Have any of you who have gotten to/gone through IVF thought about getting a second opinion or looked into seeing another RE? I ask this because we are moving on to IVF after 3 unsuccessful IUI's. My husband is wanting to consult another doctor, but I am not sure we are at the point of another consult. I guess I might feel differently if IVF is also unsuccessful. We have our IVF info session tonight and then a meeting with our doctor next week so I plan on bringing a laundry list of questions and concerns to him at that point.
No, I trust my RE and he is very good at explaining things. I understand he is not the reason for my two mc in six rounds of tx. He has gotten me ku, now we just need to stay ku.
If we end up doing a third IVF, yes, I will get a second opinion. They learn so much from each IVF. But we felt confident in our current RE's plan for the first 2.
---------------Siggy Warning--------------------
Me: 32, DH: 34 / TTC since February 2011 / SA: all normal, HSG: all clear! / on Lovenox for anticardiolipid antibodies 4 IUIs with Clomid, Letrozole, and Menopur. All BFN. 9/12: lap / hysteroscopy: found and removed mild endometriosis, cervical polyp, and 2 para-tubular cysts 5/13 IVF #1: Follistim, Menopur, Ganirelix, 10R/4M/4F, ET of 2, 5 cell and 4 cell, no frosties = BFN 12/13 IVF #2 = November / December 2013. Microdose Lupron Protocol: 15R/6M/6F, Froze all 6 due to high E2 and P4 FET 1: Jan 22, 2014 of one 4AB blast and one 3BB blast (3 blasts on ice!) BFP on HPT 4dp5dt, Beta #1 9dp5dt: 310, Beta #2 11dp5dt: 899 First u/s on 2/17/14: TWINS!!!!! both w/HBs of 114 at 6w3d, HBs 150 and 152 at 7w5d 5/27/2014: Team purple!!!! EDD 10/10/2014 /
Delivered by c-section at 32w0d 8/15/2014 due to preeclampsia/HELLP syndrome Baby Boy 4lbs 1oz, 17 inches Baby Girl 3lbs 5oz, 16 inches
I started typing up a novel and realized that it was kind of boring, whiny, and scary. Basically, yes. We sought a second opinion (2 REs, 2 urologists, 1 family doctor, and 1 ND actually, so several "second" opinions?) when we weren't getting the testing/treatment that we needed. Our first RE (this time around anyways), wanted to just throw IVF/ICSI at us, without investigating any treatments whatsoever for the cause of the IF. It turns out that we have a few other issues that would make the cycle itself difficult, which weren't discovered until after we sought help from other Drs. Every doc has their own approach and look at things a little differently. It certainly can't hurt to get a second (or fifth?) set of eyes on your situation before jumping into anything I don't think. Go in expecting to still follow the first doctors plan, but the second might have some useful information as well.
Sort of. My doctor is an attending physician at a really large clinic, so basically he has his own practice but then sends all of his IVF patients to the clinic for IVF (his practice is small and doesn't have the resources for IVF). The clinic handles all of the monitoring, ordering meds, injects training, etc but my RE comes in and does the ER and ET. While the situation sounds a bit odd, I like both my RE and the clinic so it works out ok.
After our second IVF failed, my RE (who is very conservative) originally recommonended that we look into donor eggs/embryo adoption. He didn't want us to waste money on cycles that weren't working. He ended up sending my file to another RE at the clinic for a second opinion and it was that doctor that came up with our plan for IVF #3. I'm still with the same RE though.
DH (32): SA is ok, slightly low morph, normal SCSA Me (32): Slightly low progesterone, hostile CM, carrier for CF, Moderately high NKC, High TNFa, heterozyogous mutated Factor XIII, and +APA
October 2012-May 2014: 4 failed IUIs, 3 failed IVFs, and 1 failed FETw/donor embryos
November 2014: IVF w/ICSI #4 Agonist/Antagonist with EPP and Prednisone, Baby Aspirin, Lovenox, and IVIG for immune issues. Converted to freeze all due to lining issues. 2 blasts frozen on day 6!
January 2015: FET #2 Cancelled due to lining issues
Yes! First RE we went two cycles. Second RE we went two cycles. We moved on to a third, but he was a complete waste. We learned a lot from both of the first two. We are now seeking out a fourth. Each RE had something new to bring to the table. Good luck!
