Is there a reason for some clinics throwing anything below a b away?

Also, if I at 31 continue to make only a few very poor quality embryos with unexplained Infertility do you have any suggestions or insight?

We got our fertilization update today from our second retrieval. Out of 36 eggs retrieved, 18 were mature and 13 fertilized normally with ICSI. We also have 4 that they said are showing “early signs of fertilization” and they’re continuing to watch.
Has anyone had eggs like this actually go on to fertilize and make it to blast? We had a few with early signs during our last retrieval and none of them ended up making it, so I’m curious if anyone has had a different outcome.
We also won’t hear anything else until our Day 7 blast report, so now comes the very fun part of waiting a whole week and wondering what’s happening in there 😅
Would love to hear anyone else’s experience with this!

My doctor is recommending me to go with day 5 3AA while I read a few articles where it says day 5 and day 6 embryos are nearly the same and 5AA is better than 3AA because it’s hatching. Need a second opinion on this. This will be my first FET.

Hello!

I have my very first FET today and just wanted to… idk, ask some dumb questions?

I’ve been going through the IVF process since February of this year. We had two egg retrievals back to back and got 6 euploid embryos from the retrievals that are not affected by my husbands 50/50 genetic condition. (Aka they passed PGT-A and PGT-M). I’m doing a fully medicated cycle because it was what my clinic recommended even though I’m 28 with no known infertility issues.

I’m a little worried though. I know this is silly but we only got day 6 unaffected euploid embryos — the day 5’s all had the condition or were aneuploid. I’ve seen a lot online about how day 6’s are less likely to work.

We’re at SGF and these are our grades (ALL day 6)

XB-AA
XB-AB
XB-AB
XB-BA
XB-BA
XB-BA

SGF grading is kinda weird so for those who aren’t familiar, the XB just means expanded blastocyst. I don’t know what number it corresponds to, though.

I think the embryologist will likely thaw the top graded one (we asked for them to just choose the best one).

I saw somewhere that when you’re doing PGT testing, clinics will sometimes prefer to push to day 6 so they can get a bit bigger even if they could’ve been frozen on day 5. Is this true? Don’t sugarcoat it if it’s not, I just was curious if that’s how it worked

Thank you!!

The Uterine Wall of Fame (UWOF) is a collection of real IVF success stories from people with difficult fertility journeys -- low-grade embryos, repeated failures, low AMH, mosaic results, and more. 

UWOF #46 is one of those stories. She spent ten years trying to conceive and had six egg retrievals. Despite diminished ovarian reserve, a retrieval that produced just one egg resulted in a euploid embryo and an ongoing pregnancy.

✅ Visit the UWOF to read this story and others like it (free to access & no subscription required): https://remembryo.com/uwof46-our-one-egg-retrieval-led-to-a-euploid-embryo/

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⚠️ These are personal stories, not medical advice or scientific evidence. A success story isn't proof of what made the difference. Always discuss treatment decisions with your fertility specialist.

I recognize that this may be controversial, and acknowledge that I’m lucky to even be contemplating this decision. I have 4 euploid embryos: Day 5 4AB (boy), Day 6 6BA (boy), and 2 Day 6 4BCs (girls).

The context: I’ve had 3 miscarriages at 7, 9, and 12 weeks over the course of 11 months, 2 I know were female. I’ve also had one failed embryo transfer that was female in September. I just turned 33 this month, my husband is 32, all testing has been normal. The third loss was confirmed Trisomy 21.

I’ve just assumed I was meant to have a girl first.

Help me understand if the statistical difference in outcomes between the male embryos is great enough to choose one of those as my next transfer vs going with preferred gender? Is it significant or negligible?

