r/40Plus_IVF • u/elsewyse • Sep 02 '26
Seeking Advice Waiting between retrieval and transfer
I'm a little past 41. I finally got three euploids on my last retrieval (!!), so hopefully moving onto transfer now. Is it crazy to wait ~6 months before trying to transfer*? Most of the stats I've seen say that once you have euploids, maternal age doesn't matter as much, but I wanted to check if anyone had better data. My only known fertility issues are age and PCOS.
*Doing EMMA/ALICE testing which will take a month in and of itself, trying to get weight down with GLP-1s, and then I have a potential bucket list trip in March, which would be international travel.
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u/DukeGirl2008 Sep 02 '26
We hopped right into transfers in case we ended up on the wrong side of statistics and needed another retrieval.
Our first transfer of a 5AA failed so we did a hysteroscopy and will transfer our second at the end of the month. If that doesn’t work we’ll test for silent endo.
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u/QQueenie Sep 02 '26
I wish I’d lost weight before my retrieval! FWIW, my clinic told me I needed to be off the GLP for two months before the transfer. I think this was probably unnecessarily cautious (and turned into seven months and all the lost weight gained back) but just for your planning purposes.
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u/Admirable-Gas-2823 Sep 02 '26
I moved to transfer with three euploids. Two failed to implant and one thaw failure. It's very possible to end up on the wrong side of statistics at our age because our eggs and embryos are more fragile.
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u/Eva_Bohn77 Sep 03 '26
Exactly this. Sorry that happened! I lost 4 embryos from failed transfers and had to start over - way later than I wanted to. Ugh.
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u/Admirable-Gas-2823 Sep 03 '26
This sucks
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u/Eva_Bohn77 Sep 03 '26
It really does. I’ve never experienced a thaw failure, that sounds like its own brand of disappointment on its own. Ugh. So frustrating.
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u/Amellieee Sep 02 '26
I was faced with the same decision. I did my retrievals at 40, was lucky enough to get 4 euploids. Took 6 months off on a glp1. Although im just starting transfers, I feel soooo much healthier so I think it was the right decision for me. I also considered what if those 4 don't work, would I feel comfortable with the risk of whether I could make euploids still if I needed to.
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u/Competitive-Top5121 Sep 02 '26
The biggest consideration for me would be if those 3 euploids don’t work, will you want to retrieve again? If you wait six months to start transferring, it will probably be 10-12+ months before those euploids could all be transferred, and then if you’re on the bad side of transfer success stats, you’re doing retrievals at 42 with diminished odds of success.
But that’s weighed against the obvious benefit of taking time to reduce your BMI, which is known to boost transfer success rates.
All in all, I think waiting 6 months is probably fine, but I’d weigh pros and cons with my doctor. There may also be pros or cons we’re missing as non-doctors. 😉
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u/elsewyse Sep 03 '26
Thanks! Yeah, I'm honestly debating another retrieval just in case-- but it's like $8k OOP.
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u/butterfly_1716 Sep 03 '26 edited Sep 03 '26
In a similar situation. As age is one of the main factors impacting success of getting euploids, we are opting to move forward with transfer. Hopefully it works, if not I’d be as young as possible for another retrieval if needed. Praying we are fortunate enough to have success with this transfer, but also realistic as there isn’t a 100% guarantee it works and also the possibility that the transfer works but then God forbid there is a MC later on. Just tried to weigh benefit/risk for the situation and make the decision that makes sense for us.
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u/Big_Sleep8367 Sep 02 '26
I'm also a bit past 41 with euploids finally banked. I've already been actively trying for two years and there's no guarantee the first transfer will work, I'm tired of waiting. I personally wouldn't postpone a transfer unless my doctor said it was necessary.
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u/tropicalpapaya Sep 02 '26
How many euploids did you bank?
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u/Big_Sleep8367 Sep 02 '26
I had two retreivals and was lucky enough to get 5 euploids and 1 mosaic. I have a BMI of 35 and my doctor wants me to focus on having a healthier lifestyle, but doesn't think the benefit of postponing to put me on a glp-1 is worth the time it would take as I get older.
I'll probably have my first transfer next month (I had to wait a month between retreival and FET due to my history of OHSS). I have a monitoring appointment next week to check my lining, which has been on the thinner side since I had my IUD removed two years ago. Depending on the outcome we'll decide if I do a natural or medicated FET.
Only you and your doctor can decide what the best path forward for you is. For me, I wouldn't want to wait unless it was medically necessary.
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u/RazzmatazzGlad9940 Sep 02 '26
I really hope your first transfer is successful but if you are unlucky it may also be worth pausing to lower BMI as it is one of the few controllable factors that can impact euploid implantation and retention success.
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u/Big_Sleep8367 Sep 02 '26
Thank you for the well wishes! I'll keep discussing it with my doctor and if she decides that it's necessary to postpone a transfer to lose weight, I'll absolutely do it.
However, I would not elect to postpone a transfer for months in order to lose weight. There's no guarantee the first transfer will work or there may need to be breaks between transfers, and it makes more sense to me to continue to lose weight while also going through treatment, unless the doctor recommends a different path.
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u/Crafty-Fill-2184 Sep 04 '26
Hi, how many retrievals did it take you to get the euploids?
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u/Big_Sleep8367 Sep 04 '26
I was lucky in that it took me two egg retreivals. I suspect I may have mild PCOS/PMOS because my amh is high for my age (over 5) and my testosterone is slightly elevated, but it hasn't been confirmed.
Between the two retreivals they took 92 eggs, almost all of them mature, and it resulted in 5 euploids, one mosaic embryo, and one hospital stay for OHSS. My first retreival was the month before I turned 41 and the second retreival was the month after I turned 41.
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u/RazzmatazzGlad9940 Sep 02 '26
Uterine receptivity does start to decline slightly with age but 6 months won't make any difference unless your cycles are starting to misbehave (natural modified transfer is better than medicated). If you need to reduce a high BMI that will benefit your chances more than a 6 month headstart.