Questions about Ovidrel

Mellebee

I notice that many of you use trigger shots, even during first attempts at IUI.

I am wondering if you can share your expertise and experience about how you decided to use them as part of your plan? My RE's approach is to do natural cycles, using OPK for timing for at least 3 cycles. We didn't do any testing to confirm ovulation. Is there better accuracy for timing IUI after trigger rather than OPK? Are there common or serious side effects that would be reason to stay away from trigger shot if there is not yet indication that I need them.

I am just trying to figure out if there is a better way to safely increase chances of success. I will be speaking with my RE about these questions in the next day or so, but some more info will help me to be prepared for the conversation. Thanks.

rkbo

Hi @Mellebee  My RE does ultrasounds to see how many follicles are in my ovaries and I am to do the trigger shot once the biggest ones are over 18mm. They do all of the monitoring via ultrasound. I don't temp, do OPK's, anything on my own. 

From what I have understood, ultrasounds are the most accurate way to know how many follicles you have. The Ovidrel is done to know precisely when I ovulate..it makes you ovulate. 

I would imagine that they could tell from the ultrasound if I have prematurely ovulated and therefore would have me skip a month if need be. 

shelly2314

same as the PP

GoaliesWife123

I think that having 3 cycles of charting is a great way to avoid spending unnecessary money. If you temp, check cm and do opks (correctly) you should be able to see a pattern of ovulation, including if your ovulation is irregular. 

For example, I have PCOS, and I don't always ovulate. I almost always get a positive OPK, but if I have an anovulatory cyce, my temps show it. These are really good ways to check and create a pattern. 

As an added bonus, I absolutely love knowing my body well enough. Last cycle I had ewcm, so I checked the opk. The opk was glaringly positive. Despite my RE's hesitation, she did an LH test and confirmed that I was correct. Had I not known this, I would have missed my ovulation. 

Why am I on meds? I'm on meds because even though it appears (I've charted for the last year) that I do ovulate on my own, it is not always consistent. My cycles are also unpredictable (35-65 days). I did not respond to clomid. So far, it appears I may be responding to femara. I am being monitored by my RE and I wouldn't use the meds without this monitoring. 

I'm using ovidrel for the first time this month because this will take out the guesswork of whether I will actually ovulate. We are on our 6th at-home ici, so we were okay with taking the next step. 

I would continue with your RE's advice and track at home. Do you use fertility friend? If not, I strongly suggest it. Also, read the book "Taking charge of your fertility". It was incredibly useful. 

Best of luck!

ATXmommas

I used Ovidrel for my first two cycles - both BFN.  I just waited to ovulate on my own with my next 3 cycles - 2 of which resulted in BFP.  My RE didn't tell me this, but I feel like my body needed a little extra time to grow the follicles.  The cycles that I didn't trigger, my follicles were bigger than the cycles when I did trigger.  That said, the decision to trigger (or not) is somewhat of a personal preference and probably works differently for different people.  Many, many people have successfully gotten pregnant using the trigger.  I just prefer not to.  Good luck!

KH826

I used Ovidrel to trigger ovulation for 3 of my 5 IUIs. The upside to ovidrel is that it pinpoints the exact time of ovulation because you are triggering it at a specific time, and that can help immensely with timing of an IUI if you unsure about timing otherwise. OPKs will detect your LH surge and tell you when you are likely to ovulate and that will give you a window of time for your IUI (that is enough for many folks to time things accurately and get pregnant, but not all). I didn't get pregnant with any of my IUIs, so I really can't give any commentary on that. I do know that I was ovulating on my own without the Ovidrel, but we tried it thinking that perhaps timing was our problem.

I did not experience any side effects from Ovidrel. It is a quick and painless shot, and really not a big deal (although it is common and understandable to be anxious to use it the first time!).

The only other thing that I will note is the cost. If you are paying out of pocket, one dose of Ovidrel costs about $100-110 dollars depending on the pharmacy. That can get expensive for multiple cycles when paired with other out of pocket costs. However, it is nothing compared to the cost of sperm, so if you find that timing might be an issue for you, and your RE recommends Ovidrel, it could be a cost savings if it helps you achieve success and avoid purchasing additional vials of sperm for future cycles.

Good luck!

StacyLH24

I have used Ovidrel for two cycles now. For me, it relieves some anxiety tied to making sure that I detect my LH surge. Using Ovidrel, I don't have to worry about using OPKs. I do ovulate on my own, but this gives me more peace of mind when it comes to timing. Please note though, with my first three cycles, I didn't have a chance of getting pregnant anyway. This cycle is my first with an actual chance.

The needle is very small. I haven't had any problems with the actual injection. I do have pain after my IUI, but I can't directly relate that to the Ovidrel.

ETA: My insurance does cover Ovidrel. At first I didn't think it would. The out of pocket would be $109 per cycle if it wasn't covered. I would choose to pay out of pocket if I needed to. I would rather pay the $109 and have peace of mind with timing.

Mellebee

Thank you for the insights. I spoke with the doctor who recommended against u/s monitoring and trigger for timing due to the additional costs and intensity of monitoring. Another option would be to do the trigger on the day of OPK+ to give an ovulation boost without the u/s monitoring. She stated there is no evidence in studies that trigger gives any additional benefit compared to OPK. I will be considering this option for the next cycle. 

StacyLH24

I forgot about some side effects that I do have with Ovidrel. I get bloated and my boobs hurt intensely. Those side effects do not happen until about 2 days after triggering for me. I know these are related to the Ovidrel because it is too early for PMS and also for any true pregnancy symptoms. Plus, I had the same side effects the last time I used Ovidrel and I did not get pregnant (due to endometriosis).

HollynLeana

rkbo said:

Hi @Mellebee  My RE does ultrasounds to see how many follicles are in my ovaries and I am to do the trigger shot once the biggest ones are over 18mm. They do all of the monitoring via ultrasound. I don't temp, do OPK's, anything on my own. 

From what I have understood, ultrasounds are the most accurate way to know how many follicles you have. The Ovidrel is done to know precisely when I ovulate..it makes you ovulate. 

I would imagine that they could tell from the ultrasound if I have prematurely ovulated and therefore would have me skip a month if need be. 

This