Repeated IVF Failure - Should I Stop or Go on with the Treatment?

Many infertile patients face the dilemma of stopping or continuing after multiple IVF cycle failures. It is always tough to give up on a treatment but the decision to go on is difficult too. Patients with repeated IVF failure often consult their doctors to help them decide what to do. They have gone through a lot of physical and emotional stress. They have started many IVF procedures , full of hope, but all these have ended in unfortunate disappointments. All of this can take its toll on the patient’s mental status.

How do you decide what to do? One way of addressing the issue is by getting a second opinion . Patients with repeated IVF treatment failure need to understand the hard facts about the procedure - why it may work and why it won’t. The truth is that if a patient has had 4 previous IVF failures, no doctor can surely say whether the fifth one will work or not. The reason why the four procedures failed sometimes cannot be pin-pointed.

Another way to decide is by knowing the level of your personal emotional stability. We have grown up listening to stories of persistence . We have been taught to face every daunting task in our lives and to keep on trying, even when the odds are against us. All this works when talking about examinations or job interviews, but does it hold true when we are dealing with biological interventions? In the case of medical treatments like IVF, the patient is taxed physically, emotionally and financially. Every failed procedure leaves the patient and her relatives searching for some kind of an alternate solution.

You should decide what is best for you - decide what makes you happy. Such a decision is sure to hold true for you in the long run. The next IVF treatment may or may not work. The best part is you get to decide on what you want to do beforehand. Everyone is not emotionally strong enough to handle this stress over and over again. Some patients may decide to give it another shot and some may just give up. Your doctor can help you take the decision , but in the end the final decision is completely yours.

Summary: Repeated IVF failure is tough to tackle as it affects both the body and mind, but only you can decide whether to continue with the treatment or not.


Need help in coping with multiple failed IVF cycles ? Please send me your medical details by filling in the form at www.drmalpani.com/malpaniform.htm so that I can guide you better !