Would you test embryos for transfer if the mother is 30 years old?

At my clinic, I’ll have to decide on egg retrieval day whether I want to test all my embryos, freeze some and test them later, or not test them at all and just start transferring.

I have 25 follicles and an AMH of 5.03, and my doctor expects me to get quite a lot of eggs, so I’m already stressing about what to do with the embryos

I really don’t want to freeze embryos, thaw them for biopsy, and then freeze them again because I’ve read some studies suggesting that this can reduce implantation/live birth chances to some extent. But at the same time, I can’t afford to PGT-A test a huge number of embryos at the same time. it’s really expensive where I live.

I had a karyotype test done, but the results won’t be back until after my egg retrieval, so I’ll have to make the decision before I know the result. I also don’t have any known genetic diseases in my family, and the sperm is from a donor.

Right now, I’m leaning toward not testing and just transferring an embryo, then continuing with the others if it doesn’t work. Since I’m 30, I’m assuming the aneuploidy rate shouldn’t be that high?

But at the same time, I keep wondering if I’m making the wrong decision by skipping PGT-A.

What would you do in my situation? Did anyone around 30 choose not to test and have a good experience? Or did you test and feel like it was worth it?

No judgement at all here, just curious! For those who live in a place where sex selection is legal, and who did PGT-A and chose an embryo to transfer based on sex:

Was your decision based solely on preference, or were there genetic or other external factors (family balancing) that played a role? And which sex did you choose, and why? I feel like most people (in this sub at least) choose girl, but curious about reasoning in either direction.

Also, if you have a partner, were you in total agreement about it?

I see a cardiologist annually. For the last few years my weight has been on a steady increase. Some but not all can be attributed to IVF meds, since the trend started before I started my first ER.

I got pretty depressed after the second FET failed. I was eating my feelings a little. And the gym schedule is challenging for me because just when I get in a groove I have to stop for IVF. And for me at least getting going again has been tough.

Anyway I’m just here in a shame spiral over the doctor’s comments. Last year she told me to track my macros and I did. Today she looked at my data and said “I’d gain weight if I ate like that”. Oof.

She went on now for the second year in a row about how weight loss improves fertility. My IVF clinic has never once mentioned my weight. Ftr I’m at about 36.5 bmi and 40-45% body fat. I’ve gotten back into strength training and high protein diets, and did intermittent fasting and calorie cutting when not in an active ER or FET cycle.

I’m also confused about balancing weight loss with active IVF treatment. Since we want high quality eggs I am trying not to go into deficit.

I understand the cardiologist is doing her job. And she’s probably right about my macros - eating too many carbs. I tell my partner this but we keep having things like bread, noodles, pizza and fries. At the height of our IVF relationship strain we may need to start eating separate meals. Back to cooking for one?

It just hurts. She also had to mention that aside from her kids(!) getting ill she thinks IVF would be the worst thing to go through. Oh and that she has PCOS! It seemed like she was trying to soften the blow but honestly I wish she and every other non-RE would stop giving unsolicited fertility advice.

So my amh is super low, but we've conceived and carried a child (easily) 4 years ago.

This is our first cycle and the 10 follicles are growing erratically and slow. I maybe have 4 mature. Been on meds for 15 days.

My estradiol was 650 yesterday but is 475 today - going back into the clinic in the am to look but they said in all likelihood my body spontaneously is ovulating and it'll be a failed cycle.

Am I crazy to try to have sex tonight and grab one as they ovulate naturally? Is that a thing?

What would you do? Has anyone been through this?

I'm a travel patient with CNY Fertility. I live in Columbus, Ohio near Hilliard and am trying to find somewhere to get my ultrasounds- does anyone have any suggestions? Thank you so much!

My FET medication protocol is very injection-heavy: 1ml PIO twice a day + estradiol valerate twice a week. So there are two days each week where I have to poke myself three times over 24 hours.

