LT TTC & Assisted Conception Jan-Feb 2011

[onthefly]

Welcome to the Long Term TTC & Assisted Conception Thread!

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[~TT40~]

*subscribing*

and sending bit squishy cyber hugs to all you girls.

[oneday86]

hey ladies, AF finally arrived today!!! 4 days late. I rang the clinic and im going in tomorrow to pick up medication and for a BT, im doing a antagonist cycle this time (first one, usually do long down reg) so its all happening very quickly for me as im used to staring on lucrin but this time straight in for stimulation. Does anyone have any benifits over doing the shorter cycle rather then the long down? just thought id try something different this time?

[Saffy]

hey oneday-the benefit is its a shorter cycle lol! Nah, I think they say you get less eggs but better quality ones somehow, but the shorter cycle is good too-only down side is more injections but its worth it I think. My FS told me they do this ( antagonist)for everyone now cos Syneral has been discontinued.

Hi everyone else, I am doing an FET as soon as AF comes and she is due soon, I have already started spotting so shouldn't be too far away, hope 2011 is the year for us all who have waited so long, I'm coming up to 2 yrs since I got pregnant and miscarried, can't believe that I still don't have a baby.

[JBM]

oneday: good luck this cycle. fingers crossed. x x
saffy: good luck for FET. not long now. hoping 2011 is your year.

ladies
good luck to all. i wish we could all get preg this year with a swish of a magic wand.

afm: still waiting for AF to leave. nasty girl.
lol

[1MOREPLZ]

oooooo i finally found this thread......

hiya girls my name is Kathryne 33yrs old mum to 3 kidlets (11,9 & 2) our 2yr old is an IVF bubba (our first cycle, 2 eggs 2 embies but only 1 survived, embie split resulting in twins but lost other bub at 6 weeks) currently going through our 2nd cycle in hope of 1 more bub currently injecting lucrin and gonal f pick up somewhere between the 24th-28th jan
going through westmead fertility centre

[happybaby]

Hi Ladies

I back for another cycle. I started the BCP after my failed FET so I could start on a down reg cycle. I've done one of each and I preferred the down reg.
Best of luck everyone, hope to catch up with more of you in the coming weeks.
2011 is our year!
HB

[kass]

Hi everyone
Silly question, but what's the difference between antagonist and down reg? I know, I've been here long enough I should know already , but I've had the same course each time (synarel then puregon) - is this down reg? Guess I'll have to do something else next time if there's no more synarel.

Glad you're getting started oneday - hope you get lots of nice eggs!

Saffy I'm at the same point as you, hopefully we're both a few weeks off our bfps

Katones - good luck with this round

Hi JBM, Teirae and happybaby!

[1MOREPLZ]

you'll just have to use lucrin instead of synarel like have done this time round

[nothing2lose]

Hi all,

Hopefully you don't mind me joining your thread! I am about to start IVF/ICSI (in about 2 weeks) and I thought it was a good time to stick my head in and introduce myself - even though nothing's happened yet!

As my signature says, I am 39 (40 in June!!!!) so this is kind of my last chance to get up the duff. I have a DD who is 8 1/2. I conceived her naturally.

I am currently on my 6th round of clomid. It has worked in that I have ovulated each time but no BFP I am skipping IUI and going straight to IVF/ICSI.

In terms of my "issues" I have PCOS, adenomyosis, and suspected endometriosis. I am overweight...okay, obese But I have relatively good FSH and AMH levels.
I am with Melbourne IVF and will be doing an antagonist cycle on 262.5 of gonal f, an ovidrel trigger and crinone progesterone support. Not sure if that is normal or typical as I dont know anyone who has gone through IVF/ICSI.

Anyhoo....That is me (well, the reproductive side of me).

Hope to get to know you all better

take care

n2l

[1MOREPLZ]

Hi all,

Hopefully you don't mind me joining your thread! I am about to start IVF/ICSI (in about 2 weeks) and I thought it was a good time to stick my head in and introduce myself - even though nothing's happened yet!

As my signature says, I am 39 (40 in June!!!!) so this is kind of my last chance to get up the duff. I have a DD who is 8 1/2. I conceived her naturally.

I am currently on my 6th round of clomid. It has worked in that I have ovulated each time but no BFP I am skipping IUI and going straight to IVF/ICSI.

