# Switching from Menopur to Gonal F. What's been your experience with either?



## teppar (Mar 1, 2018)

Hi ladies. About to start round 2. First cycle I was 41, single, own eggs, donor sperm, on 300 of menopur, short cycle. Got 6 follicles, 4 retrieved, 2 fertilised. I chose a single embryo day 3 transfer which didn't take and the second embryo didn't make it to day 5 for freezing.  So fast forward a couple months and I'm about to do round 2. Doc wants to switch me to gonal f. No reason other than to see if I respond better (since most of this IVF stuff seems to be trial and error anyway). I've been on 75 of DHEA for the last couple of months (no hair left but hopefully its doing good things to my ovaries and eggs) which is new for this cycle as well.  My reading tells me menopur is usually better for older women like me, so I'm a bit worried about switching to gonal f. What have people used and has anyone switched from menopur to gonal f and gotten better results?


----------



## MargotW (Jan 26, 2016)

I didn’t really react too well to Menopur, could be a one off bad cycle but have always been reacted better to Gonal F. I think each person is different. I am 40 now.


----------



## teppar (Mar 1, 2018)

Thanks Margo. I’ve only done one cycle so I don’t have a lot to compare to but I had no symptoms with menopur and reacted fine. I have decent numbers I think for my age. I’m ok to change to gonal and try. We can always add menopur in during stim.  It’s just the super high dose that worries me a bit as research shows lower doses are better for older women so we get better quality eggs not more.


----------



## scallionater (Jul 26, 2018)

Hi teppar
I'm 41 and just finished my first cycle in Sept. I was on very high doses of both gonal f and menopur and got 4 follicles, 3 aspirated, only one egg retrieved.  I was on 375 gonal and 150 menopur.  Apart from a panic reaction to the first dose of gonal, no side effect to either drug.  

If you are switching to a high dose of gonal, make sure you don't press the plunger too hard when you're injecting - go easy on it!  It's a lot to inject in one go so take your time.


----------



## teppar (Mar 1, 2018)

Thanks Scallionater for the tip. Luckily the injections themselves don't worry me...its the high dose. I'm beginning to think the research that shows lower doses of the stims are better for older women so we may not get tons of eggs but the eggs we get are good quality. 

What are you AMH and LH levels? Trying to figure out as well if those matter as higher LH levels in older women seems to be the argument of why you wouldn't do high doses of stims. But in my case my LH is normal.


----------



## scallionater (Jul 26, 2018)

My AMH is 6.5 pmol. LH was 5.2 iu/l. My doctor said if you've got low AMH and you're over 40 you're not going to be able to improve the quality of your eggs. As far as he was concerned it's a biological fact when you're coming to the end of your ovarian reserve and he was quite blunt about clinics who say you can improve egg quality.  

He put me on one of the highest doses yet I had a very poor response to the meds.  He's put me on menopur and femara tablets for the next cycle but said he didn't think it would change the outcome or the number of follicles produced - it would just cost me a lot less for the same result.  Gonal f is really expensive (approx £310 per 900iu pen).  I'll know more after my next cycle but the doctor didn't really get my hopes up that we'd get more eggs, especially when we only got one after going in hard with the meds first time.


----------



## teppar (Mar 1, 2018)

Scallionater your numbers are pretty close to mine....My AMH is 6.7 and LH was 3.8. I think the lower LH is good in older women isn't it, because LH levels apparently rise when fertility decreases. 

And yes Gonal is crazy expensive! around 245 pounds where I live per 900...slightly better but still double menopur. Doc today said he may at pergoveris in as well. Never heard of that one but now have a new thing to research...this stuff starts to drive me nuts!


----------



## scallionater (Jul 26, 2018)

Never heard of that one either. Every time I get prescribed something new I have to google it to find out what it does


----------



## teppar (Mar 1, 2018)

apparently its like menopur but synthetic like gonal f. The reason he wants to add that instead of menopur to the gonal f cycle is that apparently women respond better to the synthetic-synthetic combo than a synthetic-natural combo....but you know what who the h*ll knows anymore....I'm just so frustrated and upset by everything today.


----------



## scallionater (Jul 26, 2018)

I think it's pot luck myself. Everybody responds so differently. How do we know if it's the person or the protocol or just sheer luck that works in any given cycle? I asked why the highest doses didn't work for me but the answer was that I'm a poor responder and upping the dose won't make any difference. Doesn't help much!

I'm sorry you feel so frustrated. It's part and parcel of this process unfortunately. I often feel the same.


----------



## teppar (Mar 1, 2018)

Thanks Scallionater....its late in the day for me so maybe some sleep will make the frustrations less prevalent and tomorrow a better day. Thanks for your insights and support.


----------



## scallionater (Jul 26, 2018)

It won't be for a while yet but if I remember I'll let you know how I get on with my next protocol. See if it makes any difference.


----------



## Mochashosh (Jan 23, 2018)

Hi Ladies

I did my first three cycles with just Gonal (450 IU at night).  This cycle I've used a combination of Menopur and Gonal.

I haven't had any side effects from either, but I do find that the menopur injections hurt for longer at the site of injection, which upsets me. 

I've responded equally well (for my age) to all the drugs.  Changing the protocol hasn't made a difference to my numbers, but it may have made a difference to the quality.  My consultant hopes so.  This time round we started on high doses of both drugs and titrated down when I was responding well.  I prefer this approach to my last clinic, which just kept hitting me with a mega-dose of Gonal regardless of my response.  I started on 300 Menopur and 150 Gonal, and am now on 150 Menopur and 50 Gonal.  

E/C Friday, so we'll see if the new protocol has made a difference to the outcome.  I pray for a successful outcome!


----------



## teppar (Mar 1, 2018)

Sorry I’ve been away from the boards. My cycle got cancelled due to few follicles on my day 2 scan (first time ever!). 

Mochashosh how was your EC?


----------



## Mochashosh (Jan 23, 2018)

Teppar - quick update.

We collected 6 eggs and they all fertilized. We transferred a Grade 1 blastocyst on Day 5.  So in that respect the new protocol was better for me.  But no pregnancy.

I'm beyond depressed as I think our options have run out.


----------



## teppar (Mar 1, 2018)

So sorry Mochashosh. I understand how frustrating it can be. I hope you’re able to find some peace and a view forward for yourself. Sending you lots of love.


----------