PAIF/SAIF Welcome!
Me: 42, Hubby: 35, TTC since Jan 2010. Dx: DOR due to advanced maternal age.
Also: Hypothyroidism (100mcg Levothyroxin). Positive for MTHFR (hetero-C677T), Factor V Leiden, and Fragile X (on DH side). Taking pre-natal vitamins. First natural PG 9/27/11; mc: 1/20/12 First RE visit: 8/8/12, Saline Sonogram: 8/28/12, IVF injection class: 10/11/12, add FaBB Tab for FVL, +Vitamin D. IVF #1:
10/17/12 Baseline: FSH- 9.4, E2- 24, LH- 3.7, Prog- 0.3 The u/s
showed 6 follicles in my right & 9 in my left. Rx: 150 Bravelle &
150 Menopur SQ nightly. 10/21/12: Add Ganirelix SQ every morning.
ER 10/28/12: 13 Retreived. 7 Mature. 6 Fertilized. 5 Made it to PGS. ET
11/2/12: CANCELED. All 5 came back from PGS as having "severe
abnormalities." IVF #2:
1/7/13 Baseline: FSH- 8.8, 4 follicles in my right & 6 in my left.
Rx: 150 Bravelle & 150 Menopur SQ nightly. 1/11/13: Add Ganirelix SQ every
morning. hCG Trigger 1/16/13
ER 1/18/13: 9 Retrieved. 5 Mature. 5 Fertilized. 2 Made it to PGS. ET 1/23/13:
CANCELED. All embryos (he even sent the ones not growing) came back from PGS as
having "multiple severe abnormalities." IVF #3: NEW RE! 3/1/13 Baseline: FSH- 9.6, E2- 61, Prog- 0.94, 3
follicles in my right & 4 in my left. Rx: 150 Bravelle& 150
Menopur SQ in PM. 3/7/13: Add Ganirelix SQ in AM. hCG Trigger 3/9/13 SQ. ER 3/11/13: 6R, 2M, 2F. Day 3: one 8 cell, grade 0. Five day ET 3/16/13: one
early blast, grade Fair. 3/24/13 AF came a day before beta. BFN IVF #4:(Added acupuncture to this cycle.) 3/25/13 WTF & Baseline:
FSH-11.8, E2- 56, Prog- 0.84 3/26/13 Start stims. 3/30/13 u/s: 5
follicles in my right & 4 in my left. Rx: 225 Bravelle& 225
Menopur SQ in PM. 3/31/13 Add Ganirelix SQ in AM.hCG Trigger 4/3/13 SQ. ER 4/5/13: 5R, 3M, 3F naturally. Day 3: two 8 cell, grade 0, one 8 cell, grade 2
(Scale 0-best to 3-worst). Five day ET 4/10/13: two blastocysts (the 3rd
stopped growing.) Beta 4/18/13: 2.5 BFFN. RE recommends we stop trying and
focus on living childless, due to the extremely poor quality of my
eggs. ***Decided
to stop trying and live CFNBC. I couldn't adjust. So, six months later... IVF #5: Changed RE. Going to one of the big name clinics now.