In terms of my "issues" I have PCOS, adenomyosis, and suspected endometriosis. I am overweight...okay, obese But I have relatively good FSH and AMH levels.
I am with Melbourne IVF and will be doing an antagonist cycle on 262.5 of gonal f, an ovidrel trigger and crinone progesterone support. Not sure if that is normal or typical as I dont know anyone who has gone through IVF/ICSI.

hun this is exactly what i am doing right now except my gonal f dosage is 225

Anyhoo....That is me (well, the reproductive side of me).

Hope to get to know you all better

take care

n2l

[jayejaye]

Hi girls. AF finally arrived, and next time she does I will be straight into a stim cycle. Can't believe I am back at it, but hey, ya gotta do what ya gotta do....!

Oneday - good luck with your new cycle!
Saffy - hope AF comes soon!
Jbm - hope she's gone soon!!
Katones - good Luck with this cycle!!!
Happybaby & Kass good luck to you both.
Nothing2lose - that sounds pretty normal, I am same age as you and last cycle was 262.5 and I think i got 15 eggs if i remember. Am increasing to 300 this cycle. Hopefully it doesn't overstimulate!!

Good luck to all.

[oneday86]

Hey ladies, started puregon tonight i always get so nervous doing my first one for some reason?

Kass the difference between down reg and antag is down reg supresses all your normal hormones and then you stimulate but with the antag on the first day of your period you start stimulating. And like Staffy said the only difference i know between them is that you get less but better quality eggs on the antag cycle and i think the antag cycle is easier as its a shorter one. My last 2 STIMs have been down reg and no success so i thought why not try something different and atleast it wont drag on as much. My clinic still does long down reg cycles but you need to use lucrin (injection form) which at my clinic is an extra $200. But i have heard there is no more synarel too.

Saffy goodluck with your FET XX

JBM i hope AF leaves soon for you xx

Nothingtolose, welcome and i wish you all the best with your IVF journey i hope its a short one. With your injections etc thats all normal and us ladies know those names all to well. Im on 125 puregon (which is the same as gonal-f just another brand) i am a good responder so my doses are always low but everyone is different and the first STIM cycle is always a bit of trial and error as like i said everyone responds differently, with my first STIM i was on 175 and they had to drop my dose a few times but now im on number 3 STIM so they have my doses sorted. xxxx

[oneday86]

I forgot to add yesterday that im so over the nurses and scientists trying to put their opinion in where they can!!! the nurse said to me yesterday, this concerns me that your having 2 blastie embryo's transfered when your so young (in front of everyone in the waiting room). I said iv discussed it with my doctor and he has ok it becuse this will be my 6th transfer! I wish they could be considerate of each individuals history before they judge. It starts to make me doubt my decision but i know its the right one and the more and more i think about twins i get excited about it, at this stage id be happy with what ever im givin xxxx

[Loops12]

Bit upset I had to remove my Pregnology signature - but I guess they are the rules.
Im bit sensitive at the moment with everything that has happened last week though. DH is home from hospital yestie and has a long grueling recovery of 3months in a neck/back brace and house bound. Obviously also this is going to suspend out TTC for quite a while Im just glad he is ok though and he is lucky not to have brain damage or be paralysed.

Welcome to the newbies and I hope your time in here is short, goodluck!

Ladies you asked about what was coming out in 2012. I didnt see it on the news, just going by what Ive been told from friends and family - its a breakthrough in America or UK and coming to us in 2012. Its something that helps an embryo to stick and gives an extra 40% chance of it sticking :-)

[nothing2lose]

Hi all,

The new drug is EmbryoGen. I saw a news story about it a month or so ago, didnt take that much notice after I heard it wouldn't be available until 2012. I hope to be UTD by then!!! FX

Here is an article which may help explain it...

"A University of Adelaide reproductive biologist has achieved a major breakthrough in IVF technology that is expected to help millions of women around the world who have suffered previous miscarriages after IVF treatment.

Professor Sarah Robertson, an NHMRC Principal Research Fellow and member of the University's Robinson Institute, has partnered with a Danish company to develop a product which improves IVF embryo implantation rates for some women by up to 40%.

In the world's largest clinical trial on IVF media, Professor Robertson and ORIGIO a/s a European company specialising in assisted reproductive technologies have shown for the first time that growth factor molecules are critical to ensuring optimal embryo development.

