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pomegranate / 3764 posts
@momazon: Yeah, it's definitely tough. My FS basically told me that frozen transfers aren't the goal for us (not worth the stress when I don't ovulate and have trouble with progesterone) - so yeah, we're really hoping for this freshie! I know a lot of folks do well with FET's but all they've done is cause me stress.
How are things on your end?
kiwi / 613 posts
@jaguar: I'm so sorry, I know this is the opposite of what you wanted. How were your follicles looking?
pomegranate / 3764 posts
Sorry to go quiet, but no good news here. Progesterone is sky high and we are triggering tonight for retrieval on Thursday - all frozen again. I'll probably take a break from the boards because once again, we are left with no transfer, no way of getting pregnant, and very little hope.
Good luck to those of you cycling, I'll stop in when I can. xx
persimmon / 1114 posts
@jaguar: I am so sorry. I don't understand why there always has to be so many hurdles...it's just not fair.
persimmon / 1114 posts
So updating because I had the consult with my new dr. Because of insurance issues (long story) she is suggesting we do a retrieval in June and then freeze them and transfer in July. I am very leery of that because our only successful cycle has been fresh, but I am also so tired of double and triple guessing every doctor.
She was also pushing hard for genetic testing. It would be 4-5K out of pocket, but she said it would increase the chances of getting pregnant to 80%. That is no small amount of money, but, if we have to freeze all anyway, my husband and I are starting to debate it (as he says - pay it once for the testing, or possibly many times over in failed transfers). Anyone have any experience with this?
kiwi / 613 posts
@bloved: We decided not to do PGS because the expense would've been $6k extra each cycle, and we never got enough blastocysts to make it worthwhile. If we had like 8 make it to the blast stage, we may have considered it, but we would only end up with 1-2 good ones each time, which we transferred without testing.
How did you like the new doctor?
I've read great things about frozen transfers, that they can get even better results than fresh sometimes... But I know the wait would be so hard. I don't have any personal experience with frozen cycles just because only one of ours ever made it to freeze.
kiwi / 613 posts
We got word that our donor will be triggering tonight, yay! We're excited to find out how many mature eggs we'll have to work with on Thursday (they will be split between me and two other recipients.) We'll be doing ICSI with my husband's sperm.
We are allowed to write an anonymous thank you letter to her to get after her retrieval, and I'm getting emotional just thinking about what to say in the letter.
pomegranate / 3533 posts
@bloved: We didn't do PGS/ because it would've been expensive (I want to say we were quoted $6-8K) and off-site. But if my doctor had strongly recommended it, we would've definitely considered!
@momazon: That's wonderful! SO EXCITED for you!!!
persimmon / 1114 posts
@momazon: that's so exciting!!!!
@FliegepilzHut: @momazon: thanks for the feedback. Now I am worried she quoted me "low". I don't think we are strong candidates for it (we have a chemical and a blighted ovum in our past, plus an additional failed fet) because my other doctor never pushed it. That's why I am worried this doctor might just be trying to make extra money. But throwing around a quote like 80% success rate makes it mighty tempting!
pomegranate / 3533 posts
@bloved: I have heard those high success rates as well! I think it especially is good b/c those success rates apply when transferring one genetically normal embryo (while reducing your risk of multiples)! With your history, I might be especially tempted (even knowing, as I do, that my blighted ovum was "genetically normal"). Good luck with whatever you decide!
pear / 1770 posts
Hey ladies, I've been lurking on this thread for a while, and I was hoping to get some feedback from you. Backstory: My husband and I have only been TTC for 6 cycles (but REALLY trying, with temping, OPKs, fertility monitor, etc). My cycles have been irregular, so my OB suggested I see an RE a couple months ago. My husband went in for an SA, and we found out he has a sperm count of only 8.4 mil/ml, with 38% motility and 3% morphology. I've since been diagnosed with subclinical hypothyroidism and my AMH is 1.73, which is not *truly* low, but I'm only 29. Anyway, my question is: how long do you think is appropriate to wait before trying IVF? My RE suggested we should try on our own for a year+ first, but my husband is 41 and we're very anxious to start our family. "Trying" every month with his low sperm parameters feels like an exercise in futility and is seriously stressing me out. The success rate of IUIs with MFI is so low, I feel like I'd rather just spend my time, money and energy on IVF (and would like to start this fall). But am I jumping the gun? Sorry for rambling, I'm just feeling insecure and alone!
