I just had my 3rd miscarriage 2 of my pregnancies ended by week 9, the other was earlier. My ER of course plans on running new tests before we move forward however i have a feeling another round of IVF, egg retrieval will be in my future as i only have 2 frozen embryos left. I want to start prepping my body and my husbands to improve any chance we can. originally all my tests have been normal no diagnosis and my husband was only diagnosed with very low sperm count. Any information helps with supplements or vitamins any of you have used.
Me (28) DH (32)
Married: Dec 2011
TTC#1 May 2014
Dx: MFI (low count)
FET#1 May 2016 BFP EDD 2/4/17 - TWINS- MC July FET#2- 11/9/16 BFP- MC FET#3- 2/8/17 BFP- MC
@kjplaza I'm so sorry for everything you've been through. Have you had an immune panel done and/or been tested for clotting disorders?
TTC since August 2014
Me: 41, Him: 43
DX: Unexplained secondary infertility
History: Multiple months of Clomid/Femara End of March 2015: BFP with Femara! Saw heartbeat at 5.5 weeks. M/C at 11 weeks Multiple more months of Femara IUI #1 with Femara and Follistem 75 units: BFN IUI #2 with Follistem 150 units: BFN Dec 2015: 1st IVF. 10 eggs retrieved with 8 eggs fertilized. 5 day transfer of two embryos with 2 frozen embies. BFN January 2016: FET #1 2 embryos: BFN March 2016: 2nd IVF cycle. 4 eggs retrieved with 2 fertilized. Quick two day transfer of both embryos: BFN April/May 2016 IVF #3. 11 eggs retrieved. 10 mature. 7 fertilized. 2 5AA blasts transferred 5/11/2016 BFN September 2016 IVF #4: 17 follicles growing, premature ovulation through Cetrotide. Retrieval cancelled. April 2017 IVF #5: 9 follicles growing, 6 eggs retrieved with 5 fertilized. Transfer of three blasts. BFN June 2017: IVF #6: 2 follicles growing, 5 eggs retrieved with 5 fertilized. Transfer of 5 3-day embryos. Chemical pregnancy. BFN Nov/Dec 2017: Donor egg cycle. 33 eggs retrieved, 26 mature. 26 fertilized.
@kjplaza -im so sorry to hear. did you guys do icsi?
Me: 33, DH: 40 July 2016: IVF #1 (froze embryos) Aug. 2016: Hysteroscopy to remove a few polyps & Laparoscopy Oct. 2016: FET #1 BFN Nov. 2016: FET #2 BFP (ended in CP) March 2017: IVF #2 Fresh Transfer of 2 Blasts = BFP!!! (EDD: 11/27/17) Froze 5 Blasts DS born on 11/2/17!!! Back to try for Baby #2
@kjplaza I've heard one or two women recommend "It starts with the egg", which is a book about egg quality. Could be ridiculous and totally unscientific, for all I know. I've not read it but I've read some reviews and started taking CoQ10 since, which is like a vitamin. I'm also considering acupuncture.
I have also heard many of the women with repeated losses praise the book, "It Starts with the Egg." I have not read it, but believe it to provide meaningful insights into how you can make changes to improve egg quality.
Another book/community I hear a lot about is "Take Charge of Your Fertility." (https://www.tcoyf.com/)
There are some REs who specialize in recurrent loss. If you have an option to look for someone like that, I recommend it.
MY RE has me on the following protocol to help prevent loss: Ultra Cal Night (primarily a magnesium supplement), Vitamin E, Qunol (CoQ10), Prenatal vitamin, and a couple of prescriptions, including a low dose steroid and an anti-inflammatory. For my DH who has shown moderate MFI, he has him take a multi vitamin every day and a Cold-eze (throat lozenge) twice a week for the zinc.
If you have any questions about this, let me know! I am preparing for my first transfer and it will be with donor egg and DH's sperm.....
Me: 40, DH: 35 / Married: 2009; TTC #1: 2013
2013 - 2015: 5 pregnancies —> 5 miscarriages
TTCAL with RE (RPL specialist): February 2016
2016: 3 medicated TI cycles —> 3 medicated IUI cycles: All BFN
If you do icsi that is less "work" the sperm need to do to fertilize. But, either way I would look into the usual vitamins. I have these great gummies for pregnant women since my doctor recommended prenatal vitamins. My husband is also on a vitamin that has fish oil. If you aren't active, you can try working out to just get in better shape, losing even a couple pounds could help your overall health. And for the sperm, the usual advice of loose boxers, non-scalding hot showers, ect can help make a better environment. My husband had increased mobility and morphology after two months of vitamins. But still overall it was pretty bad numbers, but zero to two percent is an improvement!!
I also read 'It Starts With An Egg' -- I took from it what I thought was relevant. I removed all that toxic cleaning products, no more plastic anything, and the vitamins suggested I was already on.
I take a prenatal, vitamin d, dhea, co-q10, myo-inositol, baby aspirin for blood clotting. I removed alcohol from my diet and we try to eat as clean as possible with a few splurges here or there
I also do fertility acupuncture.