OWDU: 10/29/13. Update: HORRIBLE experience. Disgusted and distraught at their complete unprofessionalism and how much money and precious time they cost us. Sickening. Have now changed RE again. New Patient appt. 1/30/14. BFP! Out of nowhere, I got KU the old fashioned way! POAS 1/26/14 - Positive! FDLM 12/30/13. Beta #1 16dpo= 373. Beta #2 18dpo= 801. EDD 10/6/14 2/4/14 1st U/S revealed a 5wk2day sac but no fetal pole. Started 200mgs of progesterone suppositories daily 2/11/14 2nd U/S revealed a perfect 6wk1day "diamond ring" embryo with a beating heart! 138bpm! Add 1mg folic acid and 40mg Lovenox 2/25/14 3rd U/S: perfect 8w1d embryo, 178bpm. 3/6 start spotting. 3/11 10w1d U/S shows no heartbeat. Scheduling D&C. The Stork has forsaken me again. IVF #5.2: New in-state RE. Supplement priming for 1.5 cycles prior to start of cycle, including DHEA 50mg (stopped 5/15), CoQ10 200mg 2x/day, L-Arginine- 1000mg 2x/day (stopped 6/5 due to cold sore!), myo-inositol- 2g 2x/day, melatonin- 3mg, and Neevo (prenatal for MTHFR). 5/16/14 Day 2 bw cycle prior: FSH- 12.22, E2- 38.37, Prog- 1.35, LH- 9.46. 6/2/14 Day 19 bw: Prog- 23 6/12/14 Baseline: E2- 122.7, Prog- 0.4. 5 follicles in left, 4 follicles in right. Start stims: 375IU Follistim & 150IU Menopur. 6/19 Increase Follistim to 425IU, Menopur still 150IU. 6/18 add Ganirelix. 6/23 Ovidrel trigger SQ. 6/25 ER: 8R, 8M, 5F naturally. Start Medrol & Doxy. 6/26 Start Endometrin. 7/2 Start Lovenox. 7/8/14 Beta= 137.4 BFP!!! (My first from IVF!) E2- 1109, Prog- >60. Stop CoQ10, myo-inositol, and melatonin. 7/9 2nd Beta= 281.4. TSH- 2.70. Increasing Synthroid to 100mcg daily. 7/24 6w3d u/s measured 6w3d, hb: 121bmp! 8/5 8w1d u/s measured 8w3d, hb: 164bpm! Graduated from RE to OB. Now I just need to find an OB! EDD 3/18/15!
This is weighing on my mind, too. One caveat with the SART data is that it's old--I believe the most recent stats available are from 2011, and labs can change a lot in that amount of time. When I had my first IVF talk with my doc, I asked him why the SART data were so low. He said they agreed there was a problem, and had instituted a number of changes since the data came out--new lab and new embryologist--and he said their success rates had doubled. If that hadn't been true I would have probably gone elsewhere for IVF #1.
(They did not manage my first IVF cycle well. There are three doctors who rotate responsibility for IVF, and one of them (not my regular doc) made a very poor decision about my meds that nearly resulted in a cancelled cycle and almost certainly halved or worse the number of eggs they retrieved. We're doing our second IVF quickly specifically to avoid him. If the same thing happens this next cycle I'm going somewhere else.)
If you're worried that your doctor isn't addressing your specific dx well, a second opinion could be good, depending on your doctor's success and the amount the second opinion would cost you.
***Losses mentioned.*** TTC #1 since May 2012. Me: 37, OH: 41. Ectopic August 2012 => tubal damage. Stage 1 endo removed June 2013. IVF #1 Oct/Nov 2013: Long Lupron with Gonal-F. 7R, 7M, 7F. 2 txfer@3d. Nothing frozen. => M/C @ 8 wks. Selected RPL panel all normal. Very hyper and brittle response to stims. IVF #2 (antagonist protocol) Feb 2014 => Converted to IUI (Perfect conditions). BFN. IVF #2.1 w/ new RE June 2014: Antagonist protocol. 33R, 31M, 30F, 19 blasts to test!!! I made it through without crashing!! Hats off to Dr. Fancypants!! ET of one 5AB blast. BFN. 13 10 CCS'ed snowflakes! FET #1 PUPO as of 7/29 Betas: 8/7@24, 8/9@97, 8/11@334 (etc.) Two sacs on 8/15, one seen on 8/18 after a bleed. U/s 8/25 (6+3) "perfect": 5.9 mm + HB@120bpm! U/s 9/4 (7+6): 15.9 mm + HB@172 bpm! Please, PLEASE stick this time!!!!
After our initial consultation with our RE, I flirted with the idea of getting a second opinion. I even made an appointment, but I ended up canceling it and sticking with him. I changed my mind on getting a second opinion because he was very upfront and his primary objective was/is to preserve my eggs so that we can do IVF. Plus my husband and I have a good rapport with him and are happy with him and trust his opinion. I think if you feel the need to get a second opinion, you should do so.
I am now seeing a second RE, ready to do IVF#2. We did 3 IUI's and IVF#1 with the old RE. We actually still have 2 frosties with old RE, but his solutions to my issue (thin lining) weren't good enough for me and after my second cancelled FET, he wanted me to wait a few months to try again and I wasn't OK with that answer. In between the cancelled FET's (Aug and Dec), he made me wait again and I was on a long estrogen protocol to try to thicken the lining. Well, obviously that didn't work. I've also been on viagra and other things to help. He kept saying he was going to contact some colleages (he has his own practice) but he never told me that he did and what they said. So, I moved on. Really, I wish I would have gotten a second opinion/looked at other RE's before we did IVF#1. Good luck.
