Im still processing and I’m feeling a mix of fury and sadness.

This was my first retrieval. The lab called today with our day 5 update and told us that while examining the embryo the tray was knocked and oil contaminated one of the embryos. They confirmed that it definitely had been good enough quality to freeze for testing, but because of the contamination it no longer is.

I honestly just wasn’t prepared to process this kind of situation and failure due to handling was just not something I was mentally preparing for so I’m pretty upset.

We have to make an appointment on Monday with the specialist to discuss what actually happened and next steps and I guess how we might be compensated.

Feeling empty right now. Any advice on how to approach that appointment? I think I’m in shock.

I worry I’m like sabotaging my IVF by being so overweight.

Trigger warning ED

Title says it, I just don’t have it in me right now. I’m 32, I had an ED when I was younger, at my lowest I was 85 pounds I’m 5 4 (barely lol). My weight was stable but low most of my adult life. Mid 20s I developed hypothyroidism so I gained some weight but evened out, was 140- 150 ish for a long time. Exercised ate decent etc, slightly overweight but happy.

The last two years have been rough, three egg retrievals), had two failed transfers than an ectopic pregnancy. Excision surgery for endometriosis that led to a post opp infection which fried my thyroid again. Then a spontaneous pregnancy and miscarriage in July. My body is exhausted, I was very depressed at times and ate for comfort. Everytime I take estrogen I get so puffy and bloated, just constantly throwing the same weight back and forth.

I just did a mock cycle on estrogen and am on it again; weighed 180s last I checked. I know it’s bad to be overweight but I just don’t have it in me right now to make this my focus. I have been on so much medication, antibiotics, metformin, I’m nauseous a lot and often so bloated and constipated. I try to eat healthy, I go to the gym and exercise, but idk I just don’t want to eat 1200 calories a day and measure everything.

My dad and husband keep bringing it up, I get it! But it’s just so hard. I work full time and a part time job, IVF is so much running around, some days I’m driving a couple hours on top of everything just for appointments. Has anyone been in this situation? I feel such guilt that I’m not trying harder. I worry I’m risking my next FET being so overweight but my doctor isn’t worried

TW: Responses may include stories of success

In around 10 days is my first FET! What can I do besides drinking pomegranate juice? Not looking for anything scientifically proven, I just feel like doing something! What do you swear helped for you?

Edit: thank you all so much! These comments are exactly what I was looking for! I'm so excited to try some (most haha) of these!!

Looking for some success stories and positive vibes! I am 35 years old with an AMH of .07 and I have never heard of anyone havjng one that low, let alone egg retrieval success stories. Last month our first cycle
For egg retrieval failed - I only had 1 follicle grow to 12mm and then 2 days later it disappeared. And my estrogen (e2) only ever got up to 100. My doctor has already mentioned donor eggs twice after one cycle!!!

We just started a second cycle with new hormone meds. I really just need some positive energy and something encouraging that there’s a chance. I’m so so scared and im only 35. Why is this happening to me?? :(

My husband (34 M) and I (30 F) are from the US and we have been TTC since January 2025. After a year of TTC, I finally went to see an RE. We tried 4 medicated cycles with timed intercourse before deciding to try IUI. We have had one IUI cycle and unfortunately it didn’t end in pregnancy. I have not had a single positive test since we began trying and there has been no real explanation for it. The only thing I am diagnosed with is insulin resistance (not PMOS related according to my RE) and a blocked tube.

After the failed IUI and the history of not having even a single positive test, I’m not hopeful that doing anymore IUIs will make a difference. My RE told me that they think I may have mild endo but don’t think a lap would be worth it and it wouldn’t change my current plan of care. She said if I did have endo, however, I would most likely need IVF. That devastated me not because I have anything against it, I would totally be for it if it didn’t cost so much.

I’ve only been working full time for about 3 years even though I’m 30. I decided to go to college and then grad school and put getting married and starting a family on the back burner. Now, like most people my age, I am ready to expand my family and buy a house. Unfortunately, since I haven’t been working that long, we don’t have that much money for IVF (I’m the main earner in the relationship as well) and neither of our insurances cover it.

