2 Cancelled IVF Cycles and RE Says Donor Egg is Only Option-Should I get a second opinion?
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Anonymous
| Hello. I am new to this site, but I am very interested in your opinions since we are all in the DC area. I currently use Shady Grove and have had 2 IVF cycles - one in January and one in February 2016. The first cycle the RE had me start on 18 days of birth control, then Gonal-F 450 and Menopur 150 daily. He cancelled the first cycle after 7 days because he said my estrogen levels were barely over 100 and my follicles weren't growing fast enough - I think the largest I had was 1 at 10mm. We then tried a second IVF cycle this month and he changed the protocol slightly to start with 200 Chlomid for the first 4 days, then on day 2 I added 450 Gonal-F and 150 Menopur. Again at Day 7 he said my follicles were not growing fast enough and this time my estrogen was barely above 50. He wanted to cancel the cycle but I asked if I could go a couple of days longer just for peace of mind. He has allowed me to, but I fear that it is going to be the same result. He said if this cycle doesn't work, my only option is an egg donor. My AMH level is low, .36, so I think I suffer from a diminished ovarian reserve. I am just wondering from your experience if I should perhaps get a second opinion? 2 IVF cycles seems so fast to make a final determination that my only option is an egg donor. However, I am new to this IVF world, so I don't know if his diagnosis sounds correct from your experiences? Does quitting after 2 cycles seem too early to you all? As you can imagine moving on to egg donor is a really huge decision and I don't want to make a decision like this prematurely. Any advice you can offer would be greatly appreciated! |
Anonymous
| Don't lose hope! Birth control suppression is not a good protocol with DOR. You should ask to try the estrogen priming protocol and I bet you'd see different results. Good luck! |
Anonymous
| You should br estrogen priming with DOR. Find an RE that specializes in that. Good luck. |
Anonymous
| Your age would factor into my answer. |
Anonymous
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How old are you and is DOR your only issue? My AMH is .34 and I got pregnant naturally after taking supplements like vitamin D and coq10. Took 10 months. I'm 38.
So no, I definitely don't think you need a donor egg unless you're in you're 40s. |
Anonymous
| Original Poster here. Sorry that I didn't post my age in my original question. I am 38 years old. Thank you everyone for all of your advice. My RE never mentioned estrogen priming so I will definitely ask him about it at our meeting to discuss this cancelled cycle. I have also read other poor responders posts that b/c they responded slowly or not very much at all that their REs switched them to IUI so at least the cycle wasn't a complete waste of time. Even if the chances are slim that it would work I feel like the chances are better than 0 which are my odds when he completely cancels the cycle. I am guessing perhaps b/c we signed up for the multi-cycle discount program that IUI is not included in that contract so maybe that is why he doesn't suggest it. I will ask all of these questions at my next follow-up visit. Thanks again everyone for your help!!! |
Anonymous
| I would get a second opinion from a different clinic. You might be on the wrong protocol (that suppression cycle seems long for low AMH) or you might be a slow responder. |
Anonymous
I don't know about converting to IUI. I guess it would require the follicles to be of size (just few of them) I would move to another clinic. I liked Shady Grove but being 38-39 I decided on GW. If you want to stay local I would recommend a visit, Dr Frankurter usually is willing to try with OE, more than Shady Grove, you could at least get his opinion on protocols and what he would do differently. If you can afford out-of-state then Cornell or CCRM, they're pricey but have high success rates and I believe Cornell is particularly good with DOR. If you are ok with donor eggs then Shady Grove is a very good clinic. I think their lab is excellent. The decision is yours. It's about what's best for you and what you are willing to try out. Best of luck. |
Anonymous
OP I had similar experience (one cancelled cycle) with SGF and got the donor egg speech so I switched to Dominion and have had much better results. I know the merits of both clinics have been debated on this forum, but for me Dominion has been much more responsive to my concerns. I'm day 8 of stims and as of this morning I have 3-4 follies that measure around 15-16 mm (estrogen 340) and there has been no mention of cancelling 
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Anonymous
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Even with AMH of 1.1 (at 40), my RE suggested Estrogen priming control since I did not respond well to lupron suppression (another form of suppression, not as strong as BCP).
With EPP, follicles did not start growing until after abt 9 days from the injection,but once the speed picked up, I had anywhere from 6 to 9 eggs retrieved. My nurse did not even schedule first sono until around 9 days. Cancelling at day 7 of injection does not seem to justify OP's RE. If possible, 2nd opinion? |
Anonymous
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Also you could try natural cycle IVF at Dominion or mini IVF at another clinic if the estrogen priming does not work.
Or a more innovative IVF protocol at another local or out of state clinic. Best of luck. Rooting for you! |