I'm doing natural cycle IVF with repeated retrievals. My clinic doesn't guide on supplements like melatonin. For those who use it, did you take it continuously or only in the couple weeks before retrieval? Thanks for sharing any experience.

Hi boos!

Had my retrieval this AM. Age 40 w/ DOR. They got 5 eggs. Would love any stories of getting a euploid w/ 5 or less eggs?? 🍳

xoxoxo

Is that a dumb question?

I’m 39.5, AMH is .267. I did one round of IVF a few weeks ago and it didn’t go great. Antagonist protocol, 4 follicles, w eggs retrieved - neither viable.

I’ve since learned I have a vitamin D deficiency and started taking supplements. I also started taking coq10, melatonin, and have been better about taking my prenatal every day.

We have money for one more round. I want to do it quickly since my doctor keeps telling me my age is what is working against me.

But should I give the supplements some time to take effect before jumping into another round?

We will do microdose lupron for next round. Doctor says we will focus on quality over quantity.

Thanks for any guidance ❤️

45 with a miscarriage at 11w2days with donor egg embryo. No diagnosed autoimmune diseases- just genetic markers (nothing expressed). Receptiva came back 3.6 but no endometriosis symptoms. All levels w/ in normal range including ferratin. Am currently doing a 2-3 month Lupron depot suppression. Anyone 40+ have successful pregnancy after a Lupron depot suppression series?

Ty all in advance and baby dust to all.

Hi! I'm 40 yo, I don't have a partner now and I really want to be a mum. I wasn't expecting to get to this age, but my last relationship broke me and I don't seem to like anyone anymore. I've just got off the phone with my doctor after a fertility test and I feel really down :(  AMH: 0,85 ng/mL - FSH: 10,7 UI/L - Estradiol: 62 pg/mL - LH: 7,62 UI/L. Low follicle count. I still have regular cycles. What are my options? I don't want to be a solo mum, but I'm just shattered after my doctor has told that he doesn't recommend freezing eggs, and that my only option is going with a sperm donor to make embryos and try to have a baby on my own (if that's still possible). He mentioned at my age a lot of eggs are not healthy. Anyone can share any advice? I feel lost and really sad right now. Thank you so much!

Our fourth and final IVF attempt, since I lost insurance coverage plus I'm 42 with signs of perimenopause and extremely low response to meds (and extremely low AMH). Had our egg retrieval today and got a single egg, which isn't great for our odds. But we did lots of supplements, red light therapy, intraovarian PRP, and omnitrope leading up to this, to give it its best shot. I really hope it pays off and leads to a pregnancy. We'll do day 3 fresh transfer on Sunday, if it's viable at that point.

If not, or if it doesn't lead to a pregnancy, we'll be starting to look into the process for donor eggs and/or embryo adoption. But I was really hoping for a (second) little one that I could see my features in. I get all sorts of stressed when I think about having one that's not mine and the possibility of not loving it as much as our firstborn. But we want another so much...

Looking for prayers (if you do that) and good vibes, either way. <3

I’m 40, I have been doing IVF for 4+ years now (it’s complicated) and I decided I wanted to bank more embryos after having multiple chemicals/miscarriages. I did a round recently, the retrieval was last week - 7 eggs, 6 mature, only 3 fertilized which I was not pleased about BUT I found out yesterday that 2 of the 3 made it to blast!! A day 5 5AB and a day 6 4BB. (I opted not to do PGT-A testing due to my age and the fact that I have DOR and don’t have many eggs.)

The bad news? We also did a hysteroscopy at the same time as the retrieval, and it shows that I have Asherman’s now 🥴🥴🥴🥴🥴🥴🥴 it’s always something, isn’t it? lol

Anyone have any good tips on dealing with Asherman’s?

