How much worse than IUI is IVF?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have you all had your wisdom teeth removed?
If that was an 8, IVF retrieval is a 3. Seriously.

Hell yeah! Teeth extractions are way, way worse. I dread dental work, but could have a retrieval every week and not stress a bit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if you are DOR than you probably do not have to worry about being distended and bloated before retrieval because you have 25 follicles.

I was DOR, retrieved 5, 3 fertilized, one transferred, one frozen. It is hopefully working, I am 10 weeks.

HI OP - I am also DOR. Please make sure your one shot is with an RE that specializes in DOR. Do not waste this attempt. I would look into Dr. Davis at Cornell, SIRM in NYC or CCRM in Colorado. I went with SIRM in NYC and even with a .4 AMH was able to get 8 embryos after fertilization. I am currently 18 weeks with a singleton after a 3 day transfer of 2.
I never did IUI because one of my tubes is blocked and the RE's didn't see the worth in it. I did take tons of supplements and track my cycles and try everything naturally for 3 years with no luck - i consider one IVF round a year's worth of trying naturally. Even though we transferred two none of the others made it to blast on day 5. So essentially we found the good one out of the batch. In reality that could have been one month out of 8 trying on our own we actually had a shot.
Look into shared risk packages - the two cycle plan at SIRM was what we signed up for. good luck!

OP here. Thanks for sharing your story. But here's what I don't understand--you said you were trying naturally for 3 years, how is it that your first IVF worked when 3 years of trying and that's like 36 eggs that you went through, didn't? You're saying that you found a good egg with IVF, but how come you (and I) can't seem to get that "good egg" with years of trying naturally?

I've been trying for a year and a half naturally and haven't found my "good egg" yet. Why would I think that one IVF would produce the good egg? This is what doesn't make sense to me about IVF when you've been trying for over a year or more and cannot get pregnant on your own.

Because fertility isn't just that straightforward. I ttc for 21 YEARS. My first Ivf worked at age 41 when my body refused at age twenty. There are likely additional issues at play that Ivf may help.

If you have a phobia of anesthesia, I suggest counseling and maybe some nice meds. Pregnancy may result in the need for anesthesia, so best face it now.

[Anonymous]

Not OP here, but one of the PPs: Aside from therapy, any other advice for dealing with nerves about the anesthesia? Is it a nurse-anesthetist or MD? Do you remember any of the procedure?

I was someone who took the laughing gas for my wisdom teeth because I was afraid of the IV sedation back then too!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not OP here, but one of the PPs: Aside from therapy, any other advice for dealing with nerves about the anesthesia? Is it a nurse-anesthetist or MD? Do you remember any of the procedure?

I was someone who took the laughing gas for my wisdom teeth because I was afraid of the IV sedation back then too!

In my case, it was an md. He did the usual thing of coming in and reviewing the procedure with me and answering any questions. He placed the Iv and that was the entire exchange. I recall none of the procedure. I was in the chair, under all the nice warm blankets chatting with a nurse and the next thing I knew the same nurse was telling me how many were retrieved. I felt fine after abd went to lunch.

you could ask if they allow earbuds and either have something relaxing playing, or some guided meditation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not OP here, but one of the PPs: Aside from therapy, any other advice for dealing with nerves about the anesthesia? Is it a nurse-anesthetist or MD? Do you remember any of the procedure?

I was someone who took the laughing gas for my wisdom teeth because I was afraid of the IV sedation back then too!

MD. The nurse put the IV in, the MD came in asked me a few questions and the the next memory i have is waking up and hearing about how many eggs we got. Was the best part of the cycle. Time travel.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for sharing your story. But here's what I don't understand--you said you were trying naturally for 3 years, how is it that your first IVF worked when 3 years of trying and that's like 36 eggs that you went through, didn't? You're saying that you found a good egg with IVF, but how come you (and I) can't seem to get that "good egg" with years of trying naturally?

I've been trying for a year and a half naturally and haven't found my "good egg" yet. Why would I think that one IVF would produce the good egg? This is what doesn't make sense to me about IVF when you've been trying for over a year or more and cannot get pregnant on your own.


