Michelle conceived after 7.5 years, 8 egg retrievals, and 11 embryo transfers when a Day 5 4BC complex low-level mosaic embryo finally implanted. She was 17 weeks pregnant with a baby boy when she shared her story.
⚠️ These stories are personal experiences, not medical advice or scientific evidence. People are much more likely to share success stories than unsuccessful ones, so they should not be interpreted as evidence that any particular test, treatment, protocol, or clinic caused that success. Always discuss treatment decisions with your fertility specialist.
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📊 Story Snapshot
👩 Age: 40📆 Years trying: 7.5 years
🧬 Embryo: Day 5 4BC complex low-level mosaic (30%; monosomy 3, 7 & 22)
🧪 Retrievals: 8
🐣 Transfers: 11 (15 embryos)
💊 Diagnosis: Endometriosis, recurrent implantation failure
📈 Outcome: Pregnant at 17 weeks with a baby boy
We started our treatment in the UK in 2021. We transferred 5 embryos over 3 cycles, resulting in one chemical pregnancy. After surgery to remove stage 3 endometriosis, we headed over to Athens to pursue further treatment.
Cycle 4 – 2 blasts only – failed double transfer.
Cycle 5 – 4 blasts. After 2 months of down-regulation for my endo, we proceeded with a double transfer. We tested positive on day 8, but sadly it ended in a chemical pregnancy. Our second double transfer ended in a silent miscarriage of identical twins at just over 6 weeks.
My husband initially refused PGT-A testing. I refused to transfer another untested embryo, so he reluctantly agreed.
Cycle 6 – December 2024 – 4 blasts, but only one transferable: a complex low-level mosaic. Our consultant painted a really bleak picture, stating it had a high chance of miscarriage. He recommended another cycle, but I was seriously considering donor eggs.
I had my NK cells checked, which showed high cytokines, and my treatment plan included immune medication before my transfers.
Cycle 7 – 3 blasts – one euploid! This was it, we thought. This is our time. We were wrong. BFN!
As I have to use stimulation drugs to thicken my lining, we planned to do one final egg collection and transfer the complex low-level mosaic on day 5 as a “thawed fresh transfer.”
Cycle 8 – 19 eggs, but I ended up with OHSS, so once again our complex mosaic was left frozen. That cycle produced one euploid and another low-level mosaic (trisomy 3). The euploid transfer failed.
January 31, 2026: On our 10th trip to Athens, we transferred our last two embryos – our low-level mosaics. Genders known. It was transfer number 11 with embryos 14 and 15. We had zero hope and were fully expecting another negative outcome and a life without a child. I was too exhausted at this point to consider donor eggs and just wanted closure.
We got a faint positive on day 6. Feeling excited but guarding our hearts, we tested every day, watching those two lines get darker and darker.
One of those mosaics grew and grew, and we are currently 17 weeks. So far, all our scans and fetal echo have been normal.
We found out we’re having a boy. The genetic counsellor confirmed the embryo that implanted was in fact the complex mosaic.
Always have faith in an underdog. They really do surprise you.
What would you say to someone who’s going through what you went through?
Don’t count out your mosaics! Stay strong and always advocate for yourself xx
— Michelle Murphy from Wirral, UK
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