IVF over 40 Buddy Group........Membership Drive

[lynniecat]

Ok livingroom, I am back.


So I did estrogen priming with my last round. There are different ways to do the priming and it all depends on which clinic you use. Kelly just finished a round of estrogen priming which was quite different from the round I did.



My round is based on ovulation. You use the ovulation kits till you get your LH surge. Then counting the LH surge day as day 1, you count till day 10 and start an estrogen patch. The patch is then changed every other day until your period starts. On day 11 after your surge, you start ganerelix (suppression) and do 3 shots (day 11, 12, 13). On the day 1 of your period you go in for an ultrasound to make sure there are no cysts and to check a beta (should be negative as your should be using barrier birth control so as not to get pg while on meds). They also check your E2 to make sure its not too high, but it should be someone elevated from the estrogen and I guess this varies from person to person. You keep that last patch on until your day of retrieval.

Basically, no suppression aside from the 3 days of ganerelix. Also, you do more ganarelix after the follies reach 14 mm to keep you from ovulating.


For me, this was a great protocol. No BCPs or lupron was helpful as I have very few follies and need them all to grow. Also, the ganerelix for 3 days seem to keep everyone even, so my 4 follies grew at the same rate and I was able to get 3/4 mature follies. All fertilized with 3 high quality grade 1s (2 - 8 cell, 1 - 4 cell) day 3 embryos. 2 implanted and one is still growing at 10 weeks and I am hoping this one makes it!.


Now I did 4 rounds. Round 1 was the a lupron flare and I got 5 embryos with 3 grade 1s and 2 grade 3s . Two implanted, 1 died at 8 weeks or so, and one at 13 weeks (but that one was normal by CVS). So one could say the lupron flare worked just as well.

BUT, the funny thing is that the lupron flare cycle was interesting in that I had a cyst that cycle and it was producing estrogen and my initial level was the SAME as my level during the last estrogen priming cycle. I had that cyst removed and then proceeded with stims. So, I consider round 1 to be a estrogen priming cycle, accept instead of using a patch to provided estrogen, my cyst did it for me!


Round 2 (another flare) was prob too soon after round 1 and should have been cancelled. I was still on lupus meds (which were deemed safe) but I think they totally screwed up the round, no growth till day 9 and I did not trigger till day 15.

Round 3 was an antagon cycle, no suppression what so ever, just stims and then ganarelix to prevent ovulation. We did not repeat the flare for fear it was not the meds that caused the cycle 2 failure and that my body was just changing. I wound up with a run away follicle and only wound up with 2 embyos (both grade 1), had a difficult transfer (not sure why) and got a BFN.


Anyway, so I do think that estrogen priming was the key for me, but who knows. I think its worth a try. We all respond differently and the EPP is the key for some of us! Its the last try or the big guns plan, but its also THE plan for some!

Good luck!

[Liam'sMommy]

As Lynnie said i just did an estrogen priming round. I have nothing to compare it to. I had AFC of 4/5 the month prior. At retrieval i had 5 follies all were mature and fertilized. I think it would be a great way to go for you since your main problem since to be follies out of synch. It is a great protocol to prevent that. I will be doing it 2 more times trying to bank more embryos before any future FETs. Good luck. Keep us posted.

[NY4thtry]

OK ladies just got the call.. of the 12 mature eggs 10 fertilized normall.. so now we have to see what gets to blast... looks like et will be saturday

[Renee Del Ponte]

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[livingroom]

It's Cornell that is recommending the estrogen priming.

[lynniecat]

My EPP was modeled after the on Cornell currently uses.

[teachertam]

Renee: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!

NY: Great news about your 10 fertilized eggs.

Take care all,
Tammy

[Liam'sMommy]

Congrats NY.

Hi Piggy

Livingroom, i would do it if i where you. Estrogen priming not only helps the follies to grow at a synchronized rate it also up regulates your receptors for FSH and LH. So by the time you add in the stims your receptors are very sensitive to them. Go register to post on the discussion board at haveababy.com. Then you can ask the SIRM docs what they think. It is free to register.

Hi Lynnie

Hi everybody else.

[lynniecat]

NY-- give us number of cell update is you have em!!!!! So exciting!

[Sisi1]

Ok, it's official Lupron is not my friend

My RE said she would like to put me on a "BC free antagonist" protocol. I understand that means without birth control pill but what is an "antagonist protocol" mean?
Can anyone explain?
I don't feel like waiting for her to tell me.
Should I be asking for Estrogen priming?

[SueQiwi]

Hiya Ladies~
I am hoping to join your board as I am now taking BCPs for IVF 3. I am not quite 40--but my ovaries are acting older than I am, so I figure I count as an over 40! I also recognise some of you from earlier boards--hiya Renee and Lynnie!--and would love to join your group.

I am a low responder and will be doing a microdose flare protocol. I take my last BCP on Feb 1. The BCPs have been making me a bit nutty and moody! My system is quite sensitive since my FSH and hormones are already out of whack. I have been acting all kinds of crazy and it will only get worse when I start the big meds!

I am trying to muster up some more PMA but is has been harder to do this time after 2 failures. I feel a bit beaten down by the whole process. But I am hoping to get in the zone with more positive thinking soon.

I have been taking Chinese herbs for 3 months in hopes of improving my egg quality and quantity. I also do yoga and acupuncture. I wanted to try DHEA--but it is not available here in New Zealand.

Best wishes to you all and heres hoping we will all be Mums soon!

Happy Birthday Renee

[Renee Del Ponte]

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[NY4thtry]

renee Happy birthday welcome to the 41club..

Sue i totally know what you mean about OMA i had my ER for IVF number 6 on MOnday.. sounds like you have been doing all the right things.. I didi AP, herbs..I took a supplement recomended by my Dr called Pycnogenicol.. dont know if you can get it there.. i also took b pollen royal jelly
Anyway i had a great response this time got 16 eggs 12 mature and 10 fertilized with ICSI...

sounds like you and i were on similar protocol.. the bcps make me nuts also...

as for me girls no update for day 2 on my embies will know more tomorrow

[Liam'sMommy]

Welcome SueQiwi!!! My mother just told me my aunt had a successful natural pregnancy at 44-45 after taking some Chinese herbal drinks for 2-3 months. I was thinking to myself, "it would have been nice if you had told me that before". So hopeful the herbs will do the trick.

Renee, i totally missed the part about your birthday so HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

Sisi, like Renee said, you use ganirelix instead of luprond. You can do it with estrogen priming. That is what i did the first cycle and am doing it again this cycle. I would ask for it to be used together if i were you. So what happened with you cycle?

NY, great fert report. Grow embies grow. I have seen pycogenicol mentioned lately. I think i will check into it.

Hi Tammy, Lynnie and everybody else.

I will update the list in a couple of days. I will add you to it SueQiwi. You will just have to be patient. I am a little slow on the updates.

Kelly

[Sisi1]

What happened with my cycle was basically I had been on Lupron for 19 days before stimming cause my period was late and my progesterone was WAY high. Then I went in for day 4 estrogen blood test and it was only about a third of what it should have been so that was the end of that short cycle.....I knew lupron was not my friend, should have listened to my instincts....