After a failed IVF cycle, it's natural to feel uncertain about the next steps in your journey to parenthood.
Rest assured, becoming parents is still very much within reach.
Fill out our online contact form to get more information about your options like surrogacy after failed IVF.
Below, we’ll break down some of those options as well as the type of questions you can ask your doctor to learn more about why IVF may not have worked for you.
10 Questions to Ask Your Doctor After a Failed IVF Cycle
One of the first things you should do after a failed IVF cycle is set up an appointment with your fertility doctor.
This will be the starting point as they’ll discuss what may have caused each failed IVF cycle and what you can do moving forward.
Having a prepared list of questions to ask your fertility specialist after failed IVF can help you drive the conversation to get the answers you need.
Here are 10 of them that can give you a good starting point:
Ruling out certain medical conditions or other factors can narrow down your options moving forward. Embryo quality is of vital importance when it comes to IVF. Only the best quality embryos are used. From fertility medications to other parts of the process you have control over, there are small things that can make an impact. More tests can focus on specific aspects of your fertility and why IVF may or may not have failed. There are a number of changes you can make that could improve your chances, from utilizing preimplantation genetic screening to even consulting with a different fertility clinic that may have a different approach to your care. It’s something only you can answer, as only you know how you are truly feeling after a failed IVF cycle. You could take this break to recharge or look at other routes to parenthood. The answer to this question should take into account both the physical and emotional toll that IVF, and failed IVF, can bring. If you have a set budget for your journey, cost may play a direct factor in determining whether to continue IVF or not. If your fertility specialist doesn't have any recommendations for you, we can help. Knowing what comes next can help alleviate the many questions about what a failed IVF cycle means for you becoming a parent.
Getting the answers to the questions you want to ask after a failed IVF cycle can give you clarity on your options.
When is Surrogacy Recommended?
Surrogacy is typically recommended by doctors in the following scenarios:
- Medical Conditions: If the partner carrying the baby has medical conditions that make pregnancy dangerous or impossible, such as severe uterine abnormalities, repeated pregnancy losses or health issues like heart disease that would be exacerbated by pregnancy.
- Unexplained Infertility Issues: When a couple faces infertility issues that cannot be resolved through traditional fertility treatments or IVF. This includes cases where the intended mother has a low ovarian reserve, poor egg quality or issues with the uterus.
- Repeated Implantation Failure (RIF): If multiple IVF attempts have failed despite using high-quality embryos, surrogacy may be considered as an alternative route.
- Advanced Maternal Age: For women who are older and have a decreased chance of carrying a pregnancy to term or have higher risks associated with pregnancy.
In each of these cases, a thorough evaluation by a fertility specialist or reproductive endocrinologist is necessary to determine if surrogacy is a suitable option.
Surrogacy as an Alternative After a Failed IVF Cycle
- Age
- Embryo quality
- Ovarian response
- Implantation issues
- Uterine abnormalities
- Hormonal imbalances
- Chromosomal abnormalities
When IVF doesn’t work, surrogacy can be an ideal next step, especially if carrying the pregnancy yourself is no longer an option. Depending on your situation, surrogacy allows you to still have a biological connection to your child while avoiding the obstacles of previous IVF failures.
Intended parents share how surrogacy brings hope after loss.Why Surrogacy?
If you have embryos remaining from failed IVF cycles, you can use those for surrogacy.
If you need to create more embryos, you have several options. You can use your own egg and sperm, a donor's egg or sperm, or even opt for an embryo donation.
Then, the embryo transfer takes place, where they will be transferred to your surrogate’s uterus where your child will be carried to term.
Get the Support You Deserve
In addition to setting up an appointment with your doctor after a failed IVF cycle, you should also take the necessary time to recover from the physical and emotional ups and downs that have occurred so far.
Starting or growing your family through IVF can be a nerve-wracking, exciting time, no matter how long you have been waiting to become a parent. You are not alone.
Whether it’s turning to your support system of close friends and family or looking elsewhere for how to deal with what you’re feeling, like infertility support groups or professional counseling, there’s help available.
You can contact us online regardless of if you know whether or not surrogacy is right for you at the moment. You won’t be pressured and we’ll connect you to licensed professionals that can help you work through what you’re feeling. It’s about getting you the support you deserve.
Here’s a list of online support groups for infertility too:
Next Steps After Failed IVF
- Step 1: Talk to your fertility specialist to learn why IVF failed.
- Step 2: Determine your options moving forward.
- Step 3: Lean on friends, family, counseling and/or support groups.
If IVF isn’t a path forward for you to start or grow your family, we’re here for you.
If you still have embryos from your failed IVF cycles, then we can match you that much quicker with a surrogate. If you don’t have embryos, we can walk you through that process too. Find out more about your options by filling out our online form.