The resulting product, EmbryoGen, to be released in 2011, contains a signalling molecule called GM-CSF found naturally in the mother's tissues which protects the embryo from stress, making it stronger and more robust in the early implantation period.

The clinical trial, involving 1319 IVF patients exposed to either EmbryoGen or standard IVF embryo media, resulted in an average 20% improvement in embryo implantation rates at 12 weeks for all IVF women whose embryos developed in EmbryoGen. The effect is primarily due to benefits for women who had previously miscarried, who showed an impressive 40% increase in implantation success.

"This is a wonderful advance for couples undertaking IVF, particularly those who have previously lost babies in the first trimester," Professor Robertson says.

It is also the culmination of more than two decades' work for Professor Robertson, who based her PhD on the role of growth factors in healthy pregnancies and then worked with Swedish colleagues to explore applications in IVF embryos.

"This breakthrough has been 20 years in the making," Professor Robertson says. "It's enormously rewarding to see one's basic research translate into practical outcomes that will benefit so many families".

"From day one we went right back to the fundamental biology to see what makes an embryo healthy in its normal environment in the reproductive tract. We discovered that embryo is exposed to growth factor signals from the mother's tissues, which is critical to its optimal development.

"This is a major paradigm shift for reproductive medicine. All of the other ART companies around the world, along with biologists and clinicians in this area, have thought that embryos don't need growth factors.

"We have demonstrated through extensive animal and human clinical trials that the reality is just the opposite. EmbryoGen is not only completely safe and natural it contains signalling molecules that the embryo expects to find in the mother's body but our data from animal studies shows that it may also result in IVF babies that are larger and healthier at birth."

Professor Robertson says IVF children are often smaller at birth, sometimes leading to long term effects in later life.

"By adding back this growth factor and protecting the embryo from stress, the result should be babies that are of a similar size to those naturally conceived." The data on the perinatal outcomes will be available next year.

EmbryoGen will be launched in Europe and the Middle East by mid 2011 and in the USA in late 2012.

[kass]

Thanks for clearing up the down reg/antagonist question. Can't say I'm too upset about no more synarel, I've always found it pretty nasty, I'd rather take extra shots!

Thanks for the info on the embryogen ntl and loops - hopefully none of us will still be needing it by 2012!

Loops - I'm glad your dh is out of hospital. It sounds like he was really lucky to not be more seriously hurt. Hope his recovery goes smoothly.

Oneday - some staff can be so rude! There's no reason why they couldn't take you to another room, besides which, is it really their business? You're lucky your dr is open to doing the two - I'm up to transfer 8 and my dr still refuses to put back more than 1. It's really frustrating, especially since of the 4 I've got, two are only so-so, so it feels a bit futile trying them individually. I'm thinking of doing another fresh cycle if the next fet doesn't take.

Hi JayeJaye - good luck with this cycle!

Hi to everyone I've missed

[~TT40~]

hi everyone

Oneday ~ all the best for this cycle *crossing everything for you*, and that is really inappropriate her saying that infront of everyone else. cause 1. its none of her bussiness, 2. its none of everyone elses too!!!

Saffy ~ did she hurry up and come so you can start??? I hope so, and hope she doesnt keep you waiting. and *big hugs* re: m/c and anniversery.

Katones ~ Welcome, hope your visit here is short and sweet. and you get what your hoping for!

nothing2lose ~ Welcome, hope you get your bfp, all the best with this cycle!! and thanks for the info on that new stuff coming out next year.

Jayejaye ~ I hope this cycle goes really quick and painless for you, so you can get into the next one!!!

Loops ~ sounds like your hubby was pretty lucky! hope he recovery goes quick and you guys can get back into it soon. maybe you should try and embrace this time, dont think of it as holding off ttc....but giving you and your body and your mind a few months to rezone...pamper yourself!!! (i know all that is easier said than done, but dont let it get you too down) dh and i are trying to do the same thing until our fs appoinment. ive started yoga, and we have been getting massages, its helpd us focus on different things. (even though i am stil crazy about babies =P )

hi Kass and JBM!!! thinking of you and hope whereever you are up to is working =)


AFM ~ just counting down to our first appointment. I'm pretty excited about it. Been torturing myself more though by looking at slings etc...
I've also transcribed my TTC journal onto here in the blogs section...if anyone is interested =P