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?

Sorry @lucieloos, I hadn’t seen your update when I replied. According to the info they gave me yest ‘on day 3 a correctly developing embryo has 6-8 cells’ so at least one def sounds to be still in the game 🤞

@Badgerismyname I wouldn't necessarily ask them to increase the dose. That's a pretty high dose you are on and another school of thought by some of the doctors at reprofit is to do a low mild dose and get less eggs but better quality which is what I'm doing. Yours sound great anyway though so hopefully you won't have to think about these things.

Have you got your results now?

I just checked back and between all my cycles I've had 6 embryos which have been 5 or 6 cells on day 3 and none of them have made it past day 4 for me. Just hoping one of these will be different!

Ah, that’s interesting to hear about Reprofit. Maybe I’ll hold fire on asking them to flood me with even more hormones then. You are def the expert! Really hope one of your two makes it to day 5, this time could be different.

Well I finally plucked up the courage to check the portal and all five have fertilised overnight so that’s great news. Phew. Now to see what makes it to day 3.

Yay that's great news @Badgerismyname keeping everything crossed for us both!

So it's day 5 and we got the results! They 5 cell is still a 5 cell but the 6 cell made it to hatching blast so hopefully we have one to test! They haven't told me about that but yet. There's about a 1 in 3 to 4 chance it will be normal now so still a long way to go.

Have you had your day 3 results @Badgerismyname?

Ah @lucieloos, that’s great news. Phew! Most def still in the running with a hatching blast. Can I ask how much pgs testing costs at Reprofit?

I’ve just got home so going to make a raspberry leaf tea (as recommended by the acupuncturist) and check the portal...

@lucieloos Still all 5 are in the running, 1x12 and 4x8. Doesn’t mean that much to me but there should definitely be something to transfer on Saturday. Phew.

When will they confirm to you re testing? Will that be another 2-3 week wait for the results?

@Badgerismyname ohhh that's great numbers for day 3 you're definitely doing very well!

Yes they have confirmed testing will take place and that it's a grade 1 blast which is the best grade and minimal fragmentation but that doesn't mean anything really it all comes down to the testing. If that comes back ok which I highly doubt it will lol then I will have about a 65-70% chance of a bfp with it. They say 1 in 3 or 4 blasts will test normal at 40. They say 2-3 weeks for the results but I've always had them by 10 days before so we will see. It's costs €450 for the first embryo and €350 for each one after that. It works out cheaper than me going back for a transfer for one that wouldn't have worked anyway.

@lucieloos that’s useful, thank you. If by some miracle I have more than one left on day 5 I should possibly think about testing them. Keep us posted!

@Badgerismyname yes it may be useful for you to know which are the good ones if you have a few. I would mention it to them if you are thinking about it so they don't go throwing things in the freezer before you've had chance to consider it. Wishing you lots of luck. Keep us posted too.

@lucieloos - just catching up, that’s fantastic news!! Have absolutely everything crossed for you re the result.

@badgerismyname - congrats on all five being fertilised! Cracking start! Hope all still going well!

So we have managed to get away which is fab - lots of (very very windswept and wet) walks along the beach and a few glasses of red wine. Probably not totally sensible just before starting again but...

Joining in...

I’m 46 and we have no children. This is my se one marriage. First marriage was in the UK and diagnosed with PCOS. Did multiple rounds of IUI, IVF but nothing except one ectopic. Moved on to adoption and realized my then-husband had absolutely no interest in it. I don’t think he was even into the fertility treatments but just went along with it because I became obsessive. We divorced and I met my current husband who is American and moved to the United States.
I was convinced I had “missed the boat” with motherhood and it was too late but over here it doesn’t seem to be a big deal to be having children in your 40s. I have a niece who is 41 who had her 6th last week.
So lately I have been thinking that I want to give it a shot. We are very comfortable financially so that’s not an issue. I am thinking I should use donor eggs and I don’t have a problem with that. I used to think I could never do that but during our adoption assessments I got over my obsession that my child had to be my flesh and blood.
Fortunately my current husband is 100% into this.

Am I crazy?

@ACAL thanks so much. Keeping everything crossed but not really expecting a lot. I know how this game works now. Things look to be going ok to get your hopes up and then at the last moment it's all taken away.

So glad you managed to get away. It sounds lovely. Ive had red wine etc before starting I don't think it makes any difference to be honest and if you're enjoying yourself and relaxed instead of stressed then I'm sure that helps.

