What do you think about this?

[Anonymous]

I just got the bad news yesterday that my 3rd IVF did not work. This round we did EPP and it was much smoother than the other three, and we got more embryos this time, but still at BFN. I am 42 and I got pregnant naturally at 40 but had to terminate that pregnancy. In addtion to the 3 IVF rounds we did 2 rounds of drugs with TI.

For the IVFs I completely changed my lifestyle. I gave up hard core exercise in favor of walking/stationery bike. I did acupuncture, herbs, took wheatgrass, gave up caffeine, alcohol. I did hypnotherapy and meditation to be calm. My husband and I are going to discuss with the doctor whether it is worth 1 more round with my eggs or go straight to donor.

If we decided to try one more round I am thinking of giving up acupuncture and herbsand going back to my hardcore exercise and just give it up when I start stimming. I'll go to half calf or decaf when I start stimming. I feel like none of the changes I made made any difference and only served to drive me crazy. I love exercise and it makes me feel great. (I feel out of shape now) I like acupuncture and I don't mind the herbs but I don't get the fabulous relaxation from it that I've heard about from others. It's also expensive and I really can't tell if it is doing anything. I do love my acupuncturist, though.

On the other hand, I wonder if I would be just throwing away my money if we tried one last time without pulling out all the stops. This would be the last try we are insured for. (50%) Honestly, it's the exercise piece that I really want to start up again. It is the thing that I miss the most. I don't mind giving up the alcohol, caffiene or continuing with acupuncture.

Does anyone have any thoughts? I'm all ears or eyes, if you will.

[Anonymous]

it sounds like you gave it everything, have you considered egg donation?

[Anonymous]

It's such a crapshoot. I've done much of what you have and haven't gotten pregnant, but I just heard about someone who did absolutely nothing special and did. I say, since you have good insurance coverage (assuming that covers drugs, too), go for one more and go with your plan to workout until stimming.

And I'm really sorry this cycle didn't work out for you.

[Anonymous]

I actually kept up with acupuncture through all my cycles, mostly just because I liked my acupuncturist so much and felt like my sessions were like therapy for me! But I don't think it really made a difference. I finally got pregnant when I did a donor egg cycle.

I think really hard core exercise can change your hormones, so I do think that can effect your results, though I tend to think it's probably more relevant for natural cycles than for IVF. I think if you really miss it, you should try to go for something in the middle if you can.

If you think you can afford one more cycle and ALSO afford donor egg after that, I think it might be worth doing. If not, I would go straight to donor egg.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Like I said, we have already decided that donor egg is our next step. Right now we are deciding whether it is worth it to try one more time with my own eggs. Ultimately, we will make a decision after meeting with my doctor.

Also, when I say hard core exercise, I'm talking about Seargent's Program once a day 5 days a week for an hour. Yes, it is a tough class, but I'm not training for a marathon. I would also probably run a little bit on the weekends for a total of 10 miles a week, in addition to whatever we do in class. I have no idea whether this level of exercise changes my hormones or not.

All I know is that right now I feel beaten down by this. I was completely devastated that I had to terminate my pregnancy. (it was a fatal defect) I thought that I would be able to get pregnant on my own again. Going through the infertility stuff has been its own hell. Nothing like being told that your baby has a fatal defect but pretty tough all the same.

I'm just asking for opinions on whether people think going back to my exercise program will really make a difference, if we go forward for one more try. The acupuncturist's view is that it will, which is why I stopped in the first place. My doctor says that it doesn't make a difference. I was trying to balance Western and Eastern medicine.

Keep chiming in with opinions, insights and experiences. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

My advice would be to take a month off before deciding anything (and I know how hard it is to take that advice). During that month, maybe do some moderate jogging - but nothing super tough. You have an entire lifetime to exercise, another few months taking a lower-key approach to exercise isn't the end of the world. Plus, if you do get pregnant, you're going to have to take it easier anyway. Also use that month to get some perspective before deciding if you want to go ahead with another cycle.

Also, you may want to try getting a second opinion from another clinic before going ahead with another cycle.

Sorry about the BFN -- I know how hard they are -- especially when you did everything in your power to get pregnant. Good luck!!!!!!

[Anonymous]

As long as you are not actively cycling (doing stims) and the exercise isn't keeping your BMI super low, then do the exercise that makes you feel good. When/if you start another cycle, then cut back to more moderate exercise like fast walking. I think a lot of what you have done (acupuncture, no caffeine/alcohol, less exercise, etc) are things designed to make you feel better about your body when cycling, but I am not sure they make a ton of difference from my personal experience. If they are making you more stressed or are a nuisance, then I am not really sure that you can consider them a benefit. I say this from experience, as I have done all of these things myself and not done them on cycles and don't see a difference.

I am also the same age and agree with the PP who suggested a second opinion. I did several cycles at a local clinic and had 3 pregnancies - one was ectopic and the other two were m/c. My local RE was willing to cycle me again, but I decided that my final cycle needed to be with a different clinic and I chose Dr. Davis at Cornell given the fact that he regularly treats women with high FSH and of AMA. They are also the clinic that created EPP (which I did 2x and is a good protocol for me) and Dr. Davis could tweak what had been done on prior cycles. If this cycle doesn't work, then I know I have given it everything and can move on to other options.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks. I consulted Dr. Davis, however, my insurance does not cover me up there. (I didn't realize it when I went up there for the first appointment) I had my PCP write a very extensive letter to go out of network, but still no luck. We couldn't afford/justify spending the 20 grand to go up to NY for a cycle. If/when we do donor egg I will have to change clinics to do the shared risk program at SG. I'm at CFA now with Sacks. I actually switched to him from Rifka because I know he did EPP. My first two IVFs were MDL cycles with Rifka.


I'm still up for more opinions on my original post. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

6:35 poster here - Sorry to hear your insurance wouldn't cover Dr. Davis. I, too, will be considering shared risk at SG for DE if my path leads me there. Best of luck to you!