Can anyone help me understand how the first set of PGTA testing yielded a fully aneuploid +15 embryo and on second biopsy got a fully aneuploid triploid result? We used Luminary.
I already had my doubts about the accuracy of PGTA and this just fuels the fire. I now have 8 aneuploid embryos I’ve been told to discard and am questioning every result we’ve gotten thus far. Any advice?
Researchers in a 2026 study found that natural FETs using donor eggs were linked to higher live birth rates, lower miscarriage rates, and lower rates of some pregnancy complications compared to medicated FETs.
For a frozen embryo transfer, the uterine lining can be prepared using the body’s own hormones (natural FET) or with estrogen and progesterone medications (medicated FET).
A study by Rafael et al. (2026) looked at more than 67,000 donor egg transfers. Donor eggs were used to help control for egg quality differences, which can strongly affect IVF success rates and make these comparisons harder to interpret.
The researchers found better outcomes with natural FETs, and age didn’t appear to change the results.
One possible reason is the corpus luteum, which is present in natural FETs but absent in medicated FETs. It produces factors that help support implantation and placental development during early pregnancy.
The researchers also found that natural FETs still performed better even when medicated cycles used progesterone monitoring and “rescue” progesterone to correct low levels.
Overall, this study adds to growing evidence that natural FETs may provide a more beneficial environment for implantation and pregnancy, while also reducing complications.
✅ Check out the details on Remembryo: https://www.remembryo.com/natural-fets-outperform-medicated-fets-in-donor-egg-cycles/
✉️ Like this post? Get a free weekly summary of the latest IVF research: https://mailchi.mp/remembryo/x27kx5o1sw
Frozen grade 2BB but thawed grade 6AB. Anyone know the odds of success? Best of luck to all others awaiting their betas! 🙏✨
Update: I tested today (6dp5dt) and it’s negative :( back to square 1!
EDIT - had a call this morning from the lab, it’s day 5 and I made one blast! It’s such low quality it can’t be frozen, but I’m so happy and feel this is a move in the right direction atleast?!
I’ve just had my second egg retrieval, and it’s looking like I’ll have the same zero blast outcome that I had the first time. I’m 30, live in the UK, and I have no idea what to do
AMH: 21.2 pmol
AFC: 23 follicles
PCOS.
regular cycles (only with insolitol) and never had a positive test.
IVF cycle 1
Gonal F original dose was 150, but it ended up being increased to 450 because I was a very slow responder. I stayed on this for around 17 days. eventually ended up with 23 eggs retrieved, 19 mature, 13 fertilized with ICSI and all arrested on day 3.
IVF cycle 2
started taking 1500mg metformin and 400mg COQ10 for three months prior.
switched to menopur. starting on 150mg and increasing to 375mg. egg retrieval was 13 days after beginning stimms. 10 eggs retrieved, 9 mature, 7 fertilized with ICSI. As of day 2, I have six still progressing but apparently the quality isn’t great and similar to last time. I have 1 x 2 cell, 2 x 3 cells, 2 x 4 cells and 1 x 5 cell.
i’m using my husband‘s frozen sperm (he passed away). Sperm has been described as looking ok apart from being a bit slow, hence why we’ve used ICSI. My eggs apparently look fine, apart from some not offering much resistance when injected.
I don’t thing omnitrope is available for IVF in the UK. My clinic (along with most others it seems) don’t have Zymot.
is it worth considering doing another round with donor sperm to try and get some answers?
The Uterine Wall of Fame (UWOF) is a collection of real IVF success stories from people who faced tough odds -- low-grade embryos, repeated failures, low AMH, mosaic results, and more.
UWOF #38 is one of those stories! Six retrievals and seven embryo transfers were needed before a Day 6 4BB euploid embryo finally led to a healthy baby at age 40, after an early euploid rate of just 1 out of 17 embryos.
✅ Visit the UWOF to read this story and others like it (free to access & no subscription required): https://www.remembryo.com/uwof-38-low-euploid-rate-7-transfers-and-a-baby-at-40/
💌 Have a story of your own? Can be anonymous or named: https://www.remembryo.com/uterine-wall-of-fame-submission-form/
⚠️ The UWOF is a project by Remembryo / Embryoman, created to give hope to others going through IVF with challenging situations. These stories are personal, not medical advice. A success story does not prove a specific treatment caused the outcome – always discuss decisions with your doctor.
