Stim Cycle 3, Cycle #7.
CD 1 was 20th Sept 2012.
CD1 - Phone clinic. Begin Prenisolone 25 mg.
CD2 - BT @ 7.30am - levels OK. Begin injecting: 150 Gonal F, 40mg Clexane. 25mg Pred.
CD3 - Gonal F, Clexane, Pred
CD4 - Gonal F, Clexane, Pred
CD5 - Gonal F, Clexane, Pred
CD6 - Gonal F, Clexane, Pred
CD7 - Start Orgalutran, continue Gonal F, Clexane, Pred
CD8 - Gonal F, Clexane, Pred, Orgalutran
CD9 - BT and U/S @ 9am. Gonal F, Clexane, Pred, Orgalutran + Intralipid Infusion.
CD10 - Gonal F, Clexane, Pred, Orgalutran
CD11 - Gonal F, Clexane, Pred, Orgalutran
CD12 - BT & U/S @ 8.30am. Pred. Stop Gonal F, Clexane, Orgalutran. Trigger with Ovidrel at 7pm.
CD13 - Pred. Jab free day :)
CD14 - EPU @ 9am (13 egss retrieved!). Begin 400mg Progesterone (P4) Pessary.
CD15 - Begin 100mg Doxycycline (antibitotic). Pred, Clexane, P4. 11 eggs mature but only 6 fertilised.
CD16 - Doxycycline, Pred, Clexane, P4
CD17 - Doxycycline, Pred, Clexane, P4
CD18 - Doxycycline, Pred, Clexane, P4
CD19 - Embryo Transfer. 2 hatching blasts transferred. Doxycycline, Pred (increase to 30mg/day), Clexane, P4 (increase to 800mg/day)
CD20 - 1 day past 5 day transfer (1dp5dt) 1 expanded blastocyst has been frozen. Pred, Doxycycline, Clexane, P4.
CD21 - 2dp5dt. Doxycycline, Pred, Clexane, P4.
CD22 - 3dp5dt. Pred Clexane, P4.
CD23 - 4dp5dt. Pred, Clexane, P4. Spotting in the evening??? Very light.
CD23 - 5dp5dt. Pred, Clexane, P4. No more spotting, light cramping. FRER @2pm = very faint BFP.
CD24 - 6dp5dt. Pred, Clexane, P4. FRER @ 7am = BFP, noticeably darker than yesterday!
CD25 - 7dp5dt. Pred, Clexane, P4.
CD26 - 8dp5dt. Pred, Clexane, P4.
CD27 - 9dp5dt. Pred, Clexane, P4. Organised early BT. HCG= 106!!!!!!!!!!!! BFP! P4 = 92
CD28 - 10dp5dt. Pred (35mg), Clexane, P4 (increase to 3 x 400mg/day). Spotting???!!!
CD29 - 11dp5dt. Pred, Clexane, P4. Light spotting. Follow up BT. HCG = 303, P4 = 147 :)
Estimated Due Date: 26th June, 2013...one day after our 9 year anniversary together.
So there you have it. IVF actually works! I was beginning to wonder. I do give full credit to my reproductive immunologist. I am certain that without his testing and interventions I'd still be transferring beautiful embryos into an environment that would just kill them.
I am worried as I have a tiny amount of spotting, but P4 is high so I can relax a little. It hasn't really sunk in yet. I can't believe this is actually happening to us. I feel like the kid in the David After Dentist video - "Is this real life??!"
Now to tell our families...
Friday, October 19, 2012
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Trying to politely tell people not to take their fertility for granted...
People say the wrong thing to infertile couples all the time. Here are just a few of the things I've been subjected to: What Not To Say... . As a result, I pride myself on being tactful when speaking with people who have not yet begun their family. Maybe, like us, they've been trying in vain for years. Perhaps they haven't given it a second thought yet. Perhaps they're still waiting to meet the right person. Whatever the reason, I know not to ask "So, when are you guys going to try for kids?"