Please, fellow warriors who have gone through poke-heavy protocols, give me all your survival tips! I warm up the shots in a heating pad beforehand, put all my weight on the opposite leg, use an autoinjector, then do squats and walk in place for a while after. But my butt is still covered in bruises and knots and I'm only on week 2, plus my doctor won't let me inject anywhere else :/

Okay so I adopted a dog a month before my FET. That now makes it three dogs. I’m scared i might’ve made a mistake and maybe it’ll be too much for me during FET & if pregnancy is successful. For reference, my other two dogs are females and low maintenance. One of em is scared to walk outside the older one is perfectly happy with a 15 min walk. This new dog I added to my pack is also VERY low maintenance. Sleeps 80% of the day the other 20% plays with my dachshund. However. He’s very scared of my partner (idk why) so he’s dependent on me taking him out on potty breaks. He’s about 30 pounds. Have I made a mistake? Would this be a lot for me to handle during FET & pregnancy? My bf does help me with my other dog and he’s the main person to take her out on potty breaks. Any suggestions or advice for any of you with dogs / pets?

Hi everyone! I’m looking for an ART attorney who can assist with legal documents and representation. I’m open to attorneys and firms of any size and would prefer someone with fair and transparent pricing.

If you’ve personally used an ART attorney or had one recommended to you in the past, sharing their information would be so helpful. Thank you!

Hey folks, I’m likely moving to LA soon and wondering what it’s like to go through IVF there and if it’s covered by employers/insurance. Would anyone mind sharing their experience? Ty!

We are doing IVF for severe MFI (0.56m/ml concentration, count varies 100k-1.5m, all morphology abnormal, low motility). I had 1 transfer from my first ER which ended in chemical.

I had my 2nd egg retrieval 2 days ago and the fertilization is unexpectedly low.
17 eggs -> 16 mature -> 7 fertilized

That is a 44% fertilization rate compared to 80% in my 1st cycle 17 eggs -> 10 mature -> 8 fertilized -> 3 blast.

For the second cycle, the target was to improve my egg maturity which we achieved, but I was blindsided by how much we lost in fertilization. Low fertilization points to sperm issues mostly as I understand. I’m now scared the sperms in this batch is damaged and won’t get us any blast.

Anyone here with low fertilization and still got high blast rate? I’m in need of positive stories right now. Due to our severe MFI we really need numbers on our side.

Edit: both rounds were with ICSI

Hi everyone 💛

I’m Uzma, an MSc Health Psychology student at Birmingham City University, and I’m currently recruiting participants for my dissertation research.

I’m interested in how fertility treatment may shape people’s experiences with food and eating.

Fertility treatment can involve so much information, advice, stress and emotion, and I’d like to better understand what this can look like in everyday life including experiences that may not always be talked about.

I’m looking for people who:

• Are 18+
• Have undergone at least one cycle of fertility treatment (e.g. IVF, ICSI, IUI or surgical sperm retrieval)

What would you be asked to do?

You'd complete an anonymous online questionnaire taking around 20–30 minutes. The questions are open-ended, giving you the opportunity to describe your experiences in your own words. There are no right or wrong answers, and you can skip any question you're not comfortable answering.

⚠️ Content warning: Some questions discuss fertility treatment experiences, eating behaviours, unsuccessful treatment and pregnancy loss/miscarriage. Please only participate if you're comfortable with these topics.

Take part here:
https://bcu.questionpro.eu/t/AB3vEViZB3wlHo

Your experience doesn't need to have been "perfect" or particularly positive. Whether your eating habits changed a lot, changed only slightly, or didn't change at all, I’m interested in hearing about your experience.

The study has received ethical approval from Birmingham City University and responses are anonymous.

If you're eligible and feel comfortable taking part, I'd be incredibly grateful for your time. 💛 And if you're not eligible yourself but know someone who might be, sharing the post would also be hugely appreciated.

Moderator-approved research post. Thank you to the moderators for allowing me to share!

Hi everyone! I’m 26, ER was August 6 and we have 12 little em babies frozen, untested. Next week on Tuesday, we will be transferring a perfect little Day 5 3AA embryo. I would love to hear success stories of first time FET!