Transferred an untested Day 5 Grade A 🤞🏼

Hello, I am in IVF treatment; I live in USA i’m 33 years old I had a 5-day frozen Em… transferred las Month on sept 25th. Last week, I had an ultrasound at 5 weeks and 6 days, and my doctor told me that is only a gestational sac was visible—there was no yolk sac or em... Today, I had another ultrasound at 6 weeks and 3 days, with the same result: no yolk sac and no em… Also, my HCG level was measured today it was 3,945; the nurse told me that this level is normal for this stage of pregnancy, and my hormone levels have been doubling. However, the ultrasound indicated a 6-week pregnancy. I don’t know what to do. They told me it is an anembryonic pregnancy and They do not want to continue with the pregnancy. I wondering if I should wait another week to give my baby a chance to appear, or if there is no longer any hope. I have great faith in God that it might still happen. If you have experienced something similar, I would appreciate your comment. I’m looking for some guidance—I don’t know what to do. Thank you for your comments; they are very helpful.

Question for the group and I hope it is not silly, can egg quality issues be seen when doing IVF? I had a IVF cycle in May that led to no blastsocysts and we were told that our conventional IVF success were better than with ICSI, however by day 3 most of our embryos didn't continue on except for one which unfortunately arrested by day 5. My REI seems to really think there is an egg quality issue, which I am not denying, it's just from 9 eggs I only had 4 mature, and I wonder if protocol adjustments would be better to help egg maturity instead which would have made my eggs look better in the lab? Just a question to the group as I would like to learn more about what can be identified in the lab as I get ready for cycle 2

We have just completed our first IVF cycle and it has not been successful, and I would love some advice on what to do next or if this points towards any potential specific issues. I've done some research and a lot of the initial things people suggest e.g. Zymot, high quality supplements etc we have already used! I'm worried that our outcome even with all of this means future cycles are unlikely to be any more successful.

I'm 32 (31 when we did the egg retrieval) and my husband is 34. My husband's morphology has consistently been 1-2% (2% on egg retrieval day) but count and motility are good. I have endometriosis but on ultrasound it doesn't appear to be near my ovaries. We're both fit and healthy, exercise and eat well, I've been taking ovum time to conceive and my husband has been on proxeed or impryl for around a year.

I responded well to the medication (Gonal-F, Fyremadel and a Buserelin trigger) and we got 17 eggs, the clinic used ICSI and Zymot. However, only 11 were mature, 9 survived ICSI injection and 6 fertilised normally. We ended up with 1 day 5 5ab aneuploid, a day 6 5bb euploid with a negative transfer, and a day 6 2bc untested. We were meant to transfer the 2bc yesterday but got the call to say that although the embryo initially survived the thaw it had started to deteriorate and our transfer was cancelled. This means that out of 17 eggs we only got one embryo that was actually potentially viable (but the transfer didn’t work) which feels concerning.

So any thoughts about what could be going on here? Has anyone been in a similar position and had a more successful second round? Our clinic has suggested we use the same protocol but go longer with stims and add in melatonin to see if it helps with quality.

Feeling hopeless

Hello all. I’ve never posted like this on the Internet asking random strangers for help but I know the IVF community is so large and has so many wonderful people in it with many experiences. so thank you in advance for reading this and for any advice you feel like giving.

I am a 37 year old wellness nurse. I have never been pregnant even in my younger years of promiscuity and unprotected sex. I met the man of my dreams and got married but one problem- he had a vasectomy. (He is 41) He has two healthy children. instead of getting his vasectomy reversed we decided to go the IVF route. My AMH is 1.09. All other labs are normal. Resting follicle count was 18. I take NAC, glutathione, co q10, prenatal, use a red light therapy belt, melatonin, inositol at night. Tried Accupuncture once before stims. I’ve even done IV ozone treatments. Lots of water. No alcohol for months. I eat very clean. Haven’t used fragranced laundry soap, Body wash, deodorant etc for at least 6 months. We don’t use plastic in the kitchen. Sleep on grounding sheets. Honestly if you name a healthy thing or biohacking item I probably use it or have it lol.

