New to Board; 2 failed ivf's

[chris01]

Hi Everyone,

I'm new to the message board, but from what I see so far, it seems to be very helpful! It really is great to know that there are others out there who are experiencing similar things. To give you a little bit of background on myself......I've had infertility for about 2 1/2 years now. I went through clomid, IUI, a laparoscopy and other various tests. The laparoscopy showed that the fimbrae at the end of my tubes are almost all gone as a result of my immune system's response to mild endometriosis. So, I was told the only option left was ivf. The first time with ivf, they retrieved 13 eggs - 9 were mature, but only 5 fertilized. I never made it to the transfer. A possible explanation was that I stimmed for too long and they didn't have the right protocol. So, I went to another doctor and tried ivf a 2nd time. He had a different protocol where I would not stim as much in order to produce less, better quality eggs. That time, they retrieved only one egg. Again, I didn't make it to transfer. They told me that it just didn't fertilize. My dh and I plan to try ivf a 3rd time, but I can't help but worry that it won't work again. Have any of you experienced ivf with retrieval, but no transfer? Do you think there's hope for me? I also heard that a medication called glucophage can help with implantation, so I started taking it about a week ago. Do any of you have any knowledge about this or its effectiveness? Thanks in advance for all your help! It truly is a comfort to know you're out there and can relate to what I'm going through!

All the best!
Christine

[Dagny]

Hi Christine

Welcome to this site. It is a wonderful site and everyone here is so helpful and caring. I have learnt so much on here and have gone through too much to bear but I am not about to give up.

I am so sorry you have been through 2 IVF and never got to ET. I have not heard of it before except if you are not well enough to have ET at the time they freeze the embies until a time you are well enough and have a FET (frozen embryo transfer).

I have not heard of the drug you mentioned to help implantation but I will ask my consultant about it when I next see him in September as I would love to try something to help me next time.

I wish you lots of luck and keep in touch to let us know how you are getting on.

Love Dagny xkx

[sophiejane]

Hi Christine,
Welcome to this site .. I hope it is the great support to you as it has been to me.
You mentioned that on the 1st ivf cycle you had 5 fertilised eggs ... did these then not divide etc why were these embryos not transferred.
What clinic were you with?
The consultant should have learnt alot by these two cycles. On your next go make sure that they scan and monitor you closely. They can therefore increase or decrease the stims drugs as you go along, dependning on how many follicles you are getting.
I haven't heard of the drug you mentioned .. sorry.
Actually I haven't been of much help at all. I was lucky on my first cycle that I had lots of embryos .. its just a shame that they didn't want to hang around in my tummy
I hope others willb e able to give you more advice than I can.
From Sophie-Jane

[chris01]

Sorry for my ignorance, but what does ve and ive stand for? Thank you for your input!

Another question...how do you handle it when friends or family around you have babies? I find it very difficult to be around them. Sometimes I just want to burst into tears.....they have eveything I could ever want! It comes so easily to so many of them! Also, do you have trouble going to baby showers? I am invited to one this weekend and I'm not sure how I'm going to feel. Any thoughts? Thanks!

Christine

[Dagny]

Hi Christine

It is so hard accepting news about family members or friends getting PG or having their babies. There is no right or wrong way to deal with it as we all cope in different ways. The subject of baby showers came up before and as I am in the UK where we don't have them as a rule it's not so much of an issue but over in the US it must be terribly hard and I would chose not to go if I were you. It's putting yourself in a position where you know you will be upset and it's just not somewhere that would be happy.

There are lots of abbreviations on here.

-ve means negative result
+ve means positive result

I have to log off now but if there is anything else you need to know just ask. There are lots of people who will be happy to help.

Love Dagny xkx

[Sand]

Hi there Christine

Just to say hello ! I can't really help in answering your questions, but hope someone on here can. I hope the glucophage does help (I've never heard of it, or seen the name on these boards, but it will have a different name in the UK anyway).

Sandra x

[AMITHIS]

Hi Christine,

Are you also in the U.S.?

The baby shower issue is a tough one for me as well. I have chosen to bail out on any baby showers, christenings, etc. I made the mistake of going to one and it was terribly difficult. Everyone there had children with the exception of myself and all they talked about were their children. Talk about feeling like an outcast! I decided never again and I refuse to let myself feel guilty about it. I would say if it's not someone close to you then just make up some excuse and send a gift. If it is a close friend, then I'm sure she would understand if you told her the truth.

I'm a little confused by why you didn't make it to transfer. Was it because the eggs just didn't fertilize properly? Has your clinic tried using ICSI rather than trying to fertilize the eggs naturally?

Anyway, I'm glad you have joined us (well, of course it would be better if you weren't in this situation to begin with but you know what I mean!).

Staci

[chris01]

Yes, I am in the U.S. Thanks for your advice about baby showers. In the past, I would go to all that I was invited to because I felt obligated. Now, I think more about how it will make me feel. I don't think it's selfish to be concerned about how you'll feel in a certain situation. Thanks again!

The reason I never made it to transfer the first time was because there was too much fragmentation in the cells. The doctor told me that with that much fragmentation, there would be no point to going through the ET. I think they like to see the cells divide to a certain point (blastocyst) prior to doing the transfer. The 2nd ivf, there was no fertilization, even with ICSI....so that was the reason I didn't make it to ET that time.

Thanks again for all your responses and feedback! I wish you all the best!

Christine

[hope2004]

Christine,
Where in the US are you?
How was your FSH level on day 3? This says a lot about egg quality. From 13 eggs to 1 doesn't sound right, your clinic should have seen this on the ultrasounds and upped your stims mid-way through your cycle. Also many clinics don't wait for the embryo to go to blast because it will generally grow better in the uterus than in the lab.
I also don't go to all showers or kids birthday parties, just can't handle it. Seems like when I walk outside all I see are pg women!!

[chris01]

I'm in PA, but the doctor I'm going to is in NJ. Guess it's possible we're going to the same place? Wouldn't that be a coincidence?! My fsh on day 3 was 6. I started Repronex on day 5. They did make adjustments throughout the cycle, but I guess it wasn't enough. Since the doctor had a minimum stimulation protocol for me, I guess they prescribed just enough to make a couple of good follicles instead of the last time when I had 13 poor quality ones.

I definitely know what you mean about seeing pg women everywhere you go! I'm convinced they're following me! It's just so hard to handle. I have people tell me they understand....but that's even more infuriating! They can't possibly understand what it's like if they have kids of their own! Thanks for your response! Have a good weekend!

[hope2004]

Ha ha this is too funny, I live in NJ and go to a dr. in PA. I probably pass you on the bridge.
You're FSH sounds good. Are you going to meet with RE before starting next cycle? I think they owe you a free cycle

[chris01]

That is pretty funny! Small world! I have an appt. with my RE the end of next month, but I've spoken with him on the phone not too long ago. He said that they'd adjust my meds the next time around and I can start my next cycle immediately if I'd like. My dh and I decided to wait this cycle out and try again next cycle (prob. mid-August). We'll see what happens. Good luck to you!