# Why can't I grow more than 1 follicle!



## Lambie36 (Sep 10, 2014)

Hi ladies, I  wanted advice from you knowledgeable ladies if you don't mind  

This may sound like a daft question but does more meds like gonal f or puregon etc equals more follicles?

I'm starting to think iui is not going to work and although my dh suggested going for ivf, I just want to try a couple of more goes on iui before ivf.

I've been ttc for 7yrs on and off, tried clomid and injectables and have been told it's secondary unexplained infertility. 

Last 2 cycles of tx I only had 1 follicle even though meds were increased.
This cycle I had 100iu gonal f and still had 1 follicle but at only cd8 it was 26mm! 

I had another follicle at 15mm but I was told it's too small and cycle abandoned.  
My clinic have suggested upping the dose again for next cycle. 

Would upping the meds not make me stim even faster?

I'm worried i will have an even bigger follicle earlier, or is that not how it works?

Is it normal to have a 26mm follicle on only cd8?

If I decided to go for ivf, then how would they ensure i have more than 1 follicle?

I will put these questions to my consultant in mid january but in the meantime i'm trying to do my own research and want to go armed with as much info as I can as i'm self funding we will only have 1 more tx before throwing in the towel for good.
I've also thought about doing a couple of iui's abroad but they suggested a combo of clomid and gonal which I'm to take simultaneously which comprises 100mg clomid and 75iu of gonal. 
I have never done a combo cycle before and I'm not sure how that works  
I think it was suggested because I only produce 1 follicle and is getting me nowhere  
Sorry for the long post and I really hope someone can help as I'm feeling like giving up!   xx


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## Dinkyminky (Apr 26, 2014)

Hi Lambie,

I don't know if upping drugs will equate to more follicles as I've only had one IVF cycle, so can't help directly with your questions, however for your treatments do you have a scan and blood test with your clinic before starting?

The reason I ask is that my clinic do both on Day 2 of AF and if there was a dominant follicle and my bloods came back with a high E2 level they didn't allow me to start - happened twice.  

The dominant follicle essentially will take the stimulation drugs (gonal f) and not help the others to grow. Not 100% sure about the reasons for high E2 but the clinic wanted it to be below 200 to give the cycle a good chance. I ended up taking the Pill for a month and this seemed to address both.  I'll be taking the Pill again for my second cycle.

Hope this may help you and wishing you all the luck for your next treatment and a productive meeting with your consultant in January. 

DM
x


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## Lambie36 (Sep 10, 2014)

Hi Dinkyminky, thanks for the reply  
My clinic do baseline scans but not bloods. I'm self funded so maybe they are trying to keep costs down? 
It makes total sense what you said about 1 follicle taking all the gonal and not letting the others grow. On my baseline scans cd 3,4 or even on cd5 ( i have heavy periods and lining is always too thick on cd2) my ovaries contained 1 or 2 bigger follicles at 9 - 10 mm and the rest are smaller. 
This might sound like a daft question but does bcp does the same job as suprefact/buserelin? 

On a couple of cycles where I used suprefact and gonal together I produced 2 -3 dominant follicles as suprefact "quietens" the ovaries, or so I've been told.
Perhaps I could mention the bcp to my consultant in jan.
Thanxs again


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