Poor responder - cancelled cycle

[Rumi40]

hi all, i am really hoping someone on here can help me please. Ive just found this site and today i was told my first IVF cycle has been cancelled as out of my 4 follicles only one has grown to 9mm at day 14 and all the others are under 6mm., one actually has already dissolved since my last scan. my doctor has put me on a mild stimulation plan and i was taking 225iu Meriofert and 225 iu Fostimon every other day for 9days. i was also taking clomid for 5 days. i am not seeing my doctor till thursday which I'm really frustrated about, so I'm not sure what the next steps are. i do have low AMH at 2.58 pmol/l.

i am really confused what to do next or what the doctor will advise on thursday. should i up my does of drugs? will this make a difference or should i go for a natural IVF round.

please help this confused 40 year old soon to be 41.

thank you kindly

[Orangeflowers]

Hi Rumi, I'm also just 41 with 1 failed cycle. It could be that the doctor can vary your meds based on learning from this cycle. At this age I think 3 or 4 cycles are needed for a good chance with own eggs. Otherwise you might consider using a donor egg, for which odds are much improved. Hope all goes well for you

[Rumi40 in reply to Orangeflowers]

hi Orange flowers. thank you for your reply. did you manage to make it to the egg collection stage and if so how many did you produce. is your AMH low too? i hope there is a positive option when i speak with the doc. 3-4 cycles seems an expensive process but i guess i just have to face it.

[Orangeflowers in reply to Rumi40]

Hi, So I think everyone can have different issues in the process, and a main thing to have in mind is that it takes only one embryo to make a baby and if you manage to produce one, that could be from a lead follicle and the best and all you need. My AMH is ok. I got 20 eggs, 14 fertilised and only 3 made it to day 5/6. At this age chromosomal abnormalities are a big factor. HFEA statistics show there's a 15% chance of pregnancy per embryo transfer at our age and 11% live birth, but that's not to say you won't get lucky. Best of luck for round 2

[Rumi40 in reply to Orangeflowers]

thank you so much for taking the time. good luck with your journey

[joey81]

Hi Rumi, so sorry to hear about your situation. I have also just joined just now and this is my first message.

I wouldnt increase the drugs dosage yourself without docs sign off. Call on Tuesday and see if you can spk to the nurse. My first cycle (long protocol) was abandoned due to only 3 follicles and only 1 mature follicle. My second cycle i managed to get 2 embryos from my only 2 follicles. They didnt stick. Then i miraculously got pregnant naturally (but miscarried). I am on my third and probably last cycle - currently on stims.

If its your first cycle pls dont lose hope, docs need cycles to learn how your body reacts to diff drugs. I have taken different drugs with each cycle.

I have been taking ubiquinol 400mg daily and dhea to help improve my eggs - heard lots of positive stories... my amh has improved from 3.4 to 5.1.... and so i am hopeful that this cycle will be better.

I was a panicking during my first cycles but all this worrying really doesnt help us. The body has to be in a relaxed mode to allow for it to welcome new types of cells. Try not to worry, just call the doc on Tuesday and ask the receptionist to put your questions to the doctor even if they cannot spk to you.

[Rumi40 in reply to joey81]

Hi Joey and welcome to being a first timer too.

thank you for sharing your story. it has helped in a way and your right the biggest is not to bring stress to the body or mind.

i have been taking pregnacare before conception for 4 months. would you recommend taking 400mg daily of ubiquinol and is that does safe enough. if it increases the AMH that's awesome.

unfortunately my doctor is not free till thursday, i find it hard to believe but i have to wait. the nurses are no good either as they will just tell me to wait to speak with my doc. i went today for my scan and asked the nurse and sonographer lots of questions but they kept telling me they were not qualified to offer advice and for me to wait to see my doctor.

not having someone to speak with is the stressful part. i just want to know what we are going to try next. thursday seems a lifetime away.

i really glad you are trying again. i sincerely hope 3rd time is lucky for you. good luck

oh one last question are you on a mild stimulation process? injections every other day?

[joey81 in reply to Rumi40]

In my first cycle my ovaries did not recover from the down regulation hence why they did the short protocol in my second cycle and high dosage stims.

Im not on mild stimulation (im on 450 gonal F for 7 days then 450 meriofert for the next 7 days). However consultant gave me 2 months of pretreatment this time with dhea. So expecting better results godwilling . Dhea helps to have more follicles.

I would def recommend ubiquinol 400mg daily (u can take upto 600 daily). It will help with egg quality. I ordered it from amazon. Also read the book, it starts with an egg (some chapters are available to read online).

Unfortunately some docs and alot of nurses become complacent over time and not upto date with recent research, or rely on evident based medication. So i research things myself and suggest to my doc. And i learnt that i have to be uber bossy with the nurses!

Dont lose hope. It takes one good quality egg and alot of faith.

[Co0ps in reply to joey81]

Please don’t be rude to nurses who try to help. Doctors have a duty of care to maintain evidence based practice in the best interests of their patients. Although taking ubiquinol is very unlikely to result in harm there is no strong evidence base (such as peer reviewed RCTs etc) to recommend this routinely. Remember everybody involved in your care wants a good outcome for you and will be trying their best for you.

I hope you were successful.

[Butterfly83000]

Hi rumi. Don't worry the first cycle often fails. The doctor will see how your body reacts. Myself I didn't react much to menopur 450 ui per day. So changing protokoll now. I'm in a similar boat as you amh 2.8 and 36 years old. Low follicle found 3-5.

I did a lot of research myself as doctors mostly don't talk about it yet. I'm really interested in PRP treatment (ovarian rejuvenation) some clinics do that in Europe (cypress) and US. and stem cell treatment (very new and still experimental but with good outcomes) not sure which clinic does it yet.

Apparently human growth hormone injection can help too but not all clinics provide that.

Good luck to you 💕🍀 you are not alone...

[Rumi40 in reply to Butterfly83000]

hi butterfly

thank you so much for your message. its reassuring to know I'm not alone but don't wish anyone women wanting a child to be without. i think my friend took growth hormones and we went to the same clinic but i wasn't offered that. i have never heard about PRP but may do some research. i am learning loads and trying to get as much info before i see my doc for a follow up. i want to be armed with questions and understand where we go from here.

would you suggest they up my drug does or reduce it to work on my natural cycle. i don't want to kill off more follicles if my body is not responding to the drugs.

[Butterfly83000]

Hi Rumi.

I would go lower and see how your body reacts or maybe change meds. You had already the highest stimulation per day I think it's 450 ui max dose per day. So I will be on gonal f 225 and 75 menopur and maybe adding clomid. If that doesn't work I will try to add growth hormone with a different clinic. Next would be prp. I feel disappointed about fertility doctors. I have seen several and no one came up with something new. It's like 1 protokoll fits all kind of stuff. When I mentioned prp. Or newer things they don't seem excited saying yes, but it's not proven. Etc. I rather try something new than over and over try the same thing and fail over again. I felt really frustrated no one told me about those new techniques. Yes they are experimental but it has helped already lots of women. Ivf has failed so far for me so its not a guarantee yet as well. I have nothing to loose. To be honest I don't even understand why ivf is so expensive. It seems so straightforward the whole process. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Rumi40]

thank you butterfly for your comprehensive response. i agree i don't think going higher with the meds will work and don't want to risk the cost either. if you change clinic would you need to go through the consultation again and pay the fee? your right IVF is a simple process the cost comes as its seen as a luxury and we go private, they came name their price. sad though. i will try the new vitamins and see how i go.