@BritWifeinUSA I don't think your crazy at all. At the clinic I'm with it's common for women in their late 40s to have donor egg treatment.

@Badgerismyname have you had your day 5 results?

@lucieloos yes, an embryo is now onboard! everything crossed! Had pre and post transfer acupuncture so really can’t do any more, now to relax for the rest of the day.

All made it to blastocyst by some miracle - 2 expanded blasts, 1 blast and 2 early blasts. Put one of the expanded back, had the other two frozen and will find out tomorrow if the two earlys make it to freezable quality. Am delighted, better than I could have hoped for after being warned of very low chance of success. Obv still a long way to go but knowing got 2 in the freezer makes it so much easier. Decided against testing, I’d rather just put them back each time and hope for the best. Hopefully Brno won’t become my second home this year.

@ACAL sounds perfect. Red wine is a necessity, a few glasses can only do good in my view. Stress is the devil, not wine. I’ve cut down hugely but don’t cut out until I actually start meds!

@BritWifeinUSA I would absolutely look into egg donation. Don’t live your life in regret. If I hadn’t managed to have DS I know I would have gone ahead with an egg donor. I have two very close friends currently going through the process with (both at European Clinics) and I know of quite a few friends of friends who’ve successful had babies through DE. I know it’s not something you’d enter into lightly but you should def consider it, there are so many more options/opportunities available these days. If I’d had any idea about egg donation 15 years ago I’d have done it myself!

@Badgerismyname wow that's amazing! Congratulations on being pupo! Wishing you lots of luck. My daughter was an expanded blast. I think they need to be hatching anyway to do the testing so sounds good getting them frozen and hopefully you won't need to use them.

@lucieloos thank you!! I will take your daughter as a very good sign! Here’s hoping for a quick TWW.

@Badgerismyname - woohoo!!! What is WONDERFUL news - and some to freeze as well. That sounds like a huge success. Hope you can have a reasonably chilled out PUPO.

We’re having a lovely break - heading back home tomorrow but it has just been perfect. And feel very settled and calm (ish) about starting. Hopefully this week!

Thank you all for the encouragement. You have hit the nail on the head with the regret. Maybe it will work, maybe it won’t. The clinic we are considering boasts a 60% success rate with their donor eggs. But we’d have 0% success if we didn’t attempt it. And a lifetime of regret. I told myself that I would keep hopeful until the Christmas I am 45 and that was last Christmas. Christmas cake and went and I convinced myself that I had reached acceptance that I will be childless forever but I have been unable to let go. And last week I realized my husband also hasn’t reached that stage yet either and if there is an option available to us, we can afford it, and it has a reasonable chance of success I would seriously regret not trying it. The part I cannot accept is old age with no visitors. The thought of being lonely in old age is something that depresses me greatly.

@BritWifeinUSA older women in their 40s have a very good success rate with donor embryos at our clinic as the embryo is from a younger couple which is the main stumbling block in your 40s. I think you will have a very good chance of success.

@BritWifeinUSA so true what you say, if you don’t try your success rate is zero. I also think you have a very good chance of success but if it weren’t to be you’d at least know you took control and gave it a go, rather than just letting it not happen by passing you by, if that makes sense.

I know a woman who went to Reprofit who got pregnant with twins using an egg donor at the age of 48, it can def happen in late 40s.

I’m currently 18w pregnant @BritWifeinUSA, had ivf in Oct and I’m 45. Although chances were only 1-2% with my own eggs, we wanted to try so we have no regrets later...and we are incredibly lucky (we didn’t have any other health issues apart from obvious, my age and egg quality probably, all blood tests were good). Wish you all the best.

Place marking as considering if to try

Wow that's amazing @fool11 congratulations! Always good to hear success stories!

@Badgerismyname and @lucieloos - thank you for your comments. we have considered going abroad (initially looked at Reprofit but decided to try a clinic closer to home first) but I'm not sure I have the emotional and mental capacity for it...I've found the process v stressful and I'm not sure adding the abroad factor into the equation is something I'd cope with.

We have just about enough money for a third round but I'm not sure at this stage if it's worth going for it with OE and I can't get my head around donor conception (for us, no judgement at all for others who choose this route).

We have a review appointment this week with our clinic and are down for some fertility counselling as well so I hope things.might get clearer over the next few weeks. At this point, if a successful pregnancy was the outcome, I would be 42....and my husband is considerably older. It might be time to accept life as it is...it's hard to close the door though on something that has been forefront in my mind for at least the last five years ☹️