My Doc was able to retrieve 21 eggs during my retrievel. 17 fertilized. However, 6 with more than one sperm. Is this a high number for that to happen to and could this be an indication of a problem?
6 of our remaining 11 were frozen.
5 continued to grow. 1 never developed past a two cell and was discarded. 4 continued to grow to 5, 7, and two 8 cells. We transfered the two 8 cells last sunday. We viewed pictures of them and found them to be perfectly shaped like 'flowers'. The other two were left in the lab to grow. I was just notified that they did not grow and also were discarded.
Knowing that 3 of my 5 did not grow and were discarded, I am feeling less than optomistic about my two transfered 8 cell embryos.
Should I be concerned about my egg quality given the above information?
If I need to do another cycle with my frozen embryos should we allow them to grow to blastocytes if possible before transfer?
What happens if the embryo's just don't grow - what is the next course of treatment?
Thanks for your input - I am feeling a lot of uncertainty at this time.
Polyspermy (more than one sperm fertilizing an egg) occurs in about 5% of the eggs during IVF. It is a result of the egg failing to react to the penetration of the first sperm. If the egg is mature, it will release enzymes that cause the the protein coat that surrounds it (zona pellucida) to harden, thus preventing additional sperm from penetrating. If the egg cytoplasm was not completely mature prior to insemination, polyspermy can occur. In your case, it is likely that the eggs that became polyspermic were retrieved from the smaller follicles that did not fully develop during your cycle (i.e. <16mm in diameter at the time of retrieval).
By the time you are 30, approximately half of your eggs are developmentally compromised. From what you reported, you egg quality sounds about normal for your age.
I always recommend culturing embryos (fresh and frozen) to the blastocyst stage prior to transfer to be sure that the embryos are capable of attachment to the endometrium and implantation. Transferring the embryos prior to the blastocyst stage leaves the patient anxious and worried about the developmental potential of the embryos.
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