Introduction

HopingforBabyK · November 2016

Hi Ladies!

I thought I would finally introduce myself after lurking on and off again for awhile now. Myself and DH are 30 yrs old and have been TTC for 4 years. We started off our journey after 2 years of not getting pregnant by finally talking to our OBGYN and doing clomid with timed intercourse. Before beginning we completed an US, SA, & HSG, all of which were normal. After several months of no success on clomid, we asked for a referral to a RE. We met with him, and found out our insurance didn't give us any coverage for IF services. We discussed the out of pocket costs vs success rates and we couldn't afford IVF and IUI didn't seem to have great success rates considering the cost for us. We decided to quit our jobs, sell our house, and move out-of-state to where my husband's family lives, because IF services are covered by most insurances there.
We finally met with our new RE for the first time in July. After some baseline blood work and testing, the RE was optimistic and figured we could get started right away. For our Pre-OP IVF appointment, we were given some pretty devastating news. I was diagnosed with Hashimotos Thyroiditis, my TSH was 7, and I was diagnosed with a severe DOR, my AMH was undetectable, and my antral follicle count was 10. DH and I spent a couple weeks doing a lot of crying. Our RE suggested that after a few months of medication to regulate my thyroid, we give IVF one shot, because I am young and if we can get any eggs, they should be of good quality, and she doesn't foresee any reason why I wouldn't be able to carry my own baby.
We started our first cycle, after 4 years of TTC, and never ever having a positive pregnancy test, in October. I took microdose Lupron, Menopur, and Follistim. Every night with my injection I would be on the verge of tears and mutter how much I hated this, but know that it's my only chance. I did not respond well to the cycle, I ended up with a cyst on my right ovary, and one mature follicle on my left. There were a couple smaller ones but they never grew past 7mm. We decided to proceed with the egg retrieval, because again, I was assured that I shouldn't count this cycle out because I am young and I still have a good chance. When I woke up from the ER I cried while waiting for the Dr, I was so nervous that there wasn't going to be an egg in that follicle. But there was, there was one beautiful egg. The next morning we got the glorious phone call that it had fertilized. And then I went in for a Day 3 transfer and was told it was of perfect grade. This little egg was beating all odds, we couldn't believe it. 8dp3dt I got a positive HPT, it grew darker the next day and then 10dp3dt it started to fade again and it's looking like a chemical.
Our RE said at this point, it's up to us how we proceed. We can try another round with a different protocol, the estrogen priming one, or we can look at donor eggs. We really want to use my eggs if possible, but we only have a maximum lifetime coverage of $30,000 with insurance, so we have to decide how much we are willing to throw at cycles trying to use my own eggs versus using donor eggs, because once the money is gone, we can't afford it on our own, and our chances of having a child will be gone.
This whole process has been such an emotional roller coaster. One minute we have hope, and the next we are brought to tears. I'm 30 years old this isn't supposed to be happening to me. My mom and sister get pregnant by sneezing, and my other sister didn't want children and just had a beautiful baby boy. I'm just looking for a place where I can talk to women who understand what I'm going through and how it feels.

oxinfree · November 2016

Hi hun, First so sorry about your chemical. I imagine that was very hard to endure given how happy you must have been prior to that.

I highly suggest you join the facebook group "Reproductive Immunology Support" - many women there have immune related disorders - many even with hashimotos so it'll be a great resource for you.

Before jumping into any further cycles given your insurance coverage concerns, have you looked at immune protocols? (prednisone, intralipids, IVIG, lovenox etc?) I'm not sure what the go-to is for hashimotos but definitely some women on that board will know. They will most likely encourage you to go see Dr. Kwak-Kim in Chicago (I'm not sure where you live) as she will run a full immune panel and will work with you to treat the underlying cause of that component of your infertility.

Not saying by any means this is necessary, I would just say before you jump into another round it would be worth some research. Many women with hashimotos are successful. I know you have other things going on but given you had a positive, I really hope you can find a way to get your biological child. Big hugs. I know how hard this journey is. xo

HopingforBabyK · November 2016

Wow thank you SO Much for this information!!!!! You've given me hope. I will check out that board. Thank you.

JamieH2000 · November 2016

Hi, so sorry to hear about your chemical. As a 29 year with DOR, I feel your pain and I am in a similar situation. My first IVF was cancelled due to poor response and I just found out my second cycle was negative. We did microdose lupron as well and had bad results. Only got 2 eggs and 1 embryo to transfer. We are getting some more opinions but will likely go ahead with one more IVF and maybe do estrogen priming protocol. But we have also started discussing donor eggs. Most insurances won't cover the cost of donor eggs so you are fortunate if yours does! Ours wil cover the cost of transfer but not the actual donor eggs which is the expensive part. I wish I could give better advice on what to do but this is one of th hardest things one can go through. Glad you are joining the community here and feel free to private message me with any questions if you want!

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