New Here--Single Fertility Treatment

SBump

Hi, I'm new here. I'm 35 with a history of painful periods and was recently diagnosed with low amh and a large endometrioma. Due to my age and condition, my doctor recommended egg freezing, embryo freezing, or IVF.  I'm single and not comfortable using a donor right now, so it's probably egg freezing for me. My doctor thinks embryo creation with a donor is a better bet for me but said egg freezing is a valid choice too. The process is the same as IVF up till egg retrieval and then once married, I'll do the embryo creation and transfer(s) if it works out. I'm supposed to start stimulation sometime in the next couple weeks (should be getting my schedule early this week). A little nervous as it seems like they will be having me on a fairly aggressive medication protocol. Anyway, I know my situation is a bit different but don't know of any boards of women doing egg freezing or doing fertility treatments alone, but I'm happy to meet you and hope to be welcome here. 

daisy222-2

Hi and welcome.  I think that is a cool thing you are doing (egg freezing for potential use later).  Although I am not doing that, you and I sound similar in ways: I am 34 and have a history of painful periods and last May had a lap surgery to remove a ~4 cm endometrioma (on R ovary) plus random other endo tissues/"lesions" in abdominal area.

Are you going to have the endometrioma removed?  For me, removing these growths made my periods slightly less painful and also a little shorter (was hoping for more relief). I also used to have random mid-cycle bleeding, and thankfully that stopped after the surgery! (But not being able to get pregnant was the main reason for removing it.)  I am on lupron depot right now for the endometriosis, prior to IVF #1.

SBump

Hi Daisy! I'm happy the surgery has been helpful. As for surgery, I'm not doing it for now. My fertility specialist recommended I do my best to avoid surgery for L-ovary endometrioma (5cm) unless I absolutely require it for pain relief. He thinks surgery is unlikely to help my situation in any other way but pain relief and may make my situation worse. My general gynecologist wants me to consider starting lupron depot therapy in a few months. (How are the lupron side effects?) She said surgery could be delayed, but I'll probably need it at some point and then surgery + lupron might help me get pregnant naturally as long as I was under 38. If that didn't work right away, I should move to IVF quickly and retrieve additional eggs for a second pregnancy or in case the frozen eggs don't survive. It's hard when doctors don't quite agree, but I'm just going to take it one step at a time. For now, I'm on birth control pills for endometriosis and to prep for my egg freezing? Do you know your protocol yet? I think I'm doing fairly aggressive antagonist protocol but not certain yet.

rainbowwishes5

Welcome! It's so good you found this out in time and have a plan for your future!

SBump

Hi Rainbowwishes, I felt strongly like I should get checked and consider egg freezing, and I'm glad I trusted my gut. Hoping it goes well. Also hoping all the best for you. 

artemis618

Hello and welcome!  Good for you!  I froze eggs the month after I turned 35 (and was quite single) back in 2012 (coincidentally weeks after I think it was deemed no longer experimental - though I don't think for elective fertility preservation).  I met my husband when I was 37 in 2015 and married him last June.  We got pregnant in July, but (TW:  loss mentioned) unfortunately lost it at almost 12 weeks at the beginning of October.

I actually wish that that RE had been a little more aggressive - I only ended up with 9 mature eggs - but those are last resort.  My insurance covers two IVF cycles, so I'm slated to start stimming for the first of those in a week, but with a more aggressive protocol since I didn't get *that* many back then and I'm four a half years older now.

Even though I've been through the first half of IVF once before, I'm a little anxious about all the upcoming shots too.  I really hate needles (even little ones!) and don't know how I got through the injections back then - but if it works (or even for a chance of it working) it will be worth it!

daisy222-2

He thinks surgery is unlikely to help my situation in any other way but pain relief and may make my situation worse.

Do you know why he said this (about potentially making the situation worse?) I am curious because I only heard from my doctor about the fertility benefits of removing the endometriosis. He did say those benefits only last ~1 year (I guess it grows back by then). 

No, I don't know my protocol yet. We went over a probable one during the consult (based on my response during IUIs) but I hadn't finished all the pre-IVF testing yet so he didn't let me take the protocol/schedule home (also I was ~3 months away from starting any of it.) 

I'm only 2 weeks in, but the lupron depot is actually not as bad as I feared! The first few days I had a pretty intense headache, but now its just small hot flashes... 1 or 2 a day.  They are pretty minor episodes, its not like I start sweating dramatically and turning red. I'm in CO and perpetually cold in the winter, so its actually almost nice sometimes   I'll try to remember to come give an update when my 2 months on it are done.

SBump

Hi Artemis, glad to meet someone else who has done egg freezing. I'm waiting to get my revised calendar because it had to be moved a few days due to work but likely we will overlap somewhat with stims. We can support each other through all the shots. Do you know what your medications will be? 

liljoy-2

@SBumpI hear that every endo story is different, but I am/was in your exact situation, only that I had surgery (unfortunately laser ablation instead of excision) to remove it because I was in sudden, non-stop excruciating pain. Now one year after, not a single BFP, so in my case the surgery didn't make things better. The pain is gone, but IF wise, one of my ovary now is only producing 20% of the follicles as before/my other one because follicle tissue was removed during the surgery, bleah. 

With regards to egg freezing, the chances of pregnancy are lower than with frozen embryos, I'm sure you know. As a reference, my RE says you have to freeze 20 eggs to get one pregnancy. 

SBump

Hi Daisy, my fertility specialist said in the past he'd have sent me for surgery but now in his research and experience any ovarian surgery would take at least some healthy ovarian tissue, which would reduce my ovarian reserve further and likely reduce the number of eggs I'm able to grow during stimulation. My AMH is already low. He said the downside of leaving the endometrioma was pain and possibly making egg retrieval a bit harder. From what I've read, many doctors think conservative surgery can help certain younger women with endometriosis who have decent AMH conceive, but women over 35 or with low AMH who can't conceive should avoid surgery unless it is for pain or the condition is complicating IVF and then those women should do IVF soon after the surgical treatment program rather than spending time/much time trying on their own or with lesser treatments.

artemis618

@SBump I'll start with 300iu of Gonal F, 150iu Menopur, and 25iu Omnitrope (human growth hormone - being used off label I think for egg quality so not covered by insurance).  With my egg retrieval for freezing I was only on OCP for a week (probably not enough to synchronize anything), 225iu follistim, and the menopur for only two of the days.

SBump

Bestofjoy, I hope your treatment works out and glad it worked to help the physical pain. I kind of wonder if my affected ovary will produce anything anyway and hope medication like the pill, ibuprofen and maybe lupron will be enough for pain. 

SBump

Artemis, sounds like our protocols are similar. I'm doing 2 vials of menopur and 375 iu Gonal-F. Due to my AMH, I hope I don't have to do several rounds to get enough eggs to freeze because insurance will only cover the antibiotics and pre-cycle birth control pills. The cycle and fertility meds are not covered. My clinic was able to get me a discount on Gonal-F though.