Recently, as my plight for a baby enters its 5th year I find myself wanting to say to people (pretty much anyone over the age of 30) "You know, your fertility isn't going to be around forever!" I don't say it, of course. But I want to. And the only reason is that I don't want other people to find themselves in my position where, despite having no indication that I might not be able to conceive, this is where they end up.
The first thing I'd recommend is for females to go and see their GP and have their AMH tested. AMH stands for Anti-Mullerian Hormone and gives a fairly accurate indication of a woman's ovarian reserve. If you have a low AMH, it can be a problem. It is widely known that AMH decreases rapidly in women as they reach their mid-late 30s. This link will provide some information on it: AMH testing. The test is non-invasive. It's a simple blood test that your GP can arrange for you to have done on the spot, with results back soon after. It costs around $70 and is not claimable on Medicare. But for the peace of mind I think it's worth it. I'm not suggesting that every female in their 30's should race out and have their AMH tested, but it is one thing that you can do. If the results are concerning then there are lots of options that could then be considered. If not, that's great.
For what it's worth, AMH is not one of my fertility issues. I actually have really high ovarian reserve, bordering on PCOS. (This was good in that I was not in danger of 'running out of eggs', but it does put me at risk of over-stimulating during an IVF cycle, hence my relatively low doses of Gonal F) At my first test in September 2010 (age 32) my AMH was 45.5. I recently had the test done again and am waiting for those results. I will be interested to see if the fall has been significant now that I am heading towards the age bracket that all Fertility Specialists dread - my mid-late thirties!
My point is this - if you are in your 30s and are delaying a family for whatever reason, please consider having this simple test done. You never know the heart ache it could save you in the future.
Recently, as my plight for a baby enters its 5th year I find myself wanting to say to people (pretty much anyone over the age of 30) "You know, your fertility isn't going to be around forever!" I don't say it, of course. But I want to. And the only reason is that I don't want other people to find themselves in my position where, despite having no indication that I might not be able to conceive, this is where they end up.
The first thing I'd recommend is for females to go and see their GP and have their AMH tested. AMH stands for Anti-Mullerian Hormone and gives a fairly accurate indication of a woman's ovarian reserve. If you have a low AMH, it can be a problem. It is widely known that AMH decreases rapidly in women as they reach their mid-late 30s. This link will provide some information on it: AMH testing. The test is non-invasive. It's a simple blood test that your GP can arrange for you to have done on the spot, with results back soon after. It costs around $70 and is not claimable on Medicare. But for the peace of mind I think it's worth it. I'm not suggesting that every female in their 30's should race out and have their AMH tested, but it is one thing that you can do. If the results are concerning then there are lots of options that could then be considered. If not, that's great.
For what it's worth, AMH is not one of my fertility issues. I actually have really high ovarian reserve, bordering on PCOS. (This was good in that I was not in danger of 'running out of eggs', but it does put me at risk of over-stimulating during an IVF cycle, hence my relatively low doses of Gonal F) At my first test in September 2010 (age 32) my AMH was 45.5. I recently had the test done again and am waiting for those results. I will be interested to see if the fall has been significant now that I am heading towards the age bracket that all Fertility Specialists dread - my mid-late thirties!
My point is this - if you are in your 30s and are delaying a family for whatever reason, please consider having this simple test done. You never know the heart ache it could save you in the future.
Monday, October 1, 2012
Intralipid Infusion - suppressing those NK Cells
A fairly new entrant into the world of fertility treatment seems to be the Intralipid Infusion. Early studies have shown encouraging success rates: Check this article out.
From my (minimal) research I understand that Intralipid is a sterile fat emulsion containing soya oil, egg lecithin and glycerol. It has been used for years as a nutritional supplement for very ill people. At some stage someone realised that Intralipids suppressed the immune system. Someone then said "Hey, maybe this will suppress NK cells enough in affected women to allow an embryo to implant without the NK cells trying to kill it off." Hey presto, it seems to work.