I'm not convinced anything of it will help but it can't hurt. Trying to be optimistic and hope these small changes will make a difference.
@Aera11 - exactly. I mean, I'm not at a point yet where I've started removing plastics or anything like that, but I've been making changes to my diet, and have started taking different vitamins. If we're still TTC in a while, I'm sure I will make more changes.
I try not to get too into it, or to become too paranoid (we're unexplained, so really, it could be anything!), but if I can make some small change that will give my eggs a better chance/improve egg quality even slightly, I am down.
Thank you everyone! i meet with my RE next week to go over everything so hopefully that will help, he is a reproductive endocrinologist so i don't have to see a separate MD for that. I will ask about the ICIS for our next round, i cant remember our numbers from egg retrieval but i believe we had around 20 eggs retrieved, 13 fertilized but only 6 made it to 5 day blasts. Initially we were supposed to be an easy straight forward case as my husband only had low count no morphology issues. Clearly there are other underlying issues that we will have to figure out but i am hopeful we will have the answers soon.
Me (28) DH (32)
Married: Dec 2011
TTC#1 May 2014
Dx: MFI (low count)
FET#1 May 2016 BFP EDD 2/4/17 - TWINS- MC July FET#2- 11/9/16 BFP- MC FET#3- 2/8/17 BFP- MC
Re: Egg/Sperm Quality
Multiple months of Clomid/Femara
End of March 2015: BFP with Femara! Saw heartbeat at 5.5 weeks. M/C at 11 weeks
Multiple more months of Femara
IUI #1 with Femara and Follistem 75 units: BFN
IUI #2 with Follistem 150 units: BFN
Dec 2015: 1st IVF. 10 eggs retrieved with 8 eggs fertilized. 5 day transfer of two embryos with 2 frozen embies. BFN
January 2016: FET #1 2 embryos: BFN
March 2016: 2nd IVF cycle. 4 eggs retrieved with 2 fertilized. Quick two day transfer of both embryos: BFN
April/May 2016 IVF #3. 11 eggs retrieved. 10 mature. 7 fertilized. 2 5AA blasts transferred 5/11/2016 BFN
September 2016 IVF #4: 17 follicles growing, premature ovulation through Cetrotide. Retrieval cancelled.
April 2017 IVF #5: 9 follicles growing, 6 eggs retrieved with 5 fertilized. Transfer of three blasts. BFN
June 2017: IVF #6: 2 follicles growing, 5 eggs retrieved with 5 fertilized. Transfer of 5 3-day embryos. Chemical pregnancy. BFN
Nov/Dec 2017: Donor egg cycle. 33 eggs retrieved, 26 mature. 26 fertilized.
July 2016: IVF #1 (froze embryos)
Aug. 2016: Hysteroscopy to remove a few polyps & Laparoscopy
Oct. 2016: FET #1 BFN
Nov. 2016: FET #2 BFP (ended in CP)
March 2017: IVF #2 Fresh Transfer of 2 Blasts = BFP!!! (EDD: 11/27/17)
Froze 5 Blasts
DS born on 11/2/17!!!
Back to try for Baby #2
Sorry for your loss and best of luck to you.
I have also heard many of the women with repeated losses praise the book, "It Starts with the Egg." I have not read it, but believe it to provide meaningful insights into how you can make changes to improve egg quality.
Another book/community I hear a lot about is "Take Charge of Your Fertility." (https://www.tcoyf.com/)
There are some REs who specialize in recurrent loss. If you have an option to look for someone like that, I recommend it.
MY RE has me on the following protocol to help prevent loss: Ultra Cal Night (primarily a magnesium supplement), Vitamin E, Qunol (CoQ10), Prenatal vitamin, and a couple of prescriptions, including a low dose steroid and an anti-inflammatory. For my DH who has shown moderate MFI, he has him take a multi vitamin every day and a Cold-eze (throat lozenge) twice a week for the zinc.
If you have any questions about this, let me know! I am preparing for my first transfer and it will be with donor egg and DH's sperm.....
Me: 40, DH: 35 / Married: 2009; TTC #1: 2013
2013 - 2015: 5 pregnancies —> 5 miscarriages
TTCAL with RE (RPL specialist): February 2016
2016: 3 medicated TI cycles —> 3 medicated IUI cycles: All BFN
Donor Egg IVF Transfer: May 1, 2017
May 11, 2017: BFP!! Beta #1: 449.1, Beta #2: 844, Beta #3: 1714
EDD: 1/17/18, it's a GIRL! E. L. A. born 12/7/2017
I take a prenatal, vitamin d, dhea, co-q10, myo-inositol, baby aspirin for blood clotting. I removed alcohol from my diet and we try to eat as clean as possible with a few splurges here or there
I also do fertility acupuncture.
I'm not convinced anything of it will help but it can't hurt. Trying to be optimistic and hope these small changes will make a difference.
I try not to get too into it, or to become too paranoid (we're unexplained, so really, it could be anything!), but if I can make some small change that will give my eggs a better chance/improve egg quality even slightly, I am down.
EDD 2/4/17 - TWINS- MC July
FET#2- 11/9/16 BFP- MC
FET#3- 2/8/17 BFP- MC