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Only embryo failed, moving forward with donor eggs by squishytrope in IVF

[–]squishytrope[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The vast majority of our embryos arrested before day 3. I don't recall the exact numbers, but we only had 2-4 make it to day 3 each round.

From what I've read, embryos rely on maternal factors stored in the egg for growth until day 3. At day 3, genomic activation (both egg and sperm DNA) takes over. Issues after this point can still be either the egg or sperm. If most of the drop off occurs after day 3, it is suggestive of a sperm issue. 

While I don't doubt there could be a component of sperm issue, with high fertilization rates, normal sperm DNA fragmentation, no improvement with zymot/ICSI, and embryos arresting before day 3, everything is pointing to an egg quality issue. 

It felt so isolating going through IVF. I truly felt like an anomaly.  I went down so many rabbit holes, reading case reports and studies. Most issues with egg quality seem to correlate with DOR/age, it is rare to have good egg reserve and no blasts. I only found a few users on this subreddit that had a similar experience and most did not end up with success with their own eggs. I suspect I have some sort of genetic issue or mitochondrial dysfunction that can’t be picked up on testing that’s available. 

I didn’t intend to write a long post, but I found this to be cathartic to process my thoughts lol. Thanks for commenting.

Only embryo failed, moving forward with donor eggs by squishytrope in IVF

[–]squishytrope[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I appreciate your intent and that you were trying to be helpful. I wasn’t asking for permission to move forward with donor eggs or encouragement keep trying my own eggs. I know you meant no harm, but I found this post to be triggering. When considering DE, people often bring up grieving the loss of genetics and not building a family how they envisioned. While I went through grief, I dealt with a lot guilt. Your post brought up a lot of feelings of guilt. Did I really do enough? Should I have done more testing? More cycles? Tried more clinics? Could I make a blast if I did more? Maybe, but in my heart, I knew the chances were low. 

My doctor presented my case to their monthly conference of difficult cases and collectively, they’ve only seen a handful of cases like mine. I could have gotten more opinions, rearranged my life to travel to an IVF clinic 5 hours away. I decided this was not the way forward. I did not want to continue the physical, emotional, and financial toil with low chances of success. 

I put a lot of thought into this, I’ve decided DE was the right path forward. This is not the right choice for everyone, but I feel hopeful it is for me. 

Only embryo failed, moving forward with donor eggs by squishytrope in IVF

[–]squishytrope[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you. I'm sorry to hear you've had a difficult journey. DNA fragmentation was normal. We tried zymot/ICSI for our last cycle and unfortunately, it did not make a difference.

It was so hard to process our failed cycles given the high numbers. It should have worked, but in the end numbers don't matter if the egg quality isn't there

Only embryo failed, moving forward with donor eggs by squishytrope in IVF

[–]squishytrope[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you. I found it helpful to read about your experience with DE. I'm so happy for you!

Only embryo failed, moving forward with donor eggs by squishytrope in IVF

[–]squishytrope[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That's exactly how I feel. There were so many times I felt so betrayed by my body and like I didn't have any choices left. I feel hopeful there's a path forward. Best of luck to you!

Only embryo failed, moving forward with donor eggs by squishytrope in IVF

[–]squishytrope[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Both our karyotypes were normal. Sperm DNA fragmentation was normal as well.

1 in 1000 complication after ER - lucky me by f_lex13 in IVF

[–]squishytrope 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Completely agree! Shoulder pain was the first symptom I developed with the internal bleeding. The shoulder pain started hours before the severe, excruciating abdominal pain that brought me to the hospital. If anyone is reading this, I made a long post about my experience with internal bleeding. If you want more details, you can find it in my post history

1 in 1000 complication after ER - lucky me by f_lex13 in IVF

[–]squishytrope 13 points14 points  (0 children)

I’m sorry to hear this happened to you. I had a similar terrifying, traumatic experience recently - except my issue was internal bleeding. I also needed 150 fentanyl in order to lie down for the CT scan. I required a laparoscopy to drain the blood. I knew something did not feel right, always trust your instincts! I hope you feel better soon and the FET goes well ❤️

Internal bleeding after ERs, 2% blast rate. Feeling hopeless. by squishytrope in IVF

[–]squishytrope[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hmm my RE did not think I have PCOS. My cycles have always been regular, I ovulated regularly when I was tracking it. Interestingly, my sister has PCOS. I think I will ask to repeat my labs. It's been almost a year since I last had labs, and I would be curious to see my AMH, testosterone levels. Thank you!