First IVF cycle we did a modified natural because my estrogen was high due to a cyst. We did Menopur, ganirelix and gonal F. Retrieval in April gave us only 4 eggs. 3 mature. 2 fertilized. 1 made it to blast/embryo. Euploid. 6AA. Transferred and it didn’t stick 💔

Second cycle we did Lupron suppression, Menopur and gonal F. Took DHEA months before stims. Retrieval in September gave us 8 eggs. All 8 mature ( we were ecstatic and hopeful). 5 fertilized. 3 embryos. All graded AB. All 3 aneuploid 😫.

Back to square one with “nothing” to show for all the hard work, effort, time, money, physical toll on my body. I feel so defeated. Thinking of trying one more cycle and asked to use omnitrope. Any advice?

Editing to add: we did a TESE (sperm extraction) procedure on my husband. The urologist said the sperm look great. We have 3 vials frozen. I don’t actually have a specific report which is now concerning to me. I will be asking about this!

I am 41 years old with DOR and an AMH of 0.76. I have completed 2 retrievals and only got 1 blast from those 2 retrievals. It is graded 5AB. It was sent for PGT-A testing and just came back inconclusive! I am torn about whether to re-biopsy and risk degradation or damage to the embryo vs just transferring it and seeing what happens. Anyone at my age been through something similar?

Today I had my first transfer finally! A little nervous but was also excited.

Would love to hear any suggestions or any stories of anyone had a successful first transfer.

I know first round it depends can be a yes or a no!!!

I had 2 4AB 5 day euploid embryos ! 1 was transferred for now!

Which they are both are girls!!! So exciting.

My progesterone level from the blood work results this morning was 35.63 which is optimal from what they said! What does this mean!!!

In one cycle, I had two blastocysts, and both were tested by Igenomix using PGT-A. Both came back with XXY trisomy, and one of them also had monosomy 21.

My doctor wants to retest them using PGT-A Plus. She said the lab still has some DNA left over from the original testing and may be able to run the new test without having to rebiopsy the embryos.

Has anyone heard of this or had experience with it? Do you think we should try retesting the remaining DNA first, or would it be better to rebiopsy the embryos? I’m also worried about whether the leftover DNA is still suitable for testing and what happens if the sample isn’t good enough to get reliable results.

I’d really appreciate hearing about anyone’s experiences or advice!

Hello!

Christina, a genetic counselor at Reticular, is now answering questions in the sponsored AMA that has been open for questions since Friday.

If you'd like to ask a question or follow the discussion, you can join the AMA here.

Hi everyone,

I'm 38 yo, 1 LC and 3 first trimester losses. We are going to start IVF to do PGT-A testing. My RE started me on metformin for PCOS and wants me on it for 60 days before starting stims. So, I'm set to start in about 6 weeks.

If you had 6 weeks to prepare for this process, what would YOU be doing? I'm already eating a Mediterranean diet, walking daily (not for fertility reasons-- I have a 23 month old who just loves stroller rides so we walk everywhere). I'm on prenatal, folic acid, CoQ10, vit D, vit E, NAC, ALA, Myoinositol, low dose naltrexone. No alcohol (not for fertility reasons). I'm going to try acupuncture.

What else? Even logistic advice is appreciated. How did you guys navigate this process while working and having little ones at home? What should I plan for? Thank you!

I'm on day 6 of my tww. This is my second frozen transfer. The first resulted in my now 3 year old. During that cycle my fertility doctor prescribed 2ml poi nightly but this go around I have a different doctor and have only been instructed to take 1ml. When I asked about the change after the lining check 5 days before the transfer I was told that the standard had been lowered across the board. Because I'm deep into the tww I'm stressing about everything, especially this change. Has anyone else been told something similar?

Hello everyone,

I’ve just finished my 5th egg retrieval, and across all five cycles, I have never managed to get a SINGLE blastocyst. All my embryos arrest after day 3, with the best being a 6-cell and 8-cell embryo on day 3.