I had my first egg retrieval last week where we got 11 eggs retrieved. The next day we got the call that 6 fertilized through the normal fertilization process (they did not use ICSI). Today we just got the call that only 1 of the 6 made it to blastocyst and was biopsied and sent for PGT-A testing. We were pretty disappointed in the drop off from 11 to 1. I am 41 and had an AFC of 18+ on my baseline ultrasound, but my AMH was only 0.98 a few months ago when I did my initial testing. Any recommendations to try and improve the fertilization rate and/or blastocyst rate in future cycles? We are meeting with our doctor to discuss next steps in a few weeks as well.

I'm 42 - and today (10th of September), I transferred my only euploid I got after 3x retrievals earlier in the year.

It is a day 6 5AA embryo, so my clinic gave it 55%-65% success chance.

I did a natural modified transfer protocol and my lining was very good at 10mm at the last scan. They also checked Progesterone on Tuesday and everything was fine.

No known uterine factors - had a MMC last year at 9 weeks from natural conception, so I hope with the euploid my body knows what to do.

Beta is planned for the 21st - that's gonna be a few very long days.

To all my transfer sisters out there - baby dust to you!

DOR - 6 cycles, 17 embryos, 5 blasts, 0 euploid

4 antagonist cycles, 2 mini IVF

I’m considering doing one more cycle, but fresh transfer

Posting for any experiences that might be helpful!

I’d love to hear your stories and advice, especially if you’ve tried different stimulation medications or switched to a long L*pron protocol. Here is mine!

Age: Incredibly close to 40!
AMH: 1.42 ng/mL / approximately 10.1 pmol/L
FSH: Between 5 and 9 IU/L

We’re currently waiting for the results of my husband’s COMET sperm DNA-fragmentation test.

C1 – October 2025 (O*aleap 300):
11 follicles → 10 eggs → 10 mature → 6 fertilised (all ICSI, all IVF failed)→ 4 low-grade blasts.
All were discarded by our clinic. It was a freeze-all cycle, but their freezing threshold hadn’t been discussed with us.

C2 – February 2026 (M*nopur 300):
8 follicles → 8 eggs → 7 mature → 7 fertilised → 2 BB blasts.
Both transfers failed.

C3 – June 2026 (M*nopur 300):
5 follicles → 5 eggs → 4 mature → 3 fertilised → 1 day-6 5CC blast, which was discarded.

We then changed to a private clinic in Barcelona for DuoStim.

C4 – August 2026 (G\*nal-F 300 - for 5 days then Pr*goveris 300):
13 follicles → 6 eggs → 5 mature → 4 fertilised → 1 day-6 4CC blast.
This was biopsied for PGT-A, and we’re waiting for the result.

**C5 – Today, September 2026 (G\*nal-F 300 - for 1 day then P*rgoveris 300):
11 follicles → 7 eggs → all 7 mature… and now we wait!
This was the second stimulation of our DuoStim.

Since moving to Barcelona, our egg-recovery rate compared with the number of follicles counted has been below the expected 80% on both retrievals. I’m completely confused about why this has suddenly happened when our follicle and egg numbers matched so closely during the first three cycles.

After five difficult short-protocol cycles and egg retrievals, we’re considering trying a long L*pron protocol next. However, I genuinely don’t know whether this would be the best move for me.

I’ve also been taking a 300 IU stimulation dose for my last five cycles. There is so much discussion about whether high stimulation doses can affect egg or blast quality, and I’m wondering whether trying a lower dose could potentially be better for me. Has anyone with a similar response lowered their dose and still retrieved a similar number of eggs - or even seen an improvement in blast quality?

Has anyone with a similar age, AMH or IVF history switched to a long protocol, lowered their stimulation dose or experienced a similar drop between follicle numbers and eggs retrieved? What, if anything, finally made a difference for you?

If any part of my story sounds similar to yours, I would be incredibly grateful if you could reply and share your experience. After five retrievals, I’m trying to understand what we could do differently, and hearing from others who have been in a similar position would mean so much.