Edit: I am based in Switzerland. Clinic / lab shopping and public statistics aren't a thing here.
Hi,
We have been TTC since 34f/36m, are now 36/38 and had three spontaneous pregnancies resulting in early MCs. Before the third MC we did two IUIs (unsuccessful) and two ICSI.
First ICSI: 6 eggs, 5 mature and fertilized, 0 blasts
Second ICSI: 8 eggs, 7 mature and fertilized. 4 blasts of which 3 were "too bad to test or freeze" and one was PGTA tested - monosomy 13.
We've done genetic testing, DNA fragmentation, all kinds of blood tests. Tubes are clear, no indication for endo (although I want to test for it, currently endo saliva test is planned but not more YET due to cost and invasiveness). Everything has always come back normal. Only my FSH was slightly too high and AMH is was low (1.13 in Jan 2025 prior to ICSIs, 0.67 in Jan 2026).
We're now preparing for our third ICSI. I've been taking Prenatal complex since 2024 and added Vitamin D, Omega 3 and 600mg of CoQ1 for the last three months. Added melatonin 4 weeks ago.
We stopped smoking 4 years ago and haven't had alcohol since 1/1/26. We work out 3x a week, sleep 7-8h religiously and eat almost no processed food.
None of this caused any stress, if at all we feel better through this lifestyle change.
My AFC has "improved" from 5 last year to 8 last month.
I have high hopes for the ICSI in May. If we end up - again - with zero embryos, should we stop? I wonder if it's time to move on, but egg donation isn't a thing in my country and adoption is near impossible. I don't know what to do.
Should we be doing more tests? Are there any other options?
PGT-A involves removing a few cells from the embryo before transfer to test for chromosome abnormalities.
Because these cells come from the part of the embryo that later becomes the placenta, some researchers have questioned whether PGT-A could affect pregnancy or newborn outcomes.
In this meta-analysis, Hyttel et al. (2026) combined the results of 12 studies involving more than 56,000 live births after IVF/ICSI. They found no increase in risks like preeclampsia, preterm birth, low birth weight, or babies being small for gestational age in pregnancies after PGT-A compared to IVF/ICSI without PGT-A.
Limitations: Most of the included studies were retrospective, and some complications were rare, making them harder to study.
✅ This post is a quick look at one study, rather than a full breakdown on Remembryo. Link to the study is here: https://academic.oup.com/humrep/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/humrep/deag049/8650374?redirectedFrom=fulltext
✉️ Like this post? Get a free weekly summary of the latest IVF research: https://mailchi.mp/remembryo/x27kx5o1sw
Had my first FET yesterday of my beautiful day 6 embryo ! Was graded a 4BA initially and I think same after thawing. Dr and embryologist said it was a beautiful embryo and my uterine lining was perfect ! Hoping baby sticks ✨
*Second transfer, first frozen transfer
Scared nervous excited can't believe im letting myself get hopeful again, but here we are!!
Two embroy transfer, last in this retrieval cycle. 4AA and 3BB, neither are genetically tested. Im 36, husb is 37.
I've been on prednisone 10mg, estrogen 2mg x2/day and two forms of progesterone (vaginal 300mg x2/day and injection 25mg) for about a week now (I'm doing this in Poland, but live in the States). Doctor thinks we're as prepared as we can be. BMI is still 32/33 (i think ive gained over this latest prep round). There's nothing else we can do, I guess. Just time to turkey baste and wait.
Wish me luck!
I am 43yrs old, struggling with secondary infertility for over 3 years now. I just started my stims 1 week ago, and at that point, I had over 5 follicles growing. At my recheck today, I only have 2 follicles, 1 at 14mm and 1 at 10mm (there was 1 smaller one at 5mm). I’m so devastated and confused. I’m hating my body right now and I’m losing hope that this will ever happen. I’m hoping to hear some success stories from women that went through the same thing but still ended up with a baby. The nurse said that most women keep continuing with the retrieval instead of canceling it, so I just don’t know what to do. Is it possible to get more in the future? Last year, I had two cycles with 7 and 5 eggs retrieved.
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
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.
You can consent in the comments if you’d like your photo added to the Remembryo Embryo Gallery, a collection of submitted embryo images and grades.
