Curious about Assisted Conception?

[butterfly_warrior]

DrGirl, clomid is regularly used to treat luteal phase defects, not just to force ovulation when it doesn't normally happen. The reason is that it often makes you ovulate better or "stronger" - this means that the body produces more of the right hormones by itself, rather than being pumped full of artificial hormones. Progesterone can also be used, but I'm under the impression that things work better if the body is able to produce its own hormones - at least that's what my FS tells me.

In short - it's a normal treatment for LPD, so don't panic!

BW

[DrGirl72]

Thanks BW. I'm starting on 25mg cd3-7 which seems like small dose but i'm assuming its 'cause its to improve ovulation rather than make it happen in the first place. Does that make sense to others?

[briggsy's girl]

in light of Kel's recent poll regarding IVF, and the fact that a lot of members mentioned not knowing how IVF worked/what we go through etc, i thought i'd bump this thread. there are a number of IVF/AC members subscribed who will happily answer any questions you have regarding the process of IVF. knowing more about the process might also explain a little more why some of us are so highly offended at the portrayal of IVF being the "easy" option!!

please, if you're curious about any of it - ask away. i know in livechat i've discussed with a number of ladies bits and pieces of my treatment - and i'm sure they're not the only ones curious!

[Maruschke]

Ok I have a *silly* question regarding DH's sperm and where to go from here....

We have had 2 SA's done and each time his rapidly progressive % has been less than 5%. Is this too low for IUI? Will IVF still work if his count is that low, or will it have to be ICSI? If they do ICSI, do they still make the sperm swim uphill before selecting a sperm so that they get the best one / a healthy one?

Thanks, I have so many questions!

[briggsy's girl]

i think you'll find with rapid progressive sperm count as low as it is, IUI would have negligible value for you - the chances aren't that great that it will work even with a good SA result (they're significantly less than with IVF), so i'd think you'll be steered toward IVF

having said that, IVF doesn't have to involve icsi - because the egg and sperm are put in close proximity, the ability of the sperm to swim won't be a problem. what they'll look at is whether there are unusual deformities to the shape of the sperm that may prevent them being able to penetrate the outer shell of the egg. you might have an FS that prefers to use ICSI due to the higher fertilisation rates, particularly if you don't get a high egg count at epu

FWIW, my hubby has a good SA, with all his results being within the normal range, so we're able to try IUI (and have had two chemical pg's from IUI) - but when we next do IVF (later this year if we don't get a sticky IUI pg before then) we'll use icsi as our fertilisation rates in the lab weren't that great.

[Maruschke]

BG thank you very much for that response, it did help to clear things up a lot.

I'm really curious about whether or not to give up hope on natural conception, so that I dont get so disappointed each month, and just hang onto hope for AC? Going through cycle after cycle of disappointment is so hard, and I think I'd do better if I resigned myelf to only hoping on AC cycles.

Has anyone who has gone through IVF / ICSI / AC come to this point? Did it help? Sorry to intrude if it is a personal question. It isnt really the medical side of IVF that bothers me, its whether or not I'm going to slide into depression while trying to make it through it.

[briggsy's girl]

there is a social group about ltttc that you might get some benefit from hun - it's about our emotional struggles and how we've dealt with them. go give it a read - and if you want to join, pm dusty, gargy or sushee for access.

fwiw - i pin all my hopes on AC - but i also don't ovulate regularly, so it's different for me than for someone that has a "cycle" as such. i think that putting your faith in the AC procedure and just enjoying life for a while can have a lot of positives for you in the short term - but, realistically, you're like all of us - you'll still know when you O, you'll still know when AF is due, and you'll still feel that disappointment that you didn't get that miracle to stop you needing ivf...