When Should You Give Up On IVF?

Building your family through IVF treatment can be physically, emotionally, and financially demanding. Each round of the IVF treatment comes with excitement, hope, and of course, a lot of stress. The sad part is, even though IVF is the most successful fertility treatment as of now, there is simply no guarantee that it will work.

We know that women battling infertility – and their spouses – are courageous, resilient, and determined. They subject their bodies and their emotional wellbeing through a whole lot in the hope of having a baby.

But for those who – despite their efforts – cannot achieve success with repeated tries, is there a “right” time to stop IVF?

I have done several IVF cycles that didn’t end in a pregnancy. Why is it not working for me?

There can be several reasons. Although reproductive medical sciences has come a long way, we still haven’t figured out all the mysteries.

The IVF journey can be frightening and complicated. Hence, it’s crucial that the patients remain in the loop every step of the way. To find the reason, your infertility doctor will first go through the previous IVF outcomes and reports. This will help them to see if there is a factor contributing to those failed IVF cycles.

If a factor is identified, the team will recommend other treatment options, a donor’s egg, sperm, protocol, and/or a surrogate if necessary.

Our medical team will regularly talk to the patient/couple to know how they’re coping emotionally. If needed, they will provide support or refer them to fertility therapy for assistance.

Medically speaking, is there a point when I should not undergo another round of IVF treatment? How do I know it’s time to start considering other options?

This is a tough question to answer, as each patient and their circumstances are unique. 

At Coastal Fertility, we prefer personalized care and work with each patient to develop custom-made treatments. This is to ensure the best result and provide valuable advice on this situation.

Usually, when another round of IVF won’t be more beneficial than trying to become pregnant naturally, additional IVF treatment cycles may not be recommended. However, the success rates and the experience of the clinic will influence the advice the patient receives in this case.  

The threshold limits for IVF are different for each patient. Thus, it is hard to recommend alternative options based on specific limits for age, number of tries, ovarian reserve testing, number of eggs, or embryos produced. Generally, if the probability of conceiving and giving birth to a live baby is not up to 5%, the infertility doctors will sit down with the patient and discuss whether IVF is still a good option to consider.

How do you support patients in their acceptance of not using their eggs for IVF or carrying their own child?

Finding out that you won’t be able to conceive with your own eggs or carry your own pregnancy can be difficult news to accept.

It is possible that there’s a need to use an Egg Donor or a Gestational Surrogate. In that case, our team will first check-in with the patient and their partner. They will find out how they feel about these options. Then, based on the discussions, the patient will work together with our fertility therapists and our 3rd party reproduction team to obtain more information about the process.

We also evaluate social issues that may arise when you conceive and raise a baby created with donor egg IVF or the help of a Gestational Surrogate. Our top infertility doctors will regularly speak with the patient to ensure that the patient/couple gets enough support.

Surrogacy agencies also provide patients with access to social workers and Intended Parents support groups. These groups help to meet with other people who are in the same situation. 

Would you turn down a couple or patient who wanted to undergo another IVF Treatment cycle even when it’s not recommended?

At Coastal Fertility, we are committed to the advancement of scientific research and treatment to tackle infertility. Achieving success, even with the most complicated cases of infertility is what drives us.

With optional reproductive treatments such as IVF, the success rates and possible risks need to be reviewed by the medical team. If the risks of treatment are more than the chance of success, then additional rounds of IVF may not be recommended. 

What advice do you give couples or patients who have undergone several unsuccessful IVF cycles?

We know that fertility issues – although affecting millions of people all around the world – are not often talked about. At Coastal Fertility, we aim to change the cultural narrative regarding fertility and family building.

We believe it is crucial to understand and win the battle against infertility. Our advice for couples/patients who have undergone several failed IVF cycles is to be completely honest about their feelings. Ask for assistance when needed. As a leading fertility clinic, we also suggest that they seek a second opinion at another fertility clinic if they are not achieving success with IVF.

As an Intended Parent, only you know the best way for you to grow your family. There are several options aside from IVF treatment – like adoption, surrogacy, and using donor eggs IVF. But first, you have to be comfortable with trying another route to build a family before making the decision.

If you have been trying to get pregnant with standard IVF treatment with no success, perhaps you should look into a personalized treatment protocol. We have created 40+ customized IVF approaches to address unique infertility cases.

Schedule a consultation to speak with one of our fertility experts about your options.