So I’ve now 6 days into injections, and on catching up on my Zita West bible, discovered that there’s infact two different IVF protocols - long and short. As it dawned on me that I didnt seem to be doing any of the down regging and went straight to stims, I’ve been put in the short. I obviously googled (dangerous!) and it said that this option was given to either older women, or those the did not feel would response well- something no one has suggested to me today ( I’ve just turned 34 this month and apparently pretty average across most things, so not particularly problematic for meds).
I asked the doctor at my first scan yesterday, and she said that everyone being treatment there is put on a short protocol is poss, as they prefer it/ feel it’s working best at that trust.
My question for you lovely peeps is if anyone has had any success with short protocol? And if they have any idea if there’s a general egg number aim (I’ve read that it can be lower but the aim is for better quality...? It’s all a bit vague!)
Thanks lovelies! And enjoy that royal wedding! Ha! 😆 xxx
Written by
Miss_Worrier
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
I’m also 34. My first round was a short protocol. My clinic does the same thing. And I think they put me on it because I ovulate regularly, regular hormone profile and had lots of follicles. In the short protocol, you trigger with Buserelin which lowers the risk of OHSS. The only issue was because I had so many follicles (PCO) they didn’t grow ‘in sync’ during stimms but still got 8 mature eggs. It failed for a completely different reason.
So for my second round they put me on the long protocol. I was at higher risk of OHSS because you trigger with HCG and I believe I got a mild form of ohss but I got more eggs (15 mature) and they were more in sync. Fresh teenager failed but I’m 6weeks pregnant with my fet.
So I wouldn’t worry about it. What matters more is the amount of drugs... I was on the lowest dose. And unfortunately it is all trial an error. I hated doing the long protocol because it meant more needles and took longer but it worked better. Each person responds so different
Thanks abcgirl that’s really helpful! There’s definitely some variation in the sizes seen at my first scan, so if this first round is unsuccessful I wonder if they may success long prot next time - we’ll see! I think short protocol may be a nice transition into IVF in terms of shock on your system, so I can see why it’s polular with some people. Lots of love and mega congrats on your BFP! ❤️❤️❤️❤️ Xxx
Hiya im 29 and ive just finished my short protocal cycle .. i did a couple of days with just one injection then by day 4/5 they introduced another injection ... my follicle scans showed i was responding well although on my first scan i was worried they were a tad do small but alot can happen over night and within a day or 2 my follicles looked perfect I think the nurse counted around 12... i asked her why i had been put on the short protocol and she said its alot milder and if we can keep it that way with your body responding aswell there are better outcomes and have seen better results..... within days after my last follicle scan i was given a trigger injection and off to egg collection i had 7 eggs collected 7 fertalized 4 made it to day 5 blasts sadly 3 didnt i had one transfered and i got my BFP .... so it can work sadly for me that ended in a chemical pregnancy/miscarriage due to reasons unexplainable just wasnt my time ... i have 3 frostys left ❄️❄️❄️... .. so hang in there wishing you lots of luck im sure your clinic are doing what they feel will be the best for you 💖 xxx
Hi Rachel it sounds like we are on the exact same protocol! I have around 7-8 that are a decent size at first scan yesterday, one too big already which will probably be lost, but a handful others that are currently smallish but may catch up - so it’s great to hear you did see some manage to still speed up abit after first scan!! 😘 sorry your BFP didn’t work out this time but sounds like things are processing for you - wishing you lots of luck for your frozen round! I’ll be rooting for you 😘😘😘 xxx
Yes even though my bfp only lasted a week or so it was still a BFP it was still the first positive pregnancy test ive had in 11 year ... ive spoken to my nurses and as soon as i stopped my lubion injections (progesterone) within 2 days my bleed is ere ... i dont think the short protocol is as hard on your body and we are going down a similar route with the frozen ... no needles at all 🎉... your follies will catch up i could of cried when i found that 7 were collected.... wishing you lots of luck take it easy and try not to worry your in the best hands 💖 xx
Oh i feel you ill be joining soon 😂 i booked yesterday for the full works my hairs a state at the min i go on the 6th june.... ive enjoyed eating pate on toast followed by a big fat latte to 🙈.... im making sure i have the positives in this ... ohhh i bet you feel amazing ule be looking all glam now for your FET 😍 xx
I am also interested to read these responses as confused about long and short.
I had a long protocol and despite good prognosis I didn't respond as well as they had hoped and got 2 blastocyst embryos - they were good quality so I suppose I should not complain but they were expecting a lot more.
We are unexplained with nothing showing up as a reason for sub fertility.
Hope it goes well for you!
I am waiting to see what they suggest for my frozen cycle.
Xxx
I was 39 when i started and had 2 short protocols. The first i down regged, the 2nd i went straight to stims after my period so no down regging. I got 7 eggs from 2nd one. 6 were mature, only 2 fertilised and those two were put back in. Sadly they both failed to implant. I was on a really high dose of stims the highest you can go on in the UK. I had 8 amps per injection. I strongly feel that they didnt implant due to all the drugs in my system as i was breathless every day. I often wonder would they have worked if they were both frozen and put back later on. Who knows?! Not sure whether long protocol would have worked maybe due to my age the short one was the best option xx
I'm 37 with low ovarian reserve. I started at 34 and had 3 long protocol cycles on max doses and never more than 5 eggs collected. All failed for different reasons, but never got top quality embryos. They decided short protocol might be better as I obviously wasn't responding well to being blasted with drugs, and short is milder and supposedly better quality eggs produced. Got 6 collected, 3 fertilised, 2 implanted, BFP and now I'm 9 weeks 😊. Would've definitely gone short first in hindsight xx
I was also put on short protocol. I have PCOS so they said that made me at risk of overstimulation which is why they put me on it. However, I’m glad I was as I seemed to have fewer side effects than the ladies on the long protocol who downregged first. Plus it seemed to go faster. I also had varying size follicles but I understand that’s relatively normal for whichever protocol you’re on.
I had 15 follicles with 11 mature eggs. 9 fertilised and 4 made to blasto stage. 1 was by far the best quality and we had that transferred and got my BFP. The other 3 were not brilliant quality but still good enough to be frozen. We’re now in the process of trying for number 2 and I’ve used 2 of the 3 Frosties. One resulted in a chemical pregnancy and one in a BFN. We transfer the final one on Friday.
Good luck with your cycle. Hope it all goes well!
I was put on the short protocol by my clinic. I thought it was due to my age ( I'm 41 ) but after talking to others at EC & then the Dr afterwards I discovered they tend to put most patients on the short protocol at my clinic . I had 11 follicles with 6 eggs collected & 3 embryos transferred back on day 3. I'm currently 10 weeks pregnant after my first attempt 🙂. For me, before IVF I was terrified of treatment but having the short protocol made it pretty easy, well physically anyway! Good luck with your cycle x
I thought short protocol was more likely to be used with women with higher amh which tends to be younger women. But now I don’t know where I got that from x
I had short protocol due to PCO. I feel I didn't respond that great but the clinic were happy with my response. Had 8 medium to large follicles, 5 eggs, 3 mature. Cycle failed for different reasons. At the very quick review they've said that I can start the next cycle on a higher dose but I would like to push for a long protocol as I clearly didn't over stimulate.
Everyone reacts differently and are put on different cycles for all sorts of reasons and may end up switching cycle types or drug types so I'd try not to worry too much. It's a little trial and error I'm afraid.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Short vs long protocol
Long/short protocol 
Short Protocol 
Long protocol vs short?
Reasons for short protocol?
