6 replies to this topic

[Zelda]

I recently had two frozen embryo transfers fail. These two were my last two from a cycle I did back in 2016, and now I am thinking about doing another fresh cycle. What do you think my chances are? I am 36 and have stage 4 endo. To prepare for my cycle back in 2016, I had to go on Lupron for six months. I don't really want to have to take it again because I don't want to wait because of my age, but they told me at my clinic it is the only thing that will improve my changes, given the severity of my endo. Has anyone had success with IVF without having been on Lupron before their cyle? What other protocols might work?

[ebbe]

Hi Zelda, 

 

I also have stage 3-4 endo, and I have been through 6 ivf cycles. I have only done one cycle with Lupron, but I was only on it for a few weeks prior to egg transfer, and it really made my ovary dormant ( I only have one working ovary- right ovary) and it wasn't a very successful cycle. 

 

I have had 5 other cycles where they didn't put my on Lupron, and but my egg retrieval count is very low as I only have right working ovary. I had two cycles out of the 4, where they were able to retrieve 6 eggs, one of those cycle was a complete fail, as they tried to fertilize my eggs naturally with my husband's sperm, but nothing fertilized, and with our most successful cycle, I got 1 day 5 blast and 1 day 6 blast.  On 4 of my 6 cycles, I was mostly on Gonal-F and that was it, so it can work without Lupron. 

 

How are your egg retrievals?  Do you have two working ovaries? I don't think Lupron protocol is the only answer, perhaps you may want to get a second opinion? Given the fact you have stage 4 endo, has anyone talk to you about immune problems? 

 

I went though immune testing as women with endo tend to have a high inflammatory response, which can cause immune issues. I needed to go through Immune treatment in order to get my body ready and receptive to implantation. 

 

Let me know if you have any other questions, I can try to answer if I can.

 

Good luck!

[lala2020]

Hello Zelda,

 

On my last egg retrieval cycle I did a long lupron protocol. I was on a very low dose of lupron from day 21 of the previous cycle and it worked wonderfully. So all together I was on low dose Lupron for about 3 weeks before retrieval. I am now 22 weeks pregnant. This might be a good alternative because you aren't wasting as much time.

[Zelda]

Hi ebbe and lala2020,

 

Thanks for your replies.

 

Sorry, I maybe should have included more background. 

 

When I began my first cycle, I was 33, and I had started it after being on Lupron for 6 months - I'm not sure if this would be considered part of the protocol or as a separate treatment. When I was originally put on it, they told me it was to treat the endo before starting ivf because they told me it would improve my chances by up to 50%. (I think this was the stat, but it has been a few years, so I could be a bit off.)

 

Anyways, I don't remember what drugs I took for stimulation, but from that cycle, they were able to retrieve 7 eggs. From those 7 eggs, using ICSI, 5 fertilized, and they all made it to the blastocyst stage. I had 2 day 5 blastocysts (both 4BB's) and  3 day 6 blastocysts (4BB, 5BB, 4BC, 4BC). 

 

So they transferred a fresh one, and I got pregnant. Unfortunately, at the 20 week ultrasound I found out that the baby had a rare genetic disease called holoprosencephaly, which causes extreme birth defects that are "not compatible with life". My choice was to terminate the pregnancy or give birth to a baby that would die right after. I chose the former as the other option seemed worse to me. Needless to say,  it was a difficult and awful time. 

 

Once recovered, I decided to try again as I still had those 4 frozen blastocysts. The first frozen transfer failed, but the second one was positive and after a healthy, full-term pregnancy, I gave birth to my son, who is now 14 months old. 

 

Shortly after my son turned 1, I started another frozen cyle, but it failed, and the one after that failed too. So I have no more blastocysts left, and it is really disappointing as I guess I had really thought that at least one of them would work. Now I am back at square one, and I know my changes are much lower because I am over 35.

 

This is why I am really hoping that I do not have to go through another 6 months of Lupron treatment as it would mean I will be starting my next cycle at almost 37.  But I know my clinic really advocates Lupron as being the best treatment for women with endo, so I have a feeling that will be their recommendation. But I was also just generally wondering, even with the Lupron treatment, if my chances are pretty slim anyway, given my age and given the severity of my endo (stage 4, big cyst on my right ovary, plus another small one, scarring everywhere, including on my fallopian tubes; it's just a horrible mess in there!).

