Ivf at 40. how many follicles would be ideal

[KosmicK]

I know its different woman to woman but just wondering for a 40+ woman how many follicles would be ideal to collect to be in with a shot. I know not every egg will get to blast / be of quality ect

Hi @KosmicK . I don't think there's a straightforward answer to that. I am 40 and I have had 3 cycles. I have had an average 13-19 follicles each time. However, egg collection results greatly varied from these follicles. I know people have had many more or many less follicles and the outcomes would be inconsistent and irrelevant to the follicle numbers. So don't less these initial counts stress you out. As long as you have some follicles, it's already good news.

Good luck with everything!

@contentsmayb thankyou for that. At my scan yesterday I had 8 follicles .
The consultant had said not to worry but obviously It's hard isn't it as everything I read on google seems to suggest I need more

There have been times when I had 11 follicles at the scan and then they got 16 eggs at collection. One time I had 19 follicles and 5 eggs collected. I think it all depends on some many different factors, that the only thing that matters is how many make it to day 5. Don't stress yourself about these numbers. Focus on one day at a time and staying positive and hoping however many you have, will grow. That's all you can do.

I’ve had 2 collections and both varied hugely.
First collection had 14 follicles but only 2 made 5 day blastocyst, second collection had 8 follicles and 5 follicles made 5 day blastocyst.
It really is true what they say, quality over quantity.
Good luck x

I've had two collections. First collection. 3 follicles, 3 eggs collected, 3 blasts. However, none of them stuck on transfer.

Second collection. 2 follicles, 2 eggs collected, 2 3 day blasts transferred. Both stuck. Currently 32 weeks with twins due at Christmas.

My clinic really focused on quality over quantity, and in my case it paid off.