IVF with very high FSH?

[Tigga]

Sara69 - YAY! Thanks for the update. What a fantastic follie count... for a good egg count too tomorrow!! Sending you loads of good luck wishes!!! You give us high-ish FSH'ers more hope!!

AFM, I stopped the pill on Friday and am still waiting for AF. I was to have CD3 Blood and Scan tomorrow - but no AF yet so need to call clinic in the morning.

Hope everyone else is well!

[Tigga]

Hi All,

Just a quick update from me. Woke this morning with AF. Had BT & Scan at clinic. FSH was 7.6 which I was quietly happy with (even though FN said being on the pill beforehand can keep it low). FS then did scan to see see if there were 'antral' follicles present. Left ovary had none and right ovary showed presence of 'some'. He said he used this (along with baselines) to gauge how I might respond - but he said it wasn't always definitive. (Personally, I think they always say that when it's a less than perfect result!)

So all baselines were 'ok' and tomorrow I start on 450 Gonal-F. On Easter Monday I go back for BT and scan to see where it's all at. Fingers crossed there's loads of follies

Hope everyone else is doing well.

[Sara69]

Bad news from me, most of my follicles didn't contain eggs, only three eggs, two of them mature.

Sara

[Sara69]

Tigga posted at the same time - that's a really great FSH result - keeping fingers crossed for this cycle - think even if the right ovary didn't yet show any follicles that doesn't mean that they couldn't come up once you start with the Gonal F

Sara

[Tigga]

Sara69 - I'm really, really sorry to hear that there wasn't more eggs. Hopefully they fert though and with that there's still a chance. I'll have my fingers crossed for you xx.

Dutchie & BabyDreamtime - How are you going? I'm hoping no news is good news!

[Sara69]

Hi Girls,

Just an update - I only had one fertilised but the amazing thing is, it now has progressed to become a young blastocyst and there is a chance that there will be a biopsy tomorrow - with the biopsy there is a 50% chance that it is not affected.

In any case while it was all very depressing at EPU I now don't consider this cycle a failure as it may give us another chance at having a healthy embie for transfer. So at this point I think it was worthwhile to do a cycle even if the FSH was 15.7.

BDT: keeping fingers crossed for you - you must have your BT soon - hope AF hasn't shown her ugly face.

Dutchie: How are you going?

Tigga: Keeping finger croseed for your BT and scan tomorrow.

Have a lovely Easter!

Sara

[Tigga]

Sara69 - I'm glad to hear you're feeling a bit more positive. I still have my fingers crossed for you and and hoping, hoping, hoping this cycle as weird as it's been is the one...usually happens like that...the ones you least suspect!

AFM, after 7 days on 450 gonal-f, my scan this morning revealed only 2 fricken lonely follicles at 5mm - so no bigger than antral follies. As FS put it, "There's not much happening!" Faaaaaaaaark!! (Sorry about my language!) I just want to experience ONE TIME when I walk out of that clinic with some good friggen news! I know, it could be slow and can still happen - I just wish it was happening now - like it's supposed to - I'm tiring of the constant set backs!! Obviously, low FSH or High FSH - it probably doesn't matter for me in the end. It's been super-high and looks like that's where my ovaries are at and the gonal-F isn't having any effect...so far anyway! I'm trying my damdest to stay positive and I will be patient and not dwell too much! I'm going to go take out my frustration on the housework...and await blood result call this afternoon.

Hope everyone else is fairing much better!

[MsPink]

Tigga - just some info on some reading I've been doing. Will also be asking my FS about it. Please ask him about EPP - Estrogen Priming Protocol. From what i understand..they kinda starve your body of estrogen for however long - and then flood you when u do the stims - like start with patches etc. Anyway..being used in USA as main protocol for older ladies or ladies who don't respond very well.

All the best..

Sara - hope they were able to test that little blastie

[Sara69]

Tigga - really sorry to hear that - perhaps you need a higher dosage of Gonal F? Two follicles in the first scan is alright as there can be more later - have you been on Puregon before? While it's sort of the same as Gonal for me it seems that I am reacting much better on Puregon.

