IVF is a wonderful process that can fulfill your dream of parenthood when natural conception and other methods have failed. Also known as Invitro Fertilization (IVF), IVF is the process where eggs are taken outside the uterus and then fertilized in lab conditions before being transferred back into the uterus. Through this process, it enhances the chances of a successful pregnancy. However, despite its high success rate of 70% to 80% at Hardik IVF and Fertility Center, there are still some chances of IVF failing. The question is, “What are the common causes of IVF failure?”
In this blog, we discuss some of the key causes of IVF failure. So, without any further ado, let's get started!
There are many causes of IVF failure, and the specific cause depends on your circumstances. Some causes are rather common, while other causes are rare. In the same vein of thoughts, some causes are easy to understand and manage, while others are hard to pinpoint and a bit tricky to manage. But what are these causes? Some of the key causes of IVF failure are as follows:
Age is one of the keys to determining the success rate of IVF. The higher the age, the lower the chances of a successful IVF. There are several reasons for this. Some of the key ones include:
All of these can contribute to the failure of IVF, and as you may have seen, all of these issues are caused by the progression of age. The good news here is that as long as you conduct IVF at an earlier age, you can mitigate this issue.
Ovarian response is another key aspect that can contribute to the failure of IVF. In some cases, the ovaries may not respond properly to fertility drugs, which can then lead to a reduced number of retrieved eggs, contributing to the failure of IVF. The condition where ovaries do not respond as expected to the medication is known as “poor ovarian response.” It can be due to various factors, including age, ovarian reserve, and other medical conditions. Furthermore, poor ovarian response can also result in lower numbers of eggs produced. This further limits the number of eggs available for fertilization, contributing to the failure of the IVF procedure.
Besides the issues associated with age and ovaries, egg quality is another key factor contributing to the overall success rate of IVF. Even if your uterus produces a good number of eggs, if their quality is poor, it can contribute to the IVF success rate. For instance, eggs with abnormal chromosomal structures can lead to unhealthy embryos, contributing to IVF failure. In the same vein of thoughts, poor-quality eggs may not fertilize properly or fail to fertilize at all. Similarly, poor egg quality can lead to pregnancy loss if an embryo formed from such an egg is successfully implanted. This often leads to an increased cause of miscarriage.
Egg quality is not the only factor affecting IVF's overall success rate. While considering the cause of IVF failure, you must also consider the sperm quality. Low sperm count, also known as oligospermia, decreases the chances of successful fertilization as fewer sperm can meet and penetrate the egg. Similarly, poor sperm motility, also known as asthenozoospermia, can lower the chance of sperm's ability to reach and penetrate the egg. Abnormal sperm shape also can affect the ability of sperm to fertilize the egg as irregularly shaped sperm struggles to penetrate the egg. These aspects can lead to difficulties in fertilizing eggs and can lead to the failure of the IVF process.
The IVF process is not limited to the fertilization step; it extends beyond this as well. Therefore, even if fertilization occurs, some embryos may have abnormalities that can lead to the failure of the process. Issues include failure to progress from the early stages to the blastocyst stage or abnormalities in cell divisions. These factors lead to poor development of embryos and can result in unhealthy pregnancies or even miscarriages. Poor-quality embryos may also struggle to implant in the uterine lining, which further leads to unsuccessful pregnancy. These factors, when combined, can be a major cause of IVF failure.
As we previously mentioned, for an IVF to be successful, an embryo must implant itself into the uterus. However, if the implantation is unsuccessful, even if the embryo is of high quality, it can fail in the process. This can be caused by many things, such as a thin endometrial lining, structural abnormalities of the uterus, and abnormal immune system response. Furthermore, the hormones within the uterus are also important for preparing the endometrium for implantation.
If the hormones in the uterus are abnormal, it can affect the receptivity of the endometrial lining and impact implantation. Another key cause of implantation is reduced blood flow in the uterus, as it can impact the ability of the endometrium to support an embryo. All of these combined can lead to failure of the IVF process even if the embryo is formed.
This is a common endocrine disorder that can significantly impact fertility and IVF success. The thing here is that women with PCOS often experience irregular or absent ovulation. This can result in fewer eggs being released during the menstrual cycle, making it challenging for egg retrieval. Furthermore, it also affects the number of eggs available for fertilization. PCOS also causes hormonal imbalance by inducing elevated levels of androgens and insulin resistance. This can disrupt normal reproductive hormone patterns, hampering the success rate of IVF.
Besides the medical factors, one often overlooked factor contributing to IVF failure is lifestyle. Lifestyle factors can significantly influence the success of In Vitro Fertilization IVF. For instance, smoking is associated with reduced egg and sperm quality. And as we already explained before, these are major causes of IVF failure. Smoking also affects hormones and damages the fallopian tube. Likewise, excessive alcohol consumption also has a negative effect on egg and sperm quality, along with hormones.
