What questions should i be asking?
What questions should i be asking?
Hi everyone. I am new to this board so I am hoping you can help me. I started Lupron on 7/24/04, got my period on 7/28/04. I went today for my bloodwork and US and was told to start my stims tonight. I have a IVF nurse that is handling my case so I don't speak with the doctor alot. It has been pointed out to me by my sil that I should have been told at the beginning how many follicles I have and what the quality of my eggs is so we could determine if it was worth going ahead with IVF. I figured the clinic would tell me if there was a problem. Am I just way too naive? I have to go back Monday for more bloodwork and US so I need to know what questions I should be asking. Thanks a bunch!
Good luck to everyone!
Candy
TTC 1.5 yrs = Me 34 DH 36
MF (born w/o Vas Deferens)
1st IVF attempt with cryopreserved sperm BFN 8/30/04
Candy
TTC 1.5 yrs = Me 34 DH 36
MF (born w/o Vas Deferens)
1st IVF attempt with cryopreserved sperm BFN 8/30/04
Candy,
First of all, welcome to the board! Please join us on the August Cycle Buddies thread, as a lot of us will be going through this at the same time and can cheer eachother on.
I am no expert, having only gone through IVF once, so far. But I think the information on how many follicles and what stage they are in comes after the stims. You probably don't have the follicles yet. After each scan, the clinic tells you how the follicles are progressing (number, size). Mine let me see the monitor, but I had no idea what I was looking at, really.
Believe me, no clinic will let you progress if you don't have a good number and maturity. Remeber that they want a positive result almost as much as we do. The US gvt. makes them publish their live birth numbers annually for completed cycles. Low numbers relative to other clinics can really put a dent in the business.
Also, I did not fully understand the process until it was over. The clinic, so as not to overwhelm us, pretty much gave us information as needed. I'm so glad, too. I could never have remembered everything. It also helped me mentally to keep my thoughts on the present.
Best of luck on your tmt!!
Alicia
First of all, welcome to the board! Please join us on the August Cycle Buddies thread, as a lot of us will be going through this at the same time and can cheer eachother on.
I am no expert, having only gone through IVF once, so far. But I think the information on how many follicles and what stage they are in comes after the stims. You probably don't have the follicles yet. After each scan, the clinic tells you how the follicles are progressing (number, size). Mine let me see the monitor, but I had no idea what I was looking at, really.
Believe me, no clinic will let you progress if you don't have a good number and maturity. Remeber that they want a positive result almost as much as we do. The US gvt. makes them publish their live birth numbers annually for completed cycles. Low numbers relative to other clinics can really put a dent in the business.
Also, I did not fully understand the process until it was over. The clinic, so as not to overwhelm us, pretty much gave us information as needed. I'm so glad, too. I could never have remembered everything. It also helped me mentally to keep my thoughts on the present.
Best of luck on your tmt!!
Alicia
TTC 2.5 years - Me 38 no tubes; DH 32
1st- IVF June 2004 - early MC
2nd - FET Aug 2004 - Twin boys born April 25, 2005!!!
1st- IVF June 2004 - early MC
2nd - FET Aug 2004 - Twin boys born April 25, 2005!!!
Candy
WElcome and I have been through several tmts and Alicia is right - don't worry. There will be no discernible follicles yet as you have down regulated only - this is to get the body right down to nothing so they can build it all up again. Each time you go in for a scan they will count how many follies on each ovary and give you sizes. Don;t worry follicles keep growing and pop up between scans. You will have some "lead " follicles that are bigger than the rest and then clusters of others hopefully - we are all different. They won't be able to tell you what qualitity the eggs are but with the amount and size of the follies and your blood levels they will be able to predict reasonably well how many eggs they hope to get. Just ask them to explain it all each time and they are more than happy to do so.
