Should I go ahead with EC or cancel?

[PrincessGurn1984]

I’m really in two minds with what to do and I need some rational input please.

Had a scan today (I’ve been stimming 10 days), am due to trigger tomorrow night. I’ve got 3 follicles at the correct size. I’ve had bloods drawn today to see if my hormone levels are high enough to predict there being mature eggs inside. I’ll get those results tonight. If they are low then they will cancel my cycle, but if they are good it can go ahead but we need to make the call if we are happy to with that number of follicles. Really struggling to make a rationale decision amongst all the emotions. I just don’t really understand why my follicles don’t stimulate (I had 7 on day 1 and they’ve slowly dropped off since) and we had the same on our last cycle. Our first cycle we had 6 mature eggs so it’s been a big change the last two cycles and I’m struggling to get my head around what is causing this drop off? My AMH was 13.8 last December (I think I’ll get it drawn again after this cycle), so I thought that would indicate a higher follicle count? Any advice really welcome as always x

[Twiglet2]

I hope the results helped you make a decision lovely xx

[PrincessGurn1984 in reply to Twiglet2]

Thanks, it looks like I may get 2/3 eggs based on the test results, we’ve decided to go ahead as don’t want to look back and think ‘ what if one of those was the one ‘ but equally we are realistic that once collected none of them may even be mature or fertilise. It’s such a gamble. I think I’m just struggling to come to terms with how I’ve gone from a good yield last year to now these past two cycles by follicle counts are always so small in comparison x

[Twiglet2 in reply to PrincessGurn1984]

I think I would have done the same as you as you just never know! Will be looking out for you updates over the next week 🤗 and hope all goes well with collection xx

[PrincessGurn1984 in reply to Twiglet2]

It’s so hard to know what to do for the best! Thank you xx

[Missl73]

Have you tried different medications for stims as well as different doses? I found I responded quite differently to Gonal F vs Menopur for example, my most recent successful cycle I used a combination of both of them - Gonal F was better at getting everything moving and more follicles growing at the start, then the Menopur to mature then and help with quality. With an AMH level that high (I’ve have one 2 year old and 26 weeks pregnant now) I’m surprised you aren’t responding more, I never had a level that high but always got about 8 eggs. I alternated between 300/375 each day on my stims cycles. I also did better on short protocol than long, the down regulation drugs switched me off too much and when using them I even had a cycle cancelled due to no response at all!

[PrincessGurn1984 in reply to Missl73]

I think I need to get my Amh retested that the only thing I can think is that it’s plummeted. We are going ahead with egg collection Monday as don’t want to have regrets but after this I’m going to go back into testing mode I think. I’ve been on on 375 gonal f with 75 Luveris this cycle x

[Missl73 in reply to PrincessGurn1984]

Perhaps but seems unlikely, my AMH hardly dropped in 3 years - it did but from 11.something down to 9.something - between starting IVF in 2018 (age 31) and the cycle to conceive my current pregnancy (age 34). A drastic decline doesn’t seem very likely although it probably does speed up as you get older. What other drug protocols have you tried? I think Menopur is commonly the preference for patients with DOR or low response. Things can also just vary a lot month to month, I had that happen too over the course of the 6 cycles I’ve done.

To also offer reassurance the cycle that brought me my current pregnancy only 4 of the eggs were mature and we only got 1 blastocyst but that’s all it took.

[PrincessGurn1984 in reply to Missl73]

That’s why I’ve struggled to get my head round it, I had covid in February and I know that’s a while ago but could that maybe have an impact on it, who knows. My first two cycles I had bemfola and Meriofert, but then I switched to Gonal f and Luveris for this current cycle x

[Mrsshlee]

hey,

It is so hard to know what to do for the best as it always feels like such a gamble. I have low AMH and my last round I had 3 follicles, 3 eggs collected and 2 embryos transferred, I just got my BFP from that round.

Previous two rounds I had more follicles and more eggs collected (not huge numbers-14 and 5) but no pregnancy.

Xx

[PrincessGurn1984 in reply to Mrsshlee]

Thank you this gives me so much hope! Congratulations too that’s made me feel better about it. I think I need to get my AMH re tested after this cycle, last November it was 13.8 when I got my most follicles and eggs but I think since then it must have really dropped off given my follicle and egg situation x

[PrincessGurn1984 in reply to Mrsshlee]

Do you know why you had 14 follicles on one collection and then 5/3 the next? I don’t understand why it can drop off like that? I feel like that’s what happened to me from my first cycle to this current cycle. How can I fluctuate that much? X

[Mrsshlee in reply to PrincessGurn1984]

I actually feel like the 14 was a fluke for me! I had a round before that in 2017 when I got pregnant with my son where I had around 4 follicles showing on scan and ended up with something like 6 eggs x

[Chasing123]

My best cycle with my own eggs (bfp but mm) was the one with only three follicles so hang in there!

[PrincessGurn1984 in reply to Chasing123]

thank you ! I hope this is the case at egg collection on Monday. I don’t know if I need to face facts my eggs aren’t good enough quality and maybe that’s why I respond poorly to STIMS x