Laura is pregnant at 42, after five euploid transfer fails

Laura married at 39. Just before turning 40, she conceived naturally but miscarried at 10 weeks. The very next cycle, she became pregnant again. This time it was a missed miscarriage, discovered at her 10-week appointment.

Married at 39, two natural losses

After that second loss, IVF began. At her first IVF clinic she had her first retrieval (age 40), which yielded one euploid embryo. Everyone assumed it would work, but the transfer ended in a chemical pregnancy.

Four euploids, all gone

At 41, she retrieved three more euploids. A failed transfer followed, and then a miscarriage of twins. All four euploids she had worked so hard to create were gone.

In November 2024, Laura moved to her second IVF clinic and, at just shy of 42, was able to produce a single euploid. But the transfer of that euploid in January 2025 also failed. She had now transferred five euploids without success. According to the literature, she was now in the 0.01 to 0.05% who don't achieve a pregnancy after five euploid transfers.

While moving to this second clinic had brought more eggs per retrieval (from 12 to 18) there were no euploids produced in the two cycles following her first, after she was officially 42 years old.

The definition of insanity

As a result, Laura realised she needed to change direction.

"The definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over again and expecting something different."

She found Better IVF and with the help of the Facebook group she read the studies, and brought them as new ideas to her doctor to advocate for changes to her protocol.

Advocating for a different approach

"Let's be open to trying something different since we haven't been able to find anything wrong," she recalls him saying to her when she asked about these additions. In face-to-face conversations Laura continued to push for change.

"We have had five euploid fails. It's not working. I'm in that low percentage. So I feel we need to try anything and everything we can. Can we try CI and PICSI to do something different?" Her doctor replied, "Well Laura, you know this is an egg problem. But do you mind if we try this? You'll be the second person in our practice to do PICSI. It didn't make a difference for the last one, but I'll do it for you." Laura's response was clear: "Great, excellent!"

Together they added PICSI, CI, metformin, and a CPP protocol of Pepcid, Claritin, and prednisone. Then for the transfer, they also shifted to a modified natural transfer with an immune protocol.

"We both asked if there is any way we could do the modified natural, because again, we have been pregnant naturally three times and my body is ok. Instead of adding extra hormones, we wanted to do things the natural way."

The breakthrough cycle

The result was undeniable. In June 2025, at 42, Laura retrieved 18 eggs. 11 were mature. 10 fertilised. Eight went to testing. Two came back euploid: a 5AA day-5 and a 5BB day-6.

Despite being 2.5 years older than when she started, at nearly 42 and a half, she got a result that was better than the one she got when she was 40.

Thirteen weeks pregnant

She transferred the 5AA in July 2025. Today, she is 13 weeks pregnant with a baby girl. One euploid embryo remains frozen.

Her advice

Her advice to others is simple:

"My advice is to advocate for yourself. Doctors are so ridiculously busy they don't have time to read the studies. They're set with their protocols when in fact there's new research. Do as much research as you can, don't be afraid to advocate. If you're afraid, write notes down, as it can be intimidating when you're there. The most important part of the process is for you to advocate for yourself, because no one else will."