Age 42.5, a Single Normal Embryo and a Happy Ending

Sometimes, in IVF treatment, the whole story can narrow down to a single embryo.

When our patient came to us, she was 42.5 years old. She had been married for 16 years and had previously given birth by caesarean section. Sadly, however, she had lost her child at a young age. For this reason, her wish to become a mother again carried not only a medical but also a very strong emotional meaning.

Before reaching us, she had gone through four unsuccessful IVF attempts at different centers. In two of these attempts a pregnancy was achieved but ended in miscarriage. In another earlier treatment, the embryos obtained had been sent for genetic testing, but a healthy pregnancy could not be achieved.

What path did we take this time?

In the new treatment cycle, we retrieved 8 eggs from our patient. The 4 embryos that continued to develop were biopsied for PGT-A, i.e. chromosomal screening.

The result was very precious to us:

Only one of the four embryos had a normal chromosomal makeup.

This embryo was a blastocyst that had continued developing until day six.

Because the rate of chromosomal abnormalities in embryos increases after age 42, sometimes only one chromosomally normal embryo can be obtained among many. That is why this single embryo was extremely valuable for our patient.

After an appropriate preparation period, we performed the embryo transfer.

And the good news we had been waiting for arrived:

The pregnancy test was positive.

At the follow-ups, we first saw the gestational sac and then the baby's development. The pregnancy was carried to term, and today we see the baby we once watched as a tiny image on the ultrasound in its mother's arms.

Sometimes one is enough

This story reminds us once again:

Especially after the age of 40, it is not right to focus only on the number of eggs or embryos in IVF treatment. What really matters is the biological potential of the embryos obtained.

Sometimes four embryos develop from eight eggs.
Sometimes only one of four embryos turns out to be chromosomally normal.
And sometimes that single embryo becomes a baby.

Results may not be the same for every patient, and no IVF treatment can guarantee pregnancy. However, a proper evaluation, a personalized treatment plan and the selection of the right embryo are of great importance, particularly for patients of advanced maternal age undergoing treatment.

First we saw it on the ultrasound.
Now it is in its mother's arms.

For us, too, it has become one of the unforgettable stories.