Eggs didn't fertilise, need help :(

[user1487696927]

Hi just looking for some success stories and encouragement. We have been ttc for 4 years now. I had my first round of IVF in November last year but I didn't make it to egg collection as I didn't respond at all to the stim meds so it was cancelled after 5 days of injections. We did our second cycle recently, only 2 follicles grew, and they collected 2 eggs at retrieval, unfortunately I got the phone call this morning to say that neither had fertilised as my egg quality wasn't great. My AMH is 0.57, 27 years old, I have taken methotrexate for long periods of time since I was 20 for inflammatory arthritis (can't help but think this is the reason why we are struggling ttc) I have not had a natural period in over a year, (I had to take norethisterone to induce a period before both of my cycles) partner is healthy and sperm analysis was above average. I was booked in for ec last Friday at which point my follicles were both 18mm but they told me they were going to do the ec on Monday, I was scanned before ec as they were worried I was going to ovulate over the weekend, my follicles were 22 and 23, would the quality be effected by waiting so long? I really feel they should have collected them on the planned Friday. Has anyone had an experience similar to this, should I just give up and go for donor eggs? Is it worth continuing trying to use my eggs?
Thanks
Leigh
X

I honestly have no idea but didn't want to read and run.
Are you paying for your ivf? My area is 3 goes. Now if your onto your third and final free go then I would consider donor eggs. Your amh is extremely low,I thought mine was low at 14.2 for a 28 year old. Good luck OP xx

Hi toffeepuddin, thanks for your reply. We only get 2 NHS goes in my area, so we would have to pay for any additional treatment. Yes I think donor eggs would give us a better outcome, just finding it difficult to come to grips I won't have a biological child, it all seems really surreal, I think I'm in shock and devastated.
Leigh x

I really want to offer support, you are not alone.
I am so sorry you are going through this, it is such a horrible rollercoaster of hope and despair.
I would take a few weeks to think about what your next move is. Talk to your partner, people you love and trust, and also consider speaking to your consultant and even an infertility counsellor.
I went to speak to one last week, through my clinic and found it very helpful. Whatever you decide, will be right for you.
Big hug xx

According to this your Amh is very low

I would try donor eggs

I know several ladies who have de success and they love their babies more then you can imagine. They said once growing in their tummy they don't even think it's a diffeent ladies egg

Your baby will take some of your DNA plus they match donor to your looks and blood group etc

Hi user, I am a beginner with this but have some knowledge from my work. I am so sorry you find yourself in this place. I think it is the same for all of us, that it is a shock and so surreal to go through this. Thinking about not having a biological child is so hard and painful. I think you should give yourself lots of time and space to process all that you're going through.

Your AMH level is very low (I think they like it to be >5 for IVF to work) and means that you don't have a lot of eggs. (It only takes one, of course, but you have less chance of IVF success because they can't harvest many eggs). Also, does your clinic know that you are taking methotrexate? That is a medication used to cause abortion.

I would talk to your clinic about what the numbers mean and whether they think you have a good chance. If you get a second try on the NHS, it seems like it wouldn't hurt to try but perhaps talk to your consultant and a counselor to frame your expectations and discuss next steps and other options.

Big hug to you xx

My AMH was very low and my FSH was very high. Throughout my poor ivf cycle, they could only retrieve three eggs. One fertilised in the end and that was it. I actually gave up conceiving and planned a year of partying, travelling and studying. I stopped the vitamins, the herbs, the acupuncture, the wheatgrass, the DHEA, the melatonin, etc. If had enough. Three months later, I fell naturally pregnant. I had gone on holiday and had been smoking, had a few hangovers and had three days of food poisoning. My four month old is sitting next to me now and is as strong as an ocean. If you can, take a break. Just a year. Have a mindset that it probably won't happen and try and forget about it for that time. If you're doing donor eggs and at your age, then you can afford the break. Once I resigned myself I wouldn't have children, I just felt better. I was told less than 1% chance of it happening naturally. That I had no eggs and they weren't good. I hope this helps you make decisions, whatever your plan of action is. Big hugs!

