I've never had a positive result, so I'm a bit numb about the BFN - this was my 5th transfer. 2nd with a donor egg. I'm trying to work out what to do next, as I have no embryos left so I'll be starting from scratch. I think I need a clinic in the UK who can help investigate implantation issues, so if anyone can advise on that, please DM me.
I also have a question about progesterone. On the medication plan, it said progestan x2 a day, so I took 2 a day, but it meant 2 twice a day. The clinic checked my progesterone the day before transfer, but then didn't look at the result until transfer day, at which point they realised it was really low. They then told me to take progestan 2 twice a day plus 2 injections of progesterone. My understanding is that both low and high progesterone can cause implantation issues. Is this the case?
Starting to think this is never going to happen for me. I just wish I knew what the problem is. 😔
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Hopecontinues
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London woman’s clinic do implantation investigation. In my case I needed one less day of progesterone and had nk cells. I was on cyclogest 4 with injections n steroid 20g started as soon as period arrived. My baby girl is 3 months
I would highly recommend having your immune panel tested. We did 5 transfers all bfn, then on the 6th took steroids and had our first ever positive. My natural killer cells were higher than they should have been and making my body reject the embryos.
Hi,Thanks for replying. What dose of steroids were you on? I was on 15mg of prednisolone, but haven't had anything checked. Will add it to the list of tests.
Hi good eveningSorry to hear about your repetitive failed transfers. I would certainly do some investigations before going forward with another round of IVF. As you have done 2 transfers with a donor egg in addition to your own 5 transfers it s unlikely it’s all an embryo issue especially using younger donor eggs/embryos. Given your progesterone had come back very low at transfer that can have an effect on the receptivity of the uterine lining as the progesterone role is to support an early pregnancy as well as provide nutrients to the lining and help build the uterine lining and switch it to a receptive state. When progesterone is very low it cannot do it’s job sufficiently. I would address this issue with you dr and ask about Lubion injections and also cyclogest vaginal pesseries. Twice daily 400mg x 2 once morning once evening about 12 hours apart. I would also consider a uterine exam to check for fibroids, maybe a thyroid check via blood test too. And a lining thickness check before transfer. You want a minimum of 7-8 mm thickness for an embryo to have the best chance to implant. Very low progesterone levels can sometimes cause very thin lining making it very disfficult for an embryo to implant!! Not knowing your personal history I am guessing progesterone is your number one concern that needs addressing. Once this is corrected I think you may find implantation will happen good luck x
Normally my progesterone is fine, it was just this time and my lining has always been above 10cm. I had a subseptate uterus fixed last November and I'm also wondering if there is something wrong with that. Such a head fry.
Ever since I got my BFN I see babies everywhere and can't help but think about how easy it is for some people and how difficult it is for others.
Hey lovely, I'm so sorry to hear of your struggles. It's rare that progesterone being too high causes implantation issues however too low is definitley not good. I had an ERA test to check when my lining was receptive after being on progesterone. This was a deal changer for us and now have twins. Feel free to ask me anything at all.xxx
There can be lots of issues and some were mentioned above. The book by Zita West (IVF clinic in London) lists all potential issues that should be investigated re implantation e.g. no of NK cells, thyroid problem, etc. so see this book and ask prescriptions from your new clinic to check them
Deffo get the ERA EMMA/ALICE test done as a trio most clinics offer this now or you can direct to the provider of it IGENOMIX they offer the service . It's the 1250 quid I've spent. In this whole 30k process. I'm about to go into my 5 th cycle using DE turns out need extra progesterone and I had a very serious infection in my womb that had left me with zero good bacteria and my bad bacteria levels were so high nothing would ever of worked for me. Good luck in your next steps xx
Our 3rd transfer with donor eggs worked. I know at least 10 ladies (friends & from a support group) who all needed 3 transfers of donor egg embryos before a BFP. Try not to be too disheartened. Working first time isn’t the norm.
For us - 1st was MMC at 7 weeks, 2nd BFN and 3rd worked (double transfer). I took 150mg aspirin and 10mg Prednisolone on our 3rd cycle. Plus probiotics (oral and vaginal - did a course of canesflor and Canesbalance) after a 10 day course of antibiotics (Doxycycline).
My progesterone was 61 prior to transfer so I definitely think they need to look into that. I took Lubion injection yesterday once a day and Cyclogest 400mg 3x per day. Plus oestrogen 2mg 3x per day.
Or you could try a natural FET? My friends 1st two FETs (donor egg) were heavily medicated but failed. Her 3rd was a natural FET and she’s just had her little girl.
I also did a acupuncture and saw a fertility nutritionist who advised go gluten free.
No idea if any of it helped 🤷♀️ but it made me feel better.
I am so sorry to hear this but you’re not alone. I had terrible implantation issues as my lining was too thin. I also had endometriosis, crazy thyroid, and the menopause to deal with. My AMAZING consultant in Athens made it work for me finally with donor eggs there and PRP which is a blood plasma treatment they don’t do in the Uk. She partners with a clinic there who did my donor eggs and it was all pretty quick and much cheaper than the UK. Happy to chat more or pass on details. It finally worked for me against all the odds and I think it was the PRP that made the difference. I would really recommend her. She is lovely and amazing and now we have little Alfie who is 18mos. Don’t give up without speaking to her. I can pass her details.
Hello Hope, please how are you doing? Please hold yourself together and continue and believe you are going to get that you want. Look into those advice here before start again. I am so sad when I saw your post now but I believe one day you will be happy with your baby.
Thanks so much. I really appreciate your support, especially after what you've been through. I nearly gave up, but I've come too far to quit now. What's your next step? X
So sorry to hear about your bfn. It sounds like you might have an immunes issue. I was on aspirin, steroids, clexane, intralipids, thyroid meds and was on a lot of projesterone. 10 yrs+ of trying and never seen a positive result and it finally worked and I have a 2 month old now. don't give up x
We did donor eggs in Czech Republic. From our first donor, we got 2x blastocysts. We transferred both and one stuck but miscarried. We did another round and got 3x blastocysts and have twins from that so don't give up.
Regards the progesterone, it's quite likely not having enough progesterone could have prevented implantation. You could also do era testing to find out if you need slightly longer or shorter time taking progesterone before transfer.
Hi ChloeDE congratulations on twins. I’ve just completed second ivf own eggs and it didn’t work. People have spoken about donor eggs but I’m not sure. Would you mind me PM you to understand about match, process, costs etc?
Hi,There is a guide called IVF Abroad, A Patient's Guide 2022. It gives a rough idea of costs, most popular places, differences between laws. I found this really useful.
I also booked appointments with clinics in Spain, Greece and North Cyprus - all free appointments, some with the doctor some with a coordinator. Definitely worth it.
Some clinics will guarantee a number of embryos, others you purchase a number of eggs and others you get whatever the donor produces, so it's worth speaking to different clinics.
Me too. It's such a brutal process. Emotionally, financially and physically and no one understands what it's like unless they've been through it. I'm thoroughly depressed after the last BFN.
Hi, sorry to hear about you negative. As you know I am in the same boat now i just want a positive too.
Yes that is right. And when you have PCOS the progesterone can be low by default. I take the progesterone pills 3 times per day, but they are doing natural fet (so no extra estrogens of hell). Progesteron helps the endometrium to finish maturation and to make it "welcoming and receptive" for implantation. I was told by the fertility specialist that sometimes even 1 missed doses can make it not receptive enough for the embryo. If you had an artificial FET you were not producing progesterone by yourself (plus PCOS), so low progesterone makes it not receptive.
I am glad you are changing clinics. They sound awful.
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