Experiencing a failed IVF cycle can be disheartening and staying optimistic can be challenging. While it’s important to allow yourself to time to process difficult emotions, maintaining a hopeful outlook is crucial for your well-being and future success
Failed IVF doesn’t mean your journey to parenthood. Learn more about your options after failed IVF.
While it’s essential to acknowledge and process the difficult emotions that come with IVF failure, this article aims to offer guidance on how to stay positive after a failed IVF cycle.
Acknowledging the Emotional Impact of IVF Failure
While finding positivity can help you move forward, it can also be important to take time to acknowledge the other emotions you are experiencing.
A failed IVF cycle can leave you feeling devastated, hopeless, or a wide range of other emotions, and it’s crucial to validate these feelings. Below you can find some of the common emotions you may be feeling before we offer strategies to help you stay optimistic and find hope moving forward.
Common Emotions After IVF Failure
It’s natural to grieve the loss of what you hoped for. Feeling frustrated or angry is a common response that should be acknowledged. These feelings are normal and a part of the grief process.
Recognizing and validating your emotions is essential for moving through grief. It’s important to allow yourself time to feel and process these emotions to eventually find a path forward.
How to Stay Positive After Failed IVF
In addition to recognizing your feelings, these coping strategies can help you manage your day-to-day while you are processing your complex emotions:
Engage in activities that promote relaxation and well-being, such as exercise, hobbies, or meditation. Techniques such as mindfulness and stress management can help you maintain a positive outlook. Joining support groups can provide comfort and solidarity with others who understand your experience. Individual or couples counseling can offer valuable support and coping strategies tailored to your needs. Remember that seeking support is a sign of strength. We are here to offer guidance and support throughout your journey.
Why IVF May Be Unsuccessful
Understanding the complexities of IVF can help you find new paths forward and give you a better idea of what your options are. Here are some of the factors that can affect IVF success:
Age and Egg Quality: Advanced age can impact egg quality, affecting IVF outcomes.
Embryo Quality: The health and development of embryos play a crucial role in the success of IVF.
Health Conditions: Conditions such as uterine abnormalities or hormonal imbalances can affect implantation and pregnancy.
Are there Other Paths in in Your IVF Journey?
If you are looking for hope, one of the best things you can do is talk to your doctor, who can give you a better understanding of why previous IVF attempts have been unsuccessful, and what options remain for you in IVF.
In some cases, families seek egg or sperm donors, pursue embryo adoption, or find lifestyle or medication medications that may allow IVF to become successful.
Finding Hope after Failed IVF: Exploring Surrogacy
If you decide to explore alternatives, such as additional IVF cycles, surrogacy, or adoption, being informed about these options can help you make the best decisions for your situation.
Surrogacy can be a hopeful path for parents who have experienced the heartbreak of failed IVF attempts. If you have embryos from your previous IVF attempts or are able to create embryos with your own eggs and sperm or a donor’s you can begin the surrogacy matching process quickly.
If you’ve experienced repeated IVF failure, here’s why surrogacy may be more successful:
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Health requirements: Our surrogates must meet specific age, BMI and health requirements.
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Previous pregnancies: Our surrogates must provide medical records of previous successful pregnancies
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Screening: All our surrogates are thoroughly screened to ensure they’re highly qualified
View our highly qualified surrogates now.
Even if you do not have embryos or are unable to create embryos, you can pursue surrogacy with donor embryos, or make embryos from donor sperm and/or eggs.
“I don’t know how long we would have been mourning the loss of not having another child. I don’t know how long that lasts because surrogacy gave us hope through the entire time that we were trying to have this baby. We knew it could be done. It was just a matter of not giving up and finding the right people to help us.”
-Bekah and Gilad, parents through surrogacy
See their success story here.
You can fill out this quick form and get information now or read more about surrogacy after failed IVF.
Resources and Support
Support Groups and Online Communities
- Remembering Our Babies
- Support Groups and Forums
- Share Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support
- M.E.N.D.
- BabyCenter’s Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Infant Loss Community
Embracing Hope and Moving Forward
While a failed IVF cycle is undoubtedly challenging, it’s important to acknowledge your emotions, understand the reasons behind the failure, and explore ways to stay optimistic. With the right support and coping strategies, you can find hope and continue moving forward on your journey to parenthood.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to get pregnant naturally after failed IVF?
Getting pregnant naturally after failed IVF is possible, but it’s not always predictable. Some couples may choose to seek out medical treatments like ovarian stimulation drugs, lifestyle changes like diet and exercise, or increase their frequency of sexual activity.
How to keep going after failed IVF?
When you’ve had an unsuccessful IVF attempt, take things one day at a time and take time to focus on your self-care routines, connect with people, and process your thoughts and feelings. As time passes, you can consider alternative treatments and make lifestyle changes if that is something that you want to do.
What are the odds of getting pregnant after failed IVF?
If you choose to discontinue IVF, there is a chance you could spontaneously become pregnant after IVF treatment. In one study, nearly 25% of couples became spontaneously pregnant after discontinuing IVF treatments.
Is it easier to get pregnant after IVF?
While failed IVF cycles themselves may not increase future fertility, many women go on and experience healthy pregnancies after unsuccessful IVF attempts. In some cases it may be possible the IVF can help your medical professionals find the root cause for your fertility problems, and about 25% of couples experience spontaneous pregnancy after discontinuation of IVF.