Comments for Infertility Info for Kiwis

Comment on Choosing a good acupuncturist by Jane

Jane — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 04:31:34 +0000

I used David Craddock at ponsonby acupuncture clinic, he’s the go to guy for fertility in Auckland. Out of my 4 IVF’s he knew exactly which ones I got pregnant on and which I didn’t. We called him magic needles.

Comment on Choosing a good acupuncturist by Lori-Ellen

Lori-Ellen — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 23:32:41 +0000

Hi Tracey,

As an acupuncturist myself in Christchurch with a peer relationship with Debbie Karl, I would recommend her in Tauranga.
Here is a link with her details http://yellow.co.nz/y/Acupuncturists/Debbie+Karl+Acupuncturists/103213930_240.html
She is great to talk to if you call and explain your situation,

Lori-Ellen

Comment on Choosing a good acupuncturist by Tracey

Tracey — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 01:08:48 +0000

I live in Tauranga and used this website to find Centre of Balance in Hamilton before my December 2009 treatment. That frozen cycle ended up in my son born 13 August 2010 ))

I also went back to Centre of Balance in December this year for another frozen cycle. Got a positive result on blood test day but following blood test showed falling levels.

I do believe acupuncture was the key as the only negative result I have had was when I didnt do acupunture for my very first fresh cycle.

I am looking for a recommended acupuncturist in Tauranga so I can have on-going treatment and not just on the day of transfer. Has anyone recommended anyone in Tauranga?

Regards
Tracey

Comment on We did IVF but had heaps of empty follicles – help! by Eve

Eve — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 21:14:22 +0000

Hi Ana, ((hugs)) on your multiple failed cycles – been there, done that and it wasn’t fun.

It’s really hard to know whether your latest response was a one-off or a permanent shift.

I summarised everything I’ve learned over the years about what works for women over 40 in this post What seems to work for … women over 40 – and I think these things are even less ambiguous once we pass the age of 42.

If a little voice inside you is saying you don’t feel ‘done’ until you try just one more different strategy, then my instinct would be to go for it so you don’t look back and regret not doing so. Well, that was how I felt anyway.

As for heavy vs mild dose, I finally had success on mild after many tries at higher doses, so that’s where my thinking gravitates to naturally. But, every woman is different, and you and your dr know your body better than I do. At the same time, I do recall how it really felt like progress to finally try something different, so that may be a consideration for you.

Good luck!
Eve

Comment on We did IVF but had heaps of empty follicles – help! by Ana

Ana — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 18:22:40 +0000

I am 43. I’ve had 6 IVF cycles between the age of 41 and 43. I got between 3 and 14 eggs retrieved in previous cycles with fertilization rates of 80-100%. Got pregnant twice but miscarried. In my last cycle, this August, scans showed 10 follicles of reasonable size. However, only 1 egg was retrieved, despite repeated flushing of the follicles.
Doctors were very surprised as I seemed to have responded well to stimulation (good estradiol rise, etc) and could not offer many explanations. They basically mentioned two possibilities for the failure to retrieve eggs:
1. an age related phenomenon and therefore now a recurrent problem

2. a one off situation related to this cycle and something they were not able to measure or see, in which case this should not be recurrent

The protocol that I followed is below, as well as other factors that could have affected this cycle.

Since two months earlier – Thyroxine 25 mcg – continued throughout entire cycle
24 July 2011 (18th day of cycle) – 8 August 2011 – Norethisterone 5 mg
13 August 2011 – Gonal F 450 U + Menopur 150 U – continued until 26 August
13 August 2011 – Aspirine 100 mg – continued until 26 August
17 August 2011 – Cetrotide – continued until 26 August
19 August 2011 – Prednisolone – 10 mg – continued until 26 August
19 August 2011 – Intravenous 20% Intralipid infusion (soya oil and eggs)

Had a bad cold from 17 August 2011.
Felt very sick and vomited on 21 August 2011 and following night.

From 31 August 2011:
Prednisolone – 20 mg
Clexane (Lovenox) – 1 injection per day
Calcium – 500 mg twice a day
Estradiol valerate – 1 x 2 mg three times a day
Utrogestan – 400 mg x twice a day

I am left wondering whether I should try one more cycle. Also, I wonder what kind of protocol I should follow. This was a heavy-dose protocol, and the first time I took 600 U of gonadotropins. So, I’ve been looking at something different and am considering a mild stimulation protocol. Any hints, suggestions or advice?

