Couples facing infertility issues often choose IVF or other advanced reproductive methods to conceive. It is a series of steps that help such couples fulfill their dreams of parenthood.
However, sometimes, even after everything goes well, a woman doesn’t conceive. There are different reasons an IVF cycle can fail.
This blog talks about all those reasons and factors in detail. Keep reading to stay informed.
What is IVF?
IVF full form stands for in-vitro fertilization, an advanced reproductive method to conceive. It involves a series of steps like ovarian stimulation, egg retrieval, fertilization, and embryo transfer.
In vitro fertilization is a process where the fertilization of a sperm and an egg happens in the lab. After embryo formation, it is then transferred to a woman’s uterus for implantation.
To know the detailed process of IVF treatment, you can read our related blog Learn About IVF Process From Start To Finish
Now that you know the basics of IVF and its procedure, it is time to understand the reasons for IVF failure.
8 Reasons for IVF Failure
Before knowing why an IVF cycle fails, everyone should be aware that no matter what you do, the success rate of IVF can not be 100%. The average success rate of IVF worldwide is between 35-40%. If your chosen IVF centre promises you a success rate of 100%, it’s time you should get a second opinion and choose a Hospital that talks facts.
Let’s quickly jump to the 8 factors that can affect your IVF results.
1. Poor Egg Quality
The number one reason for IVF failure can be the bad quality of eggs. As women age, the quality and quantity of eggs decrease. Despite doing tests and examining eggs under the microscope, the poor quality of eggs can affect the IVF cycle.
2. Poor Sperm Health
Poor sperm health, like low sperm count and low motility, can highly impact IVF success. If you or your partner has such problems, there are always some treatments to manage them.
3. Oocyte’s Age
With women’s increasing age, the quality and quantity of eggs decreases. It directly affects the implantation rates and, eventually, IVF success rate. Therefore, women under 35 can have a success rate of 40%, while it reduces to just 15% after the age of 40.
4. Chromosomal Abnormalities
It is one of the important reasons why IVF cycles can fail. During fertilization, changes in chromosomes take place. If there is a chromosomal abnormality (embryonic arrest), the body can reject the embryo resulting in failed IVF. Couples should know that out of all, only 25% of oocytes reach the final stage and might result in pregnancy.
5. No response to IVF Injection
Sometimes, when other things like egg quality and quantity aren’t an issue, IVF injections or medications can affect the IVF cycle results. In some cycles, the body doesn’t respond to IVF injections, and doctors can not complete the ovarian stimulation process. In such cases, there are high chances of IVF failure.
6. Inappropriate Lab Conditions
In the initial stages, the lab performs the functions of a woman’s uterus. Everything inside the lab is controlled adequately during an IVF cycle to get good results. So, if lab conditions are poor, it can affect the success rate of IVF. Make sure you choose the best IVF center that focuses on such small yet important factors during a cycle.
7. Unhealthy Lifestyle
Another common yet important factor that affects the IVF success rate is your lifestyle. Obesity, being underweight, nutritional problems, stress, smoking, and alcoholism can poorly affect your pregnancy chances. If you smoke, quit today because it affects egg quality and decreases sperm count and rate.
8. Improper Egg Retrieval and Egg transfer
During the IVF treatment, every step plays a crucial role. If processes like egg pick up and embryo transfer are not done properly, it can directly affect the IVF success rate.
Here’s another related blog What Are The Most Common IVF Pregnancy Symptoms?
Conclusion
In between attracting offers like 1+1 IVF cycles or heavy discounts, don’t forget that IVF cycles don’t have a 100% success rate. The success rate is an age-based parameter, and as a woman ages, the success rate decreases.
If your IVF cycle has failed, don’t lose hope. Talk to your doctor to know what can be changed to get positive results. Also, remember that not all couples get positive results in just the first cycle.
To understand these factors in detail, you can talk to our experts for free at 88569-88569. You can also talk to our experts regarding other factors like IVF cost, IVF procedure, etc.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for IVF
1. What happens to your body after failed IVF?
There are no effects on your body after a failed IVF cycle. However, not receiving positive pregnancy test results might cause sadness and depression. In such a situation, you need to gather courage and remain stress-free. It is normal to feel such emotions, and you can always talk to someone to feel light.
You can also talk to your healthcare professional about when to try for the next cycle.
2. Why does IVF fail with good embryos?
An IVF failure can be due to a lot of factors. Even with good embryos, there are chances that it doesn’t implant in the uterus. It can be because of other reasons like sperm quality, chromosomal abnormalities, lifestyle factors, etc.
It would be best to talk to your doctors to know what went wrong and how it can be managed. There is always a possibility of pregnancy after a failed IVF cycle.
3. How common is it for IVF to fail?
The success rate of IVF stands between 35-40% worldwide. No matter what clinic you choose or how well the steps are performed, there is no possibility of a 100% success rate. This rate also depends on the age of women. If the female is under 35, the rate stands at 35%. However, the rate reduces to just 15% when she crosses 40.
In conclusion, if only 35% of IVF are successful, the rest, 75%, have a high chance of getting failed.
4. Is 2nd IVF cycle more successful?
In most cases, couples conceive during the first IVF cycles. However, other couples don’t get positive results in the first one and decide to go for the second cycle. There are high chances of pregnancy in the second cycle itself if everything goes well.
However, some couples might require more than 2-3 cycles to get pregnant in rare cases.
Ujala Cygnus Healthcare Group has 16 hospitals. Kanpur, Rewari, Kashipur, Varanasi, Sonepat, Panipat, Kurukshetra, Nangloi in Delhi, Rama Vihar in Delhi, Kaithal, Bahadurgarh, Karnal, Moradabad, Haldwani, and Agra.
You can book an appointment at your nearest Ujala Cygnus Hospital for any health issue treatment. For any query, you can give a missed call on 88569-88569 and get a free consultation over the phone.
