# Any ICSI successes for women aged 42+ with own eggs?



## lisa46 (May 8, 2010)

I am 42 and about to begin a third and final round of ICSI.  Whilst my hormone levels are good for my age,  my husband has male factor sub-optimal fertility.  I am being told that IVF offers a much reduced chance of a positive outcome than natural conception by the age of 40+.  I wondered how many of you ladies were 42 and above and had success with their own eggs?

L xx


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## livity k (May 19, 2009)

Hi Lisa, 

I know your query is about ICSI but I think you might get more responses in the Trying to concieve over 40 thread- so I'm going to move you there, 

Good luck with your treatment, 

Livity K


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## Ellie.st (Mar 11, 2005)

Dear Lisa

We had IVF rather than ICSI but I got my first-ever BFP (and my beautiful little daughter) from my third fresh IVF cycle with my own eggs when I was 42 and a quarter. I'm also now 33 weeks pregnant (at age 46) with a frozen embryo from that same cycle.  

Hoping you will be lucky as we have been     


Ellie
xx


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## lisa46 (May 8, 2010)

Hi Ellie, how wonderful.  Congratulations!  That really gives me hope, especially as I had thought I'd could at best expect to have only one baby, if we could freeze embryos that would be amazing.  

Could I ask, did you go to blastocyst stage with your embryos?  Last time we had IVF the clinic went to 5 day blastocyst and then assisted hatching.  We had 6 high quality embryos but by day 6 only 2 survived.  We were thinking that we would have been better advised to have a 3 day transfer.  Just wondering about your experience?  

Lxx


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## Ellie.st (Mar 11, 2005)

Dear Lisa

When I did my 3rd cycle, my clinic didn't offer the option of going to blastocyst stage.  We had a 3 day transfer - ie one day between EC and ET - with two four-cell embryos put back, and the third one put in the freezer. (We had a total of 3 embryos from four eggs retrieved on our third cycle, which was our worst in terms of numbers of eggs and embryos, and it was a nightmare cycle which I thought on various occasions was going to have to be cancelled).  

Like you, we had good quality embryos on our previous cycles, and I do remember the embryologist telling us before ET third time around that he felt that success would be down to getting the right combination of good embryos and the right conditions at the right time in the womb.  I don't know if it made any difference but I had acupuncture (including the German protocol on ET day half an hour before and after transfer) for both my third fresh cycle and the FET cycle (didn't have it for the first two cycles).

Will keep my fingers crossed for you.    

Ellie


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## lisa46 (May 8, 2010)

Thank you Ellie. I must say the idea of having more needles stuck in me fills me with horror! Interesting you didn't go to blastocyst, I may not do that this time.  Good luck with your pregnancy, I am so very happy for you.


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## Ellie.st (Mar 11, 2005)

Dear Lisa

Yes, it took me a long time to get round to the idea of acupuncture too but it is really nothing at all like having injections and once I bit the bullet and started it, I actually found it very relaxing and nurturing (a bit of "me time"...), and something positive you can do for yourself when you are depending on your clinic for everything else.  There is actually some research which suggests that the German protocol can increase IVF/ICSI success rates - if you do a search of the FF site for "German protocol" you should be able to find more info. My clinic was pretty conservative but they were quite happy to have an acupuncturist treat me in the clinic on ET day on the basis that, if nothing else, it would help relax me (which it did, on both occasions).  You do need to find an acupuncturist who knows about IVF, however.

Anyway, good luck, and keep me posted.

Ellie


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## lisa46 (May 8, 2010)

Thanks Ellie.  I will let you know.  Unfortunately we can't go ahead this time as I have a cyst in my ovary, so it'll be next month.  Will keep you updated.  Please do let me know how your pregnancy goes.  You really are blessed.

Lxx


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## Ellie.st (Mar 11, 2005)

Sorry to hear about the cyst  .  Hope it sorts itself out so that you can get started next month.  Sending you lots of good luck wishes and keeping my fingers crossed for you.

Ellie
x


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