I had 22 eggs retrieved but only 16 were mature and 11 fertilised. By day 5 i was left with just 4 embryos, and honestly i wasn't expecting such a big drop. I'm trying to understand which part of this attrition is usually the biggest issue. Did anyone else have similar numbers?
Honestly, I think the biggest drop is usually the part that surprises people most. Going from 22 retrieved eggs to 16 mature, then 11 fertilised and finally 4 embryos can feel brutal when you're watching the numbers fall at every stage. I remember how much fertility numbers can mess with your head because you start wondering which number was supposed to predict the outcome. From what I've seen, attrition between fertilisation and day 5 can be quite significant, so having 4 embryos from 11 fertilised isn't necessarily as unusual as it feels.
That drop from 16 mature eggs to 4 embryos would definitely catch me off guard too. I’ve always found the numbers between retrieval, fertilisation and day 5 so confusing because you can start with a really good retrieval and still end up with surprisingly few embryos. I’d be curious to know if anyone had similar numbers and what their clinic said was the main reason for the attrition.
I remember feeling shocked by the drop between retrieval and day 5 because the numbers can look so hopeful at the beginning and then change so quickly. From what I have learned, attrition at each stage is quite common, and many people see a similar pattern from eggs to mature eggs, fertilised embryos, and blastocysts. It can be really hard emotionally, but having 4 day 5 embryos can still be a positive outcome depending on the individual situation.
A decrease in the number of cells from egg collection to the development of embryos is an expected occurrence in the IVF process. Some of the collected eggs may be immature; some may be unable to fertilize, while others may be fertilized but fail to form healthy embryos due to other causes.