Friday February 14th: [Nellie] has approx. 40 follicles with her top 5 now measuring 12-24mm. Her estradiol is 1594 which is good. [Nellie] will be seen again tomorrow so [we] will update you then.
I find it frustrating that, in spite of having told our nurse that we never did IVF nor have a medical background and therefore don’t know how to interpret the data, she won’t take an extra minute to write her interpretation.
Ideally, we would like something along the lines of: We will know more when she comes in tomorrow, but right now my best guess is that retrieval will be between Sunday – Wednesday.
But instead I find that I have to write an email s-p-e-l-l-i-n-g o-u-t what I need.
Thanks for the update.
Are we being paranoid, or is this cycle not going so well? Because 12-24mm seems like a large range for 5 follicles; and if the other 35 are under 12mm, will they catch up? Or will you sacrifice the larger follicle/s?
DH and I never did IVF, so don’t know how to interpret the data. But we are primed for bad news after three devastating medical diagnoses last year, so at this point we would appreciate either some reassurance or a candid opinion on what these numbers mean. Right now we are imagining the worst…
Thanks,
Lauren
And despite spelling out what we need, we still have no reassuring update. After this afternoon’s appointment, we have been told that Nellie still has 40+ follicles (no size range given) and her estrogen looks good. She will continue meds and will be seen again Monday, when we get yet another update.
I guess nurses don’t have the authority to offer their interpretation? So much for a relaxing weekend…
I’m living in fear of our cycle being cancelled. The only thing worse than that, though, would be going ahead with a cycle that didn’t pan out. In that scenario, we will have spent $37-43,000 on fuck all except blood, sweat, and tears, and a whole load more heartache. If the cycle gets cancelled, we will have lost thousands of dollars, but not the whole amount, and we will probably be delayed for a few months so Nellie’s body can recover.
I think part of the problem is that our nurse made the mistake of telling us that Nellie typically takes only 10 days to stim. Today is day 16, and that feels scary. And given that this is Nellie’s 8th cycle, we wonder if her body has developed a tolerance to the drugs. It seems like her top five follicles are racing ahead, but the others are a bit sleepy.
I have a feeling Monday is the day we find out what happens: a cancelled cycle, or sacrifice the top five follies, or a new retrieval window.
But looking at my calendar, I suddenly have a feeling that if our retrieval is this week then it will happen on Thursday. Because that way the transfer will happen on the 26th. My sad anniversary, the day of that first fateful ultrasound. The final anniversary. I don’t know if the idea of having a transfer that day is horrifying or comforting. I consider myself a spiritual atheist and find myself confused. Is that an unlucky date to have a transfer? Or could I see it as my Bean walking alongside me?
I, of course, know nothing about IVF, but uncommunicative doctors’ offices? Yep. That’s incredibly frustrating. You should leave a message for your doctor asking to speak to him in person, so he can’t blow off emails. Thinking of you <3
Thanks, Adi. I did. We’ll see…
Would it be bad to get 5? I haven’t done IVF either so I don’t know what would be an unacceptable number to retrieve. If there is only 5ish is it better to cancel altogether then to just retrieve those and fertilize and hope they all ‘take’?
Yep. Even *I* could get five eggs. Five eggs does not mean five healthy embryos.
Because by the time you allow for attrition rate of mature eggs (20%), eggs that fertilise (20%), then embryos that make it to blastocyst (50% from retrieval), we will be lucky to get one or two embryos to do PGD on. Five eggs means *maybe* one healthy embryo. Just one. Transfer that one embryo, and with a 30% chance of success.. well, that means this cycle has been a fucking disaster.
And if we even have the option of cancelling now (and I’m not sure we get to call the shots here) we will have lost somewhere in the region of $20,000.
Like I said, disaster.
Sending you SOOOOOOOO much love and light. I wish I knew more about the medical aspect of IVF so I can give you more concrete advice. I am sending so much support and strength and I hope you get the answers you deserve sooner than later an most importantly I hope and pray this all brings you to your dream of having a little one. Sending love and light. xoxo
Thanks, Casey. I appreciate it x
E2 levels are typically 200-600 per mature follicle. I think it’s a little misleading to continue to report that she has 40+ follicles… If they are still hanging around, I suppose it is always possible that they might do something, but I would certainly be feeling a bit guarded right now. This has to be incredibly frustrating and stressful for you, and I really hope you’re taking good care of yourself. Sending lots of love and hugs!
Oh- here’s the site that I always referred to while undergoing treatment- it’s a great site to reference for hormone levels:
http://www.fertilityplus.com/faq/hormonelevels.html
That’s a helpful link, thank you. I don’t know what her E2 levels were yesterday, only that they were rising appropriately.
So much for #KLaHM.
I agree with Fox. When you produce a ton of eggs you usually only wind up with a few good ones- my donor was the same- went from over 40 to 5 good ones. I doubt the cycle will be cancelled. When it comes to IVF you don’t want quantity you want quality. I am surprised that they let her cycle that many times- most clinics retire donor at 6 cycles max. Ask them if they will let you know what was produced in previous cycles- that might calm your fears
In her seven previous cycles, she has produced 40-73 eggs, of which 20-47 were mature, respectively. All previous cycles have resulted in the couples getting pregnant, and then being able to freeze between 6-20 embryos, and, in two cases, eggs too. Her numbers have been fantastic, which is why she hasn’t retired.
Hi L-
I can’t imagine how frustrating this is for you. There’s no way to know for certain but my guess is that you’re going to get ~5 good eggs. Which is not what you were hoping for. I doubt they will cancel entirely though. There is always a chance that some of the stragglers will pull forward, and potentially very quickly, but I think you should be thinking in numbers closer to 5 than 40. :-( Just my opinion. I hope I am wrong.
I’m not sure what you are basing this on, and I know you mean well… but this really isn’t helping me stay calm… I mean, in that case I might as well give up now.