# Question Re Lupron Dosage for Donor Egg IVF



## epsych (Dec 15, 2008)

Hello Pharmacist & Ladies: 

I'm an ethnic Greek American, age 42, who is pursuing IVF in Greece (Chania Clinic, Crete) with donor eggs partly because I couldn't afford the DE program at my US clinic in Washington DC (Shady Grove).  In  Crete, donor egg IVF runs about $7,500; at my US clinic  it's about $30,000.  I did three IUI cycles and one IVF cycle with my own eggs last year in DC, taking 10 units of Lupron via injection for around 12 days each time.  I got nowhere with the IUIs, and just got a chemical pregnancy out of the IVF cycle, but decided to move on to IVF with donor eggs for the next cycle.  The first donor egg cycle I did in Crete didn't use Lupron in the protocol, which surprised my US reproductive endocrinologist.  I just persuaded the clinic in Crete to let me use Lupron for this cycle, but they have been worryingly vague about the correct dosage.  At Shady Grove, I stimulated really well on Gonal-F and Menopur (16 mature eggs retrieved), and had no problems with Lupron, other than a mild headache.  

I'm telling you all this as backround to asking if 10 units of Lupron sounds right to you.  I know some women do injections with double that dosage.  It's somewhat difficult to get the blood work done in the US before I leave for Greece in two weeks, because my insurance doesn't cover any of the costs of donor egg IVF (wherever I might do it).  I'm eager for success at any rate, and would like to know if I'm on the right track with the Lupron dosage.  I'm also wondering why the clinic in Greece didn't use Lupron in the first cycle - does that sound fishy to you?  Thanks for the info.


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## mazv (Jul 31, 2006)

Hi,

I'm not an expert in fertility treatments so can't advise on the correct dosage for Lupron in DEIVF. Lupron is only available in North & South America but there are other brands available. There are various other gonadorelin analogues available too that can be used instead of luprorelin and as far as I'm aware there is no convincing evidence that any one is better than another. This is why some clinics will use alternatives and why almost every on ehas a different protocol

Hope all goes well with the cycle  

Maz x


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