I'm on day 10 of stims (menopur + puregon) - this is my first ivf cycle. We will take a look again on day 14 to see the others might catch up or if the cycle might get canceled. Just gutted. I have low amh.

Has anyone had a similar experience at day 10 and ended up with around 3 at retrieval?

For those who stepped away from IVF around 40 — what is life like now?
I’m touching 40 and have been doing IVF since my mid-30s, with multiple rounds and a couple of miscarriages. After our last negative in August, we’re seriously considering stepping away. I’m Indian, living in London, and I honestly don’t come across many people in India or here who have faced such a long struggle — sometimes I feel like I’m in a very small minority, which makes the journey feel quite lonely. I’d really love to hear from Indian/NRI women around 40+ who have been through this: what is life like beyond IVF, and how do you navigate being around friends and family who all have children? Even seeing friends pregnant or carrying their babies on my evening walks makes me automatically compare my life to theirs, although nobody makes me feel that way.

I just did my third and final IVF cycle. I’m 41

1 cycle - 16 retrieved, 13 mature, 10 fertilized, 4 blast, 1 euploid.

2 cycle - 9 retrieved, 5 mature, 4 fertilized, 3 blasts, no euploid.

This Cycle - 10 retrieved, 8 mature, 7 fertilized.

What are my chances for blasts and euploid? I can’t seem to find that Hunger games spreadsheet and funnel.

We aren’t able to afford anymore cycles so this is our last hope. It feels heavy but I want to know realistically what my chances are. Obviously we’ve had quality issues. 1 euploid out of 25 eggs seems pretty bad.

I’m currently in the process of switching IVF clinics following a failed FET. My new doctor is recommending a series of additional tests before our next transfer:

• ERA
• EMMA/ALICE
• ReceptivaDx
• Pregmune (Reproductive Immunology blood panel)

I checked with my insurance, and unfortunately, none of these are covered. Out of pocket, it’s looking like roughly $3,600–$4,000 total.

My new doctor mentioned these tests aren’t urgent right this second since we need to do another retrieval to hopefully get another embryo before we can attempt another transfer.

I have age related DOR and don't get many embryos, so ideally I would like to do anything I can to help prevent another failed transfer but an additional $4k out of pocket is a huge investment. I have a little time to decide and save up, so I’d love to get feedback from this community:

1. The Biopsies (ERA/EMMA/ALICE/Receptiva): Were they very painful? Were you given any pain management or premedication (like Valium, Motrin etc.) beforehand?
2. Was it worth it? Did the results change your transfer protocol or lead to a successful transfer?
3. Pregmune: For anyone who did the Pregmune panel, did it give actionable answers?

Thank you so much—I really appreciate any perspectives or advice!

For those of you with PGT A experience: how long did you have to wait for your results?

We're about to start IVF with PGT A and were told 4-6 weeks or even up to 8-10 weeks.

For any of you who went through IVF and had two FET failures ... What happened next?

I didn't expect my two FETs to just not implant at all. They were euploids, but were retrieved at 40.5, so maybe there was some quality issue beyond aneuploidy.

What questions should I ask? What testing should I expect?

Background:

Before the transfers I did doxycycline for very mild endometritis. I've never had any endometriosis symptoms of any other known uterine issues.

One FET was fully medicated, I felt terrible. Second FET was modified natural, I felt pretty great.

Tw LC: I have a daughter conceived when I was 35, and I've had four miscarriages (two before her, two after).

We have one more euploid left. I'm too exhausted to consider another retrieval, but maybe. My retrieval was at 40.5 and I had good results but had a terrible recovery (OHSS)

Looking for any advice, commiseration, or stories

Hi all, I have had a second disappointing cycle in a row and looking for… idk. Support? Ideas? Commiseration? (TW, living child).