It's not only egg quality, as others have said. As you age, the whole endocrine system changes. What IVF does is wipe the board clean and put in ideal concentrations of various hormones and other factors into your body at the right time, which affects how the egg and uterine lining goes on to mature. Plus you might need ICSI for fertilization (you didn't mention age of partner, but that also matters). I honestly don't think they understand that much about fertility right now, which is why they use these standardized protocols to wipe the board and start from scratch. If they did, they could probably isolate out different variables and give women more customized options.

anyway, I understand your skepticism... it might be coming from a deeper place than just puzzling over the how-to of this. Maybe you can talk to a counselor to get clear on your feelings before moving on. IF does give a lot of us doubts about the viability of our dreams and desires. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

OP here. Thanks for sharing your story. But here's what I don't understand--you said you were trying naturally for 3 years, how is it that your first IVF worked when 3 years of trying and that's like 36 eggs that you went through, didn't? You're saying that you found a good egg with IVF, but how come you (and I) can't seem to get that "good egg" with years of trying naturally?

I've been trying for a year and a half naturally and haven't found my "good egg" yet. Why would I think that one IVF would produce the good egg? This is what doesn't make sense to me about IVF when you've been trying for over a year or more and cannot get pregnant on your own.


It's not only egg quality, as others have said. As you age, the whole endocrine system changes. What IVF does is wipe the board clean and put in ideal concentrations of various hormones and other factors into your body at the right time, which affects how the egg and uterine lining goes on to mature. Plus you might need ICSI for fertilization (you didn't mention age of partner, but that also matters). I honestly don't think they understand that much about fertility right now, which is why they use these standardized protocols to wipe the board and start from scratch. If they did, they could probably isolate out different variables and give women more customized options.

anyway, I understand your skepticism... it might be coming from a deeper place than just puzzling over the how-to of this. Maybe you can talk to a counselor to get clear on your feelings before moving on. IF does give a lot of us doubts about the viability of our dreams and desires. Good luck.



OP here. Thank you for explaining this. This actually makes a lot of sense to me, and makes me think I may want to try IVF despite my fears/concerns. I was initially wondering how IVF could possibly work for me when I've already gone through 15 eggs trying on my own (with no pregnancy). We have no male factor and I was successfully pregnant not too long ago, so I haven't been able to wrap my mind around why I cannot seem to get pregnant again. But your explanation makes a lot of sense. Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not OP here, but one of the PPs: Aside from therapy, any other advice for dealing with nerves about the anesthesia? Is it a nurse-anesthetist or MD? Do you remember any of the procedure?

I was someone who took the laughing gas for my wisdom teeth because I was afraid of the IV sedation back then too!

MD. The nurse put the IV in, the MD came in asked me a few questions and the the next memory i have is waking up and hearing about how many eggs we got. Was the best part of the cycle. Time travel.

This. Have you ever had 1 too many glasses of wine and then slept really well? Same thing but no wine or hangover. You blackout for ~15 min. MD administers the IV drug to make you sleep. That's it. If you do a cycle you have to go through multiple blood draws, so needles in the vein is not an issue by then. Otherwise it's the easiest and simplest thing ever.

What is the specific concern for people with fear of anesthesia? That they will puncture the vein though? That you won't wake up (i.e. die while being unconscious)? That some disaster can occur while you're under and you can't protect yourself? It seems to be a common issue on this board, but I can't say I am able to grasp it.

OP, re: how come there was no good egg in 36 cycles but 1 IVF worked. Besides egg production, IVF also includes medication regimen to support related processes: e.g. to grow endometrium, to deliver extra progesterone that you body may not be producing enough at the early stage, etc. In other words, things that facilitate implantation and early stages of pregnancy. And/or address specific concerns, e.g. blood clotting, immune issues, thyroid problems. Without that for some people it doesn't matter if the eggs are good or bad - embryos just won't implant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: What is the specific concern for people with fear of anesthesia? That they will puncture the vein though? That you won't wake up (i.e. die while being unconscious)? That some disaster can occur while you're under and you can't protect yourself? It seems to be a common issue on this board, but I can't say I am able to grasp it.