Comment on What are the main IVF options for poor responders? by Kim

Kim — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 23:11:33 +0000

Thanks Eve! I am with Dr. Davis and just really am so pleased with him and his staff! This last cycle, I think he felt really bad about holding off one more day to trigger b/c he was not sure both follicles measuring 17.2 and 16.4mm on day 11 in the am were ready – but apparently they were – and I surged during that night possibly – and they had grown to 19 and 20mm by the next am. I did have a consult scheduled with Dr. Check but he does not do phone consults so I would have to travel. I decided to cancel the appt. with Dr. Check, since he is older and does not go to retrievals but he works with his staff. Although I need to travel with Dr. Davis, my husband and I were happy with him after our consult. Also, Dr. Davis offered high doses with estrogen priming first, which I tried at my local doctor’s office and shut me down with only one folicle developing. Then I called back, and he suggested low doses (actually after I had a few tries at high and moderate doses at my local doctor’s office). Given Cornell’s co-culture program, that he was offering lower doses (which I had asked my doctor to do for months based on what you had written about – quality over quantity!) and fact that it is an academic/research atmosphere, my husband and I decided to switch to Dr. Davis. Thanks for letting me know on the 43-year old eggs not being too bad off just yet. I feel that you were lucky on your own too with so many in between chemical pregnancies! I feel now that it has been over 1.5 years that I have generated any pregnancy hormones on my own and wondering if my body has forgotten! Take care and thanks again for giving us all hope with high FSH. By the way, the estrogen priming with the Climara patches is great (think you used EV?) because this current cycle I had a high AFC for me -like 10<10mm (the estrogen patches or the DHEA helped). Just wish all those follicles would soak up the FSH they are getting!

Take care,
Kim

Comment on What are the main IVF options for poor responders? by Eve

Eve — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 23:32:06 +0000

Hey Kim, good on you for persisting with the dream! Are you with Dr. Davis @ Cornell? They have a good rep in general BUT the one serious issue is not letting women in their 40s cycle unless FSH is low/normal. Sure, odds are better if your FSH clocks in low (so this helps their stats), but being benched cycle after cycle is a real problem when you’re close to or over 42.

Have you considered a consult with Check? He’ll cycle you even if your FSH is high; he just uses a different strategy. I consulted with him before my last few cycles and he said the odds for age 42 and 43 are about the same, but there’s a real drop off once you turn 44. So, in your shoes (and i was close to them) I would definitely go for gold until your next birthday anyway. If you can, and if the costs/toll on your life etc don’t outweigh the hope of success and the need to get through all this with no regrets. [Think I have a post on "when to stop" somewhere ...]

Good luck!!
Eve

Comment on What are the main IVF options for poor responders? by Kim

Kim — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 22:17:58 +0000

So happy to see you post Eve! I read your story over and over to give me hope! I just turned 43 a couple of weeks ago and have gone through several rounds of IVF attempts with only one retrieval. Oddly enough, my 2nd, new and will be last RE is at Cornell has tried lower doses of meds. This last cycle I almost made it to retrieval with 2 eggs using 75iu menopur days 2-4 then step up to 150iu menopur days 5-10 with ganerilix when the lead was 12.5mm. My RE thought I had more follicles as my estrogen popped up to 557. We should have triggered on day 11 b/c I surged on my own that night given my day 12 bloodwork showed I had surge and broken through the ganerilix. We are supposed to try again this month if we are not lucky with the IUI this cycle, but I am second guessing going ahead one more time b/c of just turning 43. You think there is a chance at 43 with only 2-3 eggs? My highest FSH was 19.7 almost a year ago, so I have to do estrogen priming the cycle before – which I already started yesterday. My doctor will not allow me to start if my FSH is above 12 I think. This cycle the estrogen priming brought my FSH down to 5.6 on day 2 – which is great and so my follicles can line up better to get at least 2 follicles on low doses. Also, been taking 75mg of DHEA except the LP of this cycle since my doctor said to hold off and pick it up again at the next cycle. Any encouragement would help -oh also, have one 3-year old daughter conceived naturally and two miscarriages with the the last one in 9/09 – which seems so long ago!

Kim

Comment on What are the main IVF options for poor responders? by Eve

Eve — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 10:51:34 +0000

Hi Suparna,

My friend’s last low-stim cycle was with injectables only, not Clomid. She has a bunch of frozen embryos from Mini IVF (Clomid) cycles. Her injectable protocol was very similar to mine (see my story, top menu), but I think she did 1 amp (75IU) more of stims than I did since she was an ok responder.

Hope this helps clarify!
Eve

Comment on What are the main IVF options for poor responders? by Suparna Tyers

Suparna Tyers — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 10:32:44 +0000

Hi Eve,
I was interested to read about your American friend who lives in Tokyo who has mini IVF and then one last low-stim cycle where she used the fresh egg from to get pregnant. I was interested to find out what her exact protocal was for this last low-stim cycle as usually with these sort of cyles you need to use Clomid for an extended period of time and this stops the endometrium from growing, making it necessary to ‘freeze’ the collected egg until such time as when the woman is no longer on the CLomid before transfer takes place.
I just wondered how she managed to use a ‘fresh’ egg with a low-stim cycle as I am interested in this procedure.
Suparna