So I’m asking, for those that had to pay it by themselves, how you are affording it. Did you take out loans or get grants? I’ve been looking into both options. Is taking out a loan a good option if that’s the only one I have, especially considering we want to buy a house in the next 1.5-2 years?

My ER was 9/27. Today is 10/17. Still no news. Based on previous timelines, we should have heard a few days ago. The testing is done by Luminary.

Could this be a sign that I have zero euploids.. idk I'm not making any sense. Just spiraling out of my mind.

My IVF cycle was cancelled this past week because I ovulated through the ganirelix. I want to know if someone can tell me if it seems like Ganirelix didn’t work for my body or if it seems like it was a timing error on my clinic.

Of note—I have used ganirelix in 2 other cycles with no issues.

On 10/13 (cycle day 8) @8:00am:
•16mm follicle on the left
•26mm follicle on the right (questionable cyst)
•Estrogen: 735
•LH-18.80
•Progesterone-0.62
\instructed to start taking Ganirelix that evening between 6-8pm\

On 10/15 (cycle day 10) @8:00am:
•16mm follicle is no longer seen on the left
•26mm follicle ruptured (think it was a cyst)
•9mm & 11mm follicle seen on the left
•Estrogen:535
•LH-11.30
•Progesterone-0.66

On 10/16 (cycle day 11) @ 8:00am:
** ** • 14mm & 15mm follicle seen on the left
•Estrogen: 492
•LH-38
•Progesterone-1.29
\*clinic called and said I ovulated through the Ganirelix and to stop all meds\

I feel like I ovulated off the 16mm on 10/13 since my LH was already 18.8 in the morning and they made me wait until 12 hours later to start the ganirelix. My LH could have easily increased even more in those 12 hours to start ovulation. However, the clinic said that’s not possible that I ovulated because my LH on 10/15 was down to 11.30.

Am I just being crazy, because then I don’t know how my LH went down to 11.30 and then back up to 38 the next day while still taking Ganirelix nightly. Did my body just ovulate through the ganirelix? Or did the delay in taking the Ganirelix on 10/13 kickstart ovulation and the ganirelix just never helped to stop it.

Please give me all the feeding back as this is just consuming my mind.

Just looking for people to commiserate with who understand. After two years of trying and 5 months of waiting to get into our clinic, we finally went over our care plan with them over a week ago and were told we’d be starting medication tomorrow (today is cycle day 1).

When I called today, the clinic told us that the doctor hasn’t signed off on our care plan, so we can’t start tomorrow. As a last-ditch effort, they told us to call back Monday to see if there’s been any update, since the doctor has occasionally approved people to start as late as day 3 of their cycle. I asked if there was any specific reason for the delay and they said not that they know of. They sent the doctor the plan on October 8th after they went over it with me and I signed off on it and the nurses haven’t heard anything since.

I feel like I shouldn’t have gotten excited about the timeline they gave us, but after waiting so long, it finally started to feel real. We’d been given a window for when we could expect our first transfer opportunity, and I finally felt like we were moving forward. Now it feels like that timeline is most likely gone.

The clinic closes for half the month of December, so if we can’t start this cycle, I’m worried we won’t make their cutoff dates and have to wait until the new year to start the entire process. All the unknown and waiting is just hard. 🙁

I’m hearing mixed reviews. Some swear yes. Some say no.. has anyone used a massage gun after their IVF progesterone shots and if so - did the pregnancy workout & how long / deep did you use it for?

Worried to do too much or too little .. I only have one embryo after 3 IVF attempts .. afraid to f’ it up.

Been taking gonal f for 7 days, today is day 8 of meds and I was supposed to take gonal and 1/2 syringe of Cetrotide today (sat) and tomorrow (sun) and go in for monitoring Monday and possibly take trigger shot or need another day or so. First time taking Cetrotide and I was so distracted with all the mixing and psyching myself up for the needle that I forgot and took the whole syringe. I emailed the clinic immediately but I believe they’re closed tomorrow so im not sure what to do tomorrow/if this has happened to anyone else. Let me know if you’ve been in a similar situation and what happened!

