After three retrievals and repeated embryo fragmentation by Day 2, a single poor quality blastocyst developed and led to the birth of a healthy baby boy.
⚠️ These stories are personal experiences, not medical advice or scientific evidence. People are much more likely to share success stories than unsuccessful ones, so they should not be interpreted as evidence that any particular test, treatment, protocol, or clinic caused that success. Always discuss treatment decisions with your fertility specialist.
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📊 Story Snapshot
👩 Age: 30📆 Years trying: Not stated
🧬 Embryo: Day 5 2CC
🧪 Retrievals: 3
🐣 Transfers: 2
💊 Diagnosis: Not stated
📈 Outcome: Live birth
This is a case study published by Lahaz-Baratz (2018) so it will read a bit dry!
A 30 year old woman began IVF after three failed IUIs. In the first IVF 17 eggs were retrieved, 9 were mature, and 5 fertilized. All embryos were heavily fragmented and 2 were transferred on Day 2 with no pregnancy. In the second IVF, 14 eggs were retrieved, 12 mature, and 10 fertilized. The same thing happened: all embryos were heavily fragmented on Day 2 and this time no transfer was done. A third IVF resulted in 11 eggs, 7 mature, and 7 fertilized. These embryos were all fragmented again on Day 2 but they decided to wait until Day 5 for blast formation. Here’s what it looked like on Day 2:
And wouldn’t you know it, a single blastocyst formed! Judging from the picture, probably a 2CC or 3CC. A healthy baby boy was the outcome!
IVF can be a devastating experience for many people especially when faced with embryos that don’t seem to make the cut. This case study is a great example of the power of poor quality embryos. Poor quality embryos may have a lower chance of making babies, but there’s a chance – and that’s what matters!
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Want to learn more about poor quality embryos? Check out my guide on poor quality embryo success rates.
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