Okay, folks, help me out here. I've got a consult with Dr. Gorgeous tomorrow and I'm not quite sure exactly what I'm going to say. I mean, I think I want to talk about this nightmare of a Menopur cycle. And possibly my luteal estrace dose/protocol. And whether an antagonist IVF protocol w/ ONLY follistim might be worth doing before moving on to donor egg. Which, really, I don't want to do. Hard as these two years have been, I'm not ready to quit on my body. And if I'm already going to do a Follistim cycle, why not try for IVF and then if I don't get 5+ follicles just do IUI. And then I wonder if I should just bail on Dr. G, whom I really do adore, and go to some Mega Clinic for either IVF or donor cycle. Or maybe just go back to unstimulated IUIs because nothing seems to be working. Really I'm at a loss. And tired of looking like a junkie (you should see my arms!). I'll take whatever suggestions/advice/observations you have. I have a feeling Dr. G will let me do WHATEVER I want as long as it's not completely medically unadvised.
Now I'm going to get the last of my manuscripts in the mail, go get a massage, enjoy the evening with LG, and take my Ovidrel for Friday's IUI.
Ugh. As a poor responder, myself, all I can say is that I know how much it sucks to put so much time & effort & money into a cycle & then have to bail on it for whatever reason.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, I'm not sure how much "better" the big clinics (with the exception of CCRM-level 'big clinics) are for IVF. If your body doesn't respond in a predictable way, being prescribed drugs by a high end doc isn't going to change that.
I would, however, if you decide to go the DE route eventually, HIGHLY recommend going to a big clinic that does a ton of these, and has an in-house pool of donors. Much less stressful.
And in the meantime, I'll be interested to see what you decide. Thinking of you, and wishing this were easier. Because really? This plain sucks.
After a while it all just sucks. If you're sick of all the drugs, why not try a cycle or 2 without? I've known several people who get pregnant their 1st unmedicated cycle after months/years of drugs.
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts on changing docs: If you have one that is willing to keep trying new things with you, and you have a good rapport, I'd be hesitant to change. There are a lot of assface docs out there.
All your comments make a lot of sense. S, I'm not sure I am a poor responder; I mean, I certainly look like one on paper but there are also ways in which I'm an unpredictably hyper responder (like, taking half a clomid pill for three days can make me ovulate as early as day 8). The way Dr. G has dealt with this phenomenon is putting me on luteal estrace, which can have the effect of shutting me down too much. I might be deluding myself, but I think if we find the right balance of suppression and starting the right drug at the right time I'll do well.
ReplyDeleteRachel, I'm also a person who conceived on an should-have-been cancelled unmedicated cycle, so that's a definite possibility. Probably for fall, though, when I don't have time for monitoring anyway.
I have nothing useful to contribute on the actual drug cocktail, but can only say that you should switch RE's only when you are sure you should, because not everyone is that nice, and you don't want to have to explain your history a jillion times and you certainly don't want to hear "oh I wouldn't have done THAT" which I have heard and which just incensed me.
ReplyDeleteSo I guess I'm saying that you are smart enough about this stuff (really unbelievably knowledgable, actually) to decide what you want to do, and I'm sorry that this cycle is not panning out as well as you had hoped. Good luck with the IUI -- I want this very badly to work for you!