Ep 284: Try Try Again - Questions on When the Embryo Doesn't Stick

Fertility Docs Uncensored is hosted by Dr. Carrie Bedient from the Fertility Center of Las Vegas, Dr. Susan Hudson from Texas Fertility Center, and Dr. Abby Eblen from Nashville Fertility Center. In this listener Q&A episode, the docs take on an emotionally tough but important topic: what to do after a failed IVF cycle. They dive deep into strategies to improve egg numbers, enhance embryo quality, and increase the chances of implantation success in future cycles. The conversation includes how a hysteroscopy can help detect fibroids or polyps that might create inflammation in the uterus, the impact of bacterial inflammation, and diagnostic tools like the ReceptivaDx test, which checks for the inflammatory marker BCL-6. BCL-6 may be linked with inflammation from endometriosis. The docs also touch on evaluating sperm DNA fragmentation and exploring the uterine microbiome. For those with positive signs of inflammation, treatment options such as Lupron or even laparoscopy to remove endometriosis are discussed. And don’t miss the discussion on progesterone timing for frozen embryo transfer cycles—why the number of hours of exposure to progesterone can be critical for opening the window of implantation at just the right time. Tune in for a practical, science-based guide to navigating next steps after IVF doesn’t go as planned. This episode was sponsored by ReceptivaDx.