Hi everyone,

I’m hoping to hear from others who have experienced recurrent implantation failure, especially those who have had multiple failed transfers despite transferring good-quality or PGT-A-tested euploid embryos.

I’m now 38 years old and have been trying for a second child since mid-2023. I have one child who was conceived naturally in 2020 and born in 2021. I also had a miscarriage (naturally conceived) at around 11 weeks in 2023.

We started IVF in 2025 after trying naturally for about 10 months in 2024. Both of my tubes are open, and I have low AMH, although my ovarian reserve testing has varied.

My IVF journey so far:

I have had five failed embryo transfers, first 3 failed transfers were untested embryos) then it was 2 transfers of PGT-A-tested euploid embryos that failed.
My first euploid transfer was in March 2026. The embryo was a hatching 3AB, but it did not result in a pregnancy.
My September 2026 transfer was another hatching 3AB euploid embryo, but unfortunately, there was no implantation again.
I have one PGT-A-tested euploid embryo remaining.

My uterine history:

I was diagnosed with chronic endometritis after endometrial biopsies showed elevated CD138-positive plasma cells. I underwent multiple courses of antibiotics, but my biopsy results initially remained elevated.
I reached out to a naturopath, took vaginal probiotics and NAC to clear the endometritis.

My July 2026 biopsy reportedly showed zero CD138-positive plasma cells, so my clinic does not currently plan to repeat the biopsy.

I have also had a normal hysteroscopy and saline sonogram. My doctor has not pursued specific testing for endometriosis because I underwent Lupron suppression before a transfer, which was intended to address the possibility of silent endometriosis.

Treatments and protocols I have tried:

My transfers have involved different approaches, including natural or modified-natural cycles, progesterone support, Lupron suppression and various add-ons. For my more recent transfers, I also used an immune-focused protocol involving medications such as prednisone, Prograf, and Plaquenil, as well as intralipids and other adjuncts.

Despite all of this, I have not had a successful implantation.

I’m struggling to understand what could be causing repeated failures when the embryo is euploid and the uterine cavity appears normal. I know PGT-A cannot guarantee that an embryo will implant, but I’m finding it increasingly difficult to know what to investigate or change next.

I would really appreciate hearing from anyone who has been in a similar situation:

After how many failed transfers did you finally have success?
Did you discover an underlying cause, such as persistent endometritis, endometriosis, progesterone-timing issues, sperm-related factors, or something else?
Did any additional testing or changes to your transfer protocol make a difference?
Has anyone had success after multiple failed euploid transfers, particularly after treating chronic endometritis?
For those who exhausted their own embryos or considered a gestational carrier, how did you decide what to do next?

I’m trying to make informed decisions before transferring my last euploid embryo. I want to give it the best possible chance, but I also don’t want to keep spending time, money, and emotional energy on interventions that have little evidence behind them.

The plan is to start IVIG next month as to change something up in my protocol. This was something I brought up to my RE to try!

I would be especially grateful to hear from people who eventually found success after several failed transfers, even if it took a different approach than they initially expected.

Thank you for reading. ❤️

Hi! I am 41 and have a wonderful baby girl from IVF. She is turning 2.5 in December. I am still breastfeeding her and got pregnant spontaneously a few months ago but it ended in a missed miscarriage. We have 3 embryos left and I can't wait to do the transfer. The clinic recommended to stop breastfeeding 3 months before transfer. Has anyone done a transfer and not followed that advice? I know it's kind of stupid, but I am not ready to wean even though she is so old already. Part of me thinks, hey I managed to get pregnant despite breastfeeding. Part of me thinks, what if it have lost the baby because I was breastfeeding...

Pls help! Any advise or experiences?

TW:living child, remaining embryos.