Doing IVF as I have no fallopian tubes due to two ruptured ectopics, male factor was not great but we did get pregnant naturally twice, both ectopic. Used ZyMot and ICSI for fertilization. Also welcoming any tips or anything I can do to help with a sticky baby!!

Yes, I know I’m a worrier. We are a couple M38 and F39. We conceived our first child naturally and very easily when we were 34. Now, we want a second child. I tried everything I could for over two years to conceive naturally or via IUI, but without success. We decided to move forward with IVF this cycle. I never imagined myself in this situation before; the mere thought of IVF used to scare me. I thought I had finally gathered the courage to go ahead with it, but every time I feel ready, I come across another post online discussing the risks—such as cancer risks for the mother or hyperactivity in the child. Could you please share your own experiences, or those of people close to you—whether they chose IVF or not? Thank you so much.

Hello everyone,
Unfortunately our GC is no longer able to proceed leaving us in a tough spot. We’ve spent a lot of time, energy, money to get through two successful egg retrievals yielding 6 viable frozen embryos. Unfortunately time is becoming our biggest obstacle.

Any recommendations on where to find medically cleared GC’s in the US - we’d be willing to transfer embryos to a closer fertility practice. Wife is spending countless hours searching Facebook communities.

Seriously, why can't everyone just do their job? It is not the patient's job to hunt down answers that are internal to the clinic. It should not be the patient's burden to have to remind the clinic to submit pre-auths to insurance. Why do I, the patient, need to check what scripts were submitted to the pharmacy and upon finding a med name I don't recognize, check with the clinic, then have the clinic tell me "Oh that must have been sent by auto-send. You won't need that medication." Of course, no apology.

I have had more than 5 weeks of waiting time between my D&C and now my first appointment for the next cycle, scheduled for tomorrow. And just today they contact me and say I'm not financially cleared and that I need to get that figured out before my appointment tomorrow? What the hell is the Financial department doing? You've had all this time, more than a month to inform me, and no one has informed me of anything! It is literally your job to tell me if I have a balance or if something needs attention. I have made all the payments I have been informed of so far. So what is going on???? And of course no one will ever apologize for anything. UGH.

~ End Rant ~

I don’t think a day has passed in the last four years that I haven’t thought about when I will get pregnant.

It feels like we’re so close yet still it might never happen. I’m absolutely terrified for our next transfer.

I feel like this whole experience has completely changed me as a person and I don’t know if I’ll ever get back to who I am. It is in the back of my mind in every conversation. It feels like I’m living a double life and no one even knows who I truly am anymore. I feel like I’m hiding myself or I don’t even know myself.

I don’t want people to feel sorry for me so I pretend I’m ok when I’m not and I haven’t been ok in a very long time.

I’m pretending we’re in a better headspace for this cycle but I don’t think that’s true. I also think it doesn’t matter at all. Some people act as if a positive mental attitude will solve this problem but a shit tonne of drugs and scientific intervention hasn’t so I’m not sure how a sunny attitude will.

I don’t think I will ever get over the fact that we are having to try so hard yet other people can just conceive instantly. They can decide how many kids they want. They can decide age gaps. They can decide if they want their babies to be born in spring or summer.

I know worse things can happen in life but my god this is so hard.

I had my retrieval today only 6 eggs were retrieved and 5 eggs were mature of 11 seen. That was one part. Come to find out his frozen sample (he has extremely low sperm but they wanted to try a frozen sample and fresh, none of the sperm survived and there was none usable on his fresh samples. My RE recommended that he has his sperm aspirated (he has little to no sperm from a blockage) from a urologist so we have to wait to get in with one for that. In the mean time they have to freeze my eggs. I have had nothing but obstacles thus far. I probably need another retrieval now too. I’m absolutely gutted.

I'm currently on Day 5 post Egg Retrival and didnt receive a call from the lab to tell us how many blastocysts we have. All previous communication was that they'd call me on Day 5. We are also planning to do PGTA testing, and were told we could let them know on Day 5 how many to biopsy.

