Pausing after failed egg retrievals - how do I move forward?
I'mm 33/F, single and recently got "diagnosed" (or should I say assumed because of test results) with DOR/POF. AMH 0.04-0.07 throughout the cycles.
I'v tried 3 cycles over 6 months, first one I canceled, 2nd and 3rd I went through with retrieval with 2-3 follicles measured, and they were all empty.
At this point I'm tired of the dr appointments, money spent and overall emotional exhaustion from being hopeful about phone calls w/ updates on scans and getting nothing at the end of it.
I've decided to pause (who knows, I may never do a cycle again) and focus on figuring out how to deal with perimenopause and try to get a new job so I can save + use an egg donor if I do find my person.
For anyone who has had similar experiences to me, how have you moved forward? I've felt myself ruminating with sadness and feeling like a 'failure' after this experience. (not being able to move my family's genes forward, body is not operating correctly etc.)
To be clear, I'm not asking for success stories, just POV from people in similar situations. Thanks in advance!
Posted Jun 14, 2026, 12:09 PM UTC