Natural vs Medicated FET

pizza_brat · January 2017

A little background : I am doing IVF strictly to not pass on a gene. I have never tried to get pregnant before IVF and I have no known fertility issues. I went off birth control in April, and I always had normal cycles until I started IVF. None of the testing done prior to starting IVF pointed to anything else being wrong. I did produce a LOT of eggs during my retrievals, but I have no other symptoms of PCOS.

I did my first transfer this month, and it ended in a chemical pregnancy (1st beta was 6, 2nd beta was 3). My transfer was a "natural" cycle, so the only medication I did was progesterone suppositories (starting 2 days before the transfer) and an HCG trigger shot. I was monitored closely throughout my cycle and my estrogen got high enough on its own. My embryo was PGS-tested. My doctor said that it is most likely that the embryo was faulty despite testing.

I am going straight into another transfer cycle after I get my period. My doctor does not want to change anything about my protocol and that she does not specifically recommend trying a medicated cycle, as everything looked good. My doctor thinks that it was probably bad luck. However, they will not look into other reasons until I have two failed transfers.

My question is whether there would be any reason to try a medicated transfer instead of a natural transfer. I prefer the natural transfer, because it's less medication, but of course I'm willing to do whatever is best for the next embryo. My lining always stayed right about 8mm during my monitoring, and my doctor said that she doesn't think it needs to be any thicker for success, but I'm kind of skeptical. I don't know that there would be any reason to increase my estrogen if it got high enough on its own last time. Anyways, has anyone had success and/or failures doing natural transfers? Please share your story with me!

APM_SLP · January 2017

Hi! I have had 2 failed cycles previous to my most recent cycle which resulted in a BFP. My first cycle was a fresh and ended in a CP. By second was an FET and ended with a BFN. My frozen embryos were PGS tested. The first 2 cycles were medicated.

My RE (who is very popular and well known in the SF Bay Area) had recently gone to a conference where he learned recent studies are showing natural cycles may be more successful. At the last minute he changed my most recent FET to a natural cycle, and TA DA! It worked.

You are not the first person I've seen with PGS tested embryos resulting in a CP, so hopefully it was just a fluke. Sucks when you pay all that money for testing and it isn't a guarantee! If I were you, I would stick with the natural cycle, especially because everything looked good and you don't have any known fertility issues. Your lining seems good, but if you want you could supplement it with acupuncture and drinking POM juice (maybe you already did these).

PLUS YOU DONT HAVE TO BE ON PIO!!! That in itself is such a bonus! I wish you luck, friend!

APM_SLP · January 2017

@singlegeneme I sent you a PM to your inbox

Natural vs Medicated FET

Re: Natural vs Medicated FET

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