Ghost! question about Ca2+ in embryo culture

[leorira11]

I've been looking for information on this and can't find it anywhere - maybe you can help?

I've done 7 fresh IVF cycles and 4 FETs (mostly eSET). I've been pregnant 5 times and have no living children (2 first trimester miscarriages, a missed miscarriage at 18 weeks, two sets of twins born prematurely and died).

About halfway through, I switched clinics. At my new clinic, the supposedly 'better' lab is getting worse results and no one knows why. In the four cycles I've had there:

1 - of 17 eggs, only one fertilized = BFN
2- of 12 eggs - only one made it to day 5 = baby boy lost at 18 weeks
3 - of 11 eggs - only 2 fertilized = BFN
4- of 21 eggs - seven made it to day 5, transferred one (and the rest weren't good enough to freeze...) = pending...

Our fertility issue is severe male factor (using ICSI). I'm 26, my husband is 28.

At my old clinic, we always had 2-3 embryos on day 5 (out of a similar number of eggs 12-18 each time)

I got a second opinion from a doctor who ended up being a crackpot. He looked at the embryology reports and saw that there is a marking that they added Ca2+ to the culture. He said they only do that when there is a problem with the eggs and suggested we try donor eggs.

My regular RE says that's nonsense, but he doesn't know why they added Ca2+ to the culture.

I've been trying to research on my own and can't find anything!

any help? Does Ca2+ added to culture mean that there is a problem with egg quality?

Thanks!

Leora

[Ghost]

My regular RE says that's nonsense, but he doesn't know why they added Ca2+ to the culture.

I tend to agree. We don't really know why they altered the media.

If your problem is male factor, why is the solution donor egg???

[leorira11]

well, our reason for doing IVF is male factor, but we have horrific fertilization rates. This crack-pot doctor says that ICSI solves all that, so our fertilization rate issue is NOT our male factor - and is either a lab issue (not likely, since I'm at the best lab in the country) or an egg issue - hence the donor egg suggestion.

we tried a whole bunch of new things on our last cycle-- long lupron (I'd always done antagonist before), I started taking Metformin (I'm PCO), we tried IMSI

8dp5dt.... BFP!

Overall, out of 16 embryos transferred (some of which were crappy quality) - 8 have gotten me pregnant -- so we seem to be doing okay with the IVF.

Hopefully this one will stick and be the baby we get to bring home with us!

[leorira11]

well, our reason for doing IVF is male factor, but we have horrific fertilization rates. This crack-pot doctor says that ICSI solves all that, so our fertilization rate issue is NOT our male factor - and is either a lab issue (not likely, since I'm at the best lab in the country) or an egg issue - hence the donor egg suggestion.

we tried a whole bunch of new things on our last cycle-- long lupron (I'd always done antagonist before), I started taking Metformin (I'm PCO), we tried IMSI

8dp5dt.... BFP!

Overall, out of 16 embryos transferred (some of which were crappy quality) - 8 have gotten me pregnant -- so we seem to be doing okay with the IVF.

Hopefully this one will stick and be the baby we get to bring home with us!