Good luck
Love
Tracey
xxx
WElcome and I have been through several tmts and Alicia is right - don't worry. There will be no discernible follicles yet as you have down regulated only - this is to get the body right down to nothing so they can build it all up again. Each time you go in for a scan they will count how many follies on each ovary and give you sizes. Don;t worry follicles keep growing and pop up between scans. You will have some "lead " follicles that are bigger than the rest and then clusters of others hopefully - we are all different. They won't be able to tell you what qualitity the eggs are but with the amount and size of the follies and your blood levels they will be able to predict reasonably well how many eggs they hope to get. Just ask them to explain it all each time and they are more than happy to do so.
Good luck
Love
Tracey
xxx
ttc 9 years. 38 yrs old, dh 8 hrs younger!First IVF in Aug 2002 and had ectopic.2nd IVF neg.3rd FET and negative.4th FET and positive but sadly lost our little boy at 20 weeks.5th FET and Alice Isobel and Emily Charlotte born 5th Aug 2004!
Alicia and Tracey S - thank you both so much for your responses and your warm welcome. It is wonderful to have access to so many other women who are going thru the same thing. My sil is probably going to do IVF also (congenital problem with our husbands) so she has been going for conuslts. She had an US and bloodwork prior to beginning everything and was told she has 14 follicles so she asked me how many I had. Since I didn't know I got concerned that maybe my clinic isn't giving me all the info they should and of course I felt totally stupid talking to my sil (she chastised me for not knowing 
). I agree that the clinic is not going to mess up their live birth numbers with progressing when they shouldn't. Again, thank you both. You have made me feel so much better! 
). I agree that the clinic is not going to mess up their live birth numbers with progressing when they shouldn't. Again, thank you both. You have made me feel so much better! Good luck to everyone!
Candy
TTC 1.5 yrs = Me 34 DH 36
MF (born w/o Vas Deferens)
1st IVF attempt with cryopreserved sperm BFN 8/30/04
Candy
TTC 1.5 yrs = Me 34 DH 36
MF (born w/o Vas Deferens)
1st IVF attempt with cryopreserved sperm BFN 8/30/04
Hi there,
I am in the waiting period after transfer, but this was just my first cylce so by no means am I expert. However, one thing I noticed is that the more questions you ask of the RE or even the nurse the more information they begin to tell you voluntarily. So, my advice to you is ask questions and alot of them. Once you begin stimming ask the doctor how many follicles, what size, your E2 level, and anything else you want to know. If you don't understand what the numbers mean, Ask.
It should not take long for the RE or nurse to recognize your level of concern and begin to volunteer information. Hopefully, all the feedback will be very positive and will result in a pregnancy.
Good luck with everything!
Mia
I am in the waiting period after transfer, but this was just my first cylce so by no means am I expert. However, one thing I noticed is that the more questions you ask of the RE or even the nurse the more information they begin to tell you voluntarily. So, my advice to you is ask questions and alot of them. Once you begin stimming ask the doctor how many follicles, what size, your E2 level, and anything else you want to know. If you don't understand what the numbers mean, Ask.
It should not take long for the RE or nurse to recognize your level of concern and begin to volunteer information. Hopefully, all the feedback will be very positive and will result in a pregnancy.
Good luck with everything!
Mia
Thanks Mia. I am going tomorrow for my first us and bloodwork since i started stims so I will be sure to ask.
I wish you the best of luck for a bfp - I hear the 2ww is very hard.
Take it easy and be sure to let us know when you get your bfp!!
I wish you the best of luck for a bfp - I hear the 2ww is very hard.
Take it easy and be sure to let us know when you get your bfp!!
Good luck to everyone!
Candy
TTC 1.5 yrs = Me 34 DH 36
MF (born w/o Vas Deferens)
1st IVF attempt with cryopreserved sperm BFN 8/30/04
Candy
TTC 1.5 yrs = Me 34 DH 36
MF (born w/o Vas Deferens)
1st IVF attempt with cryopreserved sperm BFN 8/30/04