Embryo Grading

[PlanBFertility]

Just had a miscarriage with a 4AB, two in freezer are a 4BB and 4AC. Am I likely to ever be a mum??

Sorry to hear this, I've had a miscarriage from both a low grade 4CC and a high grade 5AA so I've given up on focusing too much on grades! Best of luck with your 2 remaining embryos xx

Sorry for you.

How old are you? Have they been PGT-A tested?

I think if that's the first attempt and you've got 2 more to go then there's a lot of hope there for one of the other two to work!

@Rosiestraws
37, no PGTA testing

It may be worth PGT-a testing at that age, but I guess it depends if the cost is more or less (financially and emotionally) of another FET if you did one more and it didn't work vs if you test both and potentially find 1 isn't good and 1 is so you can implant the good one?

Statistically I think if this is your first round and you had 3 good embryos then one or both of the others might be good!

I think across all age groups averaged, IVF only works firsttime for 1/3 of people..

I'm so sorry.

I follow an embryologist ('emma the embryologist') on instagram, and she talks a lot about the fact that embryo grading is quite subjective, and the whole thing is more complicated than we're often told by clinics.

People absolutely do have successful pregnancies with lower-graded embryos.

And also, high-graded embryos can be non-viable. I did a cycle where I was over the moon because I had a 5AA embryo, but we did PGT-A testing and it wasn't viable. OTOH I know someone whose son is the result of a 3CC embryo. There is no known correlation between poor embryo quality and a child's health, either (which I found really reassuring). Lower quality embryos are less likely to implant, but that's it.

IVF is such a rollercoaster, and as @Rosiestraws says, it doesn't work more often than it does, so don't be discouraged yet!

Yes Emma the embryologist talks a lot about this - you should check out her instagram page. From my experience, I had a chemical pregnancy with a ‘perfect’ 5AA and I’m currently 18 weeks with a 3AA so do agree that it’s subjective and also I have heard of so many successful pregnancies with ‘low grades’. Before your next transfer, it might be worth taking a vaginal probiotic - I took optibac intimate women’s flora on my second transfer (happens to be half price in Boots at minute too ☺️) and it might be worth doing the Daye diagnostic test (not crazily expensive) before you attempt again. Sadly, I think it is a little rare for it to work on first attempt so you have every chance - from someone who has been there x

Naww hun! Your definitely still in with a great chance to be a mum. As everyone else has commented, embryo grading cant tell you if its normal or not and whether its good enough to implant. Unfortunately ivf is really just the luck of the draw, you just have to find the right embryo. I believe its pure luck for it to work first go. Keep plotting along and dont give up yet, keep fighting.

Thanks all. It’s just been one shit show of a year. This was actually our third cycle, first at a new clinic. Previous two cycles we got total failed fertilisation so to have got this far is a miracle as the last clinic told us we’d never get fertilisation!

You've had a really rough time, I'm so sorry.

It definitely sounds as if the new clinic is doing better for you.