No blastocysts at all

[SuperMaria]

Is it normal for embryos not to reach at all blastocysts stage? I've been doing 2 cycles so far and I got none!  Statistics says that "25% of the embryos are likely to survive to the blastocyst stage" but in my case it's 0%!

What should I look out for? thanks in advance

[FertilityFriends]

[StrawberrySundae]

Hi SuperMaria, it varies such a lot - for many of my cycles I got a few very good looking blastocysts that ended up being miscarriages or chemical pregnancies. Other times you might only get one or two but one that sticks, so just because they go as far as blastocyst stage isn't everything and sometimes it's better to lose abnormal embryos at an earlier stage as it's less disappointing! Donor eggs & embryos of course have much better odds. I know how frustrating it is. Wishing you lots of luck next time, keep going!        xx

[Rio2016]

Hi SuperMaria, I never got blastos on my own eggs and after four rounds went to donor eggs. Then had my daughter and pregnant again. However I’ve read of lots of people having success with day 2,3 embryos too. Worth discussing with your consultant. I was 33 when I started IVF but my ovaries were damaged by endometriosis. Good luck x

[Roxbury1]

Don't lose hope - I did 3 cycles which yielded only 5 embryos, and never got any embryos make it to blasto and both my 2 day transfers ended with a BFN. I then went on to have 2 natural pregnancies, so I don't think it can have been that we had dodgy embryos, more just a case of luck and numbers (and as much prep as you can manage for improving egg and sperm quality). Best of luck xx

[cosmopolitan4112008]

I don’t know your age, but apart from it, it could be related to the sperm quality and the lab itself. Not all the labs are equally good.

[SuperMaria]

Thanks for all the replies! @cosmopolitan I'm 42 so not much time left 

I read this from an American clinic's website, is it possible that the sperm could impact on the blastocyst stage?

On day 3 we expect the embryos to have made another
division from the previous day, and to ideally have 6-8
cells. Up until day 3, it is only the maternal DNA which
has been contributing to embryo development. At
some time on day 3, the male contribution kicks in, so
there is sometimes a change in embryo quality after d3,
especially if there is a known “male factor”.

[Miss Sunshine22]

Hi SuperMaria

The sperm does have an influence after day 3, and a sperm issue can result in fewer blasts. However, sadly older eggs also have a part to play after day 3. With my OE cycles, I always produced a good amount of eggs but we only ever got early blasts and morulas by day 5 - slightly less than 50% of eggs collected. Our consultant told us that younger eggs can "repair" some of the damage in weaker sperm. Certainly our DE cycle supported this - we got top quality blasts on day 5 and it was 50% of the total number of eggs collected. The eggs were from a 24 yr old donor and were clearly much better quality than my older 40ish yr old eggs.

Good luck, I hope you find some answers.

[miamiamo]

I fully agree with cosmopolitan4112008, my 1st though was about a lab, and the second one about sperm quality. Good luck