Today, Dr. Yu Chuan Chen shares how Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) helped Ms. H, a high-risk mother, successfully achieve pregnancy.

After trying advanced technologies to select chromosomally normal embryos for implantation, she lost her baby due to preeclampsia at six months. Following that, she faced repeated infections, anxiety, and insomnia, which led to immune system imbalances and recurrent herpes outbreaks. Ms. H and her husband agreed to try IVF one last time before she turned 45 in September 2022; if it didn’t work out, they would give up on their dream of becoming parents.

With regular visits 2-3 times a month, they managed to improve her sleep issues, control infections, and enhance her menstrual health. Initially planning to begin IVF in September, her husband also scheduled an appointment a month before to improve his sperm quality.

After a family trip in August, Ms. H found that her period didn’t come. In early September, she took a pregnancy test and got positive results! Currently, her pregnancy is classified as low risk for preeclampsia, and all other tests are normal. She has follow-up appointments every two weeks, sometimes with her husband and sometimes with close friends, and her joy is evident.

We must believe in ourselves, choose the right doctors, and maintain a positive mindset during preparation for pregnancy. In time, the baby will arrive!

When you’re 40 and have only one embryo, do you still have the courage to continue culturing it to day five, even facing the harsh test of PGS?

Many people, including doctors, often fear that with a low number of eggs, the longer the timeline, the less likely it is to culture a viable blastocyst and lose the chance for implantation. They worry that after finally culturing to day five, the embryo may fail the PGS test. Thus, they may choose to implant immediately after fertilization, hoping the uterine environment is more suitable for the embryo's growth.

Miss W, now 41 years old, had only one embryo. What gave her the courage to continue observing it and even choose to undergo PGS?

Four years ago, at 37, her ovarian function wasn’t great, and her AMH was already below 1. After being married for five years without good news, she opted for IVF. Due to her poor ovarian function, she adopted a strategy of egg collection, undergoing three retrievals, collecting 11 eggs, and creating 9 embryos, eventually resulting in 4 blastocysts. One of those blastocysts underwent PGS, and luckily, this normal embryo allowed her to successfully conceive her first baby boy.

After two years, she began implanting the remaining three embryos. However, since they hadn’t undergone PGS, the implantation failed her second child.

Now at 41, her ovarian function had worsened compared to three years ago. This time, she only retrieved two eggs, resulting in just one embryo.

Understanding the high probability of chromosomal abnormalities at this stage, she realized that even if implantation succeeded, she could face risks of miscarriage, requiring additional time to recover. For her, the time cost was substantial! Thus, she chose a direct approach, challenging herself to culture the blastocyst and hope for PGS.

Fortunately, with the help of fate and the meticulous care of the embryo medical team, this single embryo successfully reached day five and passed the PGS test, confirming it as a normal embryo! After the embryo was implanted, Dr. Han Jianming assisted in addressing uterine polyps, leading to a successful pregnancy and allowing her to graduate and continue her journey toward happiness! Believing in this unique opportunity can indeed bring good fortune!

This case has reaffirmed my belief in the strong life force of a fetus! A 40-year-old mother successfully overcame tubal obstruction and conceived through in vitro fertilization (IVF). Even when faced with a significant bleeding crisis at 7 weeks of pregnancy, she managed to preserve the fetus and successfully graduated from the reproductive center.

The patient, age 40, came to Taichung NUWA Fertility Center due to bilateral tubal obstruction. Because of poor ovarian function, only four eggs were retrieved, and two embryos were cultured to day six, though they didn’t look very good. After implantation, one embryo is successfully implanted.

Unexpectedly, at 7 weeks of pregnancy, she experienced heavy bleeding and was rushed to our clinic by ambulance. I immediately arranged for an internal examination, and when the speculum was opened, clots gushed out like a fountain. A sense of dread flashed through my mind... I feared we might lose the fetus.

Quickly, we performed an ultrasound, and to my astonishment, not only was the gestational sac still there, but the fetal heartbeat was strong and vigorous. I felt a mix of surprise and emotion, witnessing the miracle of life. We administered medications to stabilize the pregnancy and control the bleeding, determined to protect this little fighter! The patient was moved to tears, praying for the safety of her baby.

Perhaps a mother's bond with her child is strong; despite ongoing bleeding, the fetus continued to grow vigorously. Finally, the bleeding ceased completely after 10 weeks. Three months later, she graduated from our fertility center, and I wish her a smooth delivery!

When we took her graduation photo, I promised her that after a safe delivery, she must bring her baby back for a photo with me, as this little one is a true warrior of life, allowing me to witness the miracle of existence!

