Questions regarding your treatment

[sushee]

Welcome to "Questions regarding your treatment". In the fast moving discussion threads it's often easy for your question to get lost, and starting a new thread doesn't always guarantee you'll get the answers you're looking for.

Also over time, the same questions get asked over and over again, so now please posts your questions here, and hopefully in time we can get a list of FAQs started.

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[collo04]

Hey guys im back on the AC ttc JORUNEY THIS MONTH and all is new to me. We are starting a medicated frozen transfer on saturday I have to take ethinylestradiol which I think is oestrogen and progesterone pessaries. Im also taking clexaine . so what im asking is what side effects can I expect? when I did my first stim cycle I had side effects from almost everything, crinone, pregnyl , syneral. Should I expect to gain weight like I did before???

Hope you can help me to know what to expect

[sushee]

Hi collo, I'm going to move this to 'questions regarding your treatment' It's a thread that's specifically designed to get maximum coverage for your questions.

[collo04]

Thanks sushee I did notice it after I already posted ( of course.)

[sushee]

s'ok. it's only quite new.

[briggsy's girl]

sorry i cant help hun - will be sqizzin at the answers though cos i should be doing fet soon

[sushee]

SP,

I don't know the comparitive success rates, but was wondering (never having done OI before) whether when they do it in conjunction with IUI, the sperm sample is washed and prepared prior to transfer? Because if i is, I'm thinking that would surely be better?

Those of you who did IUI, what do you think?

[briggsy's girl]

yep - you're right on the mark - the sperm sample is washed, and the full sample is placed into the uterus with IUI, as opposed to the "lucky few" that make it through the cervix with intercourse. the "cleaning" process also apparently makes sure that the fluid in which the sample is inserted is more friendly to providing the little fella's with energy to get to where they need to go! your chances would have to be increased by the increase in numbers of sperm making it to the uterus i would think...

our clinic here is dead set against timed intercourse,...

[Minky]

I did IUI's with OI for 12 months and had no BFP's, I would take clomid get a positive LH surge and have IUI transfer 12 and 24 hr post surge. This was a 12 month every cycle and no positive it had to be of a higher stat as the concentrate and no mucus to contend with as it was catherterised up into the uterus. Suppose it depends on many different factors sperm quality and motility, immunity to cervical mucus, count all depending on the individuals results. We only had a slightly lower motility as a male issue and PCOS as the female issue. First cycle of IVF worked it was just that they didnt want to meet on the inside
As for FET's I got sore bb's even more so than what I do with Stims, the pessaries are icky but ok and the clex is stingy. As a combination they do tend to make me a little teary but not the throbbing of the FSH on the ovaries as all it does it thicken the endo till it is satisfactory for transfer.
Bec

[briggsy's girl]

i guess that's the one advantage i found of ivf - i KNOW that the embies going back are fertilised and have made it to day 3... that's better than a "maybe the sperm found the egg" kinda scenario

we were only given the IUI option for three tranfer cycles... after that, it was on to IVF for us... i'm not sure how other clinics work though...

[Kimnastics]

BG - same for my clinic, no timed intercourse and only 3 IUI's before moving on to IVF.

[Minky]

Salt and thats when a whole different bunch of set backs started for us, but we knew we could get pregnant one small hurdle at a time.

[briggsy's girl]

SP - when looking at ivf costs, it's always better to think in terms of getting your cycles under medicare safety net. personally, in your situation, i would move to iui sooner rather than later - if you're going to "have" to do iui first, you're better off doing it early in the year - the cost is going to be the same as what it would be a month from now after another timed intercourse cycle, but you've then paid out another $450 for the timed intercourse cycle first. it also reduces the portion of the year in which you can do ivf - you REALLY want to catch it under the safety net!

[collo04]

thanks for your thoughts everyone.

Bec G - when did youn start your clexaine injections was it once you got a positive pregnancy test. Im pretty sure that the doc said to me that I would start the dy of transfer but the nurses said I would start the day I got a positive pregnancy test????? Since we cant get pregnant due to NK cells problem I was under the impression that the clexaine might help this little embie to stick???

[butterfly_warrior]

Collo, might be worth checking back with the clinic. I'm under the impression that prednisone is used to treat NK cell problems and clexane is used to thin the blood/treat clotting problems.

I don't have clotting problems, I do have NK cell problems - I'm only on prednisone.

BW

[Acacia]

Collo, over in the LTTTC & AC thread a couple of days ago I asked one of the girls there (minimay) who said she was on Clexane post-transfer why she was on it, as I thought it was only used for blood clotting disorders as well. She informed me that she had been prescribed it to increase blood flow to the uterus to help create the healthiest environment possible in order for the embryo to stick. She mentioned this as treatment option for older women TTC, as in her case.

Her response to my question in the thread is here.

I'm sure you could PM minimay if you wanted some more info from her.

HTH,

Miss C

[Baby Bliss]

Can someone explain to me the comparison of down reg, flare and antagonist cycles. Why one might be used over another, and what each seems to be good for etc please?

[briggsy's girl]

- down reg is where they basically put your body into a drug induced menopausal state unsing synarel/lucrin before re awakening your ovaries using FSH injections. Advantage - more complete control over your hormone levels when stimulating as there is no natural hormone interference

- flare cycle is where they just stimulate your ovaries from minimal hormone levels following a natural visit from AF. Advantage - no down reg, so less drugs in your system. shorter process. also, some of us naturally don't respond to the FSH (puregon/gonal-f) injections after a down reg process, so this type of cycle allows for us to cycle!

- antagonist - very similar to flare cycle - except that, when you get to a certain point, you start having a second injection to stop you ovulating naturally before they are ready for this to happen. Advantages - same as flare cycle, except that they stop any natural production of LH (lutenising hormone) so has a more complete level of control over when ovulation occurs

hope that helps - i've put down my understanding of the cycles from what i've read - maybe someone else will come in and be a little more technical...

BG