IVF — General Information › Causes of IVF Failure
Causes of IVF Failure
This page is provided for general information. IVF treatment is not carried out at this practice; it is provided only in assisted reproduction (ART) centres licensed by the Turkish Ministry of Health.
An unsuccessful IVF attempt is not only a medical outcome but a heavy disappointment. What is required at that point is not a repetition of the same plan but a systematic review of what did not work.
Where the problem may lie
- The number or quality of eggs
- Sperm quality and DNA integrity
- Problems at the fertilisation stage
- Arrest of embryo development
- Chromosomal abnormality in the embryo
- A womb lining insufficiently prepared
- Polyp, fibroid or adhesion within the cavity
- Factors related to transfer technique
- Clotting and immunological factors
Re-evaluation
In the treating centre all records of the previous cycle are reviewed from the beginning: the stimulation protocol used, the number of eggs collected and fertilised, the embryology reports, the day of transfer and the thickness of the womb lining.
This review commonly brings to light a detail previously overlooked and provides the basis for a change in the next cycle.
Investigations to review
- Direct visualisation of the cavity by hysteroscopy
- Thyroid, prolactin and vitamin D levels
- Sperm DNA fragmentation testing
- Karyotype analysis (both partners)
- Screening for antiphospholipid syndrome
- Genetic screening of embryos (PGT-A) where appropriate
Changing the plan
Following assessment the stimulation protocol may be changed, a problem within the cavity corrected, a frozen transfer used in place of a fresh one, or genetic screening of embryos added.
Sometimes the right decision is to pause for a period. Continuous treatment is not sustainable for body or mind; that decision is discussed and taken together.
