If your IVF cycle isn't successful, it can feel overwhelming, confusing and unfair. It’s natural to want answers, and to need time, space and support while you process what’s happened. At Manchester Fertility, we’re here to guide you through this moment with compassion and clarity. In this blog, we’ll help you understand what typically happens after an unsuccessful cycle, what your next steps may look like, and how our team will work closely with you to move forward with confidence.
You are not alone on your fertility journey. We will support you throughout every cycle of treatment whether that's your first or subsequent cycles.
One of the questions we’re most asked is: “What can we do differently next time?” Our specialists will work closely with you to review your cycle, and create a plan personalised for you.
Here’s how our team at Manchester Fertility will support you.
Counselling support
As a team, we build strong relationships with our patients, if your treatment hasn't been successful, our first priority is to make sure you feel supported and cared for.
You can choose to receive professional help from our fertility counsellors, who are there to listen and help you cope with your outcome. All the emotions you’ll be feeling are natural, and in these sessions, it's your time to talk through whatever you would like to.
Treatment cycle review
Our fertility consultants will carefully and thoroughly review your previous IVF cycle. Our specialists share their expertise to identify if there are any reasons why your treatment was unsuccessful, however, sometimes there isn’t one specific obvious cause.
We will look to see if we can make any changes to your treatment protocol, to give you the best chance of success. Rest assured that we take all relevant factors into account when planning your care. Anything that may have affected your previous IVF outcome, including age or lifestyle, would have been identified and addressed from the start.
We’ll arrange additional tests that may be necessary before any further cycles are attempted. These may include analysing sperm for DNA damage or checking for chromosome abnormalities in any remaining embryos.
Advanced techniques and technologies
Your age, lifestyle, response to stimulation, and the quality of the sperm, eggs and embryos can all influence whether an IVF cycle is successful.
The good news is - from selecting the healthiest sperm to choosing the strongest embryos and using techniques that can assist with improving implantation, our team can personalise your care to give you the best possible chance.
Advances in treatments and techniques that may affect IVF success include:
ICSI: Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) is a treatment where we take a single healthy sperm and inject it directly into the egg for fertilisation. ICSI prevents the egg being fertilised by sperm that isn’t viable for healthy pregnancy.
Sperm DNA damage test: DNA damage in sperm is a hidden cause of failed IVF cycles and miscarriage. The SpermComet test analyses the level of DNA damage in every individual sperm. The results may dictate that ICSI may be a better treatment option for you.
ZyMot: ZyMot is an advanced sperm separation device, which helps to select the healthiest sperm. The device separates high-quality, motile sperm from dead sperm cells, debris and other cell types that are present in a semen sample. Motile sperm swim through a specialised membrane within the ZyMot chip, while sperm with abnormal movement or shape are left behind.
Time-lapse embryo selection:An option for all cycles involving embryo development, our time-lapse EmbryoScope incubators produce a video of every crucial stage of each embryo’s growth, giving us vital information about which of your embryos are the most viable for pregnancy.
Extended embryo culture: If you have suitable embryos, they will be developed to an advanced Blastocyst stage, at no additional cost. Only embryos that reach the blastocyst stage will be selected for transfer.
Pre-implantation Genetic Screening: Pre-implantation Genetic Screening (PGS) identifies which of your embryos have normal chromosome numbers, to increase your chances of successful pregnancy.
EmbryoGlue: EmbryoGlue is a special solution that helps your embryo to adhere to your uterus after transfer, helping to increase the chance of successful implantation.
Any additional techniques or tests we recommend for a future cycle will be clearly explained, so you understand the benefits for you with a full outline of any additional costs.
What are my funding options if IVF fails?
We offer a range of finance packages through our partnership with Access Fertility, for treatments such as IVF, ICSI and treatment with donor eggs. Their programmes provide flexible payment options and refund plans designed to make treatment more accessible and to ease financial stress.
Through this partnership, individuals and couples can choose from pre-paid, multi-cycle or refundable programmes, as well as a variety of finance options, including a 0% buy now, pay later plan. This allows you to fund treatment in a way that suits your needs and circumstances.
Find out more
If you would like to know more about having treatment or you've had treatment elsewhere, book a consultation with a fertility specialist to discuss your next steps.
Last updated: 17th February 2026
