unexplained infertility & ivf

Hi, I tried searching for answer to this question, but couldn't really get a definitive one.
I saw this really depressing piece in The Guardian saying we don't know "whether" IVf works for unexplained infertility (the box I'm in, with my partner, TTC nearly 3 years, both 32 yrs old, 3 unsuccessful IUI's, 6 months' clomid before that, and polypectomy last year, & 6 mths TCM with herbs/acupuncture, now on first stimulated IVF cycle).
So yep, are IVF success rates for unexplained couples lower than for couples with a diagnosis? Also, how many goes do you give it? I've heard 4, but I don't know if that's including possibly FETs or just fresh?
Any info people might have would be great!

worrywart I am cetainly not up with the IVF statistics so can't help you there. I do know alot of people who have fallen pregnant with IVF who have had unexplained infertility. I think why the success rate isn't as high is because when you don't know what the problem is you can't try and fix it so you just have to have the embryo transfer. A certain percent of people know why (ie PCOS, Male sperm reason, progesterone problems, tube's damaged) so during the process they can try their best to accommodate the needs of the people based on what the problem is preventing pregnancy. Unfortunately when you don't know what is preventing pregnancy occuring their is nothing such to fix if that makes sense but it does not mean that IVF wont work for you. During the IVF process they might discover why you have not conceived and provide something else in addition to help you fall pregnant. I am not sure the statistics are for known fertility problems verse unknown infertility with successful IVF. I know unexplained infertility is lower but their are certainly many people where IVF has been successful with unexplained infertility.
I have been looking into different IVF clinics myself (yet to head down that track) The statistics on the web site of the IVF clinic I would use say almost 80% of their clients under the age of 40 have had a successful pregnancy resulting in a living child by their 3rd stimulated cycle. So I guess it doesn't give you any indication of how many FET have occured in that time. This info came of the IVF Sydney website so I don't know how accurate it is. I am yet to see the FS.

As for how many stimulated cycles I don't know. Their isn't a limit as such. Many people take alot of stimulated cycles to achieve a pregnancy or unfortunately some despite many attemps do not fall pregnant. I have heard of people having alot more then 4 stimulated cycles before they fall pregnant but most people do not have that many before having a pregnancy. I guess it depends on how many it takes to fall pregnant or how many financially and emotionally you can endure. Best of luck. I hope you fall pregnant first attempt with the IVF.

Hey thanks Emmy83 for the advice!
All the best for your own TTC journey.

I don't know the answer to your question.
The thing is, unexplained doesn't mean no hope, it just means the doctors don't know.
Our FS gave us 50% odds. I don't think he had official statistics, this was just based on the clinic's experience taking into account our ages and particular circumstances.
Good luck

We're unexplained as well, and our FS also gave us a 50% chance of our first cycle working. And here we are planning our fourth stim cycle... :doh:

Funnily enough, after 3 failed stim cycles (and 1 failed FET) I got pg naturally last month (first ever bfp after almost 3 years of TTC!), but we lost it very early. But I'm hoping this means we do have a chance of IVF#4 succeeding!

As for the number you can/should do - that's entirely up to you! Try not to think that far ahead. Hopefully the first one is the only one you will need. If it doesn't work, that's when you ask yourself if you want to do another and when you want to do it. :goodluck:

Thanks guys for your advice and support.
Yes,I'll try not to think ahead. I'm reading The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle, which is kind of helpful. I guess. I'm reading it for the second time! But I mean, when you're faced with a decision, you kind of do tend to look ahead. I'm always torn though between this optimism v realism v pessimism.
I think: am I being delusionally optimistic? Or am I being too negative? I can't decide. Of course, it varies day to day!
Thanks again and sending best wishes and good luck your way!

I completely understand that forward thinking thing - I do it all the time! I found my first IVF so overwhelming and one of the main things I learned was that the best way to get through it was to break it down into steps and only think about the step you were on, not the next one or two or ten! The further ahead you think, the bigger, scarier and more overwhelming it is. Until I learned that I was just about ready to explode with pent up tension and worrying!

Also, when it comes to the question "how many cycles will I be willing to do", my experience is that the answer changes depending on where you are in a cycle and what happened with the last one and just simply whether or not you're having a bad day. I started out thinking we'd keep doing as many as we could until we got a BFP or as long as the money and eggs lasted. But after #3 was a BFN again I decided I needed a break to recover physically and emotionally I also wasn't ready to try for #4 at that time. Now, after a 5 month break I'm keen to get started with #4 and will be counting down to the end of November!

Hi Juniper76,
So true. You express it really well. I guess I have a history of being ... um ... yeah .. a tiny bit into "control". But now, I think I am learning that there will be so many things beyond my control (in life), and I just won't know in advance how I'll feel at that time.
Sometimes you cling to things like dates and calendars and counting, to feel that illusion of control. I mean, that's what I do.
Hey, I am so glad that you're trying again, and that you took care of yourself by having a break. It takes guts to do that too. I'm going to check out your blog. Looks like you have a fair bit of wisdom.
In Ghana, they say "No hurry in life". Which I used to find infuriating. Now it's quite comforting (sort of!).

Hi Worrywart,

We fall into the 'unexplained' category as well, which is such a frustrating thing because to be honest I wish we knew a definent reason why we just don't work!!

We'd been trying for five years before we sought IVF. Our specialist recommended going straight to IVF rather than trying anything else which we were happy with because we didn't want to waste any more time. The stats our clinic showed us were based on 'age' rather than categorised into anything else & he told us that he would get us pregnant within four goes. And he was spot on! We had 1 X IVF, 2 X FET & 1 X IVF = BFP!!

Besides the emotional toll, I had no real physical effects with any of the drugs etc so we just kept going back as soon as we could. We had our first cycle May 2007 & were pregnant DEC2007. We're now going to be starting a fresh cycle next month for number two. Good luck with it all & fingers crossed you achieve your BFP as soon as possible

Thanks Littlemissmoo,
I'm glad to hear IVF worked for you, and you're trying again.
Actually, I just found out on my last scan, that it looks like I have endometriosis on my left ovary. We're still going ahead with this cycle, though. It's funny, because I was so keen on having a "reason" and now I really wish we didn't. Because I think that ovary is at risk now, and it could mean that the endo is more severe. Still, we won't know until we've had a laparoscopy I guess. It just throws another variable in there. I'm really living up to my name (worrying) this weekend.
Anyway ...
Best of luck for this cycle, fingers crossed.

Hi again worrywart.
I have been trying to find myself a FS that specialised in tubal damage (thats what I have) and I have read several times that the rate of conception (sponatenously) is much higher with couples that have unexplained infertility then couples with known fertility problems. That made me think of this thread so thought I would let you know unexplained infertility does have one advantage. This is not talking about IVF of course just getting pregnant in general.
Good luck with your cycle. I hope it brings you your BFP.
Also I didn't think they could diagnose endo by scan but rather laparoscopically. Have you had a lap before?

Hi Ladies

i just stumbled by your post and I'm in the same boat too. DH is fine and so am I so there is no reason as to why it isn't happening. We have had 2 IUI cycles and 2 IVF and I'm about to start my second FET. The only explantion I can offer is what my FS said to me when she did the egg pickup. Out of 20, 7 managed to survive and she said to me that I could take heart from that cause I could have been trying naturally for 13 months and nothing would have happened because the eggs were not viable. She also said that it takes time for your body to adjust to trying to keep something that for so long we have been trying to avoid and I belive that too as with each cycle I feel that I am getting closer to the end goal.