Anyone doing ivf at 40+

[lucieloos]

We're considering doing a couple more rounds of ivf at 40.5 years old. We have 2 children already but still feel someone is missing.

Is anyone else starting or already having treatment at 40+ and would like to share the journey?

@mouse40 thank you so much for your response. It’s incredibly reassuring.

All I keep reading on Dr Google (i know I really shouldn’t go there) is the correlation between pregnancy and high number of eggs needed. So I’m sitting here thinking oh bugger that’s me done then! 😬

Gosh your cycles are completely different. I guess it’s good to know that if first cycle I have a complete disaster, there’s hope for the rest.

Sorry by that question do you mean where am I currently in my cycle or where am I having treatment? New to all of this.

All the best for your scan on Monday.

@RichmondLady1981 I meant which clinic are you with?

I’m in a similar boat in that we have a daughter who was quickly conceived naturally. Had no idea trying for a sibling would be quite so tough!

@mouse40 We are with IVI London. You? Anyone had experience with IVI?

So our pregnancy didn’t work... 6th miscarriage since our daughter. I went for 8wk scan and no heartbeat. It had a strong HB at 6,7 weeks. I am 42... this just seems so disheartening...

@mouse40 how are you getting on?
I will have to make my way back to Greece for a transfer after I miscarry...

Oh no @Unicorn9. I am so so sorry. I was thinking of you and hoping that no news meant good news.

@Anxiousbuthopeful no. I have to have an MVAC on Friday the POC will be rested. I don’t want it tested really as the last one came back normal and was a little girl. I think it was my fault. I had an inkling I was pregnant but after so many miscarriages I doubted my symptoms and did the biopsy to test for NKC. I should never have gone I should have trusted myself and not gone.

Of course not! If it implanted ok and lasted 8 weeks it wouldn’t have been the biopsy!

@Unicorn9 So sorry, awful news. You 100% have done nothing wrong, it’s natural to look for reasons why this happened, but please don’t blame yourself, your baby had a strong heartbeat for nearly 8 weeks so must have implanted well.

@Unicorn9 I’m so sorry to hear this. It must be so tough going through this again. I hope you have lots of support around you.

I’m just not sure what to do anymore. We have 2 euploid embryos but I struggle to see how after 6 natural miscarriages And one failed FET it can work for us. I know I’m my head I have to try be optimistic and just hope for the best but each loss it gets harder and harder...

@Unicorn9 please don’t blame yourself. This was completely out of your control.

Is there any further testing the clinic can suggest before using your fet? You must be physically and psychologically exhausted from all of this. I hope you are able to be kind to yourself and those around you can give you lots of care and support.

@Unicorn9, which clinic are you with in Greece? Are there any additional tests that you might get? In my whistlestop tour of all European IVF clinics I have been in touch with Serum who seemed to be quite thorough...

From my side, I was going to try a FET this month but (after a week of medication) I got my biopsy results from a hysteroscopy and it turns out I still have endometritis, despite a course of antibiotics to treat it over Christmas. Stopping medication now, sigh, another month wasted...

I got my third cycle results today, 7 eggs collected, 6 fertilized and 4 blasts. Doing a freeze all with PGS, so over my 3 cycles, i got 13 blastocysts, way more than i expected. 8 will be PGS tested, so now have a very nervous 3 week wait. Hoping results come back positive within a month so i can start FET straight away.

Those are amazing numbers @IslandStars congratulations. Your fertilisation rate and number of blasts is great.

I've just started down-reg for my second cycle. As I mentioned before I got 3 blasts last time (one 5AA fresh, one 4BB frozen, one not good enough to freeze) so 13 blasts seems the absolute dream!

Fingers crossed for some good PGS results!

Yes @IslandStars! Such amazing results. I get ONE blast per cycle... and I am grateful as well aware it could be none.

@lucymills1234 @Anxiousbuthopeful Thanks guys, it has gone so well for me so far, i'm getting nervous that my luck will run out! It's hard to celebrate because there are so many stages of IVF and the PGS is another big hurdle. Definitely very grateful though, at 41/42 i could not ask for more and would have still been happy with much less!

Good luck with your next cycles, Lucy, your 5AA and 4BB are really good grades, so there's every hope you can get more.

Hello ladies I was wondering whether you could help me. I took estrogen for about a week to prepare for a FET which got canceled. I stopped the estrogen last Monday and over the past two days I have had spotting. My period isn’t due for two weeks yet. Is the spotting normal? Will I get an early period? Thanks and apologies.

Jumping on ... 42 years old and day 5 into my 4th EC cycle. Husband has had vasectomy and we have 6 straws of biopsied sperm.