Today, Dr. Hsiang Ping Lee shared the experience of Ms. C, a 46-year-old woman who, in addition to work pressures, was preparing for pregnancy. After experiencing four unsuccessful implantations, she successfully conceived a lovely baby with Dr. Hsiang Ping Lee's treatment to improve her uterus and overall health.

Recently, friends of mine have been sharing good news, and one of them is Ms. C, who has been married for five years. She is a busy and capable elementary school teacher, often facing high work stress, staying up late, and getting little sleep.

Ms. C had issues including uterine fibroids, recurrent ovarian cysts, declining ovarian function (AMH: 1.1), elevated prolactin levels, and high blood sugar. Over the past 2-3 years, she underwent IVF treatments and had four implantations, but none were successful.

After examinations revealed a thin endometrium (0.7-0.8 cm), she came to see me in September 2022 to prepare her uterus and enhance her chances of successful implantation.

Based on her symptoms, tongue diagnosis, and pulse analysis, I determined that she had a constitution characterized by both Qi and Yin deficiency, along with phlegm-dampness and liver heat. She came for regular treatments involving traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture, and moxibustion each week.

After a little over a month of treatment, her endometrium reached 0.9 cm before implantation, showing the optimal "triple line" pattern. Recently, I received joyful news with the ultrasound showing her adorable baby. The journey from pre-pregnancy to this point was challenging, and all the hard work she endured has now prepared her for this moment.

Now 16 weeks pregnant, I am delighted and honored to share in this joy. I wish Ms. C continued smooth sailing ahead.

Mom Ting Ting, facing issues with poor ovarian function and low AMH levels, discussed with me the desire to increase her chances of success with IVF through egg collection and embryo creation. Ultimately, with adjustments to her medication, we managed to produce more embryos, and she was thrilled to discover she was pregnant with twins!

Ting Ting is at an age where ovarian function is a concern, and her AMH levels are not ideal. The doctor had already recommended that she consider IVF. Due to her poor ovarian function, some doctors suggested collecting a certain number of eggs first to improve her chances of success. However, this approach might require several egg retrievals before proceeding to fertilization or even embryo implantation.

When Ting Ting came to my office to discuss this option, I expressed my reservations about the egg collection and embryo creation strategy. I believe that this process does not inherently improve the quality of embryos. If embryos can be obtained, there is a possibility of achieving a successful pregnancy from the first egg retrieval, meaning we could implant embryos immediately without needing multiple collection cycles.

During our first cycle, we only retrieved one embryo for implantation, but unfortunately, it did not lead to a positive outcome. In our second cycle, after adjusting the medication, we were able to retrieve more embryos. This time, not only did we receive good news, but it turned out to be twins (oops... it wasn’t intentional to have twins!).

This scenario is common for older women or those with poor ovarian function. They may experience greater psychological pressure than others, but it’s not necessary to undergo many cycles of egg collection and embryo creation. If embryos are available, implanting them immediately can still lead to positive outcomes in earlier cycles.

⭐ Egg collection and embryo creation do not necessarily improve embryo quality.

⭐ Current IVF subsidy programs do not encourage egg collection and embryo creation.

⭐ Embryo biopsies do not enhance embryo quality.

⭐ Implanting embryos as soon as they are available is often the fastest path to pregnancy.

For older mothers and women with a history of miscarriage, the combination of IVF techniques and pre-implantation genetic screening (PGS) allows for the selection of healthy embryos for implantation, significantly reducing the risk of miscarriage. This case demonstrates how an older mother successfully became pregnant after just one implantation, showcasing the advantages of advanced technology in increasing pregnancy success rates.

Zhi Zhi, facing both "advanced age" and "miscarriage experiences," came in stating her desire to undergo IVF with PGS immediately.

After a series of evaluations, we discussed medication options. At this moment, her husband interjected, "She is super, super, super afraid of needles and blood draws!!!!!!!"

Dr. Liao thought to himself: "This isn’t uncommon; many patients announce their fears in the clinic."

She decided to prescribe a "long-acting injection," often referred to as "one shot equivalent to seven." However, thirty minutes later...

The nurse reported that the injection process resembled a domestic violence scene (thankfully, the husband had strong hands... to endure being bitten).

Then, another patient undergoing treatment rushed into the consultation room, nervously asking, "Will the shots I have to take later hurt as much as the ones next door?"

I smiled and reassured her, "Don't worry; the shot you had last time was the same one, and you didn’t feel uncomfortable at all—no need to be concerned." From that moment on, Zhi Zhi became a "VIP" at NUWA Fertility Center, recognized by everyone.

Finally, the chromosomal report for the embryos arrived. Out of the 8 sent for testing, only one was normal. Thankfully, with this "one in a million" embryo, we successfully achieved pregnancy after one implantation.