AFM: I am PUPO - I still can't believe it and am over the moon - while I still feeling pessimistic about the chance of actually getting pregnant I am really happy that we got this far, one step further than before and I have now proven that there are actually blasties which don't have the bad gen which gives me hope for the future.

Lulu

Sara

[Sara69]

Tigga - really sorry to hear that - perhaps you need a higher dosage of Gonal F? Two follicles in the first scan is alright as there can be more later - have you been on Puregon before? While it's sort of the same as Gonal for me it seems that I am reacting much better on Puregon.

AFM: I am PUPO - I still can't believe it and am over the moon - while I still feeling pessimistic about the chance of actually getting pregnant I am really happy that we got this far, one step further than before and I have now proven that there are actually blasties which don't have the bad gen which gives me hope for the future.

Lulu

Sara

[buliej]

Sara - Well done!!! sending you the strongest sticky vibes!

[Dutchie80]

hey ladies, just wanted to touch base really went away for easter and arrived back today- was lovely and very relaxing so Im quite tired actually from the travelling. No long posts just a quickie to say hi and Ill bbl to catch up properly.

Sara- Yay congratulations on being PUPO. What a fantastic result. I am sooo happy for you. the TWW is kind to you and Ill be for nice high numbers at BT. Buckets of luck to you.

Tigga- Many to you my friend. Im sorry there wasnt better news at your scan. I know the feeling all too well of wanting to walk out of appts and scans with a bit of good news for a change. I dont exactly know just what to say to you except that your not alone in this if you ever need to talk to someone just say the word and dont lose all hope. Im not sure if its a possibility but would your clinic up your gonal f dose- to 600iu perhaps? Just a thought. Ill be thinking of you and for your next scan. I really believe that precious little is known about high FSH (thats been my experience anyway) and that anything is possible. Buckets of luck to you.

Hello to BDT Hope everything is well.

AFM- quick update from me, my FSH this month was a respectable 9.0 and I was ok with that. Saw my FS and plan to cycle again in june sometime when AF arrives. Pleased I have an actual date to look forward to again

[Sara69]

Dutchie: FSH at 9 that is really great, wishing you the best for the new cycle.

Tigga: just logging on as I had another thought - you know your ultrasound sounds just as my 1st one in my first downregulated cycle - I went on the pill before that and came to the conclusion that for me it's not a good thing to be on the pill before a cycle - maybe run that past your FS depending on what you think - did you use Orgalutron and did you already take some of it? Sending and keeping fingers crossed for you.

BDT: Thinking of you, sending you lots of

Sara

[Tigga]

Thanks to everyone for the support - it really does help.

Lulu - Thanks for the info on EPP - I will look into it and ask FS about it. I've got a list of Q's to hit him with.

Sara - I'm so happy for you! Wow! Fingers crossed you are now just one step away from a !!! I have everything crossed for you. When are you due to do a PBT? It would be a dream of mine to reach transfer & PUPO stage on this cycle. Funny you should mention that about the pill. My instinct was telling me it was the wrong move and I was really anti using the pill in lead up b/c I had read that (in poor responders) it can put your ovaries to sleep and make them even harder to wake up - I can only hope if this is the case now that it's temporary. My scan yesterday was to do a check before starting orgalutran so thankfully I haven't started it. I'm still injecting 450 and will go for scan again on Thursday to see what's happening.
The BT results were:
Est: 240
Pg: "Low"
LH: "Elevated but borderline"
My regular FN who I have a good relationship with wasn't in yesterday but will call me today and I'll be asking her all my Q's.
Thanks for your advice, I really appreciate it!!!

Dutchie80 - FSH of 9 is good news! I'm hoping it's good news for you the whole way through your next cycle! Thanks for your kind words too! My clinic thinks that upping the dose past 450 has no effect if I'm already responding so poorly - but I will ask FN again today.

I just need to go with the flow right now and not let myself slip into obsessiveness with this cycle (I hate when I do that!!) - I have acupuncture this afternoon, so hopefully he'll get me back to a calm place.

Hope everyone has a great day!

