Hope For Poor Responder?

[sarad]

Hi,

My name is sara and I have just had my first IVF cycle, it was cancelled yesterday.

My first scan was yesterday (day 9 of stims) and showed next to nothing - I think there was 2 small eggs on the left (7mm and 11mm) he didnt bother to tell me what was on the right side.

I am 38 and was on a down reg cycle with 350 of Puregon. FS says that he will start me on a flare cycle soon with 450 of Puregon and hopefully I will respond. He said that some women just dont respond to the down reg protocol, but I dont really understand whats the difference is, besides not sniffing for the extra week?

I was too upset to ask many questions, and he was running 2 hours behind schedule, but said the nurse will ring in the next day or two to give me the new dates.

First thing DH said was "How much is that going to cost!", I hadnt even thought of that, but now I am worried that we will have to pay for another complete cycle?

Has this happens to anyone else that went on to repsond to a subsequent cycle?(looking for reassurance)

Sorry for the long post, just so stunned, I thought that everything was working fine as I have been bloated and lots of 'period type' cramping. Maybe that was all in my mind.

I should mention that the the blood work that was done a couple of months back for FSH and progesterone was all fine, so FS doesnt think it is my age that was the problem.

Thanks for listening and any thoughts would be appreciated. Also any suggestions for questions I should be asking FS?

Sara

[DebraP]

Hello there, sorry your tmt was cancelled. First rounds can often be painful for the patient but useful for the clinics as they watch and learn from how you respond to the meds.

You're definitely not alone in not responding. If you scroll down a little you'll find a thread called 'no follies from stimming' which is self-explanatory. Hopefully you'll find some kindred spirits and some more info/answers there.

My clinic test FSH before every cycle as it can vary wildly from month to month, esp. as we get older. Ask your clinic to do this again on Day 3 of your next AF.

Call and ask specifically about the costs. If your DH is worried about this issue, getting it cleared up now, beforehand, will take some stress out of it. Many clinics don't charge if a cycle is cancelled, but check - you might have to pay for some/all of the tests, scans, consultations etc.

A flare cycle is considerably shorter than a regular cycle. It can be ca. 2 weeks from start to finish. The main difference is that the downregging and the stims take place at the same time vs. subsequently. I've had 5 full fresh IVF rounds and 1 flare - the flare was only half as long although I needed an extra week of Puregon as I didn't respond particularly well but there was a late growth surge, as there often is, and we collected enough to go to ET.

Good luck and I hope you find some answers.
Debra

[Tracii]

I am a very poor responder to the down-regging..my 2.IVF I had to stim for 22 days!! I did not have any follies at all until day 17..I was at my wits end and my tummy was so tired of being injected. For some reason the clinic never gave up and on EC day collected only 2 eggs and only 1 fertilized. I was in tears the entire weekend...even gave up a shopping trip with DH because I thought the 1 little embryo would never make it and be poor quality....

Well I am now in my 12th week of pregnancy with this one little fighter...so don't give up. Make sure to ask your clinic what they will do different next time. I failed to mention my 1. IVF was a disaster but I made the following changes to help with the quality:
1. took baby aspirin to help with blood flow to the uterus (doctor prescribed)
2. went to acupuncture every 1-2 weeks...again to help with blood flow to the uterus and help my body get 'aligned'
3. got as healthy as possible (although I was already pretty healthy)...but I did a couple of liver detoxes
4. thinking positive and visualization

I am not sure what helped me get pregnant on the 2. go...it really is a small miracle considering the odds..so don't give up hope

[AMck]

Sara, so sorry to see your cycle was cancelled.
It is very disappointing and frustrating. I think the worst part is that the news is so unexpected. When drs explain the tmt protocol they don't often talk about what may happen. The truth is that the drs really don't know how you will respond to the meds. Everyone is different. A flare cycle is much shorter and the dr will monitor you closely. You will not down reg as such just stim your natural follie growth and be supressed to stop you ovulating until enough follies are ready (I think!)
Keep thinking positive I'm sure you will get there!
Maybe you would like to join a thread on the forum , for lots of support and advice from the lovely ladies here.

Good luck with your next cycle
Anna x