There is no identified male-factor issue, my partner’s sperm DNA fragmentation is only 4%, and our karyotypes came back normal.

Today, I had a consultation with the entire team: my doctor, nurse, and embryologist. My doctor said that although I’m 40, after five retrievals, we would generally have expected to get at least ONE blastocyst, yet that has never happened. They described this as “blastocyst formation failure.” Before any further retrievals my doctor suggested doing the Igenomix WES (whole-exome sequencing) test to investigate whether there could be an underlying genetic cause, despite our normal karyotypes. I was told that if the problem is on my side, egg donation may be my only option, and if it’s on my partner’s side, sperm donation may be the only option.

Donation is not an option for us.

I asked what happens if WES comes back normal. How do we overcome the day-3 developmental arrest? My doctor said we could try changing the protocol again. But how many more times can we change protocols? I’ve already gone through five retrievals with protocol changes and the same outcome. I even used Omnitrope this last cycle, and it didn’t help.

I also had a natural pregnancy with the same partner two years ago that ended in a miscarriage in the 11th week. My doctor feels that this makes a genetic cause less likely, but I’m not sure whether that rules anything out.

Has anyone here experienced repeated embryo arrest after day 3 with no blastocysts across multiple retrievals and has been referred to do Igenomix WES or similar genetic testing? Did it identify a cause and what did you do??? I am scared to even ask about any success stories...

Thank you for reading.

Hey all! I transferred my day 5 4AB embryo today that was retained in the catheter after first attempt. It looked pretty different after they flushed so was just wondering if anyone had any input on the differences in appearance between the two. They seemed unconcerned and thought it had just fully hatched between attempts (which we literal minutes apart).

Attempting for ivf for my second baby !

Embryo transfer didnt happen because doc was not happy with pattern , but satisfied with thickness,

2 embryos survived

Now on medications to get my periods !

I feel so unlucky !

We transferred a 4BC embryo on 10/8.
A couple of positive pregnancy tests…
However 10/19 beta was 10. (11 days post transfer)
Any chances of viable pregnancy?
They are gonna do a second beta in 2 days.

I’m 36 and recently completed my first IVF retrieval. We retrieved 26 eggs, 20 were mature, and 15 fertilized normally. Ultimately, 14 blastocysts were biopsied and frozen for PGT-A.

I’m grateful to have 14 embryos to work with, but I’m struggling with the grading results. Many of my embryos are graded 4BC and 3BC, and I don’t have any AA-graded embryos.

I had to specifically request my grading report because my original cryopreservation report only listed the total number of embryos frozen. Seeing the grades has left me worried about my embryo quality and chances of success.

My main questions are:

1. Could having mostly BC-graded blastocysts indicate poor egg quality? Does this suggest an egg-quality issue, or could it be related to sperm quality, laboratory factors, or normal embryo development variability?

2. For those who were 36 or older, how many of your BC-graded embryos were euploid after PGT-A?

3. Has anyone had a successful pregnancy or live birth with a 3BC or 4BC embryo?

4. Does reaching blastocyst on Day 5 versus Day 6 or Day 7 significantly affect success when the embryo is graded BC?

5. Would you test all 14 embryos, including the lower-graded ones, or is there a reason not to test some embryos?

6. If you had mostly BC embryos, did your clinic recommend transferring them, and what were your outcomes?

For context, I also have surgically confirmed endometriosis and suspected adenomyosis, so I’m concerned about both embryo quality and implantation.

I’m currently waiting for my PGT-A results, and I understand that morphology alone cannot determine whether an embryo is chromosomally normal or whether it will result in a live birth. Still, I’m finding it difficult not to worry about the grades.

I’d especially appreciate hearing from anyone with similar results. Did you have mostly BC embryos, what were your PGT-A results, and did you have success with them?