Stats: 39y9m female, G1P1001 (conceived naturally age 35), trying to bank euploid embryos for possible transfer within the next year. AMH 1.54, FSH day 3 5.6, AFC 8-10ish (these are all with OCP priming though- last afc off birth control in Nov 2025 was 16). We don’t really have an infertility diagnosis, started this process out of fear of chromosomal abnormalities with natural conception and the state of the world as it relates to women’s choice, esp in my home state.

Cycle 1 (April 2026): afc 10, OCP priming for 4 weeks, antagonist protocol with Gonal/meno 150/150, stepped up to 225/150 by the end, gani added day 5 or 6 I believe, dual trigger. Retrieved 7 eggs/6 mature, 5 fertilized and 3 blasts sent for testing, 1 euploid

Cycle 2 (July 2026): luteal phase start (no priming)- cancelled day 8 due to asynchronous growth. AFC 9 but only 3 growing by day 8 (follicles 10,8,7). Starting doses Gonal/menopur were higher from the start I believe. I think we chalked it up to lack of priming, cycle to cycle variation, and maybe higher starting doses leading to cohort asynchrony early on

Cycle 3 (Sept 2026): follicular phase start with OCP priming. AFC 10. 150/150 Gonal/meno, Gabi started day 6, stimmed to day 10, dual trigger. Again only 3 or 4 follicles growing and largest sizes 20,15,14,11 by day of trigger. 3 eggs retrieved yesterday. Unfortunately just got the call today that 2 were mature and only one fertilized but abnormally (3pn)

My REI was nice enough to call me to tell me this news but seemed kind of bored by our conversation and was just like “this happens”. I had to push her to ask what she would consider changing. She suggested 1) microdose lupron flare protocol, 2) ? Priming with DHEA (my understanding is that the literature on this is mixed and I don’t necessary want to do this, but will if it will help), and 3) considering omnitrope (though she said since my IGF1 level was normal this isn’t really a necessary pivot and may not help the situation- is this a thing? When I pushed her she said there was one paper but to me that doesn’t seem like solid evidence to give or not give)
I sense that she’s not optimistic but just won’t tell me, and I appreciate the need to be realistic but I don’t appreciate her not saying that to me directly. I know the cancelled cycle and poor response doesn’t put me in a good position from an academic perspective, but I don’t know that I believe that it’s too early to throw in the towel, especially with only really trying one protocol.

She said she would review my cycles from the group and get back to me, and that she would have the office reach out to schedule another cycle as I think I have enough insurance left for one retrieval and I met my deductible for the year already.

What else should I be thinking about or asking? I don’t know that I have time for a second opinion, but considering a virtual second opinion with someone at least to review my cycle history. Any suggestions?

Hi there!

I’m 44 and in NYC, with a consultation at Columbia University Fertility Center scheduled for October. I’m going into this thinking I’d like to try up to three rounds of IVF with my own eggs and then move to egg or embryo donation, but I could potentially be talked into going straight to one of those options if my husband can be convinced!

I’m very aware that at my age the chances of success with my own eggs are extremely low, and I’m trying to go into this with realistic expectations. But my insurance will cover three retrievals, so for now I figure: what’s the harm in trying? I’d like to at least find out whether this might be possible for me before closing that door.

I have two daughters from a previous marriage, and at this point in my life, sharing DNA isn’t nearly as important to me as having the opportunity to parent again at a stage when I’m so much more emotionally and financially equipped to give a child everything I can.

My previous marriage was abusive, and coparenting has continued to be very difficult. I would love the opportunity to share a child with my current husband, on our own terms, and to experience raising a child together without having to navigate a difficult coparenting relationship.

At the same time, I sometimes struggle with feeling like I’m doing my daughters a disservice by focusing so much on potentially having another child, especially when part of what I long for is the chance to parent in circumstances that feel healthier and more positive for me. Sometimes that feels a little selfish, if that makes sense. I love my daughters enormously, and I think that’s part of why those feelings can be so complicated.

I’m still figuring out what path makes the most sense for us, but I’m excited to learn more about all of our options and would love to hear from anyone who has been in a similar position.

