Poor Egg Quality...Really???

I always hear stories of doctors telling their patients after a failed cycle that their egg quality is not good. Usually a patient entrusts their self into the hands of a doctor and leaves the office with a prognosis of future donor eggs. I don't like when that happens. I truly believe that some doctors take advantage of patients that do not do their own research and believe everything they say.

First, let me ask you this - Did your RE explain exactly how your eggs are bad quality? What exactly is wrong with them? You should be able to find out that information.

For example an egg is comprised of a shell (zona pellucida or just“zona”) and the cytoplasm (ooplasm) which, after fertilization, will grow and develop into the embryo. Every lab inspects eggs upon retrieval and they usually have to make notes of their findings. For example, a good egg would have a zona that is perfectly round, that does not have any distortions/deformities and is most often tightly surrounds the actual egg inside. So, if you have a poor egg quality, your RE should be able to to tell you, whether your eggs have a zona that is way too thick or deformed, which can prevent normal fertilization, embryo hatching and thus implantation. Also, you may have a cytoplasm that is way too big to properly surround and "snug" the egg, thus the actual egg within could potentially become damages from “floating” around. There are many more standards by which your eggs are evaluated like fragmentation, color, etc. Poor eggs sometimes will have dark color and look “degenerative” under the microscope.

You must also know that currently, there is not one single test out there that can conclusively determine egg quality. There is no one perfect test for egg quality. Therefore most labs, and RE’s base their assumptions of your eggs ability to become fertilized and produce normal embryos. Therefore I also believe that just one or two failed IVF’s is not the end of the road, since in every cycle your eggs will differ depending on which particular eggs will be produced during that particular cycle. Each cycle is different with different eggs playing the game of baby making. Know that a normal looking egg may possess underlying genetic problems where an egg that appears “poor” may be chromosomally normal and go on to becoming a healthy baby.

So please, don't take one doctor's opinion and give up on having your own babies. Like I said before, having a PhD does not mean they are not human and can predict your fate...You are strong and can’t try again, go for second opinion, third, forth if you need to. Also there are some clinics that specialize in giving women that other doctors gave up on, their own babies. I've heard amazing things about Cornell Center for Reproductive Medicine and Infertility in New York; Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine; SHER Institutes For Reproductive Medicine.

Do your research and stay strong, don't give up. This road is tough but your are a fighter and you will hold your baby in your arms someday.