There is no one right way to reach such a decision. For one couple, eight IVF cycles may define enough; for another couple, adoption or living without children may be a preferable route to any invasive procedures at all.
Studies examining the likelihood of pregnancy after multiple IVF attempts show varied results, with some suggesting that three rounds is the optimal number, given the emotional and financial strain that IVF can cause. Financial limitations aside, it actually may be worth continuing beyond three cycles.
Signs that It May Be Time to Stop Fertility Treatment
1. The fertility drugs are causing painful or adverse symptoms, ranging from physical pain to severe mood swings. 2. You're already in debt and cannot afford another cycle.
While there are couples who come in, are diagnosed, and get pregnant via IVF in the first round – they are an anomaly. Most couples have to undergo that previously mentioned three IVF rounds or more.
Embryo implantation failure
The IVF process is complicated and there is no way to figure out the stage at which the success is being blocked. But one of the most common causes of IVF failure is the failure of embryo to attach to the uterus lining.
Most fertility specialists believe that in more than 95% of IVF failures it is due to arrest of the embryos. Embryonic arrest is quite often due to chromosomal or other genetic abnormalities in those embryos that made them too “weak” to continue normal development and sustained implantation.
There were 88,929 initiated IVF cycles in 2019, a 6.2% increase on 2018 in Australia. Not all cycles reach embryo transfer, but of those that do, we also see significant improvements. The overall live birth rate per embryo transfer has increased from 22% in 2010 to 28% in 2019.
IVF success rates depend on many factors, such as age and the reasons for infertility. Overall, first-time IVF success rates often fall between 25-30% for most intended parents. However, this probability tends to increase after multiple IVF cycles.
If the reason behind your repeated IVF failures is the age or quality of your eggs, a donor egg program is the best option to go for. There are many young women aged 21 to 34 who have healthier eggs and are intending to donate their eggs anonymously.
Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS) is one of the most dangerous and direct side effects of fertility drugs used in IVF procedures. Simply put, OHSS is characterized by enlargement of the ovaries that can lead to a number of symptoms and in severe cases, death⁵.
Acknowledge the anguish and allow space for your loss
Acknowledging these losses, and allowing time for the sadness is needed. Cry, write down your thoughts, have long baths, or go for long walks. It will give you space to grieve and then gently tap into your own inner strength and resilience.
Each patient's IVF journey will be unique. Although most women will be advised to wait for at least one cycle between transfers, the fertility doctor can best advise. Older age may necessitate a shorter wait, while mental and physical health concerns may prompt a longer pause.
In other words, the more cycles a woman completed, the higher the chances of successfully getting pregnant and having a live birth. However, keep in mind that many infertility clinics tend to limit patients to 3-4 rounds.
As you can see, each IVF cycle takes about 28-40 days (or even longer), or about the length of a normal ovulation cycle. Unfortunately, there are no guarantees when it comes to IVF, some people may need to undergo a number of cycles before being successful.
Poor quality of the egg and embryo is one of the leading causes of IVF failure. Although current technology allows doctors to screen for aneuploidy, it cannot detect every genetic disease. Therefore, good stimulation protocols, embryology lab quality, and ET techniques are essential to the success of IVF.
Likelihood of pregnancy in your 40s with IVF
At an average, your chances of getting pregnant at 40 with Natural IVF* is 9%, whilst your chances with Mild IVF* are 20%. However, it is important to note that your chance of IVF success is dependent on your own specific circumstances.
Among women aged under 35 success rates are 64.79 per cent, 60 per cent and 59.42 per cent at these clinics. For women aged 35-42 the most successful clinics are Monash IVF Rockhampton (42.86 per cent), Cairns Fertility Centre (35.9 per cent) and Genea Liverpool (35.79 per cent).
As you can see in the graph below, 48 per cent of women who were aged 30-31 when they started treatment had a baby after one stimulated cycle. This increased to 61 per cent after two cycles and 67 per cent after three cycles. This measurement is known as the 'cumulative live birth rate'.
Many women (and men) found the emotional impact of fertility treatment the hardest thing to cope with. Women described the treatment and uncertainty of whether it would work or not as hitting them on many different levels.
Some people have religious or ethical objections to fertility treatments. You may be uncomfortable with the idea of conception happening in a lab or concerned about the creation of "extra" embryos. 7 You may not want to have to make decisions about "leftover" embryos or be against freezing them.
The 10-14 day waiting period between transfer and receiving the pregnancy test results is often described as the most difficult part of the cycle. Having had daily contact with your medical support staff during monitoring and retrieval, you suddenly are on your own after transfer and just have to wait.