[lysergic77]

hey girls, hope all of you are doing good. well i know all of us are from all over the places, but i am just wondering if any f you have any experience or heard any story about Cornell IVF center NY. I have been reading about their success stories on line. I am not from
New York, But if it is such good center then i might go
there for second opinion. I got my karyotyping results of
miscarriaged embryo , which came back normal. so i am just scared going to my same RE again. He might not be very skilled.
please tell me if any of have any experience?

[aprmar]

Hello all I just found this forum the other day and have been trying to read every post but there is a lot of them. So with that said, let me give you a short version of what my case is...

I'm 36 and my husband is 38. We had our first child in 12/2007. We conceived her six months after ttc with no problems whatsoever. At 21 weeks pregnant I had surgery to remove a mass on my ovary. They said that they couldn't save the ovary so they removed my last remaining ovary and tube. Which should've put me right into menopause according to my gyne/oncologist. three months post partum low and behold I started having regular monthly periods. So since they were normal I wasn't too concerned just thought that they would stop once everything was out of my system. So when I went in to my gyne for my six month post partum check up, I mentioned them to her. And with a very puzzled look on her face, she sent me for blood work and a transvaginal ultrasound because she said that the only reason I should be having regular mensies is if there was a small peice of an ovary remaining. Went in and had those tests done...blood work showed I was in perimenopause and transvaginal u/s was negative for an ovary. So since mensies continued regularly she sent me for an MRI, that too showed no ovary. She did nothing else but told me to get of a fertility doctor asap cause whatever was in there could fail at anytime. So DH, my egg donor and I went to a fertility doctor only to be treated like dirt and turned away because of my weight and medication that my Egg Donor was on.

My egg donor, which is my cousin talked me into getting checked one last time so I went to another fertility doctor who after hearing that I was still having regular monthly mensies, he did my blood work and transvaginal u/s on the 2, 3 or 4th day of my period. Well, to my surprise, she found 2/3 of my left ovary . I was so happy to have heard that news. She wouldn't tell me anything about it and told me that I would have to wait until I saw the doctor again for all that information. So six weeks later...I came back in and got my results as mixed results..... My blood work was good, my FSH was 10 and my ovary was there. The mixed part of the news is that my volume is very low--only two A/F. He didn't give me high hopes but said that he has heard of some successes in situations like mine.

We are trying for IVF to see if we can have just one more baby. I am so happy about the ovary, but terrified with low volume. My husbands niece has generously offered to give us a loan for the IVF but as it stands we have one shot and yes there is a very slim chance that I can conceive on the first try, but there is always the possibility. So, with that said, can any of you tell me if it happened on the first shot for you or what is my best chance to get more follies if that's possible? I'm still very new to this and my mind is spinning and overwhelmed right now.

Thank you all for anything that you can offer me. Just reading your stories have given me a ray of different emotions right now. God Bless you all for sharing your stories and journeys.

[bebewish]

I'm sorry to hear about your experiences. It's such a painful road. All I can say is think very long and hard before committing to IVF with your stats. My antral follicle count is eight, and I have had three IUIs and two IVFs without any success. I am only 33 with no children, so it really sucks. We have spent $40,000 on fertility treatments with no success. You need to decide if it is worth the risk. It has been a huge financial strain on us. We could bear it cheerfully if we had been lucky enough to get a baby, but since we haven't been successful, now we have to bear the pain of no baby and no money. I don't mean to discourage you, but make a decision with your eyes wide open. Think about whether you want to take on that financial burden, especially since you said you already have a child(ren). If we already had a child there is no way in hell I would ever do IVF. It is extremely expensive, time consuming, and taxing on your body and emotions. You have to give yourself lots of shots, go in for lots of ultrasounds, take time off work for the procedures, be on bedrest, and deal with explosive emotions because of all the hormones you have to take. I would advise getting opinions from at least two doctors, talk to more people who have been through it, and take some time to think about it before making a decision. Best of luck to you.

[mahemmer]

Hi everyone. I'm new to this forum, but I was diagnosed with Diminished Ovarian Reserve in July. I'm 32 years old (DH is 31, no problems with him) and we've been trying for our first child for over a year. It was recommended to try 3-4 IUI cycles.

