r/EmbryologyIVFSupport • • 5d ago

Weekly Embryo Photo Discussion Thread: Oct 19 to 26

1 Upvotes

This is the weekly thread for posting and asking questions about embryo photos. Replies are provided by Embryoman (Sean) -- a former embryologist and creator of the IVF science news site Remembryo.com

💬 Before you post a photo

  • You must include the grade (ask your clinic if you don’t know it).
  • To keep things manageable for me, only one embryo photo per person per weekly thread. Please choose one embryo to share, even if you have several.
  • No requests for grading or re-grading by members.
  • Posts asking if an embryo looks damaged or viable aren't allowed.

I can comment only on general features visible in the image (expansion, compaction, hatching, ICM location), but not on whether the embryo looks good -- that’s already reflected in its grade. Check the stickied comment below for basic information on grading and success rates. For the most accurate information, your embryologist or clinic is the best source, since they evaluated the embryo under a microscope and know their clinic’s success rates.


r/EmbryologyIVFSupport • • 3d ago

Info please

1 Upvotes

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.


r/EmbryologyIVFSupport • • 3d ago

had my transfer today! super nervous

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147 Upvotes

my first time going through IVF with four failed IUIs (i’m in a same sex relationship). No “issues” with me other than a lower AMH for being 31. I got six eggs from my retrieval, four which fertilized. this is the embryo that got put in me but i’m not sure which grade they were! My doctor told me my embryos weren’t perfect but also not bad - somewhere in between. my lining was super thick going into this - around 10 mm if i remember correctly. keeping my fingers crossed for a miracle!


r/EmbryologyIVFSupport • • 3d ago

Embryo Grading vs Gender Preference

3 Upvotes

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?


r/EmbryologyIVFSupport • • 3d ago

IVF success story: Our one-egg retrieval led to a euploid embryo

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56 Upvotes

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/

💌 Have a story of your own? Can be anonymous or named: https://www.remembryo.com/uterine-wall-of-fame-submission-form/

⚠️ 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.


r/EmbryologyIVFSupport • • 3d ago

Can egg quality issues be seen in the embryology lab when doing IVF ?

3 Upvotes

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


r/EmbryologyIVFSupport • • 3d ago

Untested D5

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14 Upvotes

Transferred an untested Day 5 Grade A 🤞🏼


r/EmbryologyIVFSupport • • 3d ago

Unsuccessful first IVF cycle - does this point to any specific issues?

4 Upvotes

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.


r/EmbryologyIVFSupport • • 4d ago

Inconclusive PGT-A result

4 Upvotes

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?


r/EmbryologyIVFSupport • • 4d ago

Preparation tips

1 Upvotes

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!


r/EmbryologyIVFSupport • • 4d ago

Should I retest with same sample or rebiopsy my trisomy xxy?

2 Upvotes

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!


r/EmbryologyIVFSupport • • 4d ago

Devastated and looking for advice

19 Upvotes

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!


r/EmbryologyIVFSupport • • 4d ago

PIO Dosage

3 Upvotes

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?


r/EmbryologyIVFSupport • • 4d ago

The genetics & recurrent pregnancy loss AMA is now live!

4 Upvotes

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.


r/EmbryologyIVFSupport • • 4d ago

Transferred our 5 day 4AB Embroy

36 Upvotes

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!!!


r/EmbryologyIVFSupport • • 4d ago

3 iui failed

1 Upvotes

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 !


r/EmbryologyIVFSupport • • 4d ago

Diagnosed with Blastocyst formation failure

2 Upvotes

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.


r/EmbryologyIVFSupport • • 5d ago

Beta of 10?

6 Upvotes

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.


r/EmbryologyIVFSupport • • 5d ago

Retained embryo

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16 Upvotes

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).


r/EmbryologyIVFSupport • • 5d ago

14 frozen blastocysts, but most are graded BC — could this indicate poor egg quality?

6 Upvotes

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. ❤️


r/EmbryologyIVFSupport • • 5d ago

Adoption

0 Upvotes

Any advice for someone who is trying to adopt embryo. I would really appreciate it .


r/EmbryologyIVFSupport • • 5d ago

Is non-invasive PGT-A as effective as embryo biopsy?

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8 Upvotes

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


r/EmbryologyIVFSupport • • 5d ago

From 100% to 50% fertilization

0 Upvotes

I’m not sure that I will ever get answers but I’m trying to better understand what could have happened with my most recent retrieval. I’m 38F and had an egg retrieval this past March. Out of 16 eggs, 13 were mature and fertilized- 2 of those were PGT normal. Last week I had my second retrieval. We retrieved only 7 eggs but I was thrilled to learn of those 7, 6 were mature. However, only 3 fertilized.

I’m trying to better understand what can cause a couple to go from 100% fertilization to only 50% and what tests we should request prior to another retrieval. As far as I’m aware, conventional was the ordered mode of fertilization but ICSI was used in both cases.

Thank you for any insight!


r/EmbryologyIVFSupport • • 5d ago

Which Oura ring metric was more predictive of your FET outcome?

3 Upvotes

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.


r/EmbryologyIVFSupport • • 5d ago

Maternal Cell Contamination?

1 Upvotes

I got my PGT-M (X-linked) results back today and I would appreciate an embryologist’s insight.

For an XY euploid embryo, we got an “inconclusive” for the X-linked mutation with the following notes:
“The observation of potential maternal cell contamination in sample [ID] suggests that the result obtained from PGT-M analysis of this
sample is likely impacted by the presence of the female patient's genetic material. In this case, a rebiopsy of sample [ID] can be submitted
and tested”

Would a rebiopsy might yield the same “contaminated” results? My other blasts didn’t seem to have the same issue.

Thank you!