The second IVF baby

Upon having their first child via IVF, most infertile couples are understandably relieved and are filled with so much happiness that they feel their family is complete. They find their first child completely fulfilling, and do not even dream of having another baby.

However, about five or six years later, the very couple that successfully had their first child via IVF will walk into a clinic and give IVF another try, this time more enthusiastic and confident of their chances of success. Mostly, they explain that their first child is lonely and needs company.

Such patients need to understand that as much as their chances of their second IVF succeeding are normally high following the success of the first cycle, it does not mean that the second cycle has a 100% chance of succeeding. Dr. Malpani says the best approach would be to always plan for the future just after the successful completion of the first cycle by asking your IVF doctor to safely store the frozen embryos for you if you had arranged for them to be frozen. Those embryos are from the cohort that succeeded during the first cycle and therefore their chances of getting you a baby are high.

The most encouraging element of the IVF cycle however is that you will have established a good rapport with your doctor and you will know how to get him/her to adequately respond to your complaints and questions. Moreover, you will have lots of IVF knowledge carried over from the previous experience.