Moving to antagonist protocol for 2nd round IVF

[Pintu88]

Hello everyone,

I would love some advice about moving to a shorter protocol and whether it ended up producing more blastocysts/quality eggs. I’m coming off a long protocol where I had 17 eggs, only 8 of which were mature but only two made it to day 5 (4bc). Unfortunately, both of them ended in a chemical after a FET.

My RE has suggested moving to a shorter protocol to focus on quality rather than quantity and also to avoid OHSS again which had me bedridden last summer.

Any success stories where the move produced better eggs?

Thank you in advance!

[Eloquentia]

Hi! I have PCOS and my clinic put me on a short protocol from the beginning. It resulted in 22 eggs of which 18 were mature and we ended up with six embies in the freezer. I developed OHSS, so fresh transfer was not an option. Currently 22 weeks with embie No 2. I hope this protocol works well for you too!

[Pintu88 in reply to Eloquentia]

Hi Eloquentia,

Thank you for taking the time to respond, I really appreciate it. It’s so nice to hear such a positive story. Wow, 18 mature. That’s impressive although sorry to hear you got OHSS still. I don’t have PCOS but do have a high AMH (19.9) so guess I’m susceptible. I really hope we can get some more mature eggs this time, feeling a bit more positive. Sending you all the very best for the rest of your pregnancy, congratulations 🙂 xx

[Eloquentia in reply to Pintu88]

All fingers crossed! Have you read 'It All Starts with the Egg'? I found it very helpful in terms of dietary changes and recommended food supplements, such as Coenzime Q10/Ubiquinol. Thank you! Very best of luck xx

[Pintu88 in reply to Eloquentia]

I haven’t read it but have learnt about it all in nuggets over the years. I have upped my dosage on ubiquonol / vit d / omega 3 and am continuing to be strict on diet. Thanks for the advice xx

[JA-fnuk Partner Nurse Fertility Network UK]

The clinic have seen your how you responded and feel the change in protocol would be more suitable for you Just to wish you good luck when you resume treatment

Take care

Janet

[Pintu88 in reply to JA-fnuk]

Thanks, Janet. I appreciate your best wishes x

[SianieShorts]

hi. I had long protocol twice when I was 35 and 38 and they produced 3 blastocysts and 2 blastocysts. My 1st transfer was successful and I’m blessed with a beautiful boy. Subsequent transfers all failed from these.

I have recently moved to short protocol and we produced 4 blastocysts (I’m now 40) 1st of these failed and the second has just been transferred and I’m 7 weeks pregnant.

I would say overall, the short protocol has given me slightly better results, taking into account I’m now 5 years older so it maybe worth a shot for you.

It is also less demanding on the body as it is shorter.

Good luck to you x

[Pintu88 in reply to SianieShorts]

Thank you for responding, SianieShorts and huge congratulations on your most recent transfer. It’s great to see you were successful on both times and it’s good to hear that the short protocol gave slightly better results. Thanks for the good wishes, I’m keeping my fingers crossed xx

[MaidinKernow]

For our 2nd round we were put on antagonist protocol after a first unsuccessful round that resulted in 1 lower quality embryo with nothing to freeze. This antagonist round was better for us. Much better quality embryos, 5 to freeze and currently 24 weeks pregnant with the one that was transferred. I know everyone will be different, but if the first round wasn’t great, you have nothing to lose by trying a different protocol. Hope this helps and sending you well wishes xx

[Pintu88 in reply to MaidinKernow]

Hi MaidinKernow, I’m so pleased the shorter protocol was better for you, huge congratulations. I can only hope ours plays out in a similar fashion. Did you also change diet or take supplements before second round?

[MaidinKernow in reply to Pintu88]

I made sure I was getting enough protein, drinking water and I was taking impryl which we had both been taking for some time - this was the supplement recommended to us but it was pricey. I also made sure that I was off work for two days completely (transfer and day after), followed by three days working from home. Wishing you every success xxx