I want to start by thanking everyone who has left a comment, tweeted, or emailed me in the past 24 hours. Your support after our failed IVF cycle is overwhelming and so deeply appreciated. I’ve received so many kind words, and even an offer to possibly be a gestational surrogate if we ever decide to go that route. That left me speechless!
We have a follow-up appointment (or a WTF appointment, as some people call it) scheduled for next Tuesday. Here are some of the questions I’m going to ask:
- Can we tell if repeated failures are due to poor egg/sperm quality, a uterine problem, or just dumb luck?
- At what point does it become a waste of our time and money to keep repeating IVF cycles?
- If egg quality is an issue, could supplements like CoQ10 and DHEA be beneficial?
- Could pre-implantation testing (PGD) give us any insight as to what the problem is?
- What are the risks to embryos with PGD?
- Would there be any harm in taking progesterone to improve my luteal phase while we TTC naturally during our 6-month break before we try IVF again?
I’m open to hearing any questions you might suggest I ask. You can leave them in the comments or email or tweet them to me.
*** Looking for tips on surviving IVF? Check out my post, 10 Practical Ways to Prepare for IVF ***
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Have you looked into having any immunology testing done? What about a thrombophilia panel to check clotting disorders? I’m so sorry hun :(.
I definitely need to ask about immunology testing. I haven’t had tests to check for clotting disorders. However, I was on heparin and aspirin for this cycle and my frozen cycle. It’s my understanding that’s the standard treatment for clotting problems, but I could be wrong. I will definitely ask about this, though! Thanks for the question suggestion and the well-wishes!
I am so sorry Lisa – I hope you get some good answers!!!
Thanks so much, Caroline!
I’m so sorry to hear about this, and I hope they are able to give you some answers at your follow-up appointment.
Thanks, Janelle!
I am so sorry about this cycle. Everyone is different and needs to go the route that they feel is best for them; however, after having 5 failed IVF/FET’s we decided we needed to do something different and we are now in the process of trying to get pregnant using a gestational carrier. With that said, we also decided to do the PGD testing on our embryos. My doctor was convinced my embryos weren’t the problem. We switched doctors and did the testing. Of the ten embryos we tested, only four came back normal. We paid a small fortune for the testing but it is my hope that the testing saved us a lot of heartache with more failed cycles… Only time will tell.
Good luck in your next steps and hoping that next step leads you to your precious baby!
Thanks for sharing a bit of your story and for the wishes!
I am so sorry Lisa. Have you ever heard of an endometrial scratch? Can you ask them if that would help. I read that it helps women with multiple failed ivf rounds when there is no other expectation. Are you also having assisted hatching?
Thanks, Charity. Yes, I’ve heard of an endometrial scratch, and I even briefly mentioned it to my RE before my first cycle. He didn’t seem too excited about it, and then I forgot about it. I definitely need to ask about it again.
I’m so sorry for the failed cycle! I would also press your RE on how he or she will change your protocol for your next cycle. I’m not familiar with your response (e.g., number of mature eggs retrieved, fertilization rate, blast rate), but I’m a big believer that the RE should change something about the IVF protocol and not just do the same thing over and over. IVF protocols are a bit of trial and error, and there are always lessons to be learned from a cycle! Good luck to you, and I sincerely hope your next cycle brings you success. Rooting for you!
Thanks so much. Yes, we’ve slightly changed the protocol for each cycle, and I’m wondering how he’s going to change it next time. We’re meeting next week for a follow-up, so hopefully he’ll be able to answer that then.
Hi,
I ran across your blog on Pinterest and wanted to share what worked for me. We had 4 IVF/FET failures followed by 1 successful fresh IVF. The difference in our successful cycle was using a steroid with stimulation and hcg boosters after the embryo transfer.