FET#2 August: delayed due to thin lining (6.3). Took a few months off to try and thicken the lining with lots of estrodial. FET#2.2 December: Cancelled due to thin lining (4.8). Two frosties left.
*New RE* Sonohystrogram and hystereoscopy done in Feb.
IVF #2: ER 3/4/14 ET 3/7/14, transferred 3, 3 day 9 cell perfect embryos. No frosties.
Beta #1 (14dp3dt) 504
Beta #2 (21dp3dt) 11,561
First ultrasound on 4/3/14 showed 3 sacs: one empty and two with beating hearts!! At 7w2d, found out that one baby did not have a heartbeat anymore. Praying that baby B makes it. Baby B is a girl!
We just switched REs. I loved my former clinic, doctor, and nurses, but it felt like they didn't know what to do with us anymore. After two failed IVFs, it seemed like our doc was out of ideas, so we went to several consults. I'm glad we did. I have a lot of confidence in our new plan and actually feel hopeful again.
We changed RE's when we decided to move on to IVF. It was a very hard decision as I really liked my RE but overall he was not aggressive enough for my age & diagnosis (which he never officially diagnosed me because he refused to do AMH check & never bothered to check AFC). For some reason I felt guilty moving to another RE after I had been through so much with him, but when he recommended a sixth IUI, I knew it was time to move on. He also does about 40 IVF cycles a year & the new RE does over 600. If the success rates would have been comparable I maybe would have stayed but I had to follow the numbers instead of my feelings.
Me (36) - LOR, DH (34) - MFI (low count & poor motility)
TTC since 01/2012
11/2012-04/2013 Unmonitored Clomid cycles through OB/GYN; Referred to RE
Yes, we did after our second IVF fail and no explanation. We did not switch RE's because the 2nd opinion came up with a very similar plan for IVF3 (2nd opinion is actually Head RE at the clinic where the ER/ET are done, but my RE and monitoring are done at a separate hospital).
That being said, if IVF3 doesn't work, we'll venture to a completely different lab/clinic. In certain situations, it's best not to waste time if you're not comfortable with the treatment/plan you are on.
****************SIGGY WARNING****************
TTC since 2011
DH: 29, Severe MFI; grade III varicocele; surgery postponed till KU
Me: 30, POF/DOR, factor II hetero, MTHFR homo
5 IVF's, LLP, EEP, MDLF all BFN
IVF 6 using DEB USA frozen eggs
developed bilateral PE's from BCP, cancelled/delayed 6 mths, taking lovenox
I did get a couple of consults... my RE has the best sart data in the region and I have complete trust in him but I still needed some reassurance. We did consult with his former partner who runs the hospital program near us that has the best lab. I also spoke with my OBGYN. They all pretty much agreed with my current REs diagnosis, protocol and plan for us. I considered getting a consult with CCRM or Cornell but we honestly can't afford to go to either of them since we are OOP and already spent so much on everything thus far. If time was on my side and I had the money I would probably look into cycling with them.
***siggy/ticker warning***
Me:36 DH:38 TTC#1 since 4/2012 Me DX: Hashimotos,Hypothyroid, DOR, MTHFR, DH: normal
IUI #1-#4 BFNs and a few cancelled cycles in the mix. - poor responder ***Suprise BFP on 6/13/13. Natural MC @6wks 3days IVF#1 and 2- Cancelled due to no response on max stimms FET 5/20- BFP 1st Beta- 641 2nd beta- 2166 Sono- TWINS!!!! Two Boys! Born January 2015 @36 weeks. Healthy and no NICU! So blessed!
We got a 2nd opinion from another clinic and really disliked the Dr we met with there. She looked at our charts and basically confirmed what we had been told by our first RE and had nothing new to add. We disliked the way she spoke to us so we returned to our original clinic who we weren't 100% happy with, but we at least knew our way around there and had gotten used to the RE.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ queer couple - 32 (me) & 33 (my love) years old - donor sperm,
Our IF/TTC journey since Nov 2012.