Similarly, being obese or underweight also affects egg quality and increases the risk of complications. These are just some examples of how lifestyle factors contribute to the failure of IVF. Besides the ones we explicitly mentioned here, there can be many other factors that affect the overall success rate of IVF.
Recommended Blog: What to Do After IVF Implantation: Dos and Don’ts Explained
IVF failure is not just about physical aspects. Emotional and mental factors like stress can also contribute to the success or failure of IVF. Stress and negative emotions such as sadness and worry can lead to an imbalance in reproductive hormones such as cortisol, estrogen, and progesterone. These hormones can then interfere with the normal hormones necessary for ovulation and implantation. Furthermore, chronic stress can also lead to irregular menstrual cycles and disrupt ovulation.
Stress can negatively impact egg quality by altering hormonal levels and potentially leading to oxidative stress, which can damage eggs and reduce their viability. Stress can negatively impact egg quality by altering hormonal levels and potentially leading to oxidative stress, which can damage eggs and reduce their viability. All of these inadvertently can cause IVF failure.
Besides the known factors contributing to IVF failure, sometimes IVF can also fail because of unexplained reasons. Unexplained infertility is diagnosed when standard tests fail to identify a specific cause for IVF failure despite normal results in assessments of egg quality, sperm quality, and reproductive health. This condition may arise from subtle or unknown factors, such as undetected issues with embryo-uterine interaction, immune system responses, or genetic changes.
IVF is one of the best forms of fertility treatments for infertility issues out there, with high success rates. However, despite its success rate, there are still some risks of failure. Now, there can be many causes behind the failure of IVF. Some of the common causes of IVF failure include age-related issues, ovarian response, low-quality egg and sperm, PCOS, implantation issues, and more.
In this blog, we discussed ten of the key causes of IVF failure. Besides the ones we mentioned here, there can be several other causes behind the failure of IVF. Regardless, we hope you found this helpful. If you want further insights into the various aspects of IVF, do check out some of our other blogs.
Also, Know our ivf related services:
And if you want the best IVF service in Nepal, look no further than Hardik IVF and Fertility Center. Thank you for reading till the end.
Some of the most common causes of IVF failure include:
Age significantly affects IVF success rates. As women age, there's a decrease in ovarian reserve, meaning fewer viable eggs are available for fertilization. Additionally, egg quality diminishes, increasing the risk of chromosomal abnormalities. The uterine lining may also become less receptive over time, leading to implantation challenges. These factors combined contribute to lower IVF success rates in older women.
Poor ovarian response occurs when the ovaries don't react as expected to fertility medications used in IVF. This condition results in fewer eggs being retrieved, which limits the number of embryos that can be created. It can be caused by factors such as age, diminished ovarian reserve, or certain medical conditions. Poor ovarian response significantly reduces the chances of IVF success as it provides fewer opportunities for creating viable embryos.
Egg quality is crucial for IVF success. Poor-quality eggs may have abnormal chromosomal structures, leading to unhealthy embryos or failed fertilization. Even if fertilization occurs, embryos from low-quality eggs may not develop properly or may result in early pregnancy loss. High-quality eggs are more likely to produce healthy embryos capable of successful implantation and development into a viable pregnancy.
Embryo quality is a critical factor in IVF success. High-quality embryos are more likely to implant successfully and develop into healthy pregnancies. Poor-quality embryos may fail to progress from the early stages to the blastocyst stage or may have abnormalities in cell division. These issues can lead to failed implantation, unhealthy pregnancies, or increased risk of miscarriage, significantly impacting IVF outcomes.
Implantation issues can include a thin endometrial lining, which may not provide adequate support for the embryo. Structural abnormalities of the uterus, such as fibroids or adhesions, can interfere with implantation. An abnormal immune system response might reject the embryo. Hormonal imbalances can affect the uterine lining's receptivity, and reduced blood flow in the uterus can impact its ability to support an embryo. These factors can prevent successful implantation even if high-quality embryos are transferred.
Several lifestyle factors can impact IVF outcomes. Smoking is associated with reduced egg and sperm quality and can damage fallopian tubes. Excessive alcohol consumption negatively affects both egg and sperm quality and can disrupt hormonal balance. Being significantly overweight or underweight can affect egg quality and increase the risk of complications during IVF and pregnancy. Other factors like poor diet, lack of exercise, and exposure to environmental toxins can also play a role in reducing IVF success rates.
Unexplained infertility is diagnosed when standard fertility tests fail to identify a specific cause for infertility or IVF failure despite normal results in assessments of egg quality, sperm quality, and reproductive health. It may be due to subtle or unknown factors, such as undetected issues with embryo-uterine interaction, immune system responses, or genetic factors. In cases of unexplained infertility, IVF may still fail despite seemingly optimal conditions, making it a challenging issue to address.