Reasons why embryos don’t implant with donor eggs

Hey, after two failed IVF cycles using my own eggs, I’m considering turning to egg donation, but now I’m wondering what would happen if my embryos don’t implant, even if donor eggs are used. I think maybe my body is rejecting the embryos and that’s why they don’t implant, is it possible? Is this common?

If all this is true, what is your advice? Thanks!!

Dear Pamela,

implantation failure may be due to a wide range of causes that hinder IVF success to be reachable. The main cause is related to egg and embryo quality. If your ovarian reserve is too low, the small amount of eggs available might have higher chances of developing some genetic abnormality, which gives raise to embryos that are almost unable to implant. In this case, turning to egg donation would be advisable.

If this were not your case, other factors may be hindering embryo implantation, such as infertility of immunological origin or thrombophilia. In such cases, even though the embryos used are of optimal quality, your body may “reject”—as you said—the embryos, something that indeed prevents embryo implantation and may lead to miscarriage. This could happen as well with donor eggs; therefore, analyzing these factors before making up your mind would be recommendable.

Best wishes