ISCI initially over 40?

Question

My fertility specialist is suggesting ISCI straight up for first IVF. What are other people's experiences and recommendations? Has anyone had difficulties with fertilization? He is worried none will fertilize.....

Answer

Hi Maria, I'm 27 and DH is 27, we have a 10 year old baby and had been TTC for just over 4 years before we decided it was time to go see a specialist.  After all our test, we learned I was healthy, had clear tubes, healthy eggs, but my husband had low sperm count, low motility and low morphology.

With that, our RE prescribed male vitamins and his urologist prescribed chlomid with male vitamins, DH took it for a year, his count and motility improved!

We went back to our RE, had our blood sent off for karotype (genetic testing), learned that I tested negative for any genetic disorders and DH tested positive 😔 (his family, from his mothers side has had various genetic disorders). It was devastating, with that, our RE recommended IVF with ICSI, we spent a few months discussing and weighing our options.

We decided to move forward with IVF ICSI and started the journey, we had our Egg Retrieval 5/11, retrieved 18, 11 were mature and 7 were successfully fertilized through ICSI! 6 made it to blasts and were then biopsied and sent off for PGS/PGD testing.

A week and a half later, we got our results, only 1 out of our 6 came back chromosomally normal! I was devastwd initially, but now I'm very happy we went this route, we were able to learn about the 5 that were chromosomally abnormal and we spent lots of time looking up what the missing/extra chromosomes meant, and I would feel terrible bringing a little one into this world and they end up suffering and unable to live a full life

All that to say, if your RE suggest IVF ICSI, its for good reason, to increase your chances of a healthy, viable pregnancy. Best of luck, it's a long journey with lots of heartbreak and waiting, but it will all be worth it!

Lots of baby dust to you!!!

Answer

Thank-you all. The hard shell concept was what we had heard, plus the... what if there are none...

Answer

I am 36 and we had unexplained infertility. For our first IVF they retrieved four eggs and none fertilized. It was heartbreaking to get that far and have nothing. We're doing IVF #2 in a couple weeks we will be doing ICSI. I wish we would've done it the first time but it was never offered. If it had been we would've done it. Good luck.

Answer

They say when your older that the shell of your egg can be harder to penetrate so icsi may help w that.

Answer

Unless it is a sperm issue, my RE doesn't use icsi. He said that it causes eggs that shouldn't be fertilized to be fertilized.......and miscarriages ensue.

Answer

I'm 38. My DR checked my insurance coverage because he wants to have the option for ICSI.

ISCI initially over 40?

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