For couples who have had one or more failed in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles, there are a number of available options for increasing the chances of a successful cycle to result in a pregnancy. Often, the cause for a cycle failure is a complication with the implantation of the embryo, resulting in a lost embryo and no pregnancy. Even if the embryo used in the cycle is pristine and healthy, there is still the chance for the implantation into the uterus to fail.
If you have suffered from one or more failed cycles, do not let yourself become discouraged. There are options available at Rocky Mountain Fertility to assist in the successful implantation of an embryo. The most commonly used is a technique called assisted hatching. This procedure very carefully weakens the wall of the egg to make the implantation process easier, increasing the chance of a successful implant and thus, a fruitful IVF cycle.
A second approach to increasing the chance of a successful IVF cycle is to simply use more than one embryo at a time. One item of note about this process is that the likelihood of having twins is increased, but this can be a negligible effect for those who have difficult IVF cycles. This includes women over the age of 40, or those who have had multiple failed cycles. Many fertility clinics will tailor the treatment plan for their patient and decide the amount of embryos to use based on these individual factors.
For women who have poor ovarian response, summarized as a lower than average amount of eggs and mature embryos, there are hormonal treatment options available. Aggressive super ovulation may be used to stimulate the uterus into producing excess eggs for use in IVF cycles. A second option for women with poor ovarian response is to undergo a zygote intrafallopian transfer in which the embryo is transferred directly into the fallopian tubes after clinical fertilization, instead of being monitored in an incubator.
One guaranteed way to detect if the embryo itself is faulty is to grow it to the blastocyst stage instead of implanting on the second or third day. This allows for a full examination of the mature embryo to see if it chromosomally sound prior to implantation. It also provides a straightforward means of seeing if the problem with the failed cycles has been the embryo all along.
Dr. Deborah Smith at Rocky Mountain Fertility is the premier fertility doctor in Colorado and was recently named the best Colorado reproductive endocrinologist by Health Tap. The practice also has a Board Certified Embryologist who has performed thousands of successful IVF’s.
Currently Rocky Mountain Fertility is offering complimentary 15 minute phone consultations to discuss patient fertility goals and options, call (303) 999-3877 today!
