Is there any reason why an IVF cycle would be cancelled?

[LetMeIn321]

Hello,
I'm currently undergoing mild IVF treatment. I'm having scans every 48 hours to see how the eggs are coming along. Although I have 10 follicles, there are only 2 or 3 eggs that look like they're maturing. The consultant said we have 2 options - to cancel the cycle (which he said he doesn't want to do) or carry on and hope to get 3 eggs. I didn't ask him at the time why cancelling would be a choice because I was trying to process everything. Is there any reason why cancelling the cycle would be an option?

I had similar situation.

Cancelling is an option because (if you’re paying) the egg retrieval is the expensive part, and you can save that money that might be wasted on a poor response.

The first time it happened to me I had the option to convert to IUI, which I did (cheaper than ivf) but it didn’t work.

Next cycle the same thing happened. I was already on max stims so I insisted they went ahead. I got seven eggs and two to put back.

They initially both stuck but I miscarried.

Happened a third time, I went ahead, two eggs, both got to blast (unheard of) but one was a mc and one a chemical pregnancy.

(My baby eventually came another way). I hope you can navigate this stressful situation.

@LividBlabber yes that makes complete sense actually. I didn't realise about the costs of each stage and that the retrieval would be the most expensive part.
I'm so sorry to hear of your experience. That's so incredibly tough.
We had 6 IUIs before this and was pregnant twice but miscarried both times so now we're trying IVF. It's such an emotionally draining process. It just seems to take over. Hopefully it'll work out with these couple of eggs.

Yes they would probably want to retrieve a lot more eggs if they could so might be better starting again with slightly different protocol.

As an example I got 12 eggs, 7 fertilised and 4 blastos. So the more good eggs to start with the better.

@WhatsGoingOnHereThen I'm due to go back in a couple of days so he said we will know more then. But I can't see a lot changing by then. So it does look like 2 or 3 eggs. The other 7 had barely changed in size.

I know that eggs retrieved has little correlation to successful fertilisation, it certainly only takes one, but equally there is some merit to lots of eggs. I had a horrendous drop off rate, but bloody loads of eggs - 30 retrieved, 27 mature, 19 fertilised, 12 at Day 3, 7 at Day 5.... 30 to 7 is awful but equally it gave us 7 to play with (and one became my daughter). Can you ask to have a further discussion with the clinic? I would want to know more about my next steps in either direction before I spent money either way.

@October2020 I will definitely speak with them tomorrow to see further what the options are. I thought they would carry on with the meds until more eggs start to grow but he said he's worried he will traumatise my ovary if he continues because the others just aren't really maturing at all. Whereas the other two are almost ready to be retrieved. I hoped we'd have more in case we do need more transfers, or even better, some to freeze for siblings but I'm not sure how likely that's looking right now. I've already had 6 IUIs and my AMH is already low. My previous fertility doctor told me if I ever do IVF I'd be lucky to get 3 eggs. So it looks like his predictions were correct in this case.

I had similar with my cycle of ivf. Only one of my ovaries responded. It was devastating at the time! I ended up with a few more days of stims, and in the end produced 6 eggs, 4 of which fertilised and made it, although only 3 of those were good quality.

I was so jealous at the time of women who produced tons of eggs - with the benefit of hindsight I shouldn’t have been as we’d all been on the roller coaster of ivf for one reason or another.

Very best of luck to you, I’ll be thinking of you and keeping my fingers crossed! 💐

@MuchTooTired Thank you so much 🌸
Yes I keep seeing posts of women saying they've had 40 retrieved etc but it doesn't always mean they're good quality does it. It's just such an emotionally draining process at times.
Everyone around me seems to be pregnant right now as well. Friends and relatives. They were trying for a few weeks and I've been at this for 4 years.

I have low AMH and didn't have many follicles so I was hoping for around 6-8. But it looks like 2 possibly. I thought he'd want to do a few more days of meds to help stimulate the others but I don't think he does from what he's said. My left ovary doesn't really seem to be responding much. I just hope the ones we do manage to get are good quality and will hopefully become babies.

What's your AFC? Mine is only 3 so I'm thinking it's not worth trying IVF but just interested in your figures. If your AFC is low then they won't expect a high number of eggs but presumably want to do the retrieval when you're getting the maximum benefit from it. And it does only need one (not sure I want to spend the money with my odds though).