No eggs collected at EC - what to expect?

[4F99S1]

Morning all, wonder if anyone has any experience of this? I recently had an egg collection where none of my follicles contained any eggs. I have low AMH so wasn’t expecting many, but to get none was a shock and I wasn’t really in a position to ask many practical questions about what happens next! I still haven’t had a bleed, which I would have expected 7 days ago based on my usual cycle length. My lining was good at all of my scans so I was expecting to bleed despite not ovulating (although I must confess I’m not 100% about the science here!) but now I’m wondering whether I won’t. I’ve always been regular as clockwork so if I don’t bleed this month, will I just pick up as normal next month? Or might I have a long cycle followed by a short cycle? Trying to plan for holidays and another round of IVF in the summer but it’s impossible as I’ve no idea what my body has in store for me! May be relevant that I’ve also started on DHEA ready for another round so I suppose that could be having an effect. Appreciate any advice from anyone with any experience of this.

Sorry about the no eggs. Your clinic should be explaining things really. Can you ask your clinic for advice?

So sorry you had to go through that.

Was this your first egg collection? On my first EC I had 9 follicles and only 3 eggs. Medicine wasn't enough, it didn't happen again.

Your specialist should change protocol next time.

Second. First time round I got 4 eggs on the same protocol so they don’t want to change anything next time as it was (relatively) successful first time. I’m already on a high dose and I’ve also started DHEA so I’m hoping last time was just a particularly unlucky one-off and we get a different outcome next time.

@4F99S1

For me I had a protocol got 7 eggs, then same protocol (because sort of successful) gave me only 2 follicles (on scan) so I cancelled it. After that asked specialist to change medicine and again got 6-7 follicles.

I mean, sometimes for some women same protocol doesn't work the same the next time around. Maybe they can increase the dose or change one of the medicines. This time around one stim injection was changed for new medicine and the other stim injection was increased. I haven't had any scan yet to see if it worked. I also used a primer before day 1, in some women it increases number of follicles.

Thanks @Cherry35, that gives me some ideas for questions to ask rather than just blindly accepting what they say. Particularly about the primer, that certainly hasn’t been mentioned to me before. Good luck, hope the medication changes work out for you.

Their logic isn't great, it worked once, it really didn't work once so I'd want to know why they think your next attempt will be more like egg collection #1 rather than #2.
It could be but it's one of the things I look back and think I could have pushed more after a few cycles at the same clinic where the same protocol was used 3 times in a row, with fewer eggs each time, and by the last of those 3 I also had to stim for much longer.
Are they monitoring your testosterone levels on the DHEA or just prescribing it without any follow up?

I hope your next cycle is more successful. I haven't had a zero egg collection but have had a few cycles cancelled before egg collection as it looked like that would be the outcome and it was so gutting so I have some idea of that awful feeling. 💐

I know what you mean about their logic @LongerthanMrTicklesarms, I did wonder this myself. As I understand it, I just didn’t produce any eggs that cycle and no protocol would have changed that. More stimulation may have increased the size and number of follicles, but they still would have been empty. I guess with two ECs with very different success, neither is statistically significant. I’m hoping #2 was just bad luck, but I suppose #1 could have been good luck. I know what you mean about pushing though. My approach so far has been to trust the clinic and follow their instructions to the letter given that they are the experts but the next cycle will be pivotal for me. If we get an outcome like #1, I’d be prepared to go again. If it’s more like #2, I’ll be looking for a totally different approach. Re the DHEA, there was no mention of monitoring when it was prescribed but reading up on it since suggests it’s not as straightforward as that so I’ll be raising that with the clinic and pushing for more proactive monitoring. Thanks for your message and sorry to hear about your unsuccessful cycles. Did you move clinics after the 3 cycles you mentioned?

@4F99S1

I think that if your next cycle after DHEA doesn't improve change the clinic. Unfortunately with some clinics is just a waste of time and money.

Hi @4F99S1 i know this thread is old but I am in the same position - no eggs from egg collection. I just wondered what happened next for you if you don’t mind me asking. Thank you.

Hi Doxy, sorry to hear that. I know how awful it is so hope you’re doing ok. We’ve had a few more cycles since then and never had it happen again. I haven’t done great in terms of numbers but anywhere between 2 and 5 depending on protocol. I used DHEA before a conventional ivf cycle - not sure if it helped or not but definitely I got more eggs that cycle - and also had two natural modified cycles which aimed for fewer, better quality eggs which I got. So it definitely doesn’t have to be the end of the road for you. If you have any other questions, just ask.

Thanks @4F99S1 i had DHEA before one mild cycle previously and got 3 eggs with one blast. My most recent was natural modified and that’s how I ended up with no eggs. Hopefully it was a one off too. Thank you so much for taking the time to respond.

Sorry @Doxy21 just thinking about it a bit more. I also added clomid after that disastrous round so maybe something to think about / ask your clinic about if you are going to go again.

@4F99S1 do you mind me asking how old you are? Is your amh low due to age or just prematurely low? I'm due to have my egg collection next month. I'm absolutely terrified I'm not going to collect any eggs cause of my age

I’m 37. My AMH is low for my age. Obviously the chances are higher for those of us with low AMH / older women but I really think it was just bad luck. I’m pretty sure I’ve ovulated every month since then so don’t think it was really indicative of anything. Your clinic should be able to give you an idea of your chances based on your specific circumstances but I really wouldn’t worry about it. Easier said than done I know but I think it’s pretty rare. Good luck!

Thanks @4F99S1 i had clomid for my DHEA round too with mild ivf. That was my best round. This latest round was with a new clinic so will see what they suggest. I really appreciate the advice. Thank you.