In captive Clown loach breeding, LH-RH (Luteinizing hormone - Release hormone) is used to trigger the female to release her eggs, and it appears to be quite successful. (clown loaches are now being successfully bred in Europe, and Florida) Both clown loaches & female yo-yo loaches are known to produce eggs in captivity, but neither will typically release their eggs under captive conditions.
Years ago I owned an adult female yo-yo loach that was gravid to the point that she looked like she was going to burst, yet she had been that way for months & showed no signs of stress. She had a healthy appetite & dominated the 3 adult males that were in with her. Eventually she simply reabsorbed the eggs. Unfortunately your fish may have had an issue with reabsorbing the eggs and it's possible that an internal bacterial infection set in. Just a guess though .....
