I'm back and WWYD

MBandBud

I've been gone for a few months but we are back in the game.  Good to see so many folks move on and sorry to still see some familiar faces.  This will be our first treatment cycle...ttc since June 2007.  I'm 38, DH 42.  Had 1 bfp Sept 2007 ended in blighted ovum.  Trying to decide on TI vs IUI.  Factors that play in: after m/c I went on clomid after 6 months of no success and it dried me out, I really think my issue is cm, and have done the green tea, evening primrose oil with no success.  Insurance will likely only cover 3 IF attempts.  I really want to have a natural baby but I suppose I just need to suck it up and do the IUI.  Just debating one cycle of TI, but afraid the clomid will dry me out even more and another bust cycle.  Any input?  Thanks ladies!

krissyh21

I am 37 and because of age my doctor suggested skipping clomid altogether and going straight to injectables because it had less side effects, not only on CM but lining as well. We are glad we did, since with injectables we discovered I had a DOR issue as well and we wasted less time then had we started with clomid.We had no other indications about DOR other then my responce to drugs, my FSH level were good for my age.

 

epphd

I hate to be the voice of doom and gloom, but if you are 38 you should pull out the big guns. I say this not to be a jerk, but at 34 years old I am turning to donor eggs due to crappy egg quality, and I started TTC at 30.  Our bodies can really betray us and if you want a bio baby, at this point I'd go straight to IUI and injects or IVF.  Granted, I know many women who fell pregnant naturally at 40+, but you don't want to regret any time spent on something less likely to work.

Clomid really dried me out too, and it's just not strong enough for many women to produce a good egg or two. Not only that, but it severely compromised my endometrial lining.  The effects of clomid are cumulative, so additional cycles will only be worse.

Go for IUI, and use injectable FSH instead of clomid.  Try that once and depending on your response, decide whether you want to continue or move to IVF to have the best chance possible of having a bio baby.

I am really excited about proceeding to donor egg IVF, don't get me wrong.  But I will always mourn the loss of my genetic connection. 

GL!

*Willis*

I would look into Clomid alternatives, such as Femara or injectables, if Clomid didn't work for you.  Also, if it truly is a CM issue (such as hostile CM), IUI would be a better bet, because you bypass the CM.  If it is just an issue of you not ovulating, the meds will help.

Also, having an IUI doesn't make a baby any less "natural."  You will still have TI, so you will never know what actually worked. 

Assembly_Reqd

If clomid worked for you and you are not yet ready to move on to injectables, I would try Femara. It worked much better for me for side effects and it did not dry me up. (Other than my usual cm issues)

E. primrose oil didn't really work for me and neither did green tea in terms of producing more cm. I did take them this cycle before o and ADDED cough syrup/expectorant called "Tussin" I got from wal-mart. I did a dose in the morning and at night on days 8 until I o'd to thin any cm I happend to have at the time. I also added acupuncture this cycle.

I wouldn't say any particular one worked, but I did get bfp for my efforts. We have MFI too, so it also could have been just dumb luck. Good Luck!

p.s. I am 38 too and my FSH is 3.9.

mrs.oz

MBandBud:

I really want to have a natural baby but I suppose I just need to suck it up and do the IUI. ?

?

Really? ?WOW. ?That hurt.?

MBandBud

Didn't mean to hurt feelings.  I meant have a baby naturally. 

berryblndgirl

I wouldn't go back on Clomid. I'd do Femara or injectables w/ TI o IUI, and my inclination would be to do injectables + IUI.

epphd

One more suggestion; if you have not already, ask your doctor to run a day 3 FSH draw and do an ovarian ultrasound to look at antral follies.  If your FSH is high or antral count low, that could really encourage you to move to IUI or IVF.

Again, I am not trying to sound like a jerk, but our ovaries really do start to poop out in our 30s.  Even though I've never had FSH higher than 5, and at my last IVF I produced 32 eggs, my egg quality is still so off as to require donor eggs.  Please make sure you get as much info as you can to make the best decision.

I hope you are as lucky as Assembly_reqd