What is implantation failure in IVF? When an egg and sperm unite together an embryo is formed (this event takes place in the fallopian tube in your body, and in the IVF lab it takes place in a petri dish which contains nourishing culture medium). The embryo thus formed divides rapidly and reaches the uterus in the blastocyst stage (or is transferred to the uterus on day 3 or day 5 during an IVF cycle). When in the uterus, the blastocyst starts to communicate with the endometrium (the uterine lining) by secreting protein molecules. If the embryo is competent enough and if the endometrium is receptive, this results in implantation. Implantation is the attachment of the blastocyst stage embryo to the endometrial lining of the uterus, so that it further develops into a baby (imagine planting a seed in the soil). When a woman undergoes three or more failed IVF attempts (with good quality embryos) or if implantation doesn’t happen even after transferring more than 10 ‘good-looking’ embryos over many cycles, then the woman is said to have “implantation failure”. When an embryo fails to implant, there can only be two logical reasons: the embryo is not good enough (genetically abnormal), or the endometrium is not “receptive” (doesn’t allow the embryo to implant) enough. So, what really causes implantation failure? Please keep reading! Which is the culprit – the seed or the soil? Imagine a farmer who owns a piece of land and wants to cultivate rice. He ploughs and tills the land, making it ready for sowing, finds the right season, and carefully selects the seeds. This is analogous to how an IVF doctor prepares a woman for undergoing an IVF cycle. He gives hormone injections so that the eggs are collected and fertilized with her partner’s sperm to form embryos (seeds). Hormones (estrogen and progesterone) are also used make the uterus ready for accepting the embryo (just like ploughing the land, adding fertilizers and so on). The woman needs to be in good health (analogous to waiting for the right season to sow the seeds). When a farmer takes care of all these things and sows the seeds, he expects the seeds to germinate and grow. But what happens when the seeds fail to sprout? There are three main reasons for this happening: Poor seed quality (embryo) Soil which is not fertile (uterus) The environment is not conducive enough (physical health of the mother-to-be) In rare cases, additional factors which prevent growth include improper seeding (difficult or traumatic embryo transfer), or a sudden change to the environment (e.g., an infection in the uterus). Ashwini Hospital Moondrumavadi , Madurai -07 , Best Fertility Care Center , best service, best care, best resuls .
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