CD3: And IVF #7 Begins
I can't believe that I am doing this, but I am starting IVF #7 on the heels of failed IVF #6. I went in for a baseline U/S and bloodwork and the doctor said everything looks good and that I could cycle right now if I wanted to. A couple of antrals on both sides and no cysts. He said I could postpone a month but my thinking is that any month that I don't have a cyst to screw things up is a good month in which to cycle. I've been canceled AT LEAST three times in the last year due to f*ckign cysts. I told him, "If we postpone my chances are that I'll have a cyst next month so we might as well proceed." I think he was fine by that.
And so we begin.
I'm on 5mg femara/day, for 5 nights, starting tonight
1mg dexamethazone/day
prenatals
baby aspirin
the usual gamut of supplements and fish oils
I'll be adding in 450iu gonal-F starting Wednesday night.
First monitoring U/S is on Friday and I have an intralipid infusion slated the same day (might have to push to Saturday if I can't get time off on Friday).
What are we doing differently this time?
1. Adding in an extra infusion of intralipids at ER or ET. My immune system is too wonky.
2. We're adding in 450iu along with the HCG trigger (UCSF Study is showing great promise with it)
3. No BCPs this cycle. We're going STRAIGHT into this one (sorta a natural cycle)
Otherwise, everything is the same.
I wonder when I am supposed to start my lovenox? I think it's usually stim day 2? Crap. Seriously after this many IVF cycles it all starts to run together.
My supplies have all been ordered...centrifuge paid for. Unfortunately, everything will come too late for this cycle - I didn't think we'd go STRAIGHT into a cycle, this was unforeseen (maybe he's reading my blog and thwarting my efforts? Heh.).
Today was very stressful - I had to leave work early on my FIRST DAY ON THE JOB to go to an IVF appointment. I can only imagine that it's going to get worse in the next two weeks. Freezing everything would let me postpone cycling until I feel more stable in my job, less stressed, and also lets me bank a number of embryos.
This timing leave me wondering....should I freeze everything and do a FET?
Maybe cycling back to back, freezing as I go, is the answer?
I'm going to have to think on this one a bit.
And so we begin.
I'm on 5mg femara/day, for 5 nights, starting tonight
1mg dexamethazone/day
prenatals
baby aspirin
the usual gamut of supplements and fish oils
I'll be adding in 450iu gonal-F starting Wednesday night.
First monitoring U/S is on Friday and I have an intralipid infusion slated the same day (might have to push to Saturday if I can't get time off on Friday).
What are we doing differently this time?
1. Adding in an extra infusion of intralipids at ER or ET. My immune system is too wonky.
2. We're adding in 450iu along with the HCG trigger (UCSF Study is showing great promise with it)
3. No BCPs this cycle. We're going STRAIGHT into this one (sorta a natural cycle)
Otherwise, everything is the same.
I wonder when I am supposed to start my lovenox? I think it's usually stim day 2? Crap. Seriously after this many IVF cycles it all starts to run together.
My supplies have all been ordered...centrifuge paid for. Unfortunately, everything will come too late for this cycle - I didn't think we'd go STRAIGHT into a cycle, this was unforeseen (maybe he's reading my blog and thwarting my efforts? Heh.).
Today was very stressful - I had to leave work early on my FIRST DAY ON THE JOB to go to an IVF appointment. I can only imagine that it's going to get worse in the next two weeks. Freezing everything would let me postpone cycling until I feel more stable in my job, less stressed, and also lets me bank a number of embryos.
This timing leave me wondering....should I freeze everything and do a FET?
Maybe cycling back to back, freezing as I go, is the answer?
I'm going to have to think on this one a bit.
posted by linda at 5:43 PM
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amanda said ... (11:35 AM) :
post a commentOoh, tough one. I can't remember. Have you ever done a FET before? I know my body does differently with fresh cycle meds vs. FET meds.
I hate FET cycles, so I'd just transfer them, but that's just me. Good luck figuring it out!
I've done one FET before Amanda. Transferred five 3 day old embryos (guess they were 4 days old after the thaw). Nary a one implanted.
So, I don't have much experience with them.
Do you think your response is better with a fresh (non FET) cycle?
That's great that you're trying another IVF! If you have the resources I say go for it, what do you have to lose? Okay, sanity. But you seem like a relatively level-headed very ground person.
I really don't think it matters if you do fresh or frozen. Fresh never worked for me. From the blogs that I've followed frozen has worked for some. Not all have gone full term but I really don't think that had anything to do with the embryos being frozen. Can't wait to follow your progress. Good luck!
T
My understanding is that fresh cycles have a slightly higher pg rate than FETs, probably just due to loss in the thaw (which they do much better now). Of course, your body isn't all freaked out from the stim meds (although since I do DE it doesn't matter, but it would to you). Some people who are sensitive (and who isn't) to all those stims actually do get pg better with FETs. So I'd see what kind of response you're getting before you decide = if the embies aren't really good you might as well just transfer now, but if they look good maybe wait? Whatever! It's all a total crap shoot IMHO!
All I can say is that in the UK no clinic would let you cycle back to back like this, they think it is too tough on the ovaries, so egg quality is less good. Given you don't have your supplies ready and you've just started a new job, why not take a month off? I know given today's post you don't want to wait too long, but a month will not make a difference.
Yes, I think my body tends to respond better on fresh cycle meds. My lining hates FET meds. With that said, though, all of my fresh cycle pregnancies have ended in chemicals/miscarriages. Our success was from a FET.
I do know that the thaw can be rough on embryos, though. So, if you do freeze be prepared that you could lose some. My clinic only freezes super high quality blasts, and even so, we still lost one in the thaw.
Good luck figuring it out.