Real Data
Real IVF Data — Three Retrievals, Three Clinics, Real Numbers
These are my real numbers across three IVF retrievals. I'm sharing them because real data from a real patient is more useful than anything you'll find in a brochure. I am not a doctor. These are not predictions of your outcome. They are one person's journey — shared so you know what's possible and what questions to ask.
- Same woman, three retrievals: five euploid embryos at 37, one euploid at 41. Age matters, and this is what it looks like in real numbers.
- My partner's A1c tracked with our fertilization rate: 38% when it was high, 87% after it normalized. I can't prove cause, but I tell every couple to test A1c before a retrieval.
- Embryo grade does not equal genetic result. My highest graded embryos (4AA) were aneuploid or mosaic; my only euploid was a 3AA.
- An inconclusive PGT result can be retested. One of my "no DNA detected" embryos came back euploid on retest.
- Every cent was out of pocket, across all three clinics.
Three-Cycle Embryo Comparison
Retrieval 1: Kaiser 2022, age 37 · Retrieval 2: Victory Canada 2024, age 39 · Retrieval 3: CNY Syracuse 2026, age 41
CNY blast count shown as 8; actual result was 8 or more.
Same woman. Similar number of eggs at Victory and CNY. Dramatically different fertilization and blast rates. The variable that changed most significantly between Victory and CNY was sperm health — specifically my partner's A1c, which was elevated at the time of the Victory retrieval and normalized before CNY.
A1c and Fertilization Rate Correlation
Partner's A1c (%) and fertilization rate (%) plotted by real date across three retrievals
Two things to read here. My partner's A1c was 6.4% (prediabetic) at our first retrieval, climbed to 13.1% (fully diabetic) by January 2025, then came down to 5.3% (normal) before our third retrieval. His A1c was not tested at our July 2024 retrieval — but given the trajectory, it was likely already high, and that cycle had our lowest fertilization rate at 38%. Once his A1c was normalized, fertilization rose to 87%. I cannot prove his A1c caused these outcomes — the timing of the readings and the retrievals do not line up perfectly, and many factors affect fertilization. But the overall pattern is why I believe sperm metabolic health mattered in our journey, and why I tell every couple to test A1c before a retrieval.
Sperm Morphology Across Three Cycles
Percent normal forms, with the 4% normal threshold marked
Morphology was below normal threshold at both Kaiser and Victory. After A1c was normalized and a targeted supplement protocol was in place for months before CNY, morphology reached normal range for the first time.
Comparing My Three Protocols
Medications and outcomes side by side across my three retrievals
| Kaiser 2022 | Victory 2024 | CNY 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Priming | None | None | NAD+ + Glutathione + LDN (approximately 2.5 months pre-cycle) |
| FSH medication | Gonal-F 225 IU | Gonal-F 225 IU | Follistim 300 IU |
| LH medication | Menopur 75 IU | Menopur 150 IU | hCG-LH supplement |
| Ovulation prevention | Ganirelix | Cetrotide | Provera |
| Trigger | HCG | HCG + Decapeptyl | Single Lupron trigger (dual trigger not used due to concerns about estrogen levels and hyperstimulation risk) |
| Eggs retrieved | 41 | 19 | 21 |
| Fertilized | 17 | 5 | 13 |
| Blasts | 7 | 1 | 8 |
My First PGT Results — Kaiser 2022 (Retrieval 1)
My first retrieval at Kaiser in 2022, at age 37, produced these results from Igenomics testing.
| Embryo | Biopsy Day | Result | Sex | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AB1 | Day 6 | Euploid | Female | 6BA |
| AB2 | Day 6 | Complex Aneuploid — Monosomy 15 and 21 | Male | 3BB |
| AB3 | Day 6 | Chaotic | Female | 3BC |
| AB4 | Day 6 | Euploid | Female | 6AA |
| AB5 | Day 6 | Euploid | Male | 4AA |
| AB6 | Day 6 | Euploid | Male | 4BA |
| AB7 | Day 6 | No DNA detected on first test — retested and came back Euploid | — | 3BB |
This retrieval produced five euploid embryos — four on the first round of testing, plus AB7, which initially came back "No DNA detected" and was reclassified as euploid after retesting. That reclassification matters: if we had discarded AB7 based on the first result, we would have lost a genetically normal embryo. Always ask about retesting before making any decision on an inconclusive result.
Compare this to my CNY retrieval at age 41, below — five euploid embryos at 37 versus one at 41. Age matters, and this is what that looks like in real numbers from the same person.
Even with euploid embryos in hand, our journey has shown what this guide keeps returning to: a euploid embryo is a good embryo, not a guaranteed pregnancy. There is more to implantation than chromosomes.
My PGT Results — What Real Results Look Like
I'm sharing my actual PGT report because I think patients deserve to see what real results look like — not just "we got X normal embryos." The nuance matters. These are my 8 embryos from my CNY retrieval in June 2026.
| Embryo | Biopsy Day | Result | Sex | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AB1 | Day 5 | Aneuploid — Trisomy 22 | XY | 4AA |
| AB2 | Day 5 | Euploid | XX | 3AA |
| AB3 | Day 6 | Low Mosaic — Trisomy 20 | XY | 4AA |
| AB4 | Day 6 | Aneuploid — Monosomy 2 | XX | 4AA |
| AB5 | Day 6 | Complex Aneuploid — Monosomy 11 and X | Unknown | 4BB |
| AB6 | Day 6 | Complex Aneuploid — Monosomy 18, 19 and 22 | XY | 3AA |
| AB7 | Day 6 | Complex Aneuploid — Monosomy 15, Partial Monosomy 2p25.3p11.2 | XX | 3AA |
| AB8 | Day 6 | Aneuploid — Monosomy 16 | XX | 3BA |
Grade does not equal genetic result. My highest graded embryos (4AA) include one aneuploid and one low mosaic. My euploid embryo is graded 3AA — lower than several abnormal ones. PGT and embryo grade tell you different things. Neither alone tells the whole story.
AB3 is a low mosaic — Trisomy 20, graded 4AA. As discussed in the PGT section of this guide, mosaic calls carry significant scientific uncertainty. A single biopsy from a single section of the embryo does not represent the entire embryo. This embryo has not been discarded. Whether to transfer a mosaic embryo is a deeply personal decision worth researching carefully and discussing with your clinic.
Our first retrieval at Kaiser in 2022 produced five euploid embryos. All five have now been transferred — four to me (2022, 2023, 2023, and 2024) and one to our surrogate in February 2026. None resulted in a pregnancy. The euploid embryo from our CNY 2026 retrieval is the one planned for our next surrogate transfer — the first to use an embryo from a retrieval other than 2022.
A euploid result is the best outcome from PGT. It is not a guarantee of success. As this guide discusses — and as our own journey has shown — there is more to implantation than chromosomes.
PGT results are based on Igenomics testing. As discussed in the guide, PGT-A has documented limitations including significant uncertainty around mosaic and segmental calls. These results represent one biopsy from one section of each embryo — not the complete genetic picture of the entire embryo.
The IVF Funnel
Using my CNY cycle as the example
Not every egg retrieved becomes a blast. Not every blast passes PGT. Understanding the funnel going in helps you ask better questions and set realistic expectations.
Approximate Cost Comparison
Approximate all-in cost per clinic, out of pocket
Every cent of our fertility treatment was out of pocket. No insurance covered any of it — not at Kaiser, not at Victory, not at CNY. The CNY figure shown here is approximate and does not include a refundable egg donor deposit.
A note on all of this