IUI#1
Clomid day 2-6/Bravelle every other day 7-9
3 mature follicles, trigger hCG shot
08/07/09 very difficult IUI procedure d/t bends in cervix; progesterone
08/21/09 Beta

IUI#2
Clomid day 2-6/Bravelle every other day 7-9
1 very large follicle, trigger hCG shot
09/02/09 another difficult IUI procedure, made to drink water for 1 hr to fill bladder then tried again; progesterone
09/17/09 Beta

IUI #3
Clomid day 3-7/Bravelle every day 7-11**started having vision tracers** d/t Clomid
2 mature follicles, +OPK
10/01/09 full bladder, quick procedure; prometrium
10/16/09 Beta

At this point, I was ready to move on, but DH is not quite ready for IVF... so we did another cycle...

IUI#4
Femara day 2-6/Bravelle every day 6-9
2 mature follicles, trigger hCG shot
10/28/09 full bladder, quick procedure; prometrium
11/12/09 Beta..... ???

We haven't really told many people, just my mom & sister and a couple of my friends... The 2WW is so hard!! I've really been trying to stay positive and keep my chin up, but it's getting tougher and tougher. I knew we were in for a long haul when starting fertility treatments, but it's nice to read about some of you in the same boat...

[aprmar]

Hi Mehemmer~

Glad you found this forum. I too had just found this forum the other day...and came to get some encouragement and support. I see that you've already started your journey. Can I ask you how many follies have they found? When I first had my tests, they only saw 2 and he did tell me that I have a very small volume and therefore my chances are very low but that it wasn't out of the question. And considering that I wasn't even supposed to have any ovaries left, I really want to give this a try and am really that it works for us even if we already have a child already.

Can I also ask what and IUI is? I'm sorry that I'm a little dumb on that, but I know that my *only* option is IVF so nothing else was discussed.

Oh, and I wanted to offer a prayer for everyone--


Lord, please keep your hand on everyone on this forum that is struggling with infertility and has started their infertility journey. Give them the strength and courage to continue to move forward. And give the doctors the knowledge that they need to make their treatments successful so that they can know the true miracle and blessing that a child is. I ask all of this in Jesus name~Amen.

[mahemmer]

aprmar - thanks for the reply. I've already found this forum to help out alot with the questions/feelings I've been having about this...

When I was first tested, they did not do an antral follicle count. They did do an ultrasound on day 8 and only saw 1 follicle on 1 of my ovaries... which is what started my RE thinking DOR. Then they did bloodwork and found FSH to be 9.6 (but LH was 3.3, when these hormones should have a ratio of 1:1).

IUI is Intrauterine Insemination. IVF would be the next step, with hopefully better odds, but our doc recommended trying IUI first 3-4 times.

I've got two more days before my 4th beta, and I'm still trying to think positive... we'll see!!

It only takes one good egg, so in your case I would still try for it!! Best wishes to all of us going thru this.

[RachelJayne3]

Hello,
I have been reading things on this site for about the last month and have finally decided to join in the discussions. I am 30 and we have been TTC for 2 yrs. I wasn't responding to the injections (only 1 follicle a month on injections) Finally found out last Friday I have DOR. My FSH was 17 and then after the clomid challenge test it was 23.9. I was devastated with the news. We go Monday for a consult with our RE.

By the way-My DH has "super sperm" according ot the RE. So in some sense I feel as though it is my fault.

When the nurse called me with the results, she made it sound as if our options would be donor eggs or adoption.

Just looking for what other people have done and any questions that I should be asking when we go for our consult.

Thanks much!

[mahemmer]

RachelJayne,

I understand... DH also has 'super sperm' and I'm feeling like this is my fault...

When I was first told I had DOR, I did some research. And like the nurse who gave you the results, most of what I found said that IUI/IVF have little chance of working d/t quantity & quality of the eggs. BUT, there's also an age factor too. My RE said you'll find little research on DOR in younger age groups.

He suggested 3-4 IUI cycles, then IVF. Donor eggs would be a 'last resort'. What kind of injections have you tried?? Did you also take Clomid before the injections? Although our chances of conceiving with DOR are less, we have our age going for us, and it only takes one good egg!!

Of course, I haven't conceived yet, and will likely have to try IVF next, but I'm still holding onto hope that something will work!! Hope your RE appt goes well, and if not IUI first, I'm thinking they'd at least try IVF...

[RachelJayne3]

Thank you so much for your response. I did Clomid for 8 cycles with my OB. We also did one cyle of IUI with OB. My RE had a fit that I was on Clomid for so long. My RE put me on Femara one cycle and Femara and HMG for one cycle. I then did several more cycles with all HMG 75IU intejections for about 12 days of my cycle. I would take up to 4 ampules a day. My right ovary was unresponsive to the treatment and I only ever had one "good egg" each month on my left side. I also took a trigger shot every month.