Me: dx of DOR in Nov. 2012. Low AMH, AFC - 6, Normal FSH, SS-A (RO) Antibodies (Autoimmune issues), tubes clear, Sono (November 2013) NORMAL! <p>
7 IUI's - December 2012-September 2013. Medicated, Injected, Triggered.... all BFN.
My Love: (the amazing @Healz413) Normal AMH & FSH, AFC ~27, blocked tube dx'd via HSG in 2012. Hydrosalpinx & ovarian cyst dx'd in May 2013. dx of Stage IV Endo & bilateral salpinectomy in June 2013.
Partner IVF#1a- December 2013 - H's eggs, my Ute - CANCELLED due to low response Partner IVF #1b - February 2014 - H's eggs, my Ute - ER February 4 (10 retrieved, 3 fertilized), Transfer Feb 7 of one Grade 1 and one Grade 2 day 3 embryos. 1 - Day 3, Grade 1 frosty saved. BFP - 6dp3dt via FRER, Beta #1 - 110, Beta #2 175, Beta #3 - 348, Beta #4 - 2222!, Beta #5 - 4255. Ultrasound (6w1d) - 2 heartbearts!
We lost our beautiful Twin baby girls on June 18, 2014. Tavin Sara and Casey Elizabeth were born at 21 weeks gestation and were absolutely beautiful, precious, amazing babies. We miss our daughters every day and love them with all our hearts.
Re: Have you gotten a second opinion?
IUI#4 1/23/13 on 75iu x9 Follistim = BFP then chem preg m/c (Feb 2013)
IUI#5 BFN (April 2013)
S/PAIFW , S/PALW
My Blog
Me: 32, DH: 34 / TTC since February 2011 / SA: all normal, HSG: all clear! / on Lovenox for anticardiolipid antibodies
4 IUIs with Clomid, Letrozole, and Menopur. All BFN.
9/12: lap / hysteroscopy: found and removed mild endometriosis, cervical polyp, and 2 para-tubular cysts
5/13 IVF #1: Follistim, Menopur, Ganirelix, 10R/4M/4F, ET of 2, 5 cell and 4 cell, no frosties = BFN
12/13 IVF #2 = November / December 2013. Microdose Lupron Protocol: 15R/6M/6F, Froze all 6 due to high E2 and P4
FET 1: Jan 22, 2014 of one 4AB blast and one 3BB blast (3 blasts on ice!)
BFP on HPT 4dp5dt, Beta #1 9dp5dt: 310, Beta #2 11dp5dt: 899
First u/s on 2/17/14: TWINS!!!!! both w/HBs of 114 at 6w3d, HBs 150 and 152 at 7w5d
5/27/2014: Team purple!!!! EDD 10/10/2014 /
Baby Boy 4lbs 1oz, 17 inches
Baby Girl 3lbs 5oz, 16 inches
I started typing up a novel and realized that it was kind of boring, whiny, and scary. Basically, yes. We sought a second opinion (2 REs, 2 urologists, 1 family doctor, and 1 ND actually, so several "second" opinions?) when we weren't getting the testing/treatment that we needed. Our first RE (this time around anyways), wanted to just throw IVF/ICSI at us, without investigating any treatments whatsoever for the cause of the IF. It turns out that we have a few other issues that would make the cycle itself difficult, which weren't discovered until after we sought help from other Drs. Every doc has their own approach and look at things a little differently. It certainly can't hurt to get a second (or fifth?) set of eyes on your situation before jumping into anything I don't think. Go in expecting to still follow the first doctors plan, but the second might have some useful information as well.
***EVERYONE WELCOME***
Sort of. My doctor is an attending physician at a really large clinic, so basically he has his own practice but then sends all of his IVF patients to the clinic for IVF (his practice is small and doesn't have the resources for IVF). The clinic handles all of the monitoring, ordering meds, injects training, etc but my RE comes in and does the ER and ET. While the situation sounds a bit odd, I like both my RE and the clinic so it works out ok.
After our second IVF failed, my RE (who is very conservative) originally recommonended that we look into donor eggs/embryo adoption. He didn't want us to waste money on cycles that weren't working. He ended up sending my file to another RE at the clinic for a second opinion and it was that doctor that came up with our plan for IVF #3. I'm still with the same RE though.