OP, how long is it since you last took methotrexate? And what has your clinic said about this drug? You ARE still very young and although it's possible that your egg quality has declined irretrievably, leaving you with no option but donor eggs, if I were you I would try everything possible to improve it first. Methotrexate is a very damaging drug for the ovaries when taken over a long period of time -- e.g. take a look at this study, where patients had an average age similar to you, and where they had been taking it since childhood for lupus (so total exposure quite a lot longer than you have had). The researchers found a strong negative association between cumulative exposure to the drug and AMH levels.www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3109/03009742.2014.908237?scroll=top&needAccess=true

So it would almost be surprising if you had found it easy to get pregnant after taking this drug for seven years, and I hope your doctors discussed the potential impact on fertility when they prescribed it originally.

There doesn't seem to be very much research on whether these changes are reversible, but I would be cautiously optimistic (given the mechanism by which methotrexate seems to harm ovaries -- both depleting long term egg supply and interrupting normal process of maturation) that it might be, especially at your age. You might not get your ovarian reserve back to where it would have been if you'd never taken the drug, but if you can get really healthy and have a prolonged period off it, I don't see why you couldn't improve the quality of the maturing follicles. After all really it does take only one top quality egg, and at 27 I am sure you have some of those left.

Could you delay you free NHS goes until you have a proper period of recovery from the drug? I think you also need to ask to be referred to a specialist who has experience of other women with autoimmune disease and long-term methotrexate exposure. Don't let anyone fob you off by pointing to the various studies that show a single/ short-term exposure doesn't damage egg quality: these studies are relevant to women who take it for ectopic pregnancy, which is a completely different situation from your long-term exposure.

Thanks for all your replies,
I have not taken methotrexate for just over a year, however I have been told by one fertility doctor that it there may be remenants of the drug in my system. My clinic that I went to were aware of my methotrexate history but said that they didn't think it had anything to do with my infertility. I don't really rate the clinic at all to be honest but we didn't have much choice as we were NHS. Unfortunately we are not entitled for anymore free treatment, so we will be paying from now on. We were actually looking around our house this morning wondering what we could sell! I think overall From the age of 20 until now, I was on methotrexate weekly for approximately 2.5 years as I had periods of remission. My rheumatologist not once mentioned anything about fertility when he put me on mxt, I really want to tear him a new bum hole. I've even contemplating complaining wondering if I could get compensation to pay for IVF. I couldn't find any scientific studies that say mxt can cause fertility issues. Hopsalong I will definitely read the article you have directed me to, thank you . Newmother8668, congrats, I'm glad it worked out for you, it gives me a glimmer of hope that maybe one day it will happen for me too. I hope everyone is having a good weekend x

Sending you hugs.
I've been on the receiving end of that phone call and it's devastating.
You do need to give yourself time to grieve for the baby that won't be this time.
Just to give you hope for the future, my ivf baby turned 15 last week. And my miracle less than 1 % chance of ever falling naturally baby is now 10!
Please don't give up. But give yourself time.

User - it may be worth considering treatment abroad? My amh was low (0.8), we got 3 eggs but they used icsi which increased our chances of fertilisation. 2 fertilised, one is sat next to me on the sofa now.

I went to Reprofit in Czech Republic, it's much much cheaper than uk and they also specialise in donor eggs if you need that in the end

Thanks blue2014, we will definitely give that consideration, we are willing to try anything! The only thing that worries me abroad is that their hygiene, protocols and standards could be lower than the uk. I never thought about until I had the discussion with my mum about it. Do you think this is the case or are they exactly the same?

I found them much much better on all counts at Reprofit (better than nhs and better than the uk private clinics I had visited)

Consider donor eggs. We did for genetic reasons and my donor egg embryo is currently asleep in his cot upstairs! There is evidence that the embryo is influenced by the mother carrying it now too. Once you feel that baby moving inside you you totally feel it is your baby x