Ivf failure

[Anonymous]

I've had two ivf failures. Both times I made it to transfer but then got a bfn. I'm just shy of 40 and I'm wondering if anyone has any thoughts or advice on trying again. My insurance covers (Somewhat) one more attempt although we are currently low on money. The ivf is due to male factor but I'm sure my age is affecting my egg quilty. Would you stay with the same clinic ( shady grove) or switch? Also has anyone around the same age had success after two failures? Feeling pretty bad right (it seems everyone around me is pregnant) now and just looking for some suggestions.

[Anonymous]

I was in your shoes, but moved to DE because we were 100% OOP. If you have one more cycle covered by insurance, I'd check who takes your insurance and go from there. Might not be the magic answer, but the worst part of infertility is the constant what-if'ing we do.

We started out as MFI, but adding egg age into the equation doesn't help things.

I'm so sorry for your BFN.

[Anonymous]

So so sorry OP! Does your clinic plan on changing up your protocol....that might help. Since your insurance is (somewhat) covering it, I would give it another try. I was talking to a friend who just got pregnant on her third try with IVF (I believe she is 39).
I know what you mean about everyone being pregnant. I belong to a infertility support group and pretty much everyone who I started with is now pregnant (I've had two miscarriages). However, since I have all these friends going through IVF, my friends have given me their leftover not used drugs - do you know anyone going through the process that can donate to you to help cut costs?

[Anonymous]

OP, sorry to hear about bfn.
If you are keen on staying with your own eggs, transferring PGD normal embryos could be the next step if you aren't already doing so.
For AMA, it's also better to review the protocol through a second opinion with an RE who is more experienced at it. Because women at advanced age don't respond very well, REs tend to bump up the medications which spoil the embryo quality.
Since you don't have not much money left, I would say stop, seek a second opinion from an experienced RE. Then, if you agree with Shady Grove, go back to them. Keeping doing cycle after cycle at the same clinic does not give a better perspective at all.

[Anonymous]

OP here. The doc. said he was going to change the protocol. My DH doesn't think it's worth it- thinks the odds are too slim. I don't know anyone going through this and feel foolish for turning in my left over medication : (
Thanks for your responses makes me feel less alone.

[Anonymous]

Any recommendations on a doctor?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. The doc. said he was going to change the protocol. My DH doesn't think it's worth it- thinks the odds are too slim. I don't know anyone going through this and feel foolish for turning in my left over medication : (
Thanks for your responses makes me feel less alone.

I am 19:50. You are not alone!! Keep researching different options. That's the only way to keep going.

[Anonymous]

3rd was the charm for us as well although we miscarried at 8 weeks. 4th try was FET and resulted in my DD who turned 2 yesterday. We are currently 29weeks along with number two from another FET.

With the 3rd try (and our first pregnancy) the only change I made was losing 10lbs and doing acupuncture the morning before the transfer and then again 48hours later. Also did the same acupuncture routine with the two sucessful FETs.

Also I remember my RE mentioned that some women just respond better to FETs because the medications are not as taxing on the body.

I wish you the best of luck in whatever you decide!

[Anonymous]

It's 19:34. Hindsight is 20/20 with the drugs. I only knew to ask people for drugs because other people in my support group did it. I would check the DCUM archives for those who sought second opinions. From what I read, there are doctors at Cornell that were willing to review cases/protocols. Here is one thread: http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/15/377047.page

(I have not done IVF yet, just IUI, but I'm gearing up in case that is the next step)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any recommendations on a doctor?

My recommendation is any doctor at SIRM. They are all out of state, so you need to check with your insurance. An initial consult at the very least should be helpful. What I learned at SIRM about myself during my initial consult was much more than what I learned at local clinics during 2 years.

[Anonymous]

What protocols did you do and how many eggs were retrieved? How many of those fertilized and made it to day 3? It's hard to give advice on what to do next without knowing how well you've been responding to the meds.

[Anonymous]

Started out on bc. Then prescribed menopur and gonal-f. My first cycle I was slow to respond and stimmed for a long time. The second time they increased my dosage of both medications. I ended up with a few more eggs ( I think 10 total)but none made it to blast. I transferred 2 eggs the first time and 3 the 2nd time.

[Anonymous]

If you're uncertain of egg quality, PGD may be helpful to weed out any eggs that are abnormal. While it may be more money, it might save you some heartache. Also, w/PGD, you can actually do TWO cycles to get sufficient blasts to test (up to 8, I think?)

Also, FWIW, one of the other posters rec'd DE, which could give you more eggs and higher quality eggs. I was surprised by how much less DE drugs are (less than $1000) compared to IVF drugs ($5k - $8, and I paid $8k/round).

good luck. it's a tough journey.

[Anonymous]

I literally just met with our RE today (Shady Grove) and we were discussing protocols and techniques. He told us that statistically they were more successful with FETs than with fresh cycles now.

That said, you may want to do a little more investigation into NCIVF. It's been successful with many of my friends and it is at least worth considering.

[Anonymous]

I am the same age 39 and I found that taking Co-enzyme Q10 correlated with my positive cycles. I did one cycle in Oct 2012 that was a chemical and started co-enzyme Q10 right away. Did a cycle in Jan which resulted in a successful pregnancy. Did a cycle in May 2014 that ended in mc at 8 weeks (abnormal pregnancy from the beginning) and again started on Q10 right after. Did another cycle in August and currently 6.5 weeks but so far everything seems normal.

I am not saying that Q10 was the trick but it is suppose to improve egg quality. It may be worth looking into taking it to see if you can get some better eggs. Also, I only got 10 eggs my last cycle and only 3 fertilized. We transferred 2 at day 3 but the last egg did make it to freeze this cycle. First time ever I have had a frozen embryo.