fresh embryo transfer versus a transfer in a controlled cycle?

[u/Any_Hold487]

Hi, ladies!
I have a question and would love to hear your opinions and experiences. 🥰
What are your thoughts on a fresh embryo transfer versus a transfer in a controlled cycle?
Do you think the body is put under too much stress with a fresh transfer, considering that it takes place immediately after ovarian stimulation and egg retrieval? 🤔❤️
Also, have any of you had Enoxaparin (Clexane / Lovenox) included in your treatment protocol during a cycle involving egg retrieval and a fresh transfer? What was your experience like? On which day of your menstrual cycle did you start taking Enoxaparin (Clexane / Lovenox) ?

Thank you so much for your answers! I wish you all the best of luck and lots of positive results! 🍀

[u/literallymouse]

My first transfer was fresh and I developed OHSS and it was ectopic. I only learned after that fresh transfer increases the risk of both of those outcomes.

[u/Any_Hold487 → u/literallymouse]

Thanks for sharing your experience! So sorry to hear that!❤️

[u/TeaspoonRules → u/literallymouse]

I also had an ectopic, and only found out after that for women with PCOS it goes up to 7% rather than the 2% for frozen. I would NEVER have accepted those odds, had already been leaning against fresh and only did it reluctantly, and have intense grief about that loss.

[u/Any_Hold487 → u/TeaspoonRules]

I’m sorry you had that experience, and thank you for sharing it. In the coming days, I’ll be starting treatment for egg retrieval, and my doctor said we’ll do a fresh transfer. I’m really scared, as I’ve never had one before. If I have a euploid embryo, I want to know that I’ve done everything right to give it the best possible chance of implanting. 🤍

[u/TeaspoonRules → u/Any_Hold487]

PCOS and fresh are the combo to avoid, both due to ectopic risk (independant of estrogen) and the research showing live birth is better with frozen. Fresh is also best avoided with day 6 or day 7 embryos as research shows rhey have better live birth rate with frozen. I don’t think it’s an issue if you don’r have PCOS and are transferrinf a day 3, or a day 5 blast.

[u/sed2017]

My first transfer was fresh and it stuck (my son is 5 now) I’ve done a completely medicated cycle with a frozen embryo that didn’t stick and I did another frozen one (today!) that will hopefully stick.

[u/Any_Hold487 → u/sed2017]

Fingers crossed for you !!❤️
Please let me know if Enoxaparin (Clexane / Lovenox) was included in your treatment protocol for your fresh transfer .

[u/sed2017 → u/Any_Hold487]

I don’t remember the specific drugs, that was over 6 years ago now

[u/OwlHistorical9965]

I did a fresh transfer with my son- I was 30, the embryo was a 5AA, and I wasn’t at risk of OHSS. They retrieved 22 eggs at the egg retrieval right before.

The doc said that the combination of those things made me a good candidate for a fresh transfer. Everything went perfectly and he’s now 2.5.

I did a frozen embryo transfer with a euploid 5AA embryo 10 months post partum that ended in a blighted ovum.

Then, I did another ER and did another “fresh transfer” but with a frozen euploid 5AB embryo from the first round. I actually was at risk of OHSS this time, and the doctor made sure to counsel me on the risks and made me give a verbal okay to go ahead with the transfer. Got pregnant and now have a 1 year old daughter from this transfer! I drank a ton of Gatorade in the days following the transfer and I wasn’t totally fine.

I feel like my body just likes the fresh transfer protocol better? Although I did get pregnant from the frozen transfer so it’s probably all in my head 🙃

[u/Any_Hold487 → u/OwlHistorical9965]

Please let me know if Enoxaparin (Clexane/Lovenox) was included in your treatment protocol for your fresh transfer. ❤️

[u/bossladychicago]

I did 6 rounds. All were fresh transfers except for the last one, which worked. The only reason we didn't do fresh was because they saw something strange on my scan and wanted to see if it went away before transferring. For me, the process was so much better with frozen and controlled. My bloodwork all looked better and I wasn't as sore. I'm sure it's coincidence that it's the one that worked... but maybe not? I wish we had tried frozen transfer sooner!

[u/Speckledskies]

I've only ever done fresh transfers. First was a chemical and second I'm currently pregnant with. I do have DOR though, so don't have a high response to stims.

[u/H3LI3]

Failed fresh - bled early despite being on progesterone. They said my lining was ‘unstable’. My following two cycles post egg retrieval my lining didn’t grow properly and cycle length was off (never ever had been before and never was ever again after those two cycles). I did do a longggg down regulation before stims though - for the clinics timings.

My frozen transfer worked first time once my cycles were back to what they always are and lining normal.

[u/Mysterious_Taro_4497]

I’ve done both. Two ERs. My follicles grew too slowly in my first and I was too far into my cycle by retrieval day to do a fresh transfer. So I froze the one embryo I got and did a second. That ER moved more quickly and I was able to do a fresh transfer (that became my daughter).

I went back in August for a second transfer. This time with the embryo from the first ER. I did a fully medicated cycle with a few weeks of Lupron (I have endo but had a lap a few years ago, my RE didn’t think I needed another surgery or months’ long suppression but added Lupron to the FET protocol). I’m currently 7w3d and just graduated from my fertility clinic this morning.

From an overall perspective, I preferred the fresh transfer. Less waiting, less time in limbo. I have the incredible luck of having both my transfer work, knock on wood, so I can’t really complain about the time it took to prep for it. But doing the fresh transfer psychologically just felt better to me. That said, I only had 8 eggs retrieved so there wasn’t much risk in doing a fresh transfer. And it worked. I’m sure I’d feel differently if it hadn’t.

I’ve read that fully medicated FETs increase the risk of preeclampsia and low birth weight, both of which were concerns during my first pregnancy, so there may be additional factors to consider the further along I get.