# Mistake with Gonal f dosage. Now very worried about consequences



## hoppysparrow (Sep 3, 2014)

Dear all,

Sorry this is a long one.

I am currently going through my second IVF cycle and very worried after making a mistake with taking gonal f. Basically I met with my Dr over a week and a half ago and he advised for us to begin taking gonal f and Supercur. I wrote down the gonal f dosage as 12.5 and Supercur as 20 (I even repeated this back to the Dr to double check). I began the injections and my day 5 scan showed that I wasn't responding. A different Dr advised to increase to gonal f 150 for 2 days, and if I didn't respond then we'd have to cancel the cycle. My husband and I were very upset as I'd responded well on our first IVF cycle and couldn't understand why this time I wasn't responding at all. After doing some digging around we soon realised we had been administering the wrong dose of gonal f - I checked my diary from our first cycle (December 2013) and we should have been on 112.5 for 5 days rather than 12.5! I couldn't get hold of a Dr of nurse at the clinic to discuss this so we increased the dose to 150 as advised.

2 days later on dose of 150 I had another scan. They advised I'd started to respond (6 folicles on my right ovary, and 2 on my left). I also have 2 endometriomas on my left ovary (I have severe endometriosis but they advised as they're both under 5cm in size they are not too concerned with them). They couldn't believe we'd done the dosage wrong but advised to cross fingers and hope I continue responding. I continued with 150 over the week end and today had another scan. I still have 8 folicles of which 2 are now a good size, but the rest are small. They advised I'm responding 'ok' but not great. I am to have another scan on Wednesday and Friday this week to see how I am performing.

Whilst I was at my scan today the GP who first told me which dosages to take came in and shouted at me in front of the other Dr and nurse, saying the first gonal f injection is the most important and now I've probably affected the outcome of this cycle, and because we've started gonal f, this counts as the cycle so if they have to cancel it, it will class as one of our cycles (we are currently with the NHS). I was too upset to say much back to him, other than we'd taken the dosage after I wrote it down from seeing him. To calm him down the other Dr said 'she's responding now, I'm happy'. As if I'd take the wrong dose on purpose - we (like everyone else on here) wants this to work so desperately.

I feel very negative and upset about this cycle now. I've also been on Zoladex for 3 months to stop the endometriosis from growing, so putting up with the hot flushes and lack of sleep really got me down. I had weekly acupuncture for 3 months, cut out alcohol, caffeine, soya milk etc and it feels like it's all for nothing. I'm not giving up just yet, I still have a few more scans and the daily injections to do, I just dread going back to the clinic especially as I know I will see the GP again this Wednesday (the one that shouted at me). I am just praying that my folicles keep responding and growing.

Has anyone else had a similar experience to me? I feel so stupid to have not really checked the gonal f dosage against my last cycle etc. Does anyone know if folicles/eggs can be ok if the gonal f is too low to start with? If there are any words of advice I'd be extremely grateful.x


----------



## Chloe889 (Aug 4, 2013)

Hoppy sparrow 
How rubbish of your GP! Don't blame yourself, it was clearly his fault, we are not medics! We had it all written on a private prescription and protocol document which I made my husband triple check. 
I know of a friend whose husband got her drug amounts wrong and she was still fine, not sure of the doses though..
I'm no expert but surely if you were under dosing they will just let you stimulate for longer?
I reckon you should go back on Wednesday and shout at the GP, or take someone who will for you!! He's obviously panicking that you will pull him up on it as clearly he could end up in trouble.
Everyone expected me to overstimulate but 6 days in I wasn't showing much progress. 3 days later they were much happier. They collected 15 eggs of which 14 fertilised, and 13 got to blastocyst, so I don't think the early scan should be too indicative of what could happen in the next few days.
All the best x


----------



## foxglove (Jul 20, 2013)

I started off low on go all on 75 and then went up to 150 and then went up again to and then to 225 and I have a little 4 month old year old now so I shouldn't worry about starting off slow.... Slow and steady x


----------



## Cloudy (Jan 26, 2012)

Hey honey, loads of hugs  

I have read of people quite often have mistakes with their doses so don't worry, you aren't on your own. I also very much doubt it counts as a cycle, but you would probably have to check thar with your CCG directly so it might be worth a phone call tomorrow.

I would also say they should be providing you with a written protocol, not just expecting you to write a note of it. This, and the way the Dr dealt with it may we worth complaining about after your cycle. 

You really are not at blame here, so don't beat yourself up.

Good luck for your next scan xxx


----------



## hoppysparrow (Sep 3, 2014)

Thanks all for your advice and reassurance. I'll be taking my hubbie with me to the scan tomorrow, so hoping this one is a bit more positive than the last.x


----------



## Mel D (Jan 18, 2013)

Hope your scan goes well tomorrow hoppysparrow. I am so cross with your doctor for shouting at you, we all make mistakes and I am surprised he didn't write it down on a protocol sheet for you at the start which is what my clinic did. If you are still responding slowly would they not up the dose to 225 or 300 Gonal F? I have stimmed for 16 days before and got a good number of eggs but I think ideally it's good not to go beyond 14 days. All the best and ignore that stupid man, he will never know the stress we have to endure.
x


----------



## CrazyHorse (May 8, 2014)

hoppysparrow, please write a formal complaint to the clinic manager about that GP. His behaviour is utterly unprofessional and completely unacceptable. He should never, ever have sent you home without written dosage information. To then yell(!) at you about it! What a... well, I won't say it on here, but it starts with "w".


----------



## hoppysparrow (Sep 3, 2014)

Thanks all for your support and cheering me up! Funny how I took my hubby with me to my last scan this week and the same GP couldn't have been nicer this time!

I've now been in for EC today and they retrieved 5 eggs. Not as good a response as I had on my first cycle (10 eggs) but I'm praying for good news tomorrow.

Thanks again all.xxx


----------



## TrionaT (Sep 30, 2013)

Glad to hear you got some eggs hoppysparrow, that Dr should have written it down for you , and then to shout at you as if you hadn't enough trauma and threaten to cancel your go with NHS. Cheek of him.  Fingers crossed for little embies


----------



## hoppysparrow (Sep 3, 2014)

Hi all,

Just in case anyone reads this blog I just want to say that even though we messed up the meds, we had 5 eggs of which 4 fertilised and had 1, 5 day 4BB blast transferred back into me and today on our OTD we got our  ! I can't quite believe it, but it just shows even though we messed the meds up and the Drs thought we'd screwed it all up, it did still result in a BFP  

X


----------



## CrazyHorse (May 8, 2014)

Oh, YAYYYYY, hoppysparrow!   I remember your story, and I'm absolutely delighted for you. Wishing you all the best!


----------



## hoppysparrow (Sep 3, 2014)

Thank you so much CrazyHorse, and to you too


----------



## Cloudy (Jan 26, 2012)

Brilliant news, and thank you for updating us.

Good luck xxx


----------

