Sara - I have been going bonkers trying to see your reply above while BB has been down most of the day. I soooooooooooooooooooooo hope you made it to transfer!
Meredith - hope AF has arrived for you!
Kel - glad to hear things are moving along for you. Good luck with your scan and next BT.
Howdy Cuddlepie, Lisa and Buliej
AFM - much better BT result today. Almost 1000, up from less than 300 two days back. There's gotta be something going on down there! Find out tomorrow at 8.30 scan
Thank you very much for your support, couldn't have done it without you - unfortuntately didn't work out this time, the embryo was affected with the bad gene.
Since I really got my hopes up this morning I crashed pretty badly. It just felt so unfair, it's 50/50 and worked out badly for me, my sister, my 1st pregnancy which I had to terminate and now my blastie.
Already feeling a bit better, went for a swim during the thunderstorm was pretty dramatic with really dark clouds, rain but sunshine - it felt kind of cleansing.
So trying to concentrate on the positive things: while my 1st cycle was cancelled, this one worked out alright. I had only three eggs but they seemed to be of good quality and althought DP had originally a bad SCSA result, Menevit, fruit juice and PICSI seems to have done the trick. So will be hoping for 3rd time lucky!
Hope you're all doing well, for now lots of
And girls, while I am out this time I still want to see you going for the hattrick!
It sounds pretty cleasing with the swim the rain and I hope the next cycle will be like the clear blue sky after thunderstorms...I agree with you that overall this cycle went well. Out of 3 eggs you get 1 biopsied. And it also proves that it is just so worthwhile to do PGD, imagine the one with the bad gene was put back in. Hope DH keeps Menevit up, I just bought DH another bottle which made about $69 damage to my pocket. Ouch!
I hope you will have a good chat with FS to discuss this past cycle and form a great plan for the next one!
Cuddlepie: Yes, absolutely agree - If I imagine we would have done it naturally and another termination, I couldn't have survived. It's so much easier this way.
Have already talked to my FS, she said a flare cycle would be another option but she is not sure it would work for me and that this cycle in principle worked okay, so she only thought we could try a slightly higher FSH dosage (350mg)
Sara - What a huge week you've had. I have been wondering about you all day and am sorry to read that it did not work out... this time. But like I think Kate said, you have come a good way from your first cancelled cycle. Getting to blast from three embies is an accomplishment in itself.
I don't know if you are impatient like me and already planning your next step? Please feel free to write to me with any questions you may have about DHEA. From my readings, you are the perfect candidate. Costs me about $75 a month and I have not had any side effects so far.
BTW you are very daring swimming in a thunderstorm. It does sound moody and cleansing. I hope you manage to get some sleep tonight. Thanks for wishing me luck on my cycle
Sara - oops, posted at a similar time. Seems you are like me and already planning the next step. BTW - I've been told flare cycles suit us "older women" with lower egg numbers. Our own natural FSH gets to work alongside the stims
Yes I am exactly like you in this respect, thinking about the next step makes me feel better. May take you up on talking about DHEA - I actually talked about it with my FS this arvo, apparently she has one or two patients who are on it and is happy to give me a script as long as I come in and she can go through the studies with me (I actually really liked that she wanted me to have the full knowlegde).
She is not thinking about it positively, she said that the SIVF docctor's met and they are in general against it but will prescribe it if the patient asks for it. She is concerned about possible side effects. As a first step she'll send me a form for a BT so that we can check on my natural DHEA levels and also on cholesterol (She said DHEA could increase it and I had slightly high levels when I checked mid last year but have since changed my diet).
Not sure about the flare cycle, she said in general I'd have to go on the pill before and that could again suppress me too much like the first time, the other option is to do it without the pill but the danger is that some hormone level (testosteron?) rise too much so that any resulting embryos might have to get frozen, as a fresh transfer wouldn't be possible - are you doing a flare cycle currently? I thought with an antagonist cycle natural FSH can also walk alongside the Puregon?
Sara - I couldn't get on comp yesterday or all day today but was thinking about you lots! I am so, so sorry. I think you are being remarkably brave about the whole thing. To come so far and then get 50/50 go the wrong way. I do agree that it must be far better to know now and deal with one level of disapointment than to go along and have to terminate. It is great that you can at least look at the positives of what you have learnt from the past two attempts - I would get to that point eventually but tonight i would be curled up sulking or haveing a stiff wine..... well done on being so brave!
WTH - bloods sound good and well done for looking out for yourself and asking for u/s. You are paying for it so may as well get as many as you like!! My clinic seems to just routinely do u/s with every BT so I've fortunately never had that issue
Kel - glad things are tracking along ok. Hope Mon comes along soon and gets you great results
CP - how are you doing darl? Hope you got a swim today
AFM- Well, a few hrs of VERY light spotting on Tues seems to be all I get this mth. Saw my nurse yesterday and had some bloods done which showed everying "flat"/ baseline ( as it should be had AF started). She said it does happen to some women that they just get no bleeding after Provera so was ok with me just starting up. I have always bleed at least a bit with Provera, so am still concerned as to why there was no lining to shed etc but she didn't even feel the need to consult my Dr so praying all IS truly ok in there. So, started up FSH, LH and my plethora of other meds today.
