Ghost or Anyone - Need advice

[JenNJ]

Hi Everyone,
I was just wondering if I can get some opinion. We have been TTC for 2 years. I had a bilateral hydrosalphinx and FSH of 17. I had a Laproscopy and RE was able to repair tubes. Hubby is good. Otherwise I am healthy also.

We have been to 3 clinics so far and 2 more in the next few weeks. One wanted us to go to Doner Egg would'nt even talk about my own eggs. Another said he would but gave us about a 10% success rate.

Would we be basically wasting our money (Our insurance dosent cover IVF) or should we put that money into possibly doing a Doner Cycle?

Also, do you think I would even respond to medications for IVF with that FSH number?

Thanks so much for listening.

[lynniecat]

I can tell you right off the bat that FSH is not the be all end all .....
Its a marker, one of a few that indicates your likelihood to get pregnant with IVF. Age and antral follicle counts are also important....so how old are you and what is your count --- this means resting follicles at the beginning of your cycle. The more resting follicles, the more there are to respond to the IVF meds, the more embryos you can get.

I have a friend whose FSH ranged from 10 to 28. She TTCed for 28 months before getting PG naturally.

I have an FSH that ranged from 3 to 12 and I got pg during 2 of 4 IVF cycles. My follicle count is around 4 to 8 and I only make 3 to 5 follicles. But those follicles produce some good eggs. Around 1 in 5 are genetically normal it appears.

So, do I think you are wasting your money? It depends on the other factors. You also do not know how things will go until you try one cycle. If you had 0 antral follicles and or were 44+, then I might say you were wasting you money and you should go donor...but otherwise, if you really can afford it, I think one cycle seems reasonable. I will be 43 when my baby is born...

[Ghost]

Hi Everyone,
I was just wondering if I can get some opinion. We have been TTC for 2 years. I had a bilateral hydrosalphinx and FSH of 17. I had a Laproscopy and RE was able to repair tubes. Hubby is good. Otherwise I am healthy also.

We have been to 3 clinics so far and 2 more in the next few weeks. One wanted us to go to Doner Egg would'nt even talk about my own eggs. Another said he would but gave us about a 10% success rate.

Would we be basically wasting our money (Our insurance dosent cover IVF) or should we put that money into possibly doing a Doner Cycle?

Also, do you think I would even respond to medications for IVF with that FSH number?

Thanks so much for listening.

It's too bad that some clinics seem to care more about their pregnancy rates than about their patients. I think the decision to use donor eggs should be yours alone, not the clinic's.

The second doctor may be in the ballpark with the 10% estimate. Maybe a little higher than that, but not a lot. An FSH of 17 is pretty high. We've had success with FSH a LOT higher than that, but the chance of success starts declining at around 10. Whatever the chance, it's your money, your body, and your (potential) baby, so it should be 100% your choice.

Lynniecat makes a good point that you should get other measures, such as the antral follicle count (these are very small follicles seen on ultrasound). Probably should have the AFC before deciding how to proceed.

You would probably respond to medications, provided you are given an adequate dose. Patients with elevated baseline FSH require more FSH (often a lot more) for stimulation, and that is expensive. Still cheaper than a donor cycle, though. On the other hand, donor cycles have the highest success rates.

[JenNJ]

Hi,
Thank you for your replies. I realize I left some info out. I just turned 37, DH is 38 and had a AFC yesterday two follies on each side.

My first RE who did the Laproscopy, never talked donor egg and gave us about 50% success but is so expensive that we would be lucky to afford 2 cycles ( and don't know if we can believe that success rate). We have found many far more affordable package deals and are very confused as to which is best, quantity or quality via success rates.

Thanks again for your quick replies.

[Ghost]

Hi,
Thank you for your replies. I realize I left some info out. I just turned 37, DH is 38 and had a AFC yesterday two follies on each side.

My first RE who did the Laproscopy, never talked donor egg and gave us about 50% success but is so expensive that we would be lucky to afford 2 cycles ( and don't know if we can believe that success rate). We have found many far more affordable package deals and are very confused as to which is best, quantity or quality via success rates.

Thanks again for your quick replies.

Don't believe that success rate. There is no clinic on Earth that can get a 50% success rate with one retrieval in a patient with an FSH of 17 and just 2 antral follicles. I don't mean to make you feel bad, but I also don't want anyone taking advantage of you with wild claims.

An AFC of 2 and FSH of 17 easily meets anybody's definition of decreased ovarian reserve.

Still, it's far from impossible, and the choice should be yours once you are honestly informed by your clinic of your true chances.

[lynniecat]

Ghost -- she said two on each side. I had a total of 2 on each side in my last successful cycle. My FSH was not as high however. Personally, I would try a cycle, but you need to find a good clinic that will not screen you out. My clinic did not screen, but instead allowed me to cycle even with low odds. I used Shady Grove in Rockville, MD... Cycles were around 10K. Sometimes you can get donated meds which will save you money.

The one thing I would be careful about is spending money at a clinic that was not that good. You will need a lot of FSH. I was taking 600 units a day. I think it would be a waste if you did not have a good doctor or protocol. If you are gonna try it once, you want to max your chances. Of course they can never predict how you will respond, they can just have an idea based on past experience. You can PM me if you want more info on my clinic or experiences...

I tried another clinic when I moved across the country and they basically turned me down (after I paid a bunch of money up front). I went back to my old clinic for my last round and just stayed with a friend and boom I am pregnant now. I want to call the second clinic and give them hell ... I just paid a 3K bill. OUCH!

[Ghost]

Ghost -- she said two on each side.

Good point. Still low, but twice as good as I first read it.

I think it would be a waste if you did not have a good doctor or protocol. If you are gonna try it once, you want to max your chances.

Another good point. This board has had many women post of their cycles where the doctor made rookie mistakes (like under-stimulating) and then the cycle had to be canceled.

[JenNJ]

Thank you both for the information. I feel like the more RE's I see and the more info I get from them, the more my head spins and I don't know who to go with.

lynniecat: Thank you for sharing your experience and Congrats on your pregnancy. I have heard of Shady Grove and I may check them out. We are in NJ so it is not so far away.

Ghost: Thank you very much for your opinion. It is nice to get an unbiased professional opinion.