When Poor Egg Quality Isn't the End

Mrs D. came to IRMC after two failed IVF cycles at clinics in her home country. Each time, only one or two eggs had been retrieved, and neither cycle had resulted in a viable embryo transfer. Her AMH was low, her antral follicle count limited — and she was beginning to doubt whether biological motherhood was possible for her.

What struck her most about her initial consultation at IRMC was that the conversation began differently. Rather than repeating the same standard evaluation, the team spent time reviewing her previous protocols in detail — what had been tried, how her body had responded, and what patterns the data suggested. "They asked questions no one had asked before," she later told our coordinators.

"They didn't just try harder. They tried differently."

— Mrs D., age 36

The protocol IRMC designed for Mrs D. was a mild stimulation approach tailored to her ovarian profile — prioritising egg quality over egg quantity. Rather than pushing for maximum follicle recruitment, which had yielded poor-quality eggs in previous cycles, the team calibrated dosing carefully and monitored her response every one to two days.

Three mature eggs were retrieved. Two fertilised successfully. One developed into a day-5 blastocyst of excellent quality. Preimplantation genetic testing confirmed it was chromosomally normal.

The single embryo transfer was scheduled. Thirteen days later, a blood test confirmed a clinical pregnancy.

"I cried for a long time," Mrs D. said. "Not because I expected it to work — but because it did."

Mrs D. delivered a healthy baby girl the following spring. She credits the willingness to think differently about her case as the reason she is a mother today.