TTC #1 since August 2011
My Blog
September 2012: Start IF testing
DH (32): SA is ok, slightly low morph, normal SCSA Me (32): Slightly low progesterone, hostile CM, carrier for CF, Moderately high NKC, High TNFa, heterozyogous mutated Factor XIII, and +APA
October 2012-May 2014: 4 failed IUIs, 3 failed IVFs, and 1 failed FETw/donor embryos
November 2014: IVF w/ICSI #4 Agonist/Antagonist with EPP and Prednisone, Baby Aspirin, Lovenox, and IVIG for immune issues. Converted to freeze all due to lining issues. 2 blasts frozen on day 6!
January 2015: FET #2 Cancelled due to lining issues
April 2015: FET #2.1
PAIF/SAIF Welcome!
My BLOG: www.ivfbabyquest.wordpress.com -Update - old blog.
PAIF/SAIF Welcome!
Me: 42, Hubby: 35, TTC since Jan 2010. Dx: DOR due to advanced maternal age. Also: Hypothyroidism (100mcg Levothyroxin). Positive for MTHFR (hetero-C677T), Factor V Leiden, and Fragile X (on DH side). Taking pre-natal vitamins.
First natural PG 9/27/11; mc: 1/20/12
First RE visit: 8/8/12, Saline Sonogram: 8/28/12, IVF injection class: 10/11/12, add FaBB Tab for FVL, +Vitamin D.
IVF #1: 10/17/12 Baseline: FSH- 9.4, E2- 24, LH- 3.7, Prog- 0.3 The u/s showed 6 follicles in my right & 9 in my left. Rx: 150 Bravelle & 150 Menopur SQ nightly. 10/21/12: Add Ganirelix SQ every morning.
ER 10/28/12: 13 Retreived. 7 Mature. 6 Fertilized. 5 Made it to PGS. ET 11/2/12: CANCELED. All 5 came back from PGS as having "severe abnormalities."
IVF #2: 1/7/13 Baseline: FSH- 8.8, 4 follicles in my right & 6 in my left. Rx: 150 Bravelle & 150 Menopur SQ nightly. 1/11/13: Add Ganirelix SQ every morning. hCG Trigger 1/16/13
ER 1/18/13: 9 Retrieved. 5 Mature. 5 Fertilized. 2 Made it to PGS. ET 1/23/13: CANCELED. All embryos (he even sent the ones not growing) came back from PGS as having "multiple severe abnormalities."
IVF #3: NEW RE! 3/1/13 Baseline: FSH- 9.6, E2- 61, Prog- 0.94, 3 follicles in my right & 4 in my left. Rx: 150 Bravelle& 150 Menopur SQ in PM. 3/7/13: Add Ganirelix SQ in AM. hCG Trigger 3/9/13 SQ.
ER 3/11/13: 6R, 2M, 2F. Day 3: one 8 cell, grade 0. Five day ET 3/16/13: one early blast, grade Fair. 3/24/13 AF came a day before beta. BFN
IVF #4: (Added acupuncture to this cycle.) 3/25/13 WTF & Baseline: FSH-11.8, E2- 56, Prog- 0.84 3/26/13 Start stims. 3/30/13 u/s: 5 follicles in my right & 4 in my left. Rx: 225 Bravelle& 225 Menopur SQ in PM. 3/31/13 Add Ganirelix SQ in AM.hCG Trigger 4/3/13 SQ.
ER 4/5/13: 5R, 3M, 3F naturally. Day 3: two 8 cell, grade 0, one 8 cell, grade 2 (Scale 0-best to 3-worst). Five day ET 4/10/13: two blastocysts (the 3rd stopped growing.) Beta 4/18/13: 2.5 BFFN. RE recommends we stop trying and focus on living childless, due to the extremely poor quality of my eggs.
***Decided to stop trying and live CFNBC. I couldn't adjust. So, six months later...
IVF #5: Changed RE. Going to one of the big name clinics now. OWDU: 10/29/13. Update: HORRIBLE experience. Disgusted and distraught at their complete unprofessionalism and how much money and precious time they cost us. Sickening. Have now changed RE again. New Patient appt. 1/30/14.
