Good fertilization but no blasts

Question

Does anyone have great fertilization but zero blasts? None of our embryos made it to day 5. We have male factor infertility. What did you do about it? #malefactorinfertility

YEDX5295 · Answer

For years the husband’s infertility remained undiagnosed because he had normal semen analysis but later we found it was excessive sperm DNA fragmentation. We had miscarriages, and failed IVFs due to poor embryos for years before the actual reason was diagnosed. Once a doctor found the actual reason (which was sperm DNA fragmentation), he gave us supplements and lifestyle changes for 3-4 months before doing IVF again. Finally, healthy embryos that made day 5 blastocysts.

IWAV8229 · Answer

From what I’ve seen in IVF groups, this situation is unfortunately more common than people expect. A lot of couples get hopeful after hearing they had good fertilization numbers, then feel blindsided when few embryos make it to blast by day 5 or 6.

Apparently fertilization is just the first hurdle. The embryos still have to keep developing for several more days, and that’s where issues with egg quality, sperm quality, or embryo genetics can start showing up.

I remember being surprised reading how many doctors say good fertilization does not automatically mean good blast rates. A lot of people end up changing protocols or doing more testing after cycles like this because the drop-off can feel really confusing and discouraging.