IVF/ICSI success first time, should we try naturally for 2nd?

[noodles321]

Hi everyone, we were very lucky to have success with our first round of IVF with ICSI two and a half years ago and now have a very chatty, lively toddler. We are hoping for a second baby and have decided to start trying but unsure whether to try naturally for a while first or go straight back to the fertility clinic?

We had to have ICSI as my husbands count and motility were both low. I’m 35 this year so still young but don’t want to waste time trying naturally if it’s very unlikely to work.

Do you think we should just bite the (very expensive!) bullet and go straight back to our consultant? Any success stories out there of natural conception after IVF for the same reasons?

Thanks!

Hi. No advice here, but I am in the same situation. Did icsi to conceive first child and planning ( I think ) to go straight to fertility clinic in the spring to try for a second. However it would be super lovely to conceive naturally, just not sure how common it is for couples who have needed fertility treatment in the past to be able to conceive naturally a second time.

Think we might just follow the approach of no contraception until we are ready to re-engage with the clinic.

We had our first round funded by nhs but would have to pay for this one, so the cost is definitely playing on my mind .

Hi OP
Sorry no first hand experience as I’m only starting IVF/ICSI this month but if I were I would pay to get the semen analysis done again? If it’s improved at all you could try naturally for a while? If there’s no improvement you could just go straight into IVF again.

We gave it 3 months after we had the sperm
analysis done to see if anything improved before we decided to go ahead with ICSI.
Good luck whatever you decide.

I would do both, never say never in terms of it happening naturally and if you get pregnant naturally then that’s a real bonus. If going private I guess it would all happen pretty quickly but if NHS can do both natural and wait. If you know you have good eggs and good egg count you have some time. Good luck 👍

To be honest I'd do both - you could try naturally for 6 months whilst you are getting prepared mentally and financially for IVF? At age 35 time is very much on your side - having done IVF for secondary infertility myself and seeing the impact it had on my child it's not something I would have done if there was a chance I could have conceived naturally

I gave birth 9 months ago. I haven’t been on protection since and I have been actively trying to get pregnant for 2 months. I have already decided to give up and go for IVF. Being unable to conceive has already impacted my life for years and I would rather not go through this again for months on end, only to need IVF again at the end of it. The heartbreak of my period arriving every month so just too much to go through the second time around. I think it is very much a personal decision though and I hadn’t planned to stop trying the natural option so quickly.

Our issue is unexplained infertility and we went straight for IVF for a few reasons.

Partly as @Mochii says - those days of failing month after month were bloody soul destroying. I'm not even sure it's possible for me. With IVF I always have a real chance.

I also had frozen embryos that I wouldn't want to abandon. This was a big factor.

I'm older than you at 38, so even though my embryos are never getting older (made when I was 36) I'd rather not wait until my 40s.

Finally, I didn't want a big age gap.

Sounds like your circumstances are very different to mine though, especially if you have no embryos stored. I think the advice to have your dh's sperm retested is a very good and affordable starting point. Then you have a better idea what your chances are and whether you should wait a while.

We also had success with our first and tried naturally for a very short time for the second before moving to IVF (mainly due to endometriosis). Even for private, the waiting lists can be quite a few months so might be an idea to get things moving sooner than later and you can always keep trying in the meantime.