3 mature follicles, no eggs retrieved

[SalixEuca]

Hi there,
I've just had my first egg retrieval and they weren't able to collect any eggs at all Even though I know 3 mature follicles was a low number to go in with, was hoping for at least one or two eggs. I don't know if this is a one off or part of what gets called "Empty Follicle Syndrome" but I would love to hear from others who have had this experience and anything the tried/changed that helped. Thanks in advance,
x

Hi @SalixEuca, so sorry to hear that. The same happened to me earlier this year. Like you, I had low expectations going in to EC, but I was gutted not to get any, so I understand how you feel. It’s too early to tell whether it has helped me, but my consultant started me on DHEA to hopefully improve quality and quantity of eggs. They are also going to add clomid to my next cycle. Hopefully your clinic have arranged a follow up consultation for you and they tell you what they would do differently next time. With it being your first round, hopefully they have learnt from it and can adjust your protocol. As I understand it, you wouldn’t have got any eggs this cycle regardless of how many follicles you had so a different protocol wouldn’t have made any difference this time but obviously with only three follicles you didn’t respond very well anyway. A different protocol might result in a better response. Take care 💐

So sorry to hear this, sending love. I had the exact same thing happen to me two years ago so I know how difficult it is - I was so upset. I now have a 6-week old daughter conceived through IVF and a frozen blastocyst (pretty much the same protocol, natural modified, a year later) so I hope that gives some hope. I have low AMH and AFC for my age (now 37) so only had 1-2 follicles respond in each round (we did 5 retrievals in the end) but I was told I still had a good chance because of my age. A lot of it also just seems to be luck and doing it enough times to maximise your chances, if you’re able to and want to. It can be such a tough process but you’re not alone. Sending you all the best x