December 2025 FET

[CoolSummer89]

Is anyone going to have a FET in December?

I was expecting to have one in January but when I went to the clinic yesterday they are going to try and squeeze a natural FET cycle in before the Christmas break!

I am 36, had my first egg collection last month but wasn't suitable for a fresh transfer. If my cycle plays ball my transfer will be 15th-17th December.

Hopeful for a lovely Christmas present but also being realistic given age and first transfer etc.

Ooo interesting take @zirafica . I think I’m more in @whysohardtogetusername camp.. but maybe that’s because I know what my barrier to pregnancy is? I have PCOS and don’t ovulate so our main issue has just been getting sperm & egg to meet, which we overcame with the IVF and throughout all of my testing I’ve never had any other issues crop up so I have no reason to believe carrying a pregnancy would be any trickier for me than it would be for anyone else. I know every person’s situations are so unique though so totally get why you might feel that way.

I also think the fact our embryos have been seen developing well until day 5 does put us on the front foot vs natural pregnancies that may have unknown abnormalities and as somebody else pointed out our hormone levels are so closely monitored. I actually read somewhere that ivf pregnancies are less likely to miscarry but it could have been a load of rubbish! Anyway.. fingers crossed for us all that we make it to full term with minimal issues 🤞🏼💕

Brilliant news! Congratulations ❤️🥰

@AnonTTC see you perfectly fit in the category where they’ve figure out EXACTLY what your problem is. For most people going through ivf they haven’t. Rule of thumb as mentioned previously on this thread is they let you have 3 miscarriages/failures with IVF before they dig in deeper. So the expectation of it not working is high. Even for euploid embryos they say on average women need 3 attempts, even with all the tracking, tests, etc so the reality is we are a risky group. I hate seeing people get so upset with it not working when in reality it’s more unlikely to work than not work, especially with untested embryos and undetermined causes of infertility.

Sorry I have missed loads, will try and catch up properly later but I’m glad everyone is safe.

just want to pick up on a couple of points that have been made here.

1. that’s not true that it takes on average 3 attempts with a euploid embryo, that’s a common misunderstanding. The advice from doctors is that women should have three euploids for every child they want. This is because the cumulative live birth rate after 3 transfers of euploids is incredibly high at 92.6%. Most euploid transfers succeed on the first attempt at 65% - so that is the true average. Source: https://www.fertstert.org/article/S0015-0282%2820%2930627-0/fulltext

2. it’s also not true that IVF pregnancies are more likely to end in miscarriage. 1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage. But it’s more like 1 in 6 IVF pregnancies end in miscarriage, according to one study which used untested embryos. If I had to speculate on why, it’s probably due to choosing the best looking embryos and adequate hormonal support, which can be an issue for women trying naturally. Source: https://www.rbmojournal.com/article/S1472-6483(17)30233-X/fulltext

I am not loving being on the progesterone either, especially as I was a completely natural cycle and have good progesterone levels. However the pessaries have been used for years and like @zirafica says, I am going to trust the doctors.

And yay welcome @AlmostTime - a fellow September due date. Think everyone else (apart from @Bees28 ) is set for an August baby 👶🏻

Hi @CoolSummer89 i agree, but it’s live births that we’re looking at and if you want a “guaranteed one” it’s three embryos on average - that was my point. You can read statistics in different ways but I see your point. It just depends on where in those statistics you end up. My close friend is doing ivf in the states and she’s on her 4th euploid transfer with the first three all miscarrying, the latest with no heartbeat at 8 weeks. My point is that the chances of a miscarriage are still incredibly high and by no means are you guaranteed a healthy live birth just because you’ve gotten a positive on a test.
on the miscarriages data - I’m glad it’s lower however I do think this study underestimates the number of women not on ivf who have a miscarriage and don’t even realise/report it.
reality is it offers no guarantees and the chances of success are much lower than what people seem to think they are. I think managing your expectations is the best thing you can do here because so many things can and do go wrong at all stages.

Yessss! I am due 29th August. Such a funny date as they could be the youngest or the oldest in their year by merely appearing a few days before or after their due date. I don’t mind either way but it’s crazy how it could affect their entire education isn’t it!?

I’d imagine most of us are due around a similar time? What a lovely time of year to be born as well.. still the school summer holidays and usually nice weather for birthday parties etc! 💕

Hi, I’ve been lurking, but just wondering if I can join a bit late, I’m 14dp5dt with our second transfer, first transfer unfortunately ended in a very early chemical, only very faint lines on first response test and I was testing negative by OTD (day 10).

