Puregon?

Hey guys, What was your dosage of Puregon during your first ivf stim cycle?

Just wondering if I am on a normal dosage or not and did you get used to the needles? were they easy? painful? :help:

Hey Dan

Mine was 125 units... it comes in a pen and you just wind the end up to the appropriate does and stick it in.. i did mine in my leg, only because i was on sub cut lucrin injections so they went into my stomach. (lucrin being the same as sinarel)... it is so easy and the needle so fine and sharp you barely know it has gone in... you will be fine and if you have any doubts the nurses will help you..

leis xx

Hi Danni, my first cycle I had 150iu, second 300iu and my current one was 400iu. I thought there was NO WAY I would EVER be able to give myself an injection but I guess we do what we have to do. And I must admit that it was nowhere near as bad as I expected!

I think the pen is pretty easy to use - even though it took a while to inject the 400iu!!! I inject in my tummy. In fact the first few of each cycle are literally painless because I am being extra careful. After that it all becomes 'old hat' and I think I rush a bit more and sometimes they can be a little bit sore - but no major problems at all.

Oh, actually the most annoying thing is that sometimes I can't get the needle off afterwards - the little thing likes to taunt me! :angry:

Marg

I was on 125iu too , but dropped to 75iu towards the end of the injection period to bring up the size rather prompting more folli's. The pens are painless and easy, the triggers well thats another thing :p . I had a girlfriend help me the first cycle but then she became unreliable and I had to do it and never looked back. Good luck
Bec

Danni, the dosage varies a bit between women according to age and other factors as you may have already worked out. I was on 200iu. The first scan that they do will determine whether you remain on your currently prescribed dosage or will need to adjust it up or down for the remainder of your stim.

I loved the pen ... very painless and easy. The trigger was a bit funny as it is actually a needle and not a needle masquerading as a biro. I think I pinched a fold of skin, shut my eyes and jabbed. It bounced off the first time but I got it second go.

I didn't realise that injecting into fatty tissue didn't hurt. It was an education really =) Like Leis says, the needles are so fine, that if you pinch and jab straight in, you won't feel a thing.

thanks guys! im on 125 too...the nurses showed me yesterday with the demos and yes i cou;ldnt get one of the needles of too! hehe

trigger one looks scary but is small.....and the nurse said i could put the injections in my tummy or my bum so im gunna try both. thanks guys :D

Hi,
I was on 125, but towards the end i could feel my ovaries quite swollen and sore, so i put the dose down myself to around 100. (naughty really) but they still recovered 14 eggs from 17 follicles.
I found the trigger was a little harder to put in, but by that time you will be used to needles anyway!
I did my own, as that way i could control how quickly/slowly i would pump the drug in. I found doing it slower, was less painful. But overall, it was pretty easy as the needles are so short and fine anyway. (except trigger of course)

I have been on 75ui of Puregon both times because I respond way too much. You do get used to the needles, (and the pen is easy as far as getting the dosage spot on, thats for sure!). You might find yourself getting a little tender as you get further into the cycle, but it really isnt that bad. I always try and remember where I did the last one and try not to do it in that spot again for a few days. I always found it easiest in my tummy.

:bluedust:

Hi

I have only had one IVF cycle so far ( getting ready for try # 2 :crossfingers: ) I was on 150IU of Puregon, then towards the end my Dr dropped it down to 100IU to let the follicles grow rather than making new ones. I did it in my tummy and found it totally painless. The needle is really fine. The only trouble i ever had with the Pregnyl trigger was trying to break the damn tops off !!!! heheheeheh

Hope it all goes well for you Danni

Cheers
Char

thanks guys! am secretly (or not so secretly) hoping this is our month so we dont need ivf ;)

Hey Danni
On my first cycle I was on 150iu and reacted too much, so they dropped me to 75 for the last couple of days.

On the second cycle they had me on 100iu the whole way through.

Hey your chart looks good. Hoping that is an implantation dip you've got there! Fingers crossed for you.

thanks hunny :)

hey danni we are on our 2nd cycle of ivf at westmead now. First cycle cancelled as i hyperstimulated with greater than 40 follicles all at 20mm and got quite sick. I was on 150 units then but because im only 58kg and 25 yo i had the risks of it. Now we are on 75 units and i just had my u/s today which shows im nearlly ready. Egg pick up will hopefully be Monday am... Good luck with your journey. The needles and side effects are nowhere near as painful as not having a child.

You'd think reading all those experiences would make me feel better about doing it! I start puregon tommorow night and am more nervous about remembering what she told me to do then the needle going in. Im sure i'll be fine..just feeling sorry for myself in advance..one step at a time. I am on 150 units. How do they know how much to out you on? Is there a chart they look at?

Hi Mez

I think they go by your age and possibly any medical conditions you have that might affect your ability to produce good quality eggs or production of.. that is what your scans/blood work is for, to track the growth and production of follicles. That way they can increase or reduce your puregon intake. Don't panic to much, these guys know what they are doing... good luck and fingers and toes crossed for you hunny...

love leis xx

Hi Mez
Good luck for tonight sweetie - it's always a bit nerve wracking in the days leading up to your injections.