BFP! Out of nowhere, I got KU the old fashioned way! POAS 1/26/14 - Positive! FDLM 12/30/13. Beta #1 16dpo= 373. Beta #2 18dpo= 801. EDD 10/6/14
2/4/14 1st U/S revealed a 5wk2day sac but no fetal pole. Started 200mgs of progesterone suppositories daily
2/11/14 2nd U/S revealed a perfect 6wk1day "diamond ring" embryo with a beating heart! 138bpm! Add 1mg folic acid and 40mg Lovenox
2/25/14 3rd U/S: perfect 8w1d embryo, 178bpm. 3/6 start spotting. 3/11 10w1d U/S shows no heartbeat. Scheduling D&C. The Stork has forsaken me again.
IVF #5.2: New in-state RE. Supplement priming for 1.5 cycles prior to start of cycle, including DHEA 50mg (stopped 5/15), CoQ10 200mg 2x/day, L-Arginine- 1000mg 2x/day (stopped 6/5 due to cold sore!), myo-inositol- 2g 2x/day, melatonin- 3mg, and Neevo (prenatal for MTHFR).
5/16/14 Day 2 bw cycle prior: FSH- 12.22, E2- 38.37, Prog- 1.35, LH- 9.46. 6/2/14 Day 19 bw: Prog- 23
6/12/14 Baseline: E2- 122.7, Prog- 0.4. 5 follicles in left, 4 follicles in right. Start stims: 375IU Follistim & 150IU Menopur. 6/19 Increase Follistim to 425IU, Menopur still 150IU. 6/18 add Ganirelix. 6/23 Ovidrel trigger SQ. 6/25 ER: 8R, 8M, 5F naturally. Start Medrol & Doxy. 6/26 Start Endometrin. 7/2 Start Lovenox.
7/8/14 Beta= 137.4 BFP!!! (My first from IVF!) E2- 1109, Prog- >60. Stop CoQ10, myo-inositol, and melatonin. 7/9 2nd Beta= 281.4. TSH- 2.70. Increasing Synthroid to 100mcg daily. 7/24 6w3d u/s measured 6w3d, hb: 121bmp! 8/5 8w1d u/s measured 8w3d, hb: 164bpm! Graduated from RE to OB. Now I just need to find an OB!
EDD 3/18/15!
(They did not manage my first IVF cycle well. There are three doctors who rotate responsibility for IVF, and one of them (not my regular doc) made a very poor decision about my meds that nearly resulted in a cancelled cycle and almost certainly halved or worse the number of eggs they retrieved. We're doing our second IVF quickly specifically to avoid him. If the same thing happens this next cycle I'm going somewhere else.)
If you're worried that your doctor isn't addressing your specific dx well, a second opinion could be good, depending on your doctor's success and the amount the second opinion would cost you.
Good luck!
***Losses mentioned.*** TTC #1 since May 2012. Me: 37, OH: 41. Ectopic August 2012 => tubal damage. Stage 1 endo removed June 2013. IVF #1 Oct/Nov 2013: Long Lupron with Gonal-F. 7R, 7M, 7F. 2 txfer@3d. Nothing frozen. => M/C @ 8 wks. Selected RPL panel all normal. Very hyper and brittle response to stims. IVF #2 (antagonist protocol) Feb 2014 => Converted to IUI (Perfect conditions). BFN. IVF #2.1 w/ new RE June 2014: Antagonist protocol. 33R, 31M, 30F, 19 blasts to test!!! I made it through without crashing!! Hats off to Dr. Fancypants!! ET of one 5AB blast. BFN. 13 10 CCS'ed snowflakes! FET #1 PUPO as of 7/29 Betas: 8/7@24, 8/9@97, 8/11@334 (etc.) Two sacs on 8/15, one seen on 8/18 after a bleed. U/s 8/25 (6+3) "perfect": 5.9 mm + HB@120bpm! U/s 9/4 (7+6): 15.9 mm + HB@172 bpm! Please, PLEASE stick this time!!!!
**Sig warning***
TTC since 9/2011. DH - 32, me 32.
IUI#1 (natural): BFN; IUI#2 (clomid): BFN; IUI#3 (clomid and follistim): BFN.
IVF #1 March 2013, freeze all (OHSS).
FET#1 June: BFN
FET#2 August: delayed due to thin lining (6.3). Took a few months off to try and thicken the lining with lots of estrodial. FET#2.2 December: Cancelled due to thin lining (4.8). Two frosties left.
*New RE* Sonohystrogram and hystereoscopy done in Feb.