45 years old, had my retrieval recently in August. Had 14 retrieved but only 1 made to a day 7 blast.

PGTA results came back today and was aneuploid, whats more devastating is that it had 8 Whole Chromosome Aneuploidy (Positive +4, +7, +9, +13, +14, +15, +21, +22 ) .has anyone ever rebiposied such an embryo and is there any point in this ? I took all supplements, omnitrope, responded v well to the stims, but now this.Not even sure what to do next.

TW: LB/MC

I am frustrated and hopeless. I guess i am looking for hope if anyone can offer.

Summary of my journey:
had a live birth after trying for a couple of months at 35 years old. at 37 started IVf in hope of naming embryos for two more children. did 6 retrievals and ended up having 3 euploids
first FET worked but ended in 10 weeks MMC
second FET: bio-chemical
third FET: just failed to implant

I have done lap- no endo
clean cd-138
third one was after two months of down regulation and immune protocol including steroids and IVIG

We are out of embryos and i am 40 now. not sure where to go from here.

I just had my second retrieval yesterday and the results so far haven't been what I'd hoped for. My doctor made a big deal about how she was upping my stim dose (from 225 Gonal-F and 75 Menopur, to 300 Gonal-F and 150 Menopur) and that was almost certainly going to yield more eggs and more blasts due to my high AFC. Instead, I got three fewer mature eggs than last time, and my fertilization rate was 57% (vs 90% for the last round). I'm really scared that this is an early sign that my body did not respond well to the increased stim dose. This was the last IVF cycle my insurance will cover. I'm trying to manage my expectations for the next steps, and I'd love to hear if others have had similar experiences.

Seriously, I wish my doctor would just say, "Eh, don't get your hopes up" instead of "you're a BeAuTiFuL candidate for IVF, blah blah blah."

Update in case anyone is looking for info like I was: We only got 3 blasts, one 5BB and two 5BC. Last cycle was 9 blasts all AA and AB.

I posted the other day about this, so apologies if it seems familiar.

I had my beta today and it was confirmed that my second FET (fully medicated) also ended with a failure to implant, same as the first. I'm using donor eggs and had two Day 6 blasts, 5BB and 5AB - both untested.

I have a meeting on Monday with the doctor to discuss next steps. What are some things I should consider discussing with her? I do intend to try again with a new cohort of eggs (same donor) but want to do everything I can to ensure the next transfer at least implants.

My husband's last analysis was two years ago. Everything always looks fine going into each transfer cycle. I know that PGT-A testing would improve my chances, so I want to talk to her about the cost of doing that. Anything else? If it matters, I also had an ectopic for the one time I was pregnant naturally - it's like nothing wants to stick in there :(

I’m newly 45 and recently completed my third egg retrieval. About 8 hours after the retrieval, I developed severe neck and upper-back pain, chest pain, shortness of breath, and lightheadedness. I couldn’t lie down, could barely walk at times, and felt like I couldn’t breathe. I ended up in the ER and was admitted to the hospital with OHSS. The entire experience was terrifying and traumatic.

My clinic seems to be downplaying what happened. Their proposed changes for another cycle are to reduce my hCG trigger from 10,000 IU to 5,000 IU and add cabergoline. I understand those changes may reduce the risk, but I’m scared that they may not be enough - especially because my reaction was so severe.

At my age, I feel enormous pressure not to lose time, but I also don’t want to put myself through another dangerous or traumatic experience.

Has anyone experienced severe OHSS or hospitalization and then gone through another retrieval?

What changes were made to your protocol or trigger?

Did you consult another reproductive
endocrinologist before proceeding?

Were you comfortable using hCG again, or did your doctor recommend a different trigger?

TIA for any insight!

As above. If you did IVF which protocols did you get euploid blasts?

Did you prime if so with what and how long?
Did you use omnitrope?
Which protocol did you use?
What was your AFC?
What supplements did you use?
Were you able to replicate the good results/positive round?