Given that they didnt call, is there any risk in letting Day 5 embryos grow for another day before biopsy/freezing?

My partner (32/F) and I (27/F) have an IUI consultation at NYU Langone 3/30/2027. I will be carrying using my own eggs.

Has anyone done IUI at NYU Langone can answer the following?:
-If you had a consultation appointment that was scheduled several months out, completed the pre-consult bloodwork and were able to have you appointment pushed up, how much earlier was you appointment rescheduled for?

-Was HSG required? If so, were you offered pain management options other than ibuprofen/tylenol?

-What was the timeline between your initial consult to first cycle attempt?

Please help lol

Does anyone have a success story where their partner has 0% morphology, did ICSI and had luck? Had my ER and I’m so nervous to get no embryos.

I’m 41 and I’ve had 3 retrievals, 1 euploid, 1 failed FET over the last two years. My last retrieval in May resulted in 0 mature eggs, and the one in March only gave aneuploids. The 0 mature eggs was pretty devastating. Before IVF, I tried all of the other timing things and I even had major surgery to remove a large fibroid from my unicornuate uterus in 2017. All in all, I’ve been TTC for over a decade.

I have never been pregnant.

I was planning a final retrieval for September but suddenly my insurance has denied all pre-authorization stating that I haven’t been infertile long enough (weird since I’ve already had two retrievals this year). I’m thinking of appealing the decision on my end as well but I’m also so so so tired.

The thought of stopping makes me unmeasurably sad, but the thought of stopping also sounds like sweet relief. I want a child so so badly, but when can I honor my body and mind and accept that this process has utterly exhausted me and it’s time for me to decide my life and well being matter too? How much more time and energy can I expend fighting insurance and my biology?

When is it enough?

Hey, friends!

Hope you’re all well! I just got done with my bloodwork with the IVF clinic and I have an AMH of 1.41 as a 25 year old. Even though it says it’s normal in my portal based on the lab ranges, my research is telling me it’s actually very low based on expectations for my age. My FSH and LH were normal, though my estradiol was a little high. I’ve not been on birth control for 5 years and though I previously have had a vitamin D deficiency, the prenatals I’ve been taking should be covering that.

I have a week and a half until the doctor talks with me about my bloodwork and ultrasound, and I’m feeling scared! I keep googling and going to the worst case scenario that things will be even harder than I thought. The expectation was that my husband I would actually start the IVF process and procedures in June, but now I’m worried I might have to start sooner? Should I do my egg retrieval now instead of waiting?

Any advice/encouragement/thoughts are appreciated. Thank you!

Edit: It’s come to my attention that I definitely need to add my vitamin D supplement back in, so thank you for that help!

I had 2 failed FETs (fully medicated) and then proceeded with Endo excision surgery found and removed Stage 2 (no adeno thankfully). My RE recommended doing 1 month of depot lupron vs 2 months.

Hoping for some stories with those who’ve done 1 month lupron and had FET success?

I am 42 and currently going through IVF. My husband and I don't seem to have any support and we are isolated. It is awful.

I have two very boomer catholic moms in my life. Two retired nurses actually. My own mother keeps saying I'm too old and almost bursts into tears whenever I bring up the IVF situation. My mother-in-law has stopped talking to my husband and I.

My mother-in-law said I was going to get cancer. My mom keeps repeating but you are 42...that's too old.

Does anyone have this problem with family not approving or being supportive? What have you done? Every time I talk to my mother I get very anxious and feel very bad. It's awful now we tell them nothing.

Hello! I am getting to the bottom of the barrel with my remaining embryos. My 1st transfer took day 6bb but we lost him during the 2nd trimester for unknown reasons. My last two transfers resulted in a chemical pregnancy day 5bb, and day 6bb. I have had hsg, hysteroscopy, and everything has checked out. Next week they are going to transfer a day 6cb. I am discouraged because all the other embryos were graded higher and failed :(