down regulation cycle

Hi all!!

I'm just curious about some things. I'm currently doing my first down regulation cycle before we start stimulating.
Because of it, i'm currently back on the pill (as everyone else says crazy! ;)) now its the same pill I use to take years ago when I was using it for contraception.
so, i'm only 3 days into it so whether its actually too soon to actually been making a difference...but well here is the point of this actual post!

the last few days I have felt like...well crap. I feel like i'm sick (rundown, sore throat etc) which i dont think is related cause i do feel it is something that has been building up for a while (ive been working alot lately and had that 'presick' feeling for a few weeks...like you know your coming down with something but not quite there) but i've also been feeling down as in emotionally down, unloved, mopey, woe is me etc..
and this is crazy, because, well I have a history of depression, really bad at one point where i was suicidal, and as part of my getting better, involved me quiting my job, packing up, breaking up with my xp, and moving cities and starting again. after doing all this i then went on antidepressents (because the lifestyle changes didnt work 100% - i was no longer suicidal, but i was still depressed), now at about the same time I also stopped taking the contraception pill.

I guess what im getting at, is now im back on the same pill, i'm starting to feel simular feelings as i did before (no where to the extreme though) but i never thought it would be related, but now i dont know.

how did everyone else feel when doing the down reg cycle? did you notice anything different? better? worse? etc.. etc..
TIA!!!

Oh sweet, I'm sorry I do not have any words of wisdom or personal experience to share with you. I just wanted to offer you a hug and a shoulder to lean on. Can you talk to your FS or GP about your recent symptoms? I hope you feel fantastic again soon.
Take care.

Thanks Ash.
Dh has just said stop taking those pills, but i cant..because if i stop then how will we have a baby? =(

They did say there would be sideeffects...but the said things like not being able to sleep...where as if anything i have the oppisite.

Oh hun, there may be another type of pill you can take, that suits your body better and has less side effects. I think it is worth talking to your health carer about your symptoms, especially if they are different to the side effects you were informed about. Have you been really tired and sleeping a lot?, or are you starting to experience depressive symptoms that mean you do not want to get out of bed?
Hugs hun.

Yep. I'm much more depressed on the pill, it also completely squashes my libido.

I was on the pill for 13 years before we started TTC. 13 years with no issues at all. But when I went back on the same pill I was on before, I started bleeding. Every single time, I would bleed constantly while taking the hormone tablets. At first, my clinic's response was to keep taking the pills. This lead to bleeding so heavy I was soaking through a tampon in under an hour and was just about passing out. A panicked phone call to an OB/gyn friend of mine had me stopping the pill and calling my clinic and eventually winding up in an after hours GP to get a drug to help stop the bleeding. A pill you tolerated once certainly isn't a sure bet that you will tolerate it again.

Now, with my bleeding issues, and this happened every single time I took the pill, they couldn't have me do a full down-reg cycle with 3-4 weeks of pill-taking as they wanted me to. But they found a way. They cut it down to one week, and we coped. It was still a pain in the bum to be bleeding constantly while on it. We would do 10 days on the pill, with a three day cross over with lucrin.

The thing to remember is that while most clinics tend to like to start with a down-reg cycle, there are others that do not involve taking the pill. If it's seriously bad, stop taking it. Call the clinic. They could try again with another, or they could switch to a different protocol. It will mean a delay in starting, but I think a delay is better than constantly battling the depression as you are. At the very least, call your clinic and tell them what's happening and ask if there's any way to do things differently. They may complain and grumble, but this is NOT the only way IVF can be done. They need to do what's going to suit you.

BW

Have you thought that there might be a psychological side to it. Going through IVF and the lead up to it can really screw with your brain and psychi. Could it be possible because if what you have been through you are being, don't know the word for it. But because you went through it before, you might be mentally concerned it will happen again and thus, not making it happen, please dont think that but the subconscience psychi is very powerful. At any rate, I'd talk to your doctors about it for sure. IVF is enough emotional torment without adding that to it. As the other ladies have said, they will have other options for you. Best of luck, it's a huge journey your going on.
All the best.

That thought did occur to me Melindaann, maybe im just thinking back to when i was on the pill last, and because it was such a horrible time (i had been on the pill for years and what i refered to in my OP was prob only the last year-6mths of it) but yea, im thinking what it was like last time and its then becoming part of it now.
and we are going through a few things atm, the IVF, buying our first house.
I feel better today than i did yesterday, but its something we are going to be very aware of.
Thanks for the responces, BW that sounds horrible, thankfully i havent had that!

:hug: hun.

I get depressed on hormonal contraceptions too, but it usually takes about 3 months to kick in. I have been on the OCP for IVF 3 times now and because I am only really on it for a few weeks to a month, I haven't had any problems ( although I have constant spotting while on it which is annoying more than anything).

It would be worth calling the clinic and talking to one of the nurses, there is no reason you can't change pills if it is getting really bad. If its not too bad and you can stick it out a bit longer maybe it will settle down, things often do esp if you have only started taking it. Funnily enough my spotting always starts settling down a few days before I have to stop it and get AF :wall:

The lead up to ivf can be really stressful too, and it is hard to know what is causing the stress and feelings. Best of luck, I hope you feel better soon, and get off the pill on with making a baby xxxxx