IVF Facts - Then and Now: What We Know, What We Don’t, and Why It Still Hurts Sometimes
- Amber Jean Wheatley
- Jul 23, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 6, 2025
A Personal Look at IVF Facts, Failed Embryos, and What Science Still Hasn’t Figured Out
Let’s Start with This: I Had a Perfect Embryo
A beautiful, textbook blastocyst with a gold-star grade—the kind clinics get excited about. It looked "beautiful" under a microscope. (Yes, the embryologist actually said it was "beautiful.")
And then it failed genetic testing.
That embryo—the one we all rooted for—was chromosomally abnormal. Untransferable. Gone before it even had a chance. In that moment, I realized something that still sits with me: for all the progress we’ve made in fertility science, there’s still so much we don’t understand.
💭 Why I Needed This Post Too
That realization saved me from spiraling into self-blame. It helped me focus less on what was “wrong” with my body and start remembering that sometimes—even perfect embryos fail. Even doctors don’t know why. And somehow, that helped a little.
If science doesn’t fully understand it, then maybe I can stop thinking it’s all on me. Maybe other women will read this and feel a little less alone. A little less broken.
Because even as we grieve what didn’t work, there’s comfort in knowing the science is evolving. People are working—right now—to figure this out. New discoveries are being made. Every small breakthrough means we’re one step closer to the answers we deserve.
So this post?
It’s part validation. Part nerdy cool science stuff.
And part whispered reminder that hope still exists.
🧬 IVF Facts: The Early Days
The first successful IVF baby, Louise Brown, was born in 1978. Back then:
Success rates were around 10% per cycle.
Egg retrievals were done laparoscopically—sometimes without anesthesia.
No embryo grading, no PGT testing, no freezing. Just Hail Mary hormones and a lot of uncertainty.
Before IVF was viable, people tried everything from fallopian tube flushing to “fertility cocktails” containing donor semen. (Yes. Really.) (Thomas Medical)
📈 IVF Now: Progress and Precision
As of 2024:
Over 12 million babies have been born through IVF worldwide (ESHRE, 2023).
U.S. success rates average ~40% for women under 35, and ~20–25% for women 38–40 (CDC ART Report, 2021).
We now use embryo grading, frozen transfers, genetic screening (PGT), and customized hormone protocols.
🤷♀️ What We Still Don’t Know
Despite advancements, many questions remain:
Why a perfect-grade embryo might be genetically abnormal (FertilityIQ).
Why genetically normal embryos sometimes fail to implant.
Why miscarriage happens despite ideal conditions.
Why some people need one round and others need five.
How to consistently improve egg quality (beyond vague suggestions).
So yes, the technology is better. But there’s still a whole lot of mystery, luck, and heartbreak involved.
⚗️ IVF Breakthroughs That Sound Made Up (But Aren’t)
AI Embryo Selection Tools
Clinics now use machine learning to assess embryos and rank their implantation potential based on division patterns and morphology.
➤ TIME Magazine – “The AI Baby Makers”
3-Parent IVF Using Mitochondrial Transfer
Babies have been born with DNA from 2 women and 1 man to prevent mitochondrial disease.
IVG (In Vitro Gametogenesis)
Japanese scientists created mouse eggs from skin cells. If replicated in humans, this could open new doors for fertility and even same-sex genetic parenting.
➤ The New Yorker – “The Future of Fertility”
Woman Conceived After 20 Failed Cycles Using AI-Backed Protocols
AI analyzed 20 years of failure to help finally match her with the right sperm, embryo, and treatment plan.
💬 Final Thoughts
This post isn’t here to geek out on science (okay, maybe a little). It’s here to say: if IVF has wrecked you lately, it’s not just you.
There’s so much we still don’t know. But that means it’s not your fault. It’s not your body being broken. It’s that we’re still catching up.
We’re in the middle of a fertility revolution—and you’re living it. You’re not just a patient. You’re part of the progress.
So here’s your reminder:
Your grief is real.
Your questions are valid.
And even when everything feels uncertain, you’re not alone.
Science is still learning. And so are we.
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