As someone who is afraid of going under (who has never had anesthesia before), it's more along the lines of the "this might kill me" fear...that I have people in my family who have bad reactions to sedation drugs and what if I have a heart attack. There's basically no way to know if I'll have a bad reaction to the drugs until I try it. So doctors just say how safe it is, how 99.9% of people are fine, etc... but that doesn't reassure me because my fear is that I might be part of the 0.1%. There's really no way around this fear but through. At some point I just have to observe the fear and decide to set it aside in order to have a baby.

And it does feel different than the possibility that I might need surgery down the road for my baby. Because at that point it's not just about me and my life anymore and you do what you have to do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: What is the specific concern for people with fear of anesthesia? That they will puncture the vein though? That you won't wake up (i.e. die while being unconscious)? That some disaster can occur while you're under and you can't protect yourself? It seems to be a common issue on this board, but I can't say I am able to grasp it.

As someone who is afraid of going under (who has never had anesthesia before), it's more along the lines of the "this might kill me" fear...that I have people in my family who have bad reactions to sedation drugs and what if I have a heart attack. There's basically no way to know if I'll have a bad reaction to the drugs until I try it. So doctors just say how safe it is, how 99.9% of people are fine, etc... but that doesn't reassure me because my fear is that I might be part of the 0.1%. There's really no way around this fear but through. At some point I just have to observe the fear and decide to set it aside in order to have a baby.

And it does feel different than the possibility that I might need surgery down the road for my baby. Because at that point it's not just about me and my life anymore and you do what you have to do.

If you have relatives with bad reaction - you should collect the info and discuss it ahead of time. It's a serious legit concern.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

OP here. Thanks for sharing your story. But here's what I don't understand--you said you were trying naturally for 3 years, how is it that your first IVF worked when 3 years of trying and that's like 36 eggs that you went through, didn't? You're saying that you found a good egg with IVF, but how come you (and I) can't seem to get that "good egg" with years of trying naturally?

I've been trying for a year and a half naturally and haven't found my "good egg" yet. Why would I think that one IVF would produce the good egg? This is what doesn't make sense to me about IVF when you've been trying for over a year or more and cannot get pregnant on your own.

It's not only egg quality, as others have said. As you age, the whole endocrine system changes. What IVF does is wipe the board clean and put in ideal concentrations of various hormones and other factors into your body at the right time, which affects how the egg and uterine lining goes on to mature. Plus you might need ICSI for fertilization (you didn't mention age of partner, but that also matters). I honestly don't think they understand that much about fertility right now, which is why they use these standardized protocols to wipe the board and start from scratch. If they did, they could probably isolate out different variables and give women more customized options.

anyway, I understand your skepticism... it might be coming from a deeper place than just puzzling over the how-to of this. Maybe you can talk to a counselor to get clear on your feelings before moving on. IF does give a lot of us doubts about the viability of our dreams and desires. Good luck.



OP here. Thank you for explaining this. This actually makes a lot of sense to me, and makes me think I may want to try IVF despite my fears/concerns. I was initially wondering how IVF could possibly work for me when I've already gone through 15 eggs trying on my own (with no pregnancy). We have no male factor and I was successfully pregnant not too long ago, so I haven't been able to wrap my mind around why I cannot seem to get pregnant again. But your explanation makes a lot of sense. Thank you!

Glad that helped! I was really reluctant to do IVF at first given my numbers so I totally get it. It was never explained to me in these terms but slowly over the years of asking questions I feel like I understand why they do what they do. There is a lot more research now about how the eggs and lining mature in sync with all the different hormones... it's a miracle, really, the system is so complex and delicate. Plus they have something now called assisted hatching -- as you age, the "shell" of the egg thickens, and so sometimes even if you have a genetically normal fertilized egg it doesn't hatch. But now they can make a little hole in it so that it will hatch as soon as it's transferred. Good luck to you!