Thanks for reading - I am rooting for all of you!
pear / 1986 posts
@bloved: I've just been lurking on here since I'm in between cycles, but I just wanted to mention that my original RE suggested PGS after I've now had three failed FETs (2 chemical, one failed). I'm seeing a new RE in June because we moved, and I'm curious if she will also recommend PGS. I understood it to be in the 6K range. The cost is pretty daunting on top of the cost of a fresh cycle, so I'm not sure what we will do if she is strongly in favor of it. We did have a successful pregnancy with an FET (all of our embryos were from a single fresh cycle) so I know that we had at least 1 genetically viable embryo in that bunch of 11 originals. Wishing you good luck!!
persimmon / 1316 posts
@ms.line: What did your doctor say your chances with IUI were? From what I know, IUI seems to help with MFI more so than female related issues so it could be worth a try. I totally understand what you mean though about not wanting to waste more time and money. We skipped IUI's as well because of my issues the success with it is SO low having stage IV endo. But if I had any chance at success with IUI I probably would have tried a few cycles of that first, especially since you are only at the 6 month mark of TTC and your doctor didn't think you needed to go there yet. I know how hard the waiting is, but IVF is just so physically, emotionally and financially draining that if I had other options to try first I probably would have. But other ladies on here may have a different opinion since they did try IUI's first. There are supplements and lifestyle changes that your DH could make to improve his #'s, it takes about 3 months to really improve sperm quality when you start making changes. Also maybe try acupuncture? Doing things like this while you are "waiting" for your next move whether it be IUI or IVF makes the months more manageable because you feel like you are at least doing something to help. Good luck!
persimmon / 1316 posts
@bloved: We also didn't do PGE testing because of the cost but was also told of those success rates with it. We have a beautiful daughter from my first IVF cycle but sort of wish we could do it on our frozen embryo's because I only want to do single Embryo transfers in the future and I know PGE makes your success rates so much higher with Single transfers.
persimmon / 1114 posts
@ms.line: Does your insurance cover any infertility? I was talking with my new RE the other day, and she was saying insurance only "covers" IVF without iui for 3 things - severe male factor, tubal issues and endo. I don't know a lot about male infertility, so I don't know if you would qualify. But, I would definitely talk with the doctor about what insurance will and will not approve.
@GreenThumb: All of my embryos were from a single fresh cycle too and I also have my son from it. That is why my previous doctor did not push the genetic testing. She said that they were "flukes",,,but I sometimes worry that he was the "fluke" and not the norm.
@Mrs.Pinecone316: @FliegepilzHut: I know. This new doctor ONLY does single embryo transfers which I think is upping my nerves. Two of my transfers have been double embryo and out of those 4 embryos only 1 took. I like the idea of upping my odds...
I have a call in to my clinic for a better idea of cost...hopefully that will give us some guidance...
persimmon / 1316 posts
@bloved: I also transferred 2 to increase my odds since I didn't do PGE.. The way my RE explained it is that if they dont do PGE then the chances of one of the two embryos being abnormal and not sticking or miscarrying is high which is why they usually do 2 if requested. But if you do PGE and know that it is a genetically normal embryo then there is no need to transfer two since an RE's goal is a singleton healthy pregnancy, not multiples (even though a lot of people going through infertility want twins) I think doing PGE really increases your chances of success WAY more than transferring two. Just wish is wasn't so expensive!
honeydew / 7463 posts
@bloved: hey there, I don't keep up with the IVF boards as much as I should, but I do have experience with PGD if you want to talk. My situation is a little bit different because we went into IVF knowing that I have chromosomal issues and PGD was really our only option. But just to put it into perspective — I had 13 eggs retrieved. Of the 13, 11 embryos made it to day five. 10 of them made it through biopsy and freeze. And of those 10 only one of them was chromosomally sound. So, had we not done PGD testing, who knows how long it would've taken to get through those 10 embryos to get to that one good one. Again I know my situation is different because we knew that I had a chromosome issue going into it, but without PGD I wouldn't have my eight-month-old baby boy
ETA: yes it cost us $4k or so extra to do PGD. But who knows how much more we would have spent had we not. We got pregnant in one round because we knew we had the one good embryo. Of course even a good embryo isn't guaranteed to stick, but it's a heck of a lot more likely.
pear / 1770 posts
@Mrs.Pinecone316: You make a great point about coping with "waiting" by trying out more lifestyle changes/acupuncture - I think it's my powerlessness over the situation that really gets to me. My DH's urologist can't find a cause for his low counts - he started on Fertility Blend though, and I doubt we'd do any interventions until his next SA. Thanks for replying - it's great to hear perspectives from women who've actually been through it!