Did two cycles at 40 and retrieved 13 eggs of which 7 fertilised. FET 1 embryo and mc at 8 weeks.
2 more transfers of 2 x 3 day embryos = 1 chemical and 1 outright fail.

Last chance now at 42 - Did one EC 3 eggs but none made it to blast.
2nd EC now and on 5th day of stims but looks like a cancelled cycle due to poor response and no dominant follicle.

My AMH is very low. And I presume we are doing mini IVF although I am probably a bit slack at communicating with my doctor and rather just running with the program with little questions.
If they cancel this cycle which I am angling towards because I am hoping for a better response in my remaining two cycles and not wasting a cycle on one follicle. Just seems like the odds are really low.

How’s everyone doing on here?

I’m still waiting for my PGS results. Really hoping I can start my FET early next month. I have found this wait the hardest part so far. Injections and procedures I can take, but just doing nothing and being in limbo is really hard.

Hi @IslandStars. I’m on the last but one day of stims and due in for my EC on Wednesday. Stims making me seriously tired. struggling today. First ever IVF for me so not sure how it’s all going to pan out. I have low AMH also. I have been told probably 5 eggs for collection. Everything crossed as only have 6 follicles. I am also due to testing as suffered a mmc in July.

How many blasts did you send for testing? I would be absolutely over the moon if I had one that made it to day 5 for testing 🙏🏼

@RichmondLady1981 Hello, good luck for Wednesday, I found my first round stims the toughest too. The shock of hormones really made me so emotional, on top of all the anxiety of not knowing what to expect. It definitely got a lot easier in my next two rounds. I’ve been embryo banking though, so haven’t had the highs and lows of transfers. Don’t worry too much about fewer eggs, I’ve heard lots of quality over quantity success stories.

I got 13 blasts from my 3 cycles, 8 have been sent off for testing, I’ve been very lucky for my age. I held 5 back as they were cc grades, it’s a fine line between wanting to save time, but also money. My package only included the testing of 4 embryos, so there’s a lot of extra cost.

Hi again @IslandStars. Wow! That number of blasts is absolutely amazing! I am praying for one good embryo! Have been told might need a number of cycles to achieve that. I have no idea what to expect. I have an AMH of 2.5 (december) that dropped from 7.5 from august. I only had 6 follicles on my first baseline scan in December and that’s never changed. From the 6 I have, 5 are growing at the same rate - hoping they all continue to progress at equal rates. I’m 39.

I think banking is a really smart idea. Get all the stims and testing done before moving on to transfer. Do you have a number of genetically normal embryos you’d like to have before moving to transfer stage? I hear so many comments about the average blasts implanting over the higher grade ones - weird isn’t it.

I also hear ladies saying their number of follicles increased depending on the type of protocol- I’m on high doses of Ovaleap and Menopur (short). Wonder whether I’d respond better to lower doses as I’ve heard this from other ladies on FEB/March IVF thread.

Thank you for your encouragement with quality over quantity. I appreciate it. There are lots of positive stories out there for sure- keep holding onto that.

Do you mind sharing your age, AMH and follicle count. Also, what was your fertilisation rates and progress day 3 and 5? Sorry for all the questions but most ladies I know are doing day three fresh transfers and I like to know stories for ladies banking like me. Thank you so much and I have everything crossed for your precious embryos.

Ps you’re welcome to join the feb/March thread - it’s very active. Loads of ladies having EC and transfers next week. Some awaiting genetic testing too.

@RichmondLady1981 Thanks for the invite to the Feb/Mar thread, if i get chance to FET next month, i'll jump on.

My first cycles were done aged 41, my third at the start of this year after i turned 42. At baseline i had 8 follicles. AMH wasn't mentioned and i didn't ask as the first consultation was a bit of a blur, once they said i'd be suitable for treatment, i don't think i heard anything else! I don't have any particular fertility issues other than age.

I've done mild IVF / 150 Bemfola for 8 days and Cetrotide for 5 days, i think i've been fortunate to find the right protocol for me first time. If i get 1 normal from the batch i have tested, then i'll go straight to FET, since i do still have 5 more untested ones.

I was told to expect 4-8 eggs per round, but this is what i ended up with (some blasts were day 5, others day 6)

Cycle 1: 11 eggs, 9 mature, 5 fertilised and made day 3, day 5 i got 3 blasts.

Cycle 2: 11 eggs, 8 fertilised and made day 3, day 5 i got 6 blasts

Cycle 3: 7 eggs, 6 fertilised and made day 3, day 5 i got 4 blasts