If you have DOR does that also mean the quality is bad? I guess it could be that I also have that due to not a great response with medication. Is there a difference between DOR and Premature Ovarian Failure or are they the same? How does IUI help the quality/quanity problem?

I am sure your husband is like mine and assures you it is not your fault, but I just can't help thinking if the poor guy married someone else he could be playing in the front yard with his kids.

It has been an emotional roller coaster and it was always an easy decision to keep moving forward, but the costs of IVF with no guarantee really scares us. Not sure how you make that choice.

Rachel

[mahemmer]

I think there is a difference between DOR and Premature Ovarian Failure, but I'm not sure how they say which is which...

If I remember what I read, there was one study that said high FSH/DOR leads to lower implantation rate (i.e. bad quality)... But then, there are several studies that say the poor quality is related to AGE, not FSH... which is what my RE seemed to say...

IUI doesn't help with the quantity/quality issues, but it puts many, many more swimmers at the right place/right time versus trying 'naturally'.

I can't believe they had you take Clomid that long, either!?! My 3rd cycle on it, I started getting weird vision problems. So they put me on Femara this 4th time.

I just took a HPT this am (just couldn't wait for the Beta tomorrow), but it was ... So I think our next step will be IVF. You're right, though, the cost with no guarantee is so scary... Our RE's office has a 'refund' policy, but only if your FSH is <8... which mine isn't

[revell]

Originally Posted by RachelJayne3

Hello,
I have been reading things on this site for about the last month and have finally decided to join in the discussions. I am 30 and we have been TTC for 2 yrs. I wasn't responding to the injections (only 1 follicle a month on injections) Finally found out last Friday I have DOR. My FSH was 17 and then after the clomid challenge test it was 23.9. I was devastated with the news. We go Monday for a consult with our RE.

By the way-My DH has "super sperm" according ot the RE. So in some sense I feel as though it is my fault.

When the nurse called me with the results, she made it sound as if our options would be donor eggs or adoption.

Just looking for what other people have done and any questions that I should be asking when we go for our consult.

Thanks much!

Hi RachelJayne!

I was officially diagnosed with DOR in October, but I had an idea back in 2005 that I had diminished supply when my retrieval as an egg donor was canceled because I didn't produce enough follicles.

Anyway.... I 2006 I conceived my daughter. No drugs or IUI. What a surprise!

We are now undergoing fertility treatment. Just had my first IUI on 11/7 with clomid and Ovidrel. Keeping our fingers crossed we get lucky.

Our RE did say that if treatment wasn't successful than we should look into donor eggs (we won't) - but he didn't seem to think it wasn't possible that I could get pregnant on my own. The fact that I have conceived once without help does weigh in my favor.

So there is hope! And maybe you could ask for IUI first and if it doesn't work out then maybe look into donor eggs - but at least you will know that you exhausted your options.

Good luck - you aren't alone!

[RachelJayne3]

Thanks for all the support. We have our appointment on Monday so hopefully we will have some answers and know all of our options. We are not against donor eggs, but IVF scares the hell out of because of the huge amount of money with no guarentee.

How does anyone ever decide that is the direction they want to go? We are also discussing adoption, but have our reservations about that too.

My DH and I just feel so discouraged-last night we even talked about having a child free family.

[Drlilac]

Hi ladies I too was diagnosed with DOR with only 7 follicles.

I am very fortunate to have met my RE. We decided to go straight to IVF. Luckily our insurance approved the cycle without us going through "less costly" means hich was what they initially wanted.

My box of goodies (Follistim, Menupur, etc) came yesterday morning and I'm to start stim on Sunday. I'm nervous yet really excited. My hubby had some concerns about the ethics side of this process but we both felt that this is part of God's plans for us.

Good luck everybody

[Drlilac]

I understand where you are coming from Rachel. We too would probably be very hesitant to resort to IVF without any form of insurance but I didn't want to give up without a fight. I don't want to be 75 And childless looking back and regretting not doing something about my fertility issues. Nothing is for certain in this world.

Good luck on your appointment and hope you will decide on the best option for you

[HopeFull5]

Hi I also have DOR, just diagnosed last week, with 7 follies. I am on femara untill tomorrow/check up 11/24 and IUI sometime after. I have a loth of faith that we will all get our miracle babies!!

Any success stories?