From “Last IVF” to Twins: A Lesson in Infertility Care
Last week a couple came to my chamber with an invitation card.
- “Doctor, our babies are turning one… you must come".
- ”Yes—babies. Twins.
But behind that word lies their fourth IVF cycle, years of disappointment, and one final attempt before giving up.Two years earlier, they came to us after two failed IVF cycles elsewhere.
The initial concern was male factor infertility.
The husband had Grade II varicocele on clinical examination.
Many had advised surgery, assuming that correcting varicocele would lead to natural conception.
But infertility care is rarely that simple.
When we reviewed the reports carefully, another key issue emerged:
the wife had poor ovarian response in previous IVF cycles.
So the question was not just about improving sperm parameters.
It was about the realistic goal—better reports, or a baby?
After detailed counselling, the couple chose to try one more IVF cycle with their own gametes, without varicocele surgery.
We modified the protocol.This time more eggs were retrieved and five embryos were formed.
The first transfer failed again.
Before the final transfer, the wife said quietly:
“Doctor, this is our last attempt. If it fails, we will stop treatment.”
The final transfer was done.
And the result stood in my chamber last week—their one-year-old twins.
The takeaway:
- Varicocele does not always mean surgery.
- IVF is not always the last road.
- Infertility treatment must consider both partners together and focus on the couple’s real goal.
- Sometimes what patients call their “last chance” becomes the beginning of their most beautiful chapter.