Is it common for IVF to fail first time? (2023)

Is First IVF failure normal?

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.

The national average for women younger than 35 able to become pregnant by in-vitro fertilization (IVF) on the first try (meaning, the first egg retrieval) is 55%.

Poor quality embryos are one of the most common reasons for failed IVF. Whether you are infertile or just infertile, poor quality embryos can result in IVF cycle cancellation. A poor-quality embryo can be the result of multiple factors, including defective uterus or eggs.

Don't despair. According to one study, it takes, on average, about 3 cycles to become pregnant through IVF. After 3 cycles of IVF (for women of all ages), approximately 34-42% were successful.

“When it comes to IVF, we have to understand that repetition is the key to success—so we really have to look at that cumulative number of 87.5% at the end of three embryo transfers,” Dr Divyashree elucidates. That said, there are many factors that contribute to how many IVF cycles you as a couple are eligible for.

There are a few other options after failed IVF that you may want to explore, including natural pregnancy after failed IVF, preimplantation genetic screening, IVF with donor eggs, and gestational surrogacy.

Most couples have to undergo that previously mentioned three IVF rounds or more. The process takes its toll on mental and emotional health, and infertility/fertility treatments also take their toll on relationships.

And while the figures hold steady for cycles 2-4, success rates can jump up to 65.3% for women who complete 6 cycles. In other words, the more cycles a woman completed, the higher the chances of successfully getting pregnant and having a live birth.

“For most couples – and certainly those where the woman is younger than 40 and those of any age using donor eggs – two-thirds will achieve a live birth after five or six treatment cycles. This will take, on average, two years and is similar to rates that couples conceiving naturally take in one year.”

Why do most IVF cycles fail?

IVF can fail due to embryos that have chromosomal abnormalities. This means that the embryo has a missing, extra, or irregular portion of chromosomal DNA. The body then rejects the embryo and this results in IVF failure.

The standard spacing between IVF cycles is around four to six weeks after a negative pregnancy test. Basically, it is ideal to wait until the patient has gone through at least one full menstrual cycle before starting another round of IVF.

Depending on the reason for your failed IVF, there are several solutions, ranging from trying another cycle of IVF, to third party fertility assistance, to adoption.

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.

This shows that for women aged up to 30 years, the average chance of a baby was 43% after one stimulated cycle and 65% after three stimulated cycles. For women aged 42–43, the chance of a baby was 6% after one and 11% after three stimulated cycles. Almost one quarter of women who have IVF are aged 40 years or older.

The research suggests most couples will need approximately 6 embryo transfers before they achieve a pregnancy! There are no limits to the number of IVF cycles you can have. This decision is entirely up to you and the fertility specialists.

IVF refund programs offer the possibility of a full or partial refund if IVF treatment is not successful. These programs are sometimes called IVF shared risk because the clinic is also taking a risk that they will need to return some or all of the money.

The success rates are higher in women under the age of 35 as compared to those who are above 35 undergoing the IVF treatment. If the woman has never ever conceived before and is under 35 then it is more likely for her that she would conceive in 32% of cases.

Many women think IVF is their first option if they want it, but the reality is many fertility doctors will tell you to try natural pregnancy first. "If you're 30 to 35, you should try for at least six months and if it's not working, then you do a workup to see what to target," says Dr. Fino.

32% for women under 35. 25% for women aged 35 to 37. 19% for women aged 38 to 39.

Is IVF hard on your body?

All the hormone shots involved with IVF mean that you'll have lots more hormones than normal coursing through your body. That might leave you irritable, bloated, or even turned on. “As you're hormonal, you may feel like you want to have sex,” Eyvazzadeh explains.

Self-kindness and self-compassion are highly recommended. Engage in positive self – talk and affirmations. “I am powerful”, “This is not an end result of my fertility treatment”. Use positive reminiscence, recalling past and good memories and visualize it to feel positive emotions.

As a rule of thumb, however, having about ten to 12 mature eggs after egg retrieval (not all eggs retrieved will be developed or mature enough to fertilize) is a good number of eggs and will give a woman a good chance of having at least one normal embryo, which gives a woman a 65 percent chance of pregnancy.

Hydration has even more importance for women undergoing IVF as drinking liquids will keep fluid levels in the female reproductive organs at healthy levels. Consuming liquids will also keep blood vessels hydrated and limit the potential dehydrating and toxic side effects of some forms of fertility treatment.

Embryo Transfer – Some believe the embryo transfer process is the most critical step in the entire process of IVF treatments. The health of embryos and successful implant in the uterus depend on a flawless transfer.