Me: 38, DH 31, 12 year old DS, TTC 3 1/2 yrs, blocked right tube & damaged left tube, just completed #1 cycle at Holly House Hospital resulting in BFN!!!!
Depressed and distraught at the moment. Just wondered if anyone could pass on some advice as to how best get through this?
Hi Mandy, just to say I am at Holly House too. Sadly will be starting my 4th cycle (nat FET this time) in Nov. Have a hysteroscopy next week at HH just to check everything is OK.
All I can say is you will get through it. I only started ICSI last November and have already been through 3 treatments (first was +ve but early m/c). I just pick myself up and try again.
HH is a lovely place, though I'm pretty sure this 4th attempt will have to be my final shot with them if it doesn't work.
As Nicola has said you will get through this, but do allow yourself the time. It is really hard going through the treatment anyway and it does take a lot out of you both physically and emotionally, so give yourself plenty of time to come to terms with how you are feeling.
Thanks for the reply. Have they given you any good reasons why you've been unsuccessful? I think for me it's simply my age. At EC there were only 4 follies with only 1 egg. This did fertilise but did not embed. Got BFN last Friday.
Am due to see William next Weds morning to discuss where to go from here. I'm hoping that perhaps as 1st time is always a bit of a gamble, they'll increase my stims dosage on #2 attempt - hopefully that'll make a difference.
I'm not sure how long I'll have to wait before trying again. I agree - they are all so lovely at HH. It's just a bit of pain for me to get to as I am in Leigh-on-Sea. There is a closer clinic in Brentwood but the results for my age group are not as good and what's geography in the grander scheme of things????
Good luck - I'll be keeping my fingers x'd for you.
Well I’m 39 (40 in October) but I seem to have the general fertility of a much younger lady! I always get to blastocyst stage each time; on my first 2 cycles I produced 11/12 eggs and on the last one I had a massive 25 eggs! We have 7 frozen blastocysts left. Our initial problem is male factor. I ovulate each month and am very regular too (I have a near-perfect cycle). Tests after cycle 2 indicated high levels of killer cells, so on the 3rd I took steroids and aspirin. We were particularly gutted when the 3rd failed – our blastos were grade 1 quality and had even hatched, so really were the best quality. So whatever is not working, egg quality is not an issue here (otherwise I’d be the first to suggest donor eggs).
William now thinks it could be a hormone imbalance because I always start bleeding on Day 12 – 2 days before test date. He reckons my progesterone levels may just drop on that day causing the lining to break down. However, just to rule out anything else I’ve opted for the hysteroscopy. Maybe I’m just unlucky or it’s just not meant to be? Will give the FET a try with monitoring for progesterone but if that fails I’ll most likely turn to the ARGC as they seem to be miracle workers. I do like HH though and they always get my meds perfect - I produce a decent number of follicles/eggs and don't suffer too badly from OHSS either.
Welcome, just to say I have had 2 BFN's and it does hurt like hell, the 2nd BFN killed me, but time is a healer and after a great hol away, me and dh are doing it again next month, so hang on in there, you'll be just fine x xx
All the best x x
TTC 6yrs......Have jumped off the rollercoaster for now, too many BFN's and too much heartache, to keep going....Moving on to fulfil other dreams!!!
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It’s a clinic in London that came first in the national survey for success rates – they quote 58% for under 38s, so that technically doesn’t help me. In fact, my clinic’s rate for over 38s are better than theirs! Could simply be that ARGC cherry pick younger women to treat. Anyway, they are very thorough and put you through every test imaginable. The downside is expense and also I hear you need to go daily, sometimes twice daily for bloods etc. At the moment I just can’t justify that – I’d have to give up my job and I can’t do that at the moment (nor do I want to). I accept that the ARGC may have tested me for killer cells and prog levels earlier that my clinic, but for me they are very much the last resort. They have great success though (LittleP is 18 weeks gone after have had treatment with them).
I am currently under the ARGC and I would just like to confirm one thing they don't cherry pick young people - there are several woman that I have got to know over the last few months who are in their 40s.
As Dancola has said they are very thorough and do do a lot of blood tests and scans at a certain point in the treatment - this runs for 14 days in total, including weekends so you have to be 100% committed to their routine. They are more expensive than other clinics so that is worth taking into account as well.