We weren’t happy with our last clinic so moved to Care who have been wonderful. Our official test day is 16dpt (no idea why they make you wait so long), I first tested on 10dpt and got a strong positive, tested again at 12dpt and had the start of a dye stealer, so feeling a lot more positive this time, but aware anything could happen!

Testing gives me a lot of anxiety since my chemical, but the clinic is adamant I have to test again on our OTD, so I bought a different brand of test so I couldn’t compare lines 🙈 Hoping it’s another strong positive and I can relax a bit until the 7 week scan.

Just wanted to add that I suppose it depends on what you define as a “high risk”, but I wouldn’t class a 1/4 or 1/6 chance of miscarriage as incredibly high risk, you are significantly more likely to have a successful pregnancy than a miscarriage and the risk of miscarriage decreases as the pregnancy progresses. Obviously, some people unfortunately are more prone to miscarriages for a variety of reasons, but I don’t think it’s unreasonable to think positively, but also be aware nothing is guaranteed.

@zirafica i’m very sorry to hear about your friend’s experience, she has been incredibly unlucky and my heart breaks for her.

As @OneQuirkyPanda says, we can’t count our chickens yet but there is much to be hopeful for. Welcome!

@CoolSummer89 yes she’s had awful luck and a really tough time. But Reddit is full of women on their 4th, 5th, even 6th FET so i don’t think it’s uncommon at all. Although i do suppose the successful ones get off the forums 😂
thinking of you @Peonies94, I really do hope everything’s ok

@zirafica yea it is common. Even with tested embryos about 5-10% of women will have multiple transfers that don’t result in a live birth. But it’s not more likely than the other result which is people who get pregnant from IVF will have a live birth.

As you say people on Reddit are more likely to be active on the IVF sub if they are in the trenches and there can be some hostility to people who have more straightforward journeys. Which is why there is an IVFpositivity sub which is a good antidote.

Completely understand not wanting to get your hopes up and prepare for the worst, especially in these early weeks. Hopefully as the pregnancy progresses you will feel more optimistic.

i’m not naturally an optimistic person, but trying to be one in the pregnancy for (hopefully) my future child !!

sending lots of love and light everyone’s way for 2026 🥳

Good for you @CoolSummer89 ! 👏🏻 that’s a great way to be. I definitely started off just enjoying the moment/in shock then the worries started creeping in, which is a shame. After our scare the other day though I am really going to try and enjoy it, unless I have a genuine reason to think anything is wrong.

We have a scan booked for Friday now, with the EPU just to check everything over after the bleeding but they seem to think it had nothing to do with the pregnancy so I am trying to go into it excited to see our baby rather than anxious anything will be wrong ✨

I have also decided I’m going to try and take a step away from forums/social media until we’re a bit further along because I think it makes me so much more consumed by all of the information/stories. I thought I’d mention it so nobody wonders why I’ve disappeared!

As you’ve also said.. sending so much love & positivity to everybody for the New Year and a happy 2026 💕 I’ll definitely be back to catch up with you all in the NY but hope you have a good one xx

Thanks @AnonTTC. best of luck and speak in a bit 😘

@AnonTTC im so sorry but glad they got you in quickly and all is okay!
so my epu is extremely busy and phoned Monday to say they couldn’t get me in until the following Tuesday so just currently waiting! Feels like forever! The bleeding has very much turned to occasional spotting only now, so just need to wait to see what comes from it! They said they’d had a crazy number of calls sent in for the time they were closed!

@Peonies94 Sorry they made you wait. I also hope all is okay. Been lurking here occasionally hoping very much for good news from you. Also hoping for good news from many others xx

@CollsR thsnk you! Hope you are doing okay xx

Thanks. I’m doing well. Getting my head around being “one and done”. My heart will follow in time… there is no rush. My son is nearly two & a cuddly little boy. I’ve been blessed. We could probably afford to try again… but I don’t think my heart could take this anymore. I never thought I’d say that. But I feel it very strongly.

@CollsR that’d such a brave decision to make! It definitely takes so much emotionally! Look after yourself and enjoy time with your boy!

Not good news for me today unfortunately. Went for our viability scan and nothing there :( so disappointing and feels like we've been through a lot for absolutely nothing. It was our first transfer so I know we'd have been incredibly lucky for it to all go smoothly. But it's just so disappointing following a positive test the week before Christmas.