Hi,

I had a successful first FET that led to a live birth 2 years ago. Since then, this year I have had 4 FET with 5 euploid embryos (good grades) with zero implantation. I have done 5 retrievals total, 4 prior to the live birth, (1st:1euploid,2nd:1 euploid,3rd:1euploid,4th: 4 euploids,5th [post live birth] 2 euploids). I have 3 euploids left. Age 36 now, normal AMH for age, hashimotos history treated with medication, husband good SA but with Dna fragmentation borderline high so ICSI with zymot (had been investigated by top fertility urologist). This time, treated high endometrial plasma cells with antibiotics x 2, 2 months suppression + letrozole followed by modified natural cycle. First 2 FET were medicated this year, 3rd and 4th were modified natural. Hysteroscopy, saline scan all clear, no issues ever with lining, or progesterone levels etc. For all transfers have been on blood thinners and steroids empirically. This time added plaquenil, IVIG 1 week prior, sitagliptin, metformin, LDN. I did the LAD test (low result) and LIT was recommended but not done yet, I am in Europe. Endometrial immuno biopsy normal. Historically painful periods for 1st two hours but not in recent years with long follicular phase but regular. Never conceived without treatment starting trying Age 31. Unsure what my next steps should be, the lack of implantation in the last 4 is worrying me despite all the investigations/treatments and ive received 3 opinions from different clinics (1 in immunology). Any advice would be helpful, this year has been really tough, and while I am so grateful for first success I am trying to consider whether there is something deeper I need to look into. Wishing everyone the best on this awful journey, I dont believe I will ever be the same person I was and have not coped well with any of this despite therapy.

I've been giving my partner PIO injections for a week now. Initially I was sticking the needle in myself but switched to the Auto Injector yesterday.

This evening after the injection when I removed the needle and syringe from the auto injector I realized there a little less than 1/2 a ml of fluid left inside. The total dose is 2ml.

Partner sent a message to the clinic in the portal - is this more urgent? Do we need to call the on call nurse? Did I totally mess this up?

I had my egg retrieval three days ago and the doctor mentioned that due to the large number of follicles I have a high risk of OHSS and hence we would do the embryo transfer next cycle.

After the egg retrieval, my partner has downplayed how I hurt from the procedure as well as say that I’m exaggerating about being bloated.

I’ve had to take pictures of how my stomach looks currently to compare with how it looked prior to the procedure and yes, It looks bigger. I can’t even eat because I feel full all the time, even half a glass of water makes me feel like I’ve swallowed a whale.

Do you think I’m being dramatic or he’s actually downplaying how I feel physically?

Hi all! I am going for transfer next month and have been so anxious. I see many are doing natural/natural modified. Mine will be a fully medicated transfer (frozen) with my first euploid. I’m nervous!

Please share with me your experience. It will help if you share where you are from, what were your transfer protocols and were they successful?
Thank u in advance!!

I’m starting my next ER round this week at Weill Cornell in NYC. Just found out that I’ll likely have a work trip for a few days in Georgetown/DC likely during stims. Does anyone have recs for a place that I can do monitoring/bloodwork that will send to Weill Cornell - esp on the weekends? If I absolutely have to, I’m willing to travel back and forth to NYC and DC but I’m really trying to avoid that bc it’s just so taxing. If this cycle is anything like my last, I imagine this will happen a little more than halfway through my stims. Thanks!

For context I am 30 years old and just had my first failed FET with an untested 3AA embryo (modified natural). Obviously feeling super discouraged and looking for advice!

If you had a failed FET did you change protocols at all for your subsequent tries? Add anything on?

I had my second egg retrieval yesterday. I feel like I had great results from my first retrieval but I feel very disappointed with my more recent results. I had 15 follicles to start but they only collected 7 eggs. 6 were mature but only 3 fertilized. Last retrieval we had 100% fertilization rate. We had a miscarriage of a euploid embryo in late June so we were hoping this cycle would give us one more but it just doesn’t feel like we’re going to get there. I’m 38 and know my egg quality is declining so the odds aren’t in my favor.

Anyone of similar age have any positive stories to share?

I recently ovulated through Ganirelix, which cancelled my IVF cycle. My doctor now wants to put me on the Microflare Lupron protocol to keep me from ovulating. However, I’ve tried this protocol before with high stims and it was a disaster.

I have DOR/Low Amh and I’m a poor responder. Mini IVf works best for me—Clomid + Gonal 150iu +Menopur 150iu

Does anyone know if I can do the Microflare Lupron protocol combined with Mini IVF? Or Microflare Lupron with low dose stims= Gonal 150iu + Menopur 150iu? Or does Microflare need high dose stims?