First scan and BT on Mon. Let the turbulent ride begin!!
Last edited by MeredithD; January 15th, 2009 at 07:28 PM.
Thank you Buliej & kate, it really helps to have your Support
Meredith: Thanks for thinking of me. I am seriously not brave, I balled my eyes out when the nurse called with the news and did hang up the phone on her (I rang her back and apologized later on). About the light spotting I remember they told me before my downregulated cycle that that could happen and would be fine as long as the hormone levels are okay. if you're nto sure you could always ask your doc or insist on the nurse does that. Good luck with the jabbing.
Sara - I think I am confused about the definition of a "flare" cycle. Some people call the Orgalutron cycle a "flare", others don't. I am on an Orgalutron cycle (no pill/Lucrin prior). I think this might be what you have just done. It sounds like your FS is being thorough with the DHEA testing. I did not have my levels checked before going on it. Did not even think of asking. Anyway, I would be very interested in sharing any new information your FS may give you about it. I only know about it through the University of Google
Meredith - I am thrilled you are finally on board for your next cycle. My clinic does not actually do the US or the BT - have to go to separate venues for each and the BT's must be done by 9am. Bit of running around. Worse thing for me is we have to wait until after 2.30pm to get BT results. I can't stand the waiting. Wishing you all the best this time around and hope we can be in the 2ww together.
AFM - first US this morning. Interesting result: 8 follies on RHS 5-11mm, and just one 5mm on the LHS. The total number is similar to my last two cycles. Previously the LHS has dominated so I guess it needs a break. Wonder also if my chem PG last week came from the LHS and if that affected things this cycle? DD came from the RHS so I am hoping it is a good omen
Sara: I'm so sorry about the biopsy results, mate. If I can do anything to help you out let me know. FX for your next cycle. There's some interesting studies done on DHEA-s with regard to libido and to egg quality, too.
WTH: Good news about your BT results and on your follicle count! I hope your mind is a bit more at ease now. Is Orgalutron an alternative to Synarel for supression or something completely different?
Meredith: Day two today? I'm glad you're aboard! The spotting alone for AF is so frustrating; I'm always uncertain that that's it when it's like that.
CP/Julie/Kate: Hi!
AFM, Monday is just not coming fast enough for me, though I'm sure the weekend will just fly by. My appt is at 0630, so at least I'll know first thing in the morning. I'm really interested (and anxious) to see how many follicles I have on 112.5 IU. I've heard a bit about women getting 20 follicles on a dose, and then 3 on the same dose in the next cycle, so I'm a bit worried that even though I got more than 20 last time on 75 IU of Puregon that I'll get far less than that this time on the Gonal-F; our game's a numbers game, with (statistically) only one in six of our embryos being completely unaffected, and one in six being viable with a balanced translocation like me. Day five of injections today (all going fine), and I just want to hurry up and get to EPU next week! At least on Monday we should know when the EPU, PGD and ET are going to be. I'm going to ask on Monday, too, whether or not we should be doing ICSI just to increase the fertilisation rate. DH has supersperm, so I'm not sure that it would make much difference. Any advice on the ICSI component?
Kel, ICSI isn't a free pass to 100% fertilisation rates. On my last cycle, of 12 usable eggs, only 3 fertilised even with ICSI. Something went funny and the clinic just couldn't explain it. ICSI also has a tendency to damage the eggs in the process - plunging a metal tube into the egg is far more traumatic to it than having a sperm burrow in naturally - and can cause a lot of fragmentation issues. If there are no sperm issues, then I'd really suggest leaving things alone and having them do their thing without outside interference... That said, I have heard of cases where the eggs have such a tough outer skin (can't think of the right word - zona something or other) that even super sperm can't get in and ICSI is needed despite there being no sperm issues. Could still be worth chatting to your clinic about it.
Sara, I'm so sorry to hear of your embryo result. Hopefully things will work better and the stats will take your side next time.
Kel - Hi. What day FSH are you up to? Interested in why your FS switched you from Puregon to Gonal-F? My FS also made the same switch. His hope is that swapping brands might improve quality... Best of luck with making it through the weekend and looking forward to hearing how your first scan goes
but so glad that everything is on track, I am sure there are LOTS going on there!
BellyBelly Member
Howdy Cuddlepie, Lisa and Buliej
What a huge week you've had. I have been wondering about you all day and am sorry to read that it did not work out... this time. But like I think Kate said, you have come a good way from your first cancelled cycle. Getting to blast from three embies is an accomplishment in itself.
and hope we can be in the 2ww together.
Bookmarks