Looking for Hope

RunCC37 · November 2013

Hi Ladies, long-time lurker over here, sister of SAIF's very own @Ducky719 (quack!!). I'm just looking for some hope and inspiration and thought maybe someone over here might have a personal success story who might have had some of the same issues...

We had our WTF appointment yesterday after our failed IVF#1. Doc said that he was surprised at the lack of egg quality... that he didn't expect egg quality to be our issue... he thought that since we were "working with the eggs of a 31 year old, he didn't expect them to look like the eggs of a 41 year old. Especially when none of our initial tests indicated that there might be an egg quality issue."

After getting our Day 3 Fertility Report, I knew that was our problem... Initially, I was thrilled to learn the day after ER that we had 10 eggs retrieved, 6 mature, 6 fertilized... but by day three, only two stood out in the 'normal range' and even they were poor quality. The remaining four were 'growing slowly' and stopped growing all together by day 5. We have no way to know for certain, but it is likely that the two we transferred also stopped growing shortly after...

We decided that we don't want to waste any time, and we'll get back in there for IVF#2 at the first opportunity. We are going to use the same protocol (Follistim, Menopur, Cetrotide) and increase the doses. In addition, we'll do estrogen priming and HGH (a steroid to give egg quality a boost). This will all begin after O is confirmed from this current natural cycle, which should be any day now.

I guess I'm just putting this out here because I'm wondering if there's anyone who had faced a similar problem... how did you deal with it? Are there any home remedies that you tried in addition to what the doctor proposed? I'm trying so hard to find a ray of hope, but right now I feel like I've been kicked down all over again. I hate IF!!!

kzawisl · November 2013

My friend had this issue. They did ICSI with IVF 2 and she had 3 rock stars. They froze one and transferred two, and she has a beautiful baby girl now.

kmc84 · November 2013

I was severely over stimmed for IVF 1 so we never werw able to do an ER. For IVF 2 and 3 we kept to the low and slow approach for meds and it seemed to work well. I never had a lot of eggs retrieved, but we had great fert rates. Our embies stopped growing very quickly though. By D3 we had only 2 left the first time and 5 left the second time and we never had any left by D5. I got pregnant from both transfers, however, the first was a m/c. We started IVF 3 as soon as my hcg was down. My embryologist said that all IVF eggs will be lower quality (to some extent) due to the unnatural follical growth and ovulation. FWIW, I was 27 for IVF 2 and 3.

It might be worth looking in to acupuncture for the entire IVF cycle. My accu wanted to see me at least two times before I started stims. I don't know if it made the difference for me, but I'd do it again if we have to do IVF again.

Good luck! I hope the next round is it for you! FX!

ETA: we transferred two embies and then three. We m/c'd one and my successful pregnancy, two stuck, one never had a hb and one is napping on DH right now.

kaf7 · November 2013

Hi Run I don't really have advice, just hugs. My eggs don't respond to stims but I don't have a good sense of their actual quality. DHEA was supposed to improve my eggs and their response to stims but in the end it doesn't seem to have. GL. I'm rooting for you.

JBDamonM · November 2013

CC- I can add nothing. But I want you to know that I am really rooting for you. I read your blog all the time and always keep you in my thoughts.

Keep your head up. I know this is going to work for you. It's not going to be easy, but it's going to be worth it. I obviously am not a doctor when I say this - but have a good gut feeling.

A favorite quote i've seen many times around here - It'll all be ok in the end, if not, it's not the end. (I hope I got that right)......

Huge Hugs.

mcgeeva · November 2013

Just wanted to say good luck on whatever you all do!

RunCC37 · November 2013

Thanks, girls... you rock! Reading your personal success stories & stories of friends & family gives me some hope. Hopefully IVF#2 will go better than #1 and someday I'll get to join you on this board

ccam · November 2013

Good luck to you!!

TJ1979 · November 2013

I don't have a similar story or any advice really. I do like PPs suggestions of acu and supps. But I wanted to say GL. You know you have a whole cheering squad over here, and a badass sister who understands what you are going through. Hugs and T&P.

RunCC37 · November 2013

@TJ1979, I'm cracking up at your comment about my 'badass sister'

) I'd say that's pretty spot on for @Ducky719! She's the best!

Dragonfly1226 · November 2013

I don't have any personal experience, but I wanted to say that I am sending tons of thoughts and prayers that IVF #2 does the trick for you! Please keep us updated. GL hon!

carrera317 · November 2013

I hope ivf 2 does the trick. We (and the docs) never know how we are going to respond to stims/meds etc til we do it -just like being faced with IF. Hopefully enough knowledge has been obtained to being you a BFP! Good luck.

IBackBevo · November 2013

On a lot of the DOR/High fsh/POF forums I have been on, some women there seem to think that poor egg quality (unless there is a reason to have poor quality like over 40 or prior chemo, etc.) is a product of the protocol you are on...there seems to be a lot of women who believe that high stim protocols often times hurt egg quality. There seems to be a movement among some to go with mini or low stim ivf...or, at least, moderate stim ivf. (Edit: This is especially true if your fsh gets too high in a stim cycle or otherwise. Very high fsh is known to be very detrimental on egg quality. My RE literally would wait for a cycle for your fsh to be low before he would cycle you...we discussed this since my fsh would vary between normal and high. Even if you may have had normal fsh at one point, it could be high other times...)

Also, you might try some supps to help egg quality like Ubiquinol (a form of CoQ10), baby aspirin and vitamin D. My RE had me on all of the above. I was on 100 mg, 3 times a day of coq10 and 2000 iu of vitamin d. DHEA is sometimes thought to help but you have to be very careful because it is an androgen and can have the opposite effect.

phishgirl29 · November 2013

No advice but I want to wish you luck and hugs!

Mrs.AmyDylan · November 2013

I just wanted to send you a big sloppy Internet hug. I'm so sorry you are in this dark, yucky place. I will be cheering for you!

Mr. & Mrs. Woodtick · November 2013

First I just want to say that I'm sorry that you're dealing with this. ((HUGS))

I had two failed IVF cycles and after our second one my RE told me that he believed I had an egg quality issue. They were always able to retrieve a lot of eggs 17 for IVF #1, and 18 for IVF #2, but only 8 and 7 fertilized. My RE felt that I could make a good number of eggs, but that too many were immature or over mature only leaving a few to work with. My RE suggested for our third IVF that we switch from Lupron to Ganirelix as the Lupron might be supressing me too much.

When I googled egg quality I found a lot of women were taking Royal Jelly to help with egg quality before their next IVF cycle. Since I had to take a month off before cycling again, I decided to start taking the Royal Jelly. Not to give any false hope, but DS is that break cycle BFP. To this day I believe the Royal Jelly helped me.

Good Luck!

laura1 · November 2013

I'm sorry, I don't have any personal experience, but my sister had secondary IF with DOR at age 33. She did one IVF and had 3 eggs retrieved, but only one fertilized and made it to transfer on day 3. That one turned into my now 4yo niece. I know she did a microdose lupron protocol as recommended by her RE due to her DOR (she had normal FSH but failed the clomid challenge).

Another friend of mine had unexplained IF, and did 3 IVFs to get pg - and they think that her issue was also egg quality. She did a similar protocol to yours for IVF #1 (m/c) and #3 (successful cycle - her DS is now almost 1!), and did lupron with ganirelix for #2 but that failed because she only had one follicle so she never made it to ER.

Good luck - I hope you get your BFP this next cycle!

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