First-time IVF Slow Responder

[Anonymous]

My husband are doing IVF for the first time. I am on eighth day of stims and apparently all is not going well. I started off with nine follies and now apparently I have one decent size one and perhaps two or three others that could come along. My estrogen level is still under 100. I'm fairly sure they will cancel this cycle. Has anyone else run into this? If so, did you have better sucess with future cycles? I was told by the nurse sometimes with the first cycle they just don't know how the body will respond to the meds. I'm not sure what to make of any of it. Any words of wisdom would be welcome.

[Anonymous]

Do you know what your FSH is? Also, how old are you?

[Anonymous]

I was a slow responder, even after they put me at the max dose of the drugs. If they cancel this cycle they may recommend a different protocol -- perphaps either one with a very minimal dose of lupron or no lupron and the addition of ganirelix (sp?). Do you know what protocol you are on now? I ended up having success with the lupron stop protocol and the ganirelix protocol. I've also heard poor responders using the microdose lupron protocol. On my last cycle (which was successful) they even switch me to the lose dose birth control pill for the month before. I know it is frustrating, but hang in there!

FSH is not always a great determiner of IVF outcome, now they usually look at the antral follicle count as well.

[Anonymous]

I'm 36 about to turn 37. My FSH level I was told was low. Estrogen level was high the first time they tested me. But, allegedly all was good when they gave me the bloodwork test before starting stims. I suppose that could be due to the birth control pills and lupron they had me on.

[Anonymous]

I only had 6 eggs....one ovary didn't respond...got pregnant.....it can work.....

[Anonymous]

Acupuncture, acupuncture, acupuncture. Adding it to our efforts made all the difference in the world and pushed us into success. GL!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Acupuncture, acupuncture, acupuncture. Adding it to our efforts made all the difference in the world and pushed us into success. GL!

And, fwiw, I was 40 at the time and had a very high FSH. My RE had begun talking about donor eggs because he did not even see me as a candidate for IVF (we did injectible meds with IUI) due to my "poor" response to the meds.

[Anonymous]

BTW, the website ivfconnections.net, has forums in which lots and lots of people are cycling at the same time or have cycled & you can as any questions with a very large pool of people that either are or have gone through it.

[Anonymous]

This is an old email but I'll respond to it anyway in case the OP is reading and for others...
I was a slow responder in both IVF cycles. In the second IVF cycle I started out with 9 follicles and lost several along the way. I was on the microdose and on birth control. THe nurse explained that slow responses happen with microdoses and birth control pills. Made me wonder, why the heck did they put me on it in the first place then?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: My husband are doing IVF for the first time. I am on eighth day of stims and apparently all is not going well. I started off with nine follies and now apparently I have one decent size one and perhaps two or three others that could come along. My estrogen level is still under 100. I'm fairly sure they will cancel this cycle. Has anyone else run into this? If so, did you have better sucess with future cycles? I was told by the nurse sometimes with the first cycle they just don't know how the body will respond to the meds. I'm not sure what to make of any of it. Any words of wisdom would be welcome.

Please don't give up hope. If the cycle does not get cancelled - even one embryo can get you pregnant. If it gets cancelled, try again. They will adjust your meds (you have to make them accountable - hound them with questions and pressure. remember, doctors have lots of patients. you will only get the attention you deserve if you are vocal and you are well read.

Good luck. My thoughts are with you;

[Anonymous]

Don't give up hope. They usually don't start you out on high doses of the meds for your first cycle as they want to see how you respond. I was a slow responder. After the first cycle, they started me out on the max dose of follistim and repronex from the get-go. That was successful. When I went back later (after a successful pregnancy), I didn't respond well to that protocol (I was on lupron stop). So they dropped the lupron and switched me to the ganirelix protocol which worked.

[Anonymous]

Why is it that the same protocol which worked for you the first time around did not work the second time?

[Anonymous]

I was three years older when we tried for the next baby.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was three years older when we tried for the next baby.

If you don't mind me asking - how old were you the second time around? I'm 41 and nervous because I will be having a Lupron stop protocl in January. If this is a protocol normally reserved for younger women or less likely to work on older patients, should they be using this protocol on me?

[Anonymous]

I'm another poster. The 37.5 gal who got pregnant on her 1st IVF. I was on the Lupron/stop protocol too and will be this time around at 39 (40 in April)