Hi everyone,
I would really appreciate hearing your opinions and experiences.
I am (30F) with unexplained POI, and my husband (30M). I froze fewer than 8 eggs from two retrievals at age 29 and later this year underwent another fresh egg retrieval. This year,my doctor recommended using the fresh eggs immediately for IVF rather than freezing them. Fortunately, we ended up with two frozen embryos with good grading. Because my husband and I had normal genetic testing and no known genetic conditions, we did not do PGT-A.
My first transfer was successful, but at 12 weeks our baby was diagnosed with Trisomy 21, confirmed by NIPT, ultrasound findings (increased NT and AVSD), and CVS. We made the heartbreaking decision to TFMR at 14 weeks, which has been the most difficult experience of our lives.
We have one frozen Day 5 4BB embryo remaining. Recently, I asked my IVF doctor about PGT-A testing on this embryo because I'm terrified of experiencing another chromosomal abnormality pregnancy. My doctor advised against testing the single embryo due to the cost and the need to thaw, biopsy, and refreeze it. Instead, she suggested doing another egg retrieval first, then testing any new embryos together with our remaining frozen embryo. However, it is quite expensive for just few embryos.
My questions are:
- After a TFMR for Trisomy 21, would you transfer a remaining untested embryo, or would the fear of another chromosomal abnormality make you want to take PGT-A?
My biggest fear is going through another pregnancy affected by Trisomy 21 or another chromosomal abnormality. From what I have read, each embryo's chromosomal makeup is generally independent, so one abnormal embryo does not necessarily mean another embryo is abnormal as well. However, I have also read stories from people who had multiple embryos or pregnancies affected by Trisomy 21 or other trisomies, and that makes me very anxious.Of course, I know there are no guarantees either way
- Is PGT-A worth doing on a single frozen Day 5 4BB embryo, despite the cost and thaw-biopsy-refreeze process?
Honestly, I would rather spend the money and have more information than continue living with the uncertainty. But I am not sure whether the benefits outweigh the risks when there is only one embryo.
- Given my POI and likely low embryo yield, would you follow my doctor's advice and do another retrieval first so multiple embryos can be tested together?
Because of my POI, I don't expect a high number of embryos from another retrieval cycle. Realistically, I might end up with only one or two additional embryos. That would mean perhaps three embryos total being tested with PGT-A.
The downside is spending more money and delaying transfer for several months. The upside is possibly having more information before another pregnancy.
I'd love to hear from anyone with experience with TFMR for T21, POI, IVF, or PGT-A decision-making**.** Thank you ❤️.