You can also have an IVIG infusion (intravenous immunoglobulin) - but at a much higher cost. Intralipid is the cheaper, synthetic version and, while not suitable in all cases (some need the IVIG), it is being used as a part of IVF treatment protocols with pretty good success rates.
Dr M's secretary books me in for my infusion on Friday 28/9 (CD 9). I arrive at the hospital at 2pm. By 3pm I am hooked up to my intravenous line and have about 2 litres of Hartmann's solution pumping though to hydrate me while I wait for the good doctor to arrive with my Intralipids. He is running late and arrives at about 5.30pm to hook me up. The Intralipids looks like a glass bottle full of milk. It's quite strange to see this white fluid pumping directly into your veins. The start the infusion quite slowly but speed it up after the first hour, then again after 2 hours. All up it takes about 6 house to infuse. They follow this with another 300ml or so of Hartmann's to flush the line through and I'm free to leave the hospital at about 12.15am. If I have another one (which I will if I get a BFP) I think I'll just stay overnight, as the 50 minute drive home at that time was no fun.
I did not experience any side effects. I did feel quite tired the next couple of days, but that may just be the IVF drug cocktail I'm on.
The Dr fee for this was $650, plus a $500 excess for my health insurance fund. I'm not sure of the cost of the actual bottle of Intralipids. I believe (although yet to confirm) that at least 2 more infusions would be recommended if a viable pregnancy is achieved.
As a side note, the lady in the bed next to me was having an IVIG infusion which cost her $2250, plus excess for health insurance fund. She had been told by Dr M that she would require 5-6 further treatments if she gets a BFP. IVIG is a blood product and is a lot more expensive than Intralipids. It is the best option for specific immune issues, obviously determined the the treating Dr.
From my (minimal) research I understand that Intralipid is a sterile fat emulsion containing soya oil, egg lecithin and glycerol. It has been used for years as a nutritional supplement for very ill people. At some stage someone realised that Intralipids suppressed the immune system. Someone then said "Hey, maybe this will suppress NK cells enough in affected women to allow an embryo to implant without the NK cells trying to kill it off." Hey presto, it seems to work.
You can also have an IVIG infusion (intravenous immunoglobulin) - but at a much higher cost. Intralipid is the cheaper, synthetic version and, while not suitable in all cases (some need the IVIG), it is being used as a part of IVF treatment protocols with pretty good success rates.
Dr M's secretary books me in for my infusion on Friday 28/9 (CD 9). I arrive at the hospital at 2pm. By 3pm I am hooked up to my intravenous line and have about 2 litres of Hartmann's solution pumping though to hydrate me while I wait for the good doctor to arrive with my Intralipids. He is running late and arrives at about 5.30pm to hook me up. The Intralipids looks like a glass bottle full of milk. It's quite strange to see this white fluid pumping directly into your veins. The start the infusion quite slowly but speed it up after the first hour, then again after 2 hours. All up it takes about 6 house to infuse. They follow this with another 300ml or so of Hartmann's to flush the line through and I'm free to leave the hospital at about 12.15am. If I have another one (which I will if I get a BFP) I think I'll just stay overnight, as the 50 minute drive home at that time was no fun.
I did not experience any side effects. I did feel quite tired the next couple of days, but that may just be the IVF drug cocktail I'm on.
The Dr fee for this was $650, plus a $500 excess for my health insurance fund. I'm not sure of the cost of the actual bottle of Intralipids. I believe (although yet to confirm) that at least 2 more infusions would be recommended if a viable pregnancy is achieved.
As a side note, the lady in the bed next to me was having an IVIG infusion which cost her $2250, plus excess for health insurance fund. She had been told by Dr M that she would require 5-6 further treatments if she gets a BFP. IVIG is a blood product and is a lot more expensive than Intralipids. It is the best option for specific immune issues, obviously determined the the treating Dr.
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