Aneuploid embryo success rates after transfer are very low, with about 1% leading to a live birth, likely due to undetected mosaicism after PGT-A rather than true whole chromosome aneuploidy.
This refers specifically to whole chromosome aneuploids (missing or extra full chromosomes), not segmental aneuploids. All studies below used NGS-based PGT-A.
Embryos labeled as aneuploid by PGT-A are usually not transferred, based on the assumption that they won’t lead to a successful pregnancy.
There’s limited research on transferring these embryos, but key studies include:
• Tiegs et al. (2021): 0/102 live births
• Wang et al. (2021): 2/44 live births
• Barad et al. (2022): 0/84 live births
• Tise et al. (2025): at least 1 (possibly 2) from 3 embryos
• Madjunkov et al. (2026): 0/70 live births
So most aneuploids either do not implant or miscarry.
Then how do rare successes happen?
A few possible explanations:
• The embryo is actually mosaic but the biopsy missed normal cells
• PGT-A limitations (thresholds, noise)
• Rare issues like DNA contamination, mix-ups, or unassisted conception around the time of transfer
✅ Check out the details on Remembryo: https://www.remembryo.com/aneuploid-embryo-success-rates/
✉️ Like this post? Get a free weekly summary of the latest IVF research: https://mailchi.mp/remembryo/x27kx5o1sw
Tw - euploid mention.
I just got my PGTA results for my first cycle. I’m 34 with AMH .35. We got 6 eggs, all mature and fertilized. 4 made it to blast but I just got the call that only one passed PGTA and one is mosaic (missing part of 19).
My protocol was no priming, 150 menopur, 300 gonal f, 100 clomid, then once I introduced ganirelix on day 8 we upped the menopur to 225. Dual trigger with pregnyl 10,000 and leupron.
My doctor is inclined to keep everything the same for the next cycle but I’m concerned about the below-average euploid rate. She said at my age she’d hope for 67% good. I take CoQ10, but she said we could try to CCRM Açaí supplement and would do Omnitrope if I felt passionately about it. Should I push for it? She said maybe this was just an unlucky cycle. This is OOP for me right now and this will be the last one I’ll be able to do until January when my insurance kicks in.
I just turned 39 and I’m feeling really discouraged after two back-to-back IVF retrievals, and I’m trying to understand whether this sounds more like protocol issues, egg quality, or just bad luck with small numbers.
My numbers:
AMH: 0.80
AFC: 6–10
FSH: 10–16
I’ve always had regular cycles, I’m a healthy weight, never smoked or drank, and my husband is 35 with an excellent semen analysis.
Cycle 1 (natural start)
Protocol:
Menopur 150 → 225
Follistim 300
Ganirelix
Dual trigger: 5k HCG + Lupron
Stimmed about 9 days.
Follicles at trigger:
20, 13, 12
Results:
3 eggs retrieved
All 3 were mature and fertilized normally
None made it to blast
Cycle 2 (started 10 days after first retrieval, natural start)
Protocol:
Added Omnitrope for 9 days
Clomid 100 mg daily
Follistim 300
Menopur 150 (later increased to 4 vials)
Ganirelix
Dual trigger: 5k HCG + Lupron
Stimmed about 13 days.
This cycle initially looked more promising:
5 follicles at trigger: 18, 15, 15, 14, 13
E2 reached 1100 (vs 589 the first cycle), though they said it plateaued
Results:
3 eggs retrieved
1 egg appeared abnormal
1 was immature
Only 1 mature egg for ICSI
It fertilized normally
What I’m struggling with most is the maturity issue in the second cycle. My doctor now wants to continue using Clomid but move toward more of a mini-stim approach. I’m trying to understand whether Clomid could actually have contributed to worse maturity.
In my first cycle, I didn’t use Clomid and although I had fewer follicles, all 3 eggs retrieved were mature and fertilized. In the second cycle, I had more follicles and higher estrogen, but most of the eggs were immature or abnormal.
So I’m wondering:
Has anyone had Clomid seem to negatively affect egg maturity?
Did switching protocols improve maturity or blast rates for you?
Has anyone had two cycles with low egg numbers/poor maturity/no blasts and later gone on to make blasts or euploids?
Did embryology ever identify a specific issue that helped explain outcomes?
