IVF has helped so many couples to make their greatest wish come true: becoming parents. In vitro fertilization (IVF) is now the most effective treatment available for infertility. It involves stimulating the growth of multiple eggs, removal of the eggs from the ovaries, fertilization in the embryology laboratory, and subsequent placement of the best-quality embryos into the uterus i.e., embryo transfer. Despite continuing improvements in the technology, unfortunately, there are times when IVF is not successful on the first or second try.
IVF: If at first you don’t succeed, try again
A failed in-vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle can be devastating both emotionally and financially. When three or more good-quality embryos at the eight-cell stage or beyond fail to result in a pregnancy after at least three IVF attempts, this is referred to as repeated IVF failure. Understanding the causes of why the body may reject the embryo is crucial, as it can help you seek the correct treatment and improve the chances of success in future attempts.
Here are some of the more common possibilities why your IVF failed.
- Repeated Implantation Failure
- Repeated Pregnancy Failure
Causes of Repeated IVF Failure
- Uterine abnormalities - Uterine abnormalities such as fibroids, polyps, uterine septum, or other congenital abnormalities can lower a woman’s chances for conception or increase the chances for miscarriage. These abnormalities can make it difficult for an embryo to implant or be nurtured during pregnancy.
- Ovarian Response - At the beginning of IVF treatment, the female is required to administer a daily injection of a fertility hormone (FSH), which aims to increase egg production. Some women’s ovaries do not respond rightly to this medication and thus fail to produce multiple eggs. This is especially true in older women due to the low quantity or quality of eggs (low ovarian reserve).
- Implantation Issues - This indicates that the embryos did not successfully implant in the uterus. This may be due to the presence of uterine polyps, a premature rise in progesterone levels, a thin endometrial lining, or a uterine infection.
- Embryo quality - The female's eggs and the male's sperm are mixed together in the laboratory portion of IVF care with the aim of producing an embryo. Embryos may appear stable in the laboratory, but when inserted into the uterus, they may fail to implant due to an undetectable defect.
- Autoimmune diseases - If a person is suffering from autoimmune diseases, there might be at risk of recurrent IVF failure. Usually, screening is done in patients with repeated pregnancy losses to rule out Anti-Phospholipid Antibody syndrome, an autoimmune disease.
- Chromosomal Abnormalities - IVF can fail due to embryos that have chromosomal abnormalities. This means that the embryo has a missing, extra, or irregular portion of chromosomal DNA. If so, the body rejects the embryo which results in failed IVF. Chromosomal abnormalities might be inherited from one of the parents or be newly developed during the early stages of embryo division.
- Age - In women over 37 years, it is difficult to have enough or good quality eggs. Due to this reason, the chances of IVF sucess are Low.
- Lifestyle - As with a natural pregnancy, maintaining a healthy lifestyle before and during IVF is likely to help conception.
Ready to start your family?
All patients deserve state-of-the-art care that is based on sound medical and ethical parameters. Recurrent IVF failure can be devastating. Seek expert care and emotional support as you plan to build a family. If you’re ready to pursue IVF treatment, we can help. PFRC has diagnostic and treatment resources that allow us to achieve high rates of success even with these patients who have not achieved their objective in previous cycles. You can undergo another IVF cycle with our support.
If you have any further questions, our top fertility specialist in Chennai at PFRC will be happy to assist. Our pregnancy care center is available with the best gynecologists in Chennai to discuss your options and overcome any IVF challenges that come your way !
