality.
After an IVF process failure, your doctor will let you know in detail what they’ve learned from the failed cycle. They would also inform you about how they intend to change things up for the next one. They may want to change your medications or your pre-stimming protocol. No matter what they suggest, just make sure that you’re making sound medical decisions on how you want to proceed.
It is imperative to take good care of yourself after a failed IVF cycle. Ensure that you get all you need to remain calm as you prepare for the next round. Find healthy ways to cope with your stress levels and anticipation as you mentally prepare yourself for the upcoming cycle. All in all, no matter how disheartening a failed IVF cycle may be, there is still hope! It is essential to find healthy ways to cope with an unsuccessful first cycle as your mental state plays a massive role in your journey.
To boost egg health: Take adequate amount of omega-3 fatty acids, avocados and extra virgin olive oil. Eat plenty of seasonal fruits and vegetables as they contain important antioxidants that may enhance egg quality.
To assist embryo implantation: There’s research to show that whole grains like oats or brown rice may help embryo implantation. Vitamin E can also help, with nuts being the best natural food source.
To improve sperm health: Reduce exposure to toxins as this could negatively impact sperm quality – no smoking, drugs, or alcohol.