To hear “your pregnancy test is negative” after undergoing through the rigors of an IVF (in vitro fertilization) cycle is disheartening and frustrating. You may also wonder whether it is worth considering another emotionally wrenching and expensive attempt. On the contrary, you may have heard that couples got pregnant without any intervention after they had a failed cycle of IVF. It can be tricky to get pregnant after a failed IVF cycle. Discuss with your physician about the next steps to take after you have a failed cycle.
Is It Possible to Have Natural Pregnancy After Failed IVF?
If you are undergoing through IVF, this does not necessarily imply that you are infertile and are not capable of getting pregnant naturally. Your fertility may be less than what an average couple has; however, in many cases, it is still possible to get pregnant naturally.
What Are the Odds After You Have Failed One Cycle of IVF?
Having one cycle of IVF that has failed usually doesn’t reduce your chances of conception on your successive IVF cycle. In some cases, it may actually imply that you have better chances to conceive as you are now equipped with the baseline information on your stimulation capacity, the quality of your embryos and any other factors that are identifiable.
According to the statistics published by the University of New South Wales Australia in the year 2011, it was found that after one cycle the success rate of IVF pregnancy was 21%, after two cycles, it was 31%, after three cycles it was 36%, after four cycles it was 38% and after five completed cycles it was 40%. After five unsuccessful cycles, the chances of pregnancy are increased by less than 1%.
Why Is It Possible to Have Natural Pregnancy After Failed IVF?
There are multiple reasons for patients getting pregnant without treatment, while waiting for IVF treatment or after having failed the treatment.
For instance, certain patients who have unexplained infertility may become more aware of the fertility signals of their body after they have gone through an IVF cycle. By paying more attention to these signals, they increase the chances of getting pregnant naturally in their bedrooms. Other patients may get highly motivated as they do not want to undergo through another IVF cycle, so they double their energies in achieving a natural pregnancy.
Interestingly, in some patients the IVF cycle fails due to very poor lining of the uterus during the cycle; however, they get pregnant naturally, presumably because their lining of the uterus was better in the natural cycle in comparison to what it was in the IVF cycle.
It is very difficult to pinpoint the particular problem in these patients and how it improved after the IVF cycle has failed. The common factor among these successes seems to be the fact that these were greatly motivated patients, who didn’t give up because of a failed IVF cycle and continued trying actively naturally.
The one factor that differentiates them from others is the frequency with which they have sex. The rule is very simple – your chances of getting pregnant are increased if you have sex with increased frequency. On the contrary, some patients become frustrated and depressed after an IVF cycle fails and assume that they are doomed to not have a baby, which is not true.
How to Increase the Odd of Natural Pregnancy After Failed IVF
It was found that lifestyle choices made a difference when it comes to conceiving naturally after a failed cycle of IVF. Smoking 2 cigarettes each day reduced the chances of natural pregnancy by 44%, whereas drinking 4 or more cups of caffeinated drink decreased the chances of pregnancy by 26%. Drinking alcoholic beverages greater than one time a week decreased the chances by 26%, while obesity reduces the chances of natural pregnancy by 29%. Discuss lifestyle changes with your doctor to see if these changes could increase your chances of getting pregnant.
See the Stories of Other Women
I am 40 years old and have diabetes. I had one failed IVF cycle in October 2008. I got pregnant naturally with my husband in November 2008 (as if by miracle). Currently, I am in my 10th week of pregnancy. I am still not out of danger zone until 12 weeks have passed. Unfortunately, there are no statistics available with me that I can share. However, if a viable egg is released by your follicles, it’s quite possible to have natural pregnancy after failed IVF. You should not lose hope.
It is fairly possible to conceive naturally after failed IVF and IUI treatments. I have only one functioning tube. I had failed 3 IVF and 3 IUI treatments. I only had 2 embryos for transfer during each IVF. Physicians said that my chances of conceiving naturally were only 2%. After trying for 2 years, I gave up fertility treatments and continued with my normal life. After one year, when I turned 41, I found that I was pregnant on my own. My pregnancy went on and I gave birth to a healthy baby boy successfully. I did not do acupuncture, did not ingest any type of medicines and accepted my belief that if it has to happen it will happen. I hope that you will also conceive naturally. Please have faith in this belief and be strong.