Hope everyone else is doing ok.

@BellaTink647 so sorry to hear that. It really does feel unfair after seeing a positive result on the test. The wait from test to scan is excruciating in itself. The first trimester is so risky and fragile… I’m sorry. re-reading your old posts it seems like you had an idea this might be the result, I’m sure that doesn’t make it any easier. On a positive note, it does take 3 on average and at least you got one out of the way. Fingers crossed the next one is the one that sticks ♥️ have you spoken to the clinic/your partner on next steps?

Hi @BellaTink647 - I'm so sorry you're going through this. I am not sure if this helps but I actually came on here today to give the same news, so you're not alone in this ❤️ After our scare last week, the EPU brought us in for a scan on Friday and sadly confirmed they couldn't see anything either (especially since we were meant to be 6 weeks along). They initially told us to come back 2 weeks later to double check, but since then I did some pregnancy tests and all my HCG levels have dropped back down so sadly I'm 99.9% sure we can confirm our pregnancy isn't viable. They are bringing me in for more bloods today to confirm, and if they have dropped significantly they will allow me to stop my IVF medication and let nature take it's course.

Not sure if it made things easier but we kind of got let down gradually (first the bleed, then the scan and now the tests) so I've been able to process things over the period of a week whilst we still had a tiny bit of hope and I can't imagine how you felt getting given that news at your first scan with no heads up that anything could be wrong 😔 Like I said, I am so so sorry but I feel your pain. We are very similar in the sense that this is our first ever transfer, so obviously feel lucky that we got pregnant but also think this world is so cruel that after it has taken so long to get here we couldn't just have a smooth ride!

I spoke to my clinic earlier and they reassured me that this is (unfortunately) very common and it doesn't for 1 second mean that any future transfer/pregnancies will end the same way. They told me we will have a bleed once we stop the meds and after that we can start a new transfer cycle on my next period, which I definitely want to do and I am trying to focus on that. If we are successful on the next one and everything goes well it means we would still get to meet our baby this year, which I am trying to cling on to because we went into 2026 with so much hope and excitement so it's hard to comprehend not having a baby this year. It does make me scared going into the next cycle that I feel like we now need to overcome 2 hurdles, getting a positive test in the first place and then it sticking around but I am trying not to think too far ahead and spiral. Goes without saying too but I am very much going to treat myself for the rest of this month and February and try and have lots of fun and enjoy being myself again for a brief period before we go into the next round, because it really is all consuming. Please be kind to yourself and know that none of this has happened because of anything you did/didn't do xxx

Oh @AnonTTC gutted to have read this. Nothing is a given in the first trimester, I genuinely don’t care what the stats say. Gut wrenching regardless. Really heartbroken for you both ♥️
Don’t try to let this experience scar you for future transfers, there really are no rules. Except the rule that you’re never safe. Wish you both a quick recovery and healing.

Hi @BellaTink647 & @AnonTTC I am so sorry to read both of your news, this is really devastating. I know we have discussed before how best to carry the uncertainty with the hope in early pregnancy, but of course an outcome like this is always going to be a blow.

Love hearing that you will be treating yourself @AnonTTC , I hope you'll be doing the same @BellaTink647 once the news sinks in.

Sending lots of love xxx

We are so sorry @BellaTink647 and @AnonTTC, passing on all the love and really thinking of you both. Sadly this journey is a frustrating and difficult one and for us it has been a tough few weeks but we are optimistic for all of us.

Not to take away from the news but we did finally hear back from the Embryology team at our clinic and we were pretty devastated to see that the Embryo for our failed transfer was by far the best Embryo we have grading wise. Were really not sure what to make of that and it seems like a lot of people consider Embryo Grading to only be important if you are not doing PGTA. Really praying it was a random issue on our side but its frustrating. We are in a very fortunate position of course to have more Embryos but from looking into it our best odds of success really were this cycle. I do wonder if we should have asked our clinic not to use the best first in case there was anything that we could learn from with the first attempt but it really does not seem like there is so perhaps we could not have done anything differently.

Hi @AnxiousHopeful as you have alluded to, I think if you know the embryos are PGTA normal then grading doesn't make a huge amount of difference, it's just a way for the clinic to prioritise which one is transferred first. But I think grading is all subjective anyway and assessed by eye. The fertility nurse said to me "Don't get too hung up on grade, we don't know what 'grades' we all were at fertilisation!"

You still have plenty of chances, so try not to lose hope.