[Zelda]

Btw, congrats on your pregnancy!!!!

 

Hello Zelda,

 

On my last egg retrieval cycle I did a long lupron protocol. I was on a very low dose of lupron from day 21 of the previous cycle and it worked wonderfully. So all together I was on low dose Lupron for about 3 weeks before retrieval. I am now 22 weeks pregnant. This might be a good alternative because you aren't wasting as much time.

[Zelda]

How long will you need to do the immune treatment? When will you be starting your next cycle? 

 

Hi Zelda, 

 

I also have stage 3-4 endo, and I have been through 6 ivf cycles. I have only done one cycle with Lupron, but I was only on it for a few weeks prior to egg transfer, and it really made my ovary dormant ( I only have one working ovary- right ovary) and it wasn't a very successful cycle. 

 

I have had 5 other cycles where they didn't put my on Lupron, and but my egg retrieval count is very low as I only have right working ovary. I had two cycles out of the 4, where they were able to retrieve 6 eggs, one of those cycle was a complete fail, as they tried to fertilize my eggs naturally with my husband's sperm, but nothing fertilized, and with our most successful cycle, I got 1 day 5 blast and 1 day 6 blast.  On 4 of my 6 cycles, I was mostly on Gonal-F and that was it, so it can work without Lupron. 

 

How are your egg retrievals?  Do you have two working ovaries? I don't think Lupron protocol is the only answer, perhaps you may want to get a second opinion? Given the fact you have stage 4 endo, has anyone talk to you about immune problems? 

 

I went though immune testing as women with endo tend to have a high inflammatory response, which can cause immune issues. I needed to go through Immune treatment in order to get my body ready and receptive to implantation. 

 

Let me know if you have any other questions, I can try to answer if I can.

 

Good luck!

[ebbe]

How long will you need to do the immune treatment? When will you be starting your next cycle? 
 

Hi Zelda, 
 
I also have stage 3-4 endo, and I have been through 6 ivf cycles. I have only done one cycle with Lupron, but I was only on it for a few weeks prior to egg transfer, and it really made my ovary dormant ( I only have one working ovary- right ovary) and it wasn't a very successful cycle. 
 
I have had 5 other cycles where they didn't put my on Lupron, and but my egg retrieval count is very low as I only have right working ovary. I had two cycles out of the 4, where they were able to retrieve 6 eggs, one of those cycle was a complete fail, as they tried to fertilize my eggs naturally with my husband's sperm, but nothing fertilized, and with our most successful cycle, I got 1 day 5 blast and 1 day 6 blast.  On 4 of my 6 cycles, I was mostly on Gonal-F and that was it, so it can work without Lupron. 
 
How are your egg retrievals?  Do you have two working ovaries? I don't think Lupron protocol is the only answer, perhaps you may want to get a second opinion? Given the fact you have stage 4 endo, has anyone talk to you about immune problems? 
 
I went though immune testing as women with endo tend to have a high inflammatory response, which can cause immune issues. I needed to go through Immune treatment in order to get my body ready and receptive to implantation. 
 
Let me know if you have any other questions, I can try to answer if I can.
 
Good luck!

I apparently had a few immune issues which required me to go through a few months of medication and immune treatments. Basically with all the testing, waiting, treatment and more waiting, it took me a whole year before I was able to transfer one of the two blasts that I had waiting. One year does seem like a long time, but I know that without the testing and treatment I would not be pregnant right now. (I’m 8 weeks currently). I know while being a long journey of fertility treatments, it can seem like everything takes forever, and you can get impatient. (I totally understand going through fertility treatments for 6 years) but sometime we just need to work through the process. It sounds but like you had quite a successful session that time with Lupron, with all your eggs fertilized and making to blasts, I certainly have never had anything that successful... to be honest, I might be inclined to stick with works, although I know it’s a long process... but I hope you have good luck with whatever protocol you decide to go with though!

All the best!