Why does IVF fail?

Friends, family, and the internet have all told us about the effectiveness of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) procedures. However, we don't often hear about unsuccessful IVF, owing to the fact that it's a very emotive subject for those who want to be parents. This blog post aims to dispel the taboo and discuss some of the reasons why IVF may fail.

When it comes to patients who do not have a clinical pregnancy or live delivery, there are a variety of causes for their IVF failure.

Age of the Female

The quality and quantity of a woman's eggs decreases as she gets older. It's common knowledge that as women age, they have a lower likelihood of becoming pregnant; nevertheless, a decrease in egg number and, more importantly, quality, also decreases the chances of a clinical pregnancy or live birth following IVF treatment.

Quality of Embryos

The female's eggs and the male's sperm are combined together in the laboratory portion of IVF treatment with the goal of generating an embryo. Embryos may appear healthy in the laboratory, but when implanted into the uterus, they may fail to implant due to an undetectable abnormality. Our IVF lab grades the quality of the embryos and selects the best to return to the uterus using a scoring system.

Ovarian Response

The female is required to inject a fertility hormone called follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) daily at the start of IVF treatment in order to boost egg production. Some women's ovaries do not respond to this medicine properly, and as a result, they do not generate enough eggs for harvest. Due to the already limited quantity of eggs in older women, this is especially true (low ovarian reserve).

"If you have a poor ovarian response, it doesn't imply the IVF treatment is over," Dr. Malpani adds. Investigations and medication changes may be able to help improve the issue. A blood test for Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH) and an ultrasound scan of the antral follicle count are used to determine ovarian reserve. The optimal protocol and dose of hormone to stimulate your ovaries and produce a respectable number of eggs would be determined by your ovarian reserve."

Problems with Implantation

This indicates that the embryos did not successfully implant in the uterus. This could be due to the existence of uterine polyps, a premature spike in progesterone levels, a thin endometrial lining, or a uterine infection. "If an embryo fails to implant, it is not your fault," Dr. Malpani adds. "Most of the time, implantation complications are beyond anyone's control." We assemble a complete set of tests to rule out any potential causes of implantation failure."

Abnormalities of the Chromosome

IVF can fail due to chromosomal abnormalities in the embryos. This indicates that chromosomal DNA is missing, excess, or irregular in the embryo. The embryo is then rejected by the body, resulting in IVF failure.

Why Does IVF Fail? : How To Avoid Repeat IVF Failure

It may take two or more IVF treatments to obtain a successful pregnancy. While this can be physically, emotionally, and cognitively draining, knowing that you are not alone in your struggle, that support is available from fertility professionals with decades of experience, and that IVF failure is not your fault may be comforting.

Your doctor will advise you on what caused the failure after each round of IVF and how to use this information to improve your chances of success if you decide to try IVF again.