IVF #2: ER 3/4/14 ET 3/7/14, transferred 3, 3 day 9 cell perfect embryos. No frosties.
Beta #1 (14dp3dt) 504
Beta #2 (21dp3dt) 11,561
First ultrasound on 4/3/14 showed 3 sacs: one empty and two with beating hearts!! At 7w2d, found out that one baby did not have a heartbeat anymore. Praying that baby B makes it. Baby B is a girl!
EDD 11/25/14 BORN 11/29/14
**PAIF/anyone welcomed to comment!! Thank you.
IVF #1 Oct 2013- cancelled
IVF #2 Mar 2014- success.... baby girl born 11/28/14
FET #1 Mar 2016- baby boy due 12/16/16
We changed RE's when we decided to move on to IVF. It was a very hard decision as I really liked my RE but overall he was not aggressive enough for my age & diagnosis (which he never officially diagnosed me because he refused to do AMH check & never bothered to check AFC). For some reason I felt guilty moving to another RE after I had been through so much with him, but when he recommended a sixth IUI, I knew it was time to move on. He also does about 40 IVF cycles a year & the new RE does over 600. If the success rates would have been comparable I maybe would have stayed but I had to follow the numbers instead of my feelings.
Me (36) - LOR, DH (34) - MFI (low count & poor motility)
TTC since 01/2012
11/2012-04/2013 Unmonitored Clomid cycles through OB/GYN; Referred to RE
05/2013-Benched due to cyst
06/2013 - Clomid 50 mg + HCG Trigger + TI = BFN
07/2013 - Clomid 50 mg + HCG Trigger + IUI #1 = BFN
08/2013 - Clomid 50 mg + HCG Trigger + IUI #2 = BFN
09/2013 - Benched for lap & hysteroscopy (Stage II Endo Removed)
10/2013 - Menopur + HCG Trigger + IUI #3 = BFN
11/2013 - Menopur + HCG Trigger + IUI #4 = BFN
12/2013 - Clomid + HCG Trigger + IUI #5 = BFN
2/2014 - IVF #1 - Microdose Lupron Flare Protocol - 5R/4M/4F w/ICSI; 2 embies transferred on day 3 (none to freeze)
2/27/14 - First BFP Ever!!! EDD 11/3/14
Me:36 DH:38 TTC#1 since 4/2012
Me DX: Hashimotos,Hypothyroid, DOR, MTHFR, DH: normal
IUI #1-#4 BFNs and a few cancelled cycles in the mix.
- poor responder
***Suprise BFP on 6/13/13. Natural MC @6wks 3days
IVF#1 and 2- Cancelled due to no response on max stimms
FET 5/20- BFP
1st Beta- 641
2nd beta- 2166
Sono- TWINS!!!!
Two Boys! Born January 2015 @36 weeks. Healthy and no NICU! So blessed!
queer couple - 32 (me) & 33 (my love) years old - donor sperm,
Our IF/TTC journey since Nov 2012.
Me: dx of DOR in Nov. 2012. Low AMH, AFC - 6, Normal FSH, SS-A (RO) Antibodies (Autoimmune issues), tubes clear, Sono (November 2013) NORMAL! <p>
7 IUI's - December 2012-September 2013. Medicated, Injected, Triggered.... all BFN.
My Love: (the amazing @Healz413)
Normal AMH & FSH, AFC ~27, blocked tube dx'd via HSG in 2012. Hydrosalpinx & ovarian cyst dx'd in May 2013.
dx of Stage IV Endo & bilateral salpinectomy in June 2013.
Partner IVF#1a- December 2013 - H's eggs, my Ute - CANCELLED due to low response
Partner IVF #1b - February 2014 - H's eggs, my Ute - ER February 4 (10 retrieved, 3 fertilized), Transfer Feb 7 of one Grade 1 and one Grade 2 day 3 embryos. 1 - Day 3, Grade 1 frosty saved. BFP - 6dp3dt via FRER, Beta #1 - 110, Beta #2 175, Beta #3 - 348, Beta #4 - 2222!, Beta #5 - 4255. Ultrasound (6w1d) - 2 heartbearts!
We lost our beautiful Twin baby girls on June 18, 2014. Tavin Sara and Casey Elizabeth were born at 21 weeks gestation and were absolutely beautiful, precious, amazing babies. We miss our daughters every day and love them with all our hearts.