This couple saved for 4 years to afford IVF and were able to collect only about 100 sperm due to the husband’s childhood cancer. Two untested embryos were transferred at age 40, resulting in healthy boy/girl twins.
⚠️ 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: 40📆 Years trying: 4
🧬 Embryo: Day 5 5AA and 5AB, untested
🧪 Retrievals: 1
🐣 Transfers: 1
💊 Diagnosis: Male factor infertility, Cancer
📈 Outcome: Twins
My husband was diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma when he was a child. Before chemo, he was told one of the drugs may cause permanent infertility.
We tried for over a year hoping maybe it didn’t affect him, but multiple tests found severely low sperm count, sperm motility and sperm morphology. We were already 36 when we met so we didn’t have a lot of time, and it took us 4 years to save up enough money for a single round of IVF.
When I was 40 years old, I finally was able to do an egg retrieval. We also had 3 sperm samples that were frozen ahead of time, with about 100 sperm that could be used.
From that IVF cycle, we made 3 blastocysts!
I was too afraid that the journey would be over if we did PGT-A testing, so against repeated recommendations, I said no to testing. We decided to transfer two of our untested embryos without PGT-A, graded as a day 5 5AA and day 5 5AB, and it worked!
We are now getting ready to celebrate our twins’ first birthday just days before I turn 42.
What would you say to someone who’s going through what you went through?
Trust your gut. It may be hard to speak up when it doesn’t align with what’s recommended, but if you know what feels right for you, do it. It’s easier to live with your own bad choice than a choice you felt pressured into making.
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