Following that, I passed the prenatal care to my good friend, Dr. Xu Jun-Rui. Zhi Zhi happily shared that her pregnancy was progressing smoothly without any discomfort. Recently, Zhi Zhi faced the decision of "delivery method." At 36 weeks, her baby had grown to a healthy weight of 3300 grams (with a head circumference measuring three weeks ahead!!).

Should she attempt "natural delivery" or opt for a "C-section" due to the baby growing larger?

Afraid of pain, she wondered which option would hurt less. (Her husband even asked, "Can post-operative pain relief last until the one-month mark?")

Watching the couple’s sweet dilemma, I smiled and said, "Just trust Dr. Rui to handle it!"

Epilogue: Zhi Zhi and her husband safely brought their baby home in April!

In cases of older patients entering IVF treatment, the high correlation between "age" and "chromosomal abnormalities in embryos" necessitates tailored treatment plans. Reproductive specialists and embryologists must work closely together to carefully select the most promising strategies for each aspect of the process, including medication, egg retrieval timing, fertilization methods, and implantation preparation.

A 39-year-old patient, Jia Jia (a pseudonym), has had two previous pregnancies that ended in miscarriage, qualifying her for a history of recurrent miscarriage. She visited Dr. Po Wei Chu at NUWA Fertility Center. Due to her age, Dr. Po Wei Chu recommended that Jia Jia undergo IVF as soon as possible and suggested pre-implantation genetic screening (PGS/PGT-A) to select chromosomally normal embryos for implantation, thereby reducing the risk of miscarriage and shortening the time to achieve pregnancy.

During her first egg retrieval, 13 eggs were obtained. However, due to her husband's sperm motility being at the borderline level, the embryologist performed intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and achieved 9 fertilized eggs, with 7 developing into blastocysts. Unfortunately, only 1 was found to be a mosaic embryo, while the other 6 were chromosomally abnormal and unsuitable for implantation.

Based on PGS/PGT-A results, embryos can be classified as "normal chromosomal embryos (Euploidy)," "mosaic embryos," or "abnormal chromosomal embryos (Aneuploidy)." Mosaic embryos indicate that a portion of the chromosomes are abnormal; the higher the percentage of abnormalities, the lower the chance of pregnancy.

Faced with these results, Dr. Po Wei Chu, the embryologist, and Jia Jia's couple did not give up. Two months later, they proceeded with a second egg retrieval, obtaining 12 eggs this time. Thanks to her husband's efforts, sperm concentration and motility showed significant improvement. For this treatment, they decided to use half of the eggs for natural fertilization and the other half for ICSI.

The naturally fertilized embryos resulted in 2 chromosomally normal embryos, 1 low-level mosaic, and 2 abnormal embryos.

The ICSI embryos yielded 1 low-level mosaic and 2 abnormal embryos. The results from natural fertilization were significantly better!

Through this successful pregnancy story, I want to share that sometimes returning to natural conditions, with divine assistance, can yield better results. The decisions made rely heavily on the expertise and technical skills of reproductive doctors and embryologists. We thank Jia Jia and her husband for their trust in Dr. Po Wei Chu and the embryology team. Subsequently, Jia Jia successfully implanted a chromosomally normal embryo and is now pregnant, having received her maternity handbook and graduated from NUWA! Wishing Jia Jia a smooth pregnancy and safe delivery.

Such a proud and respectable feat!

We thank her for her side of the story, and we hope that it’ll inspire parents in similar positions.

❤️Hardships of an advanced maternal pregnancy

I got married at 38, and started preparing for pregnancy at 39. I want to thank Dr. Liu Chi Hong from the bottom of my heart for all the help and support he’d given me, and I hope my story here resonates with other people who are going through a similar journey….

My husband is often abroad on business trips, and we were desperately trying any and every possible old wives tale to conceive. Due to long durations of time apart with him flying to Shanghai, Hong Kong, Japan, and the rest of Asia, our time together is actually planned according to my ovulation dates. I distinctly remember there was this one time where a flight from Shanghai to Taipei was canceled due to a typhoon, yet it was the ideal window of opportunity during my cycle. My husband dived into studying the patterns of the typhoon and found a flight that circled around the typhoon back to Taipei. Unfortunately, we were still unsuccessful. ? Gradually, I started to become more and more discouraged and had so many questions, “Why do some people have it so easy? Or even get the choice to choose that they don’t want it? I just want my child, why is it so hard? Why…” Every cycle we expect, we fail, we cry, try for another month, see red, and be discouraged again. This was pretty much how I spent my months, and grew weary of the routine.

