QuestionI'm 32 and have been trying to conceive for 2 years. On discovering that my husband had 98% poor sperm morphology we were referred for icsi. We thought I was fine as I have regular cycles and all initial tests were ok. We then discovered I had slightly low Amh for my age but I responded well to long protocol - 13 and 15 eggs in each of 2 cycles, with 10 viable each time. Fertilisation was also good at 8 embryos, but they stopped dividing around day 3 and we only had 1 6-cell the first time and 1 5-cell the 2nd whilst the rest stopped at 2-4. We're waiting for a follow-up appointment, but it was suggested that our best chance would be egg donation.
Is this really the best option? I find it hard to understand given that I'm not that old and most of my tests indicate no issues?
Hope you can help!
Many thanks
Berta from UK
AnswerHi Berta from the U.K.,
I am really surprised at the poor embryo development. Certainly abnormal sperm could be the culprit and before going to donor eggs, you might consider donor sperm first because it is less expensive. However, that is not my recommendation at this point.
I am inherently skeptical of this result because it is unusual. Without knowing the reputation and statistics of the IVF center that you went to, I cannot assume that there is no laboratory issues. There are many laboratory factors that could affect the development of the embryos including air sterility, air quality, temperature, handling of embryos, expertise of the embryologist doing ICSI, etc. For this reason, I might recommend that you try again at a different IVF center. If you have the same result, then you might want to try the donor sperm as recommended above.
Good Luck,
Edward J. Ramirez, M.D., FACOG
Executive Medical Director
The Fertility and Gynecology Center
Monterey Bay IVF Program
www.montereybayivf.com
Monterey, California, U.S.A.
for additional information check out my blog at http://womenshealthandfertility.blogspot.com check me out on twitter with me at @montereybayivf and facebook @montereybayivf