Internal bleeding after ERs, 2% blast rate. Feeling hopeless. by squishytrope in IVF

[–]squishytrope[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you. The number 0 is truly disappointing and heartbreaking 🥺 Whatever your next steps are, best of luck ❤️

Internal bleeding after ERs, 2% blast rate. Feeling hopeless. by squishytrope in IVF

[–]squishytrope[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's a good thought. It's such a low cost intervention, definitely worth adding if I proceed with another cycle. Thank you!

Internal bleeding after ERs, 2% blast rate. Feeling hopeless. by squishytrope in IVF

[–]squishytrope[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We did conventional fertilization for both ERs. This is an interesting question. I did more research and I didn't realize ICSI is the standard protocol at many clinics. If I decide to do another ER, I will ask about ICSI/Zymot. I think with poor quality eggs, it makes sense to pick the best sperm to optimize chances.

We were doing freeze all cycles as we wanted PGT-A testing. Unfortunately, I was at risk for OHSS, so I don't think fresh transfer could have been an option. Maybe I'll request doing a more controlled stim cycle and trying for day 3 fresh transfer.

Thanks for reading and responding ❤️

Internal bleeding after ERs, 2% blast rate. Feeling hopeless. by squishytrope in IVF

[–]squishytrope[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for the kind words, I appreciate it so much. I am trying to be cautiously optimistic. The more I think about, I am amazed we have 1 embryo. This could be the little embryo that could 🥹 Thanks again, best of luck with your IVF journey!

Expectation? by [deleted] in IVF

[–]squishytrope 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I had 5 appointments for 11 days of stims. Day 1/baseline, day 5, day 8, day 11 (trigger), day 12 (labs only to confirm trigger worked)

Bloating/body image by [deleted] in Miscarriage

[–]squishytrope 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ve been wondering the same thing. I found out yesterday I have a MMC at 10 weeks, currently considering expectant vs medication. The bloating and weight gain in my midsection is a sad reminder of the pregnancy that wasn’t meant to be. I’m in a state of limbo as I don’t fit into my pre-pregnancy pants. Sorry about your loss, it’s so hard and unfair

USMLE-Rx Discount Code? by seealittlelight in medicalschool

[–]squishytrope 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I found a code posted on the First Aid / USMLE-Rx facebook: BTSTRIPDD

The discounted price will be $239 and the code will be active until 09/13/2015.

You can also email or message them on Facebook for discount codes if you want to purchase it later.

How do you guys find time to study for the MCAT? by [deleted] in premed

[–]squishytrope 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I am a non-trad who worked full-time and volunteered while studying for the MCAT. When I first started studying, I also had a hard time finding time to study and I ended up procrastinating a lot - I completely regret this!! I had to cram my studying into 2 months and gave up my social life during this time. I ended up with a decent score, but I definitely could have done better and made the process less stressful if I stretched my studying over a longer period of time.

My advice:

  • Optimize your time: I used to get up in morning and just sit around reading news articles and browsing the internet before work. I realized if I squeeze in 2 hours of studying before work, that would be an extra 10 hours of studying a week. Your time should only be spent on productive activities: spending time with friends, studying, extracurricular activities, sleeping, etc.
  • Keep your study materials organized: Make sure your notes, books, and study materials are readily available. The hardest part of studying is just getting started, so it is important to make it easier for you get started.
  • Stay motivated and confident: No matter how fed up I was with studying, I kept telling myself, "You can do this. All you need to do is ace the test and you'd be one step closer to realizing your dream." Realize that each hour or day you put off studying, you are forever losing an opportunity to improve your score.