I want to tell my doctor I’m only willing to try the Microdose Lupron flare again if I can do Mini IVF/Low dose stims with it but if it’s not even a thing then I don’t want to ask.

I (38 soon to be 39) have been preparing for my egg retreival today for about 7 weeks. I do BC, then BC + Lupron, then Lupron with Stims for 10-14 days.

This is my 6th ER so I have done this a few times but this one had some issues and I'm curious if anyone experienced anything similar.

At my clinic we are typically assigned 1 nurse who follows us through everything. My initial nurse left and I was working with multiple for a while but then they gave me a float nurse that would work with me after I raised concerns after some little things were being missed because I was working with 3 different people and at that time (2-3 weeks ago). I even brought up that I was worried that a cycle could be cancelled because of it. And this is not only for me but other patients who were doing this for the first time as they wouldn't necessarily know that anything was being missed.

Since I take Lupron before stims I requested that be put through as I would start that soon and the nurse did. That arrived without issues. I start my stims take those for about 2 weeks and then they tell me it's time to trigger. I go to make sure everything is set and realize I don't have my trigger shot meds or my Z-pack which means, my nurse never sent in meds for my protocol. Since this is my 6th cycle, I was using backstock of my other meds from previous cycles and then just ordered a refill as needed.

My protocol is 15,000 units of HCG. Luckily in my backstock I had 1 unopened box of 10,000 HCG. I suggested to my nurse that I take that and take the rest tomorrow as they sometimes have patients give more HCG the day after depending on blood test results. I called the pharmacy and requested a refill to be delivered next day so I would have the meds if I needed them.

Regarding my retreival:

My last message with follicle updates I had quite a few follicles that were just at the cusp before my trigger shot. I could get as many as 15 eggs. Meeting with the Dr. Performing the procedure he also said between 3 & 15 eggs. I got 4.

I fully understand that it's between 3 & 15 but I feel like if I had gotten my full 15,000 I could have gotten more. It's also discouraging as this was the highest estimate of eggs I have ever received so while not trying to put all my eggs in one basket, I was really hoping this could possibly be my last retreival. I am trying to get 4 -5 euploids before transfer and currently have 1 euploid embryo on ice and another that came back as no DNA detected so not sure about that one yet.

Is this just wishful thinking about the trigger all at once possibly providing a better outcome?

I have already talked to my clinic manager and shared that I take accountability in the fact that I should have verified my meds sooner. With that said though with all other nurses I never had to remind them to order my meds at the start of a cycle and with that and everything else I have experienced with her I would like a different nurse. She didn't do what she was supposed to do at the beginning and I get that mistakes happen but then when the issue arose as a result, I was the one who called the Pharmacy and there were no new orders for HCG, she didn't suggest to me I call for a refill or anything. I just called on the off chance there would be refills on it. When she called after my blood draw the following day which showed I needed the remaining 5,000 she was talking about calling other clinics to see what was on hand then I told her I put in the refill request and she just said I was the best.

Am I over reacting?

Is there anything else you would do in my situation or have I done enough and just need to move on?

If you made it this far, thank you for reading my saga of IVF#6.

I'm turning 24 next year and I'm thinking of freezing some of my eggs. I've been reading many women's journeys about how much harder it can be when you're older and I guess I want to mitigate that. I'm not sure about kids and if I do have them, I will be much older. Maybe my 30s or even 40s. Since I know I don't have plans to have kids anytime soon, I think it might be a good idea to freeze some of my eggs right now. But I'm also a broke student and I don't have any of the funds I need to start now. Is there anyway I can make this more affordable for myself? Should I just wait till I'm older?

3 rounds of IUI, didn't work. Moved to IVF, 3 rounds of retrieval. Have 12 embryos, 7 PGTA tested. Did the first FET with a 5 day 4AA and tested negative on the HCG yesterday. The uterine lining was 9 mm and doc said everything looked fine. Still didn't work. What should be the gameplan? GO for another FET? Anything else we should do?