# starting down reg - Microgynon tablets



## Rita Kate (Mar 1, 2010)

Hi ladies, (I posted this in the 1st time IVF thread for June/July but then thought I'd try as a new topic as well.)

I need some advice, not sure what to do.

Waiting for period to start. I've had a whole host of odd symptoms during this tww.  More than usual. (not least of which is going up a cup size, sharp pains in nipples, so many tummy twinges and sleeping A LOT! Also had a tiny bit of pinky beige discharge last night and this am - sorry if tmi! I even woke up at 6am and then 7am feeling sick and dizzy a few days ago. Fell back to sleep and was absolutely fine when I got up!)

I'm usually pretty regular, starting between day 26-28.  So I'm due on sometime between Friday Sunday this week.

I'm due to start microgynon tablets as start of IVF,  I'm supposed to start the day my period starts.

Normally my periods last around 4 - 5 days and are quite heavy.  Back in January I had symptoms similar to what I'm having now during tww, ended up with a one day period. Was sure I was preggers but then Feb I had cramping and an extra long period.  Figured I caught but it just didn't stick.  All through this time I had a number of BFN (urine tests).

I am so worried that I could end up with another unclear one day period...what do I do? Still start the Microgynon tablets?  I asked clinic and they said to make sure I do a pregnancy test beforehand, just to make sure.

But I've heard urine tests can be negative for weeks for some women who turn out pregnant.

I'm around 11 or 14 dpo (which is also strange for me not to know - I had OV symptoms 3-4 days before my LH surge.  It's been a weird month!)

If my period starts and I take the microgynon, and the period stops, would it hurt the baby if I turn out pregnant?


I don't want to not take the microgynon as that would mean delaying the ivf another cycle!  We weren't told to abstain this month, now I'm wonder if we should have, but that seems crazy.  I'm sure the clinic would have told us if we couldn't try the month before starting IVF.

Any advice would be great! 
:0)


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## L_ouise (Sep 23, 2010)

Hiya 

I'm just going to jump right in and say that your symptoms sound like typical symptoms of peri-menopause.

It typically starts during someone's 40s but often starts during 30s too.

I'm not saying it to worry you, because it can last for several years and not impact too greatly on your fertility in the short term except the occasional blip in cycle making it harder to catch OV 

I am just offering an alternative to possible pregnancy. The bottom line is that if you genuinely believe that you could be pregnant that you should wait another cycle before having treatment.

Microgynon could effectively cause you to abort any pregnancy once you stop taking them, and to keep on taking it throughout pregnancy could negatively impact the development of the embryo.

There is a reason that doctors say to abstain during the cycle prior to Microgynon because it has to be started on Day 1 and it leaves very little room to know if you started your period or are just having a pregnancy related bleed  

Not worth the risk imo xx


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## Rita Kate (Mar 1, 2010)

Hi L_ouise,

Thank you for your reply! 

No one's ever suggested the peri-penopause thing to me before, and I have mentioned all this to the doctor. What tests detect it? Obviously before being referred to the IVF clinic, a barrage of tests were carried out and I've only ever been told that everything is in normal ranges! Hence the extremely frustrating 'unexplained infertility' label stuck on me! Wouldn't high day 3 FSH levels show peri-menopause? (Mine came out at 4.1).

You mentioned,



> ''There is a reason that doctors say to abstain during the cycle prior to Microgynon because it has to be started on Day 1 and it leaves very little room to know if you started your period or are just having a pregnancy related bleed
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Well that's the thing, the doctors *didn't* say to abstain during the cycle prior to Microgynon!!! And when I asked this week at the clinic I was told that if I was concerned that I should do a test first. However a blood test wasn't offered and my concern is that a urine test isn't sensitive enough.

I was told that the *Buserelin* could impact and abort an embryo, but that's not until day 21 and I'm on the Microgynon for the first 21 days! Not sure why stopping Microgynon would cause an embryo to abort, after all many women slip when on the pill and do (the lucky so and sos) get pregnant and I would assume go on to have healthy pregnancies. I wouldn't have thought they'd keep taking their BC pill.

I've looked through the leaflets from the clinic but there's nothing on abstaining or on this issue. Frankly, I am surprised that it wasn't mentioned and obviously as the day approaches I'm getting increasingly concerned! I think I'm going to call the clinic again and get through to one of the nurses and see what they say.

I also want to check again as to why I'm on the microgynon. I was told that it makes the ovaries more sensitive when they start stimming me. But it seems to me that I've heard of others starting with buserelin on day 21 instead of microgynon on day 1 so...I'll see what they say.


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