[Dutchie80]

Tigga- Thanks for the update. I wish I had some useful advice for you but Im afraid I dont. Best of luck with your scan on thursday. Ill be thinking of you


to BDT, Sara, CP & Buliej

[Tigga]

An update from me. Yesterdays scan showed ONE follie in left and an empty right ovary. So with one follie at 12mm and ES at 839, the stand-in FS recommended I "go for EPU next week"! His logic is...if I don't there's 'no' chance it will happen but if I do, well...there's 'a' chance. My logic tells me if I don't the clinic doesn't get $8,000 and if I do, they do...and I can't help but feel he's leading me into what I call "foolish-hope". Seriously, what are the odds of my lone-ranger-follie making it across the BFP finish line? I just don't know what to do? His words keep repeating in my ears "This may be your only chance at a baby with your own egg!" WTF? How could he say that...afterall, my body still produces follies and Day 21 Pg tests confirm that I have ovulated 5 of 6 past months so surely I still have eggs...faaaaark...am I just in denial??? I really don't know what to think? What to do? I've started orgalutran and have a scan with MY regular FS (back from holidays) on Monday. So I have until then to think about it and decide what we want to do. Proceed with IVF or convert to IUI. (Normally, FN said there'd be no discussion, they would cancel the cycle and convert to IUI, but given my history they are giving me the choice to go through with it). How should I interpret that? Any advice/feedback while I'm trying to decide what to do would be appreciated.

Hope there's better news from others here soon!

[buliej]

Tigga - I'm so sorry that you are faced with these decisions, and that your substitute FS made such a ridiculous comment. I did go through with a pick-up when I knew there was likely to be 1 egg (it was a natural cycle with clomid). I had 2 follicles, but the chance of them both having eggs was slim. I did get pregnant from the 1! lost it at 5 weeks (still waiting to find out why - it was recent)...but that could have been the baby we've been waiting for (and my prior cycle was canceled post pick-up because no eggs survived and I couldn't stomach having back-to-back cycles canceled). That said, it is a lot of money for a slim chance, and that makes it a very individual and personal decision. Is IUI an option - it has a lower success rate (I think) but it is still assisted so it's better than no assistance, and much less expensive (at my clinic it is - I would think that the same would be true at others).

About the donor egg. My FS said that after my 2nd failed cycle (although I had had 1 successful cycle that produced eggs before these failures), and I was floored. I thought it was so premature and frankly, the easy way out for my FS. She didn't say the same thing this time - she said she was happy to see the single egg and that she thinks it is a matter of 1 good egg - I can't see why the same wouldn't apply to you. I hope your regular FS has a perspective that takes your feelings into account.

About the $ being earned by the drs/clinics. It's funny that you mention this as a motivation for their advice. This never occurred to me until this week when someone else raised it. I have to think that this is against the Hippocratic oath and an ethical dr would not let that influence their advice. I've also been thinking about what the FS will change if they do take the safety net away from ivf....in some really weird way, will this force them to do things that increase the chances of success of each cycle - there's no way that the clinics would have the same volume of business without the safety net.

Dutchie - good luck with this cycle - that's a good starting point.

quick "hello" to everyone else

[Sara69]

Tigga so sorry to hear this. It's a hard decision to make. And I agree with Buliej, the comment made by the stand in FS was completely uncalled for, they are sometimes saying really thoughtless things.

Personally when I started this cycle with the high FSH my FS said I may only have one egg but that it only takes one and I said to her that I won't go through with the EPU if I don't have the chance to have three eggs. Obvioulsy that is keeping in mind that I do need them to grow to Blastocyst and survive the PGD.

Are you planning a day 5 or a day 3 transfer? If it's day 3 you might still have a relatively good chance to get an ET even with just one egg.

I agree with you that the money needs to be taken into account, actually that's one of the things that really made me depressed after my last EPU as I knew we're about $4000 out-of-pocket for this cycle.

One thing that I am wondering about is how things would look for you if you tried an antagonist cycle without going on the pill beforehand. I notice that your E2 is still pretty low, perhaps you're just understimulated and could produce more eggs if that wasn't the case.

Thinking of you,

Sara