Leis is right - they will be using all their experience and info they've gleaned about you to work out your dose. They'll also be monitoring you the whole way through and will adjust the dosage if they need to.

Danni - I started out on 125iu, then dropped to 75iu after the first week or so, because I was responding too well! It really didn't hurt at all - I was surprised at how easy jabbing myself in my soft tender belly turned out to be. My biggest hint - make sure your thumb is on the end of the pen BEFORE you put the needle in, otherwise it's a bit awkward trying to rearrange your hand when the needle is already in your belly.

Good luck for tonight Mez - you'll do fine hun :hug:

Well i had my 2nd ultrasound today and im still not ready. Last cycle i hyperstimulated after 6 days on 150units i had more than 40 follicles all 20mm. This time ive had 12 injections and i still only have small follicles approx 30 and only a couple ready for pick up. So another 4 days another ultrasound hoping for egg pick up on thursday. Its soo disappointing. Too much Too little who knows.....

FunMumma - 30 follies is good. They can still grow and it is better that you don't overstim. So don't give up hope yet.

I think what they are doing is known as "coasting" where they make things go slower. If you click on my profile and look up my website I have an article about it on my website.

Thanks guys. You were all right... it's not to bad after all. I have chosen to do it at night so i can relax while it goes in. (i do the whole lying down- alright leave me alone for 10 minutes thing) am due for a blood test on thrusday but they didnt say anything about an ultrasound..how will they know the size and amount of follies? Will they be do the blood test first then get me to come in for an ultrasound? I really dont want to hyperstimulate

Mez - the blood test will give them your Estrogen levels, that will be a sign of how well the FSH is stimulating follicles - which in turn start to generate estrogen. If your levels are in the right ballpark they'll probably schedule you for an ultrasound if my clinic is anything to go by.

Best advice on avoiding OHSS - is drinking LOTS of water. My lot made me drink 2L a day in addition to any tea, coffee or any other liquids. That flushes the Estrogen out of the system. I feel very bloated by the time they get around to the pickup.

If you start to feel very uncompfortable in the ovaries before the blood test then give your clinic a call. Mine felt like bags of gravel about the size of oranges from about day 4 of the injections when my levels went up too quickly. Every time I sat down I'd get a rude shock as everything pushed up from below. They were more than happy to have me come in a day early for the BT to see if everything was ok.

And it is pretty typical for clinics not to tell you more than the next step in the process. I've described IVF as being in a huge mansion that you've never been in before. You are admitted to one room and each room has other doors leading to the next possible room. Your host (the clinic) only lets you get to see a room at a time. You really don't get to see the floorplan until you've been right through a whole cycle. And believe it or not that is a good thing! Just concentrate on each step as it happens. Hang in there Mez.

Well 3rd ultrasound today in this cycle. 14 days on puregon 75units and there is about 45 small follcles but only about 4 ready to collect. They have today now put me up to 100 units to try grow the follies that are there and hope i dont grow anymore or hyperstimulate again. If im not ready again on friday when they ultrasound me, i will cancel my own cycle. 3 weeks of injections is getting a bit much. :crying: :crying:

FunMumma,

Oh bugger. I hope your u/s on Friday is better and you won't have to cancel.

Hey, why don't you come join us in the chatter thread. There are a few people there doing IVF cycles, so it'll be good to go through this with some cycle buddies.

Come join the thread here

love
sushee

FunMumma - I second that idea Sush! FunMumma - You'll be warmly welcomed and have lots of support!

I like your explanation of IVF Kar...it really is like a mansion with many rooms and many paths. Pity it isnt a choose your own adventure eh? I know what we would all be choosing.. goodluck everyone.

so down. 4th ultrasound today and after 14 days of injecting my ovaries are still not responding well. I have now got about 5 follicles at a size of 12x10 and the rest (45) or so smaller. I hate PCOS :angry: :crying: :crying: So because my oestrogen has risen they will re scan me monday. When do we say thats it though. Maybe this cycle wasnt meant to be. Should i cancel and start round 3.. Im such a mess at the moment. And of course eveyone at my clinic today were either planning for pick up or just had transfer. Why do i have to have faulty ovaries. Does anyone else here feel like a reject??? Sorry just feeling sorry for myself..

Oh FunMumma :hug:
Hang in there girl. E levels don't make decisions any easier when you hit what feels like huge stumbling blocks during IVF! Take some time out before you make any big decisions.

My advice for what it is worth is that I don't think you should cancel unless you really really feel that you have to. If they cancel - well that's another thing entirely.

Consider this: You may have made FIVE FANTASTIC FOLLIES :egg: - you know the old adage : Quality not Quantity. Those FIVE follies are sharing the FSH between them not all the others. This could be just the ticket for you!

One of the problems for us PCOs girls is that we makes so many follies but they aren't the most brilliant in quality because the FSH has to be shared between them.

I'm keeping my fingerscrossed for you

Kar

FunMamma, sorry to hear about your ultrasound and can't begin to imagine how you might be feeling. Take some time to think about the decision you are going to make and stick to it without looking back. I'm sure that whatever you decide will be right for you and you will forget all about this horrible experience once you get a BFP. Let us know how you go. Goodluck.