Once we’ve decided to do IVF, we actually did consult a lot of doctors first, but to someone who’s completely unaware of the process like me, it came as a shock. I saw the pile of documents on the table and my tears started to fall (I became a crybaby that year?). My friend also told me that who you choose as a doctor holds great significance. Good fate is needed for a good start. I remember it was Christmas Eve, someone mentioned Dr. Liu during a family reunion, and we decided to visit Dr. Liu immediately after the break. From that day on, Dr. Liu and his team patiently and kindly answered all my questions I had in my little notebook, one checkmark at a time. That week, I decided to undergo IVF treatment. I can’t wait anymore but also can’t afford to wait anymore. I was already 39 and was considered at an advanced maternal age.

Courage is just another word for determination while overcoming fear. I am so scared of needles, but for my child, I endured hundreds of injections. Only people who have gone through this understand this hardship. I often hear people say, “Isn’t doing IVF just needle injections? That’s nothing!” Yes, it is nothing compared to a lot of other treatments, but please try it for yourself before making assumptions. All the medications and injections cause major hormonal imbalance, including physical and emotional changes. We girls have to go through it all.

Dr. Liu had asked me during consultation, “What if we fail this time? You can start thinking about next steps or choices.” I said with determination, “We’ve thought of the treatment failing, but never have I thought about giving up.”

I have low and one-sided ovarian function only, advanced age, and hyperthyroidism. Dr. Liu reconsidered my medications numerous times. Finally, at a seemingly bad cycle, we successfully fertilized 7 eggs, transferred 2, and froze the rest. Luckily, we succeeded in the first round! We cannot thank NUWA enough for everything. 

Two years after my IVF treatment, I have my cutest miracle baby named Milly. Although she’s naughty at times, she’s still the center of my world.

I really hope that those who suffer from infertility won’t give up. Everyone in our family can’t thank Dr. Liu enough to give us the opportunity to welcome different life stages. I also wish nothing but the best to those who are trying to conceive under Dr. Liu's care. I'm thankful I started IVF as soon as possible.

Although I miss the times where I’m single and that child-free, carefree life, I can’t help but be appreciative of my little partner in life. My husband and I will continue to grow our family and be there for our kids!

We hope the next time we’re here, we’ll be on our way to having our second kid. Let’s go!

After two egg retrieval surgeries and one successful embryo implantation, a thank you card and a touching ultrasound of the fetus were sent to her from afar, thanking her for her efforts to fulfill her dream.

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A number of Hong Kong couples were contacted.

The first impression is that they are in a hurry.

Their hurried and hectic lifestyle, and by the time most of them are exposed to #ArtificialReproductiveTreatment

They have already missed the #GoldenReproductivePeriod (before the age of 35). 

/

The first time XiaoWen met me, she was 42 years old.

It was already late at night when the clinic was in session.

She said that after work, she hopped on a plane ✈️

“Otherwise, I really don't have time.”

Failed repeatedly in artificial reproduction in Hong Kong,

She wanted to get a second opinion in Taiwan.

/

I explained in detail the quality of eggs at this age, and to achieve a satisfactory live birth rate.

The number of eggs expected to be deposited.

She said that her husband, who has been married for 10 years, is also very busy.

He was unable to fly to Taiwan for sperm collection.

So we decided to collect eggs first.

She started the ovulation injection right away.

It's true that we know what we're doing right away.

/

After collecting two rounds of #FrozenEggs,

Her husband was finally free to fly to Taiwan.

Thawed eggs were fertilized and #preimplantation chromosome screening #PGS were conducted.

The three of us don't speak the same language, yet we are often talking, laughing and writing. ✍?

/

Before implantation.

After local tracking in Hong Kong #blood draw #lining thickness, 

She was so discouraged that she couldn't see the end of the road.

I could only receive her emotions through a video call.

/

The conditions finally passed.

She flew to Taiwan,

The embryo implantation came and went in a hurry.

The pregnancy test and subsequent labor and delivery tests were done locally with a partner organization.

The other day when I received an online card from her thanking her and an ultrasound image from her labor and delivery test,

I suddenly burst into tears!

The person who said she had the least amount of time in the first place!

I still managed to squeeze out all the hard work.

Dreams come true ♥️

/

Patient Feedback

: "Dear Dr. Chen Ching Hui 

Thank you very much!

I am so grateful to you for making my first IVF pregnancy a success at the age of 42!

You made my husband and my dream come true, and I was so touched that I wept when I saw my little baby growing healthily in my tummy every day!

Dr. Chen's medication is precise and experienced.

Her medication is accurate and she has a lot of experience in answering my questions patiently.

Dr. Chen and his team put my mind at ease, even when I was in Hong Kong.

Even when I was in Hong Kong, I was able to cooperate and follow up very smoothly.

I remember on the day of implantation, I was lying in bed, feeling nervous.

Seeing you on the screen delivering the embryos to their destination with such care and precision made me feel confident.

I felt confident that we had done it!

Thank you and the team again!