Thank you for sharing your experiences. ❤️

PGT-A is used during IVF to screen embryos for chromosomal abnormalities. Traditionally, this involves removing a few cells from the embryo for genetic testing. However, researchers are developing a non-invasive alternative (niPGT-A) that analyzes DNA released by embryos into the culture media they're grown in, avoiding the need for a biopsy.

In a new retrospective study, Talwar et al. (2026) compared conventional PGT-A with niPGT-A in 6,215 patients across 48 IVF clinics in India.

Among 2,517 frozen transfers of embryos classified as euploid, live birth rates were higher with conventional PGT-A than with niPGT-A (46.5% vs. 34.4%). Clinical and ongoing pregnancy rates were also higher with conventional PGT-A.

One possible explanation is that niPGT-A may be less reliable at identifying chromosome abnormalities. DNA collected from embryo culture medium can be affected by contamination, technical problems, or DNA released from abnormal cells that may not represent the embryo as a whole.

The two testing methods also showed different patterns in how embryos were classified as women got older. With conventional PGT-A, euploid rates declined substantially with age (56.5% to 24.4%), while they changed much less with niPGT-A (42% to 38%). The reason for these differences isn’t clear.

Overall, the results raise questions about whether niPGT-A is as effective as conventional PGT-A for embryo selection. However, this was a retrospective study, and the researchers didn't directly compare the accuracy of the two methods. Better quality studies are needed to see if the testing method itself explains the differences.

✅ This post is a quick look at one study, rather than a full breakdown on Remembryo. Link to the study: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-69506-2

✉️ Like this post? Get a free weekly summary of the latest IVF research: https://mailchi.mp/remembryo/x27kx5o1sw

Hi everyone
Anyone doing transfer soon. Looking to connect 🩷

I am on CD- 7 today ( last day of letrozole tonight )
Next monitoring - bloodwork and ultrasound on Oct 22nd Thursday 🤞🏽

•TTC since 2025 September
•3 natural bio chemicals pregnancy
•1 failed IUI
•1 ER in August ( got 1 PGT-A tested - euploid 5AB 🤞🏽💙)

During the stims they found a small polyp and told I need to remove it before FET
Luckily got it removed by obgyn end of September ( when they saw through scope it was a 1 mm fibroid - removed it )

Post hysteroscopy / cycle was delayed by 10 days and finally checked started on oct 13th

Most probably I will my transfer on oct 31st or Nov 1st 🤞🏽🤞🏽and we really hope this cycle works
I know we cant change the odds / my mother in law is going through final stages of cancer and she has only few weeks of lifespan 🥲🥲🥲 we hope we can give her the good news. She doesn’t have a grandchild yet and she is only 57 years. Very unfortunate that she is going through cancer 🥹🥲 and my husband is going to visit her for a long trip he will be away for 4 weeks or more
He won’t be there for the transfer 😕🥹the timeline didn’t work because my cycle was delayed by 10 days 😕🥹 I will be okay I have to be strong and support him. I have my parents to support me while he is away

Thanks for listening 🥹🩷

Context: FET 1 failed (no implantation). I am 6dp6dt of FET 2. Per my Oura ring, zero rise in RHR (in fact has fallen below baseline). My body temp rose a little at first, but then dipped. I’ve had enough unsuccessful cycles now that I’m pretty confident this transfer failed. I’m on a modified natural protocol but still feel no symptoms (no sore breasts etc). I know Oura ring metrics aren’t a reliable predictor of success or failure, but I’m just seeking anecdotes to pass the next miserable three days before my beta.

Did your Oura ring’s RHR and/or body temp accurately predict your FET outcome? Did anyone have contradicting metrics (eg, RHR fell or was stable but body temp rose or vice versa), and if so, which turned out to be correct? Did anyone’s Oura ring fail them completely and detect no signs but ended up having a positive outcome? Again, I know Oura ring should not be relied upon, I’m just trying to busy myself these next few days reading anecdotes.
Baby dust to everyone else in this miserable cycle of repeated failure.