@bloved: Unfortunately, my insurance doesn't cover any infertility treatments at all! We'll be paying for everything out of pocket. We could manage two fresh cycles, but we'd really be hurting for cash if we had to do more.
pomegranate / 3764 posts
Just popping in to update. We had egg retrieval yesterday & got 10 eggs, and got the text this morning that 8 have fertilised and been frozen at day 1. We'll have to take some time off to recover from this stim, so I'll pop in in a few weeks & see how all is going. Hugs, girls.
pomegranate / 3533 posts
@jaguar: That sounds like a great response! Will be thinking of you!
pear / 1531 posts
@jaguar: Glad you had a good retrieval and fert report although sorry you didn't get the fresh transfer you wanted. Really hoping good things for you on this one.
@bloved: We chose not to do genetic selection. I do think it saves you the time and also the heartbreak of a miscarriage. But you have to produce a lot of blastocysts for it to be worth it, in my opinion. It shouldn't increase the odds of a successful pregnancy if you count up all the frozen transfers and ignore the miscarriage risk.
Sorry for being MIA. Been crazy busy at work, super sick, blah blah. Crazy week. We did hear the heartbeat today at six weeks exactly. Very relieving!
kiwi / 589 posts
@jaguar: that is great news and a great response! I'm praying for you that things continue to go well.
persimmon / 1114 posts
@jaguar: that is a great fertilization report! Hope the wait goes by quickly and you are back again soon!
pear / 1986 posts
@momazon: I've just been lurking on here lately but wanted to check in on you. How is everything going? Did you have a transfer yet? Excited for you!!
persimmon / 1479 posts
Yes, @mamazon please give an update! I've been thinking of you and hope everything went well.
We also have the option to write a thank you to our donor....I'm struggling with what to say, it's such an amazing gift.
kiwi / 613 posts
@GreenThumb: @winter_wonder: Thanks for checking in on me, and sorry I've been MIA from the thread!
Our donor's stims went smoothly and she had 24 eggs retrieved (wow!). Our share was 8 eggs, and this morning we transferred 1 expanded blastocyst. The doctor and embryologist were really positive and encouraging about our chances with this one. They think I'll end up with two to freeze, which is so great! Beta is not until 6-15!!! (As if I could hold out testing till then!)
@winter_wonder: I struggled with what to say too. Be sure to take a pic of what you wrote if you want to go back and read it later once your emotions calm down! Even if this cycle doesn't work for us, I'm so grateful to her for trying.
persimmon / 1479 posts
@momazon: yayyy!!!! That's so awesome! great idea to take a pic of the donor note. I get emotional just thinking about it!
grapefruit / 4703 posts
@momazon: perpetual lurker just popping in to say yay!!! Can't wait til you test! And youch! to your donor (24 eggs!) Hope she's feeling good, what an amazing gift to give to three families.
kiwi / 613 posts
@winter_wonder: I seriously couldn't even read it out loud to my hubby it made me so emotional. The progesterone injections make me extra ready to cry at any moment, ha! How are things going with your process? I need to catch up on this thread now.
pear / 1770 posts
@momazon: That sounds awesome! But the 15th seems so far away - hang in there!
kiwi / 613 posts
@Shutterbug: Thank you!! I know! 24 was amazing to me. I was worrying for her but they said they're really careful about not overstimming them. We don't get any information about how things went for her, to preserve her privacy, but I'm hoping it wasn't too rough for her. Yes! Three families benefit from her donation! What a gift of hope to all of us.
kiwi / 613 posts
@ms.line: I'll definitely test before then! I doubt I can hold out till early next week!
persimmon / 1479 posts
@momazon: nothing too exciting in my end. Our donor starts meds next week. I hope the month of June goes quickly, I'm going crazy just thinking about everything!!!!
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