I know age and ovarian reserve are factors, but after two difficult cycles back-to-back, I’m feeling really discouraged and would appreciate hearing from anyone who’s been through something similar.
I am 37F , I have kissing ovaries which is considered as advanced endometriosis. I had an egg retrieval and we got 1 blastocyst which we Sent for PGTA. I got the reports today and it was low grade mosaic for chromosome 13. I want to understand embryologists opinion as to should this embryo be transferred or not and what are the chances. My doctor is of the opinion that it should be transferred, but we have to undergo some tests by the 10-12 week period. Thanks for your help.
A new study found that bacteria detected on the embryo transfer catheter were linked to lower live birth rates, likely reflecting the patient’s own microbiome being carried into the uterus during transfer.
During embryo transfer, the catheter passes through the vagina and cervix, which are not sterile, meaning bacteria can be carried into the uterus and this may affect implantation.
A study by Boughanmi et al. (2026) measured bacteria in the vagina, cervix, and on the catheter after transfer, and compared this to pregnancy outcomes.
They found that when certain bacteria were present, live birth rates were much lower, while patients with more Lactobacillus had better outcomes. These bacteria were more common in patients with bacterial vaginosis (BV), a common and often unrecognized imbalance of the vaginal microbiome.
This suggests that the embryo transfer procedure itself may carry bacteria into the uterus, and that differences in the vaginal microbiome could quietly affect success rates.
The authors highlight BV as important, noting it can be screened for with a simple test. However, the study didn’t test whether treating BV or changing the microbiome improves outcomes, so this still needs to be confirmed.
✅ Check out the details on Remembryo: https://www.remembryo.com/bacteria-on-the-embryo-transfer-catheter-linked-to-lower-live-birth-rates/
✉️ Like this post? Get a free weekly summary of the latest IVF research: https://mailchi.mp/remembryo/x27kx5o1sw
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
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.
You can consent in the comments if you’d like your photo added to the Remembryo Embryo Gallery, a collection of submitted embryo images and grades.
Hello! 38, AMH .16, and AFC anywhere from 4-9. On my second round with a retrieval set for Tuesday. First round, we retrieved 6, 5 mature, 2 degenerated during fertilization, 2 out of 3 remaining fertilized and froze on day 3 because I go to CNY and they recommend freezing at day 3 if you have less than 4. This time, I’m looking at maybe 3-4 for retrieval. I consulted with one of the doctors at CNY and she highly recommended I push to blast. I’m leaning toward doing that, just nervous of course that we won’t end up with anything. So my question, is there really any research based advantage to freezing at day 3 over pushing to blast?
Super specific but just as the title says. Are there are studies on this? Like do blasts that reexpand faster or start to hatch after being thawed have higher success rates or are they more likely to be normal?
Maybe I’m being overly sensitive - and in that case please just tell me as it is.
Background: when we started IVF I was 34, and my husband 48. My amh was measured low - 0,94 ng/mL / 6,7 pmol/L.
We did three rounders of IVF - first fertilized regularly, second failed completely and third fertilized through icsi.
First round I had 7 eggs = 6 mature eggs, only 3 fertilized - all made it to blast on day 6 but my clinic only decided to freeze one - a 4AA embryo.
Third round I had 6 eggs = 5 mature eggs, all 5 fertilized - 2 transferred on day 2, the last 3 all made it to blast on day 6 and yet again they only froze 1 - a 4BB embryo.
My day 2 transfer resulted in a pregnancy - hcg 65 - 200 - 2890 .. so it looked okay, however not like a twin pregnancy.
At my first scan week 7+4 we saw a heartbeat, however a fetus that only measured 5mm (so week 6+4) - a week after at my second scan then the heartbeat was gone. So I ended up with a missed miscarriage and had to take a pill, and abort it at home.
—->
At no point in all of this was my husbands sperm tested for DNA fragmentation, and that worries me.
The slow development as i understand it can be because of that - so now I fear having the other two embryos transferred, because I fear having to go through yet another slow developing pregnancy.
Am I just being paranoid here? Are we most likely just unlucky and I am extra aware because I have low AMH and therefore the road just seems that much longer? Or am I in my right to demand more testing of my husband.
I know a lot of clinics say it’s not necessary to look into more until you have gone through at least three miscarriages, but even the thought of that make me devastated.