Why did IVF fail?

IVF failing is common, and it is not a sign that you did anything wrong. Even in the most favourable circumstances a single cycle is more likely to fail than succeed, and success rates decline with age. Ask your clinic for their own live birth rate for women in your age group — national registry averages will not reflect your specific situation. The most frequent reason is chromosomal abnormality in the embryo. This is a normal biological phenomenon that increases with egg age, it is not caused by anything you did, and it is why a good-looking embryo on the screen can still fail to implant. Other contributing factors: problems with the uterine cavity such as polyps, fibroids distorting the cavity, or adhesions; chronic inflammation of the lining; sperm DNA damage; and less commonly clotting or immune conditions. After one failed cycle, a debrief is more useful than a battery of tests. After two or three failures with good-quality embryos, a more structured investigation is reasonable — hysteroscopy to examine the cavity directly is usually the highest-yield first step. Be wary of long lists of expensive add-on tests offered after a failure. Ask what evidence exists that each one increases the chance of a baby.