# First Cyle cancelled just before EC due to poor response with Menopur



## Hbkmorris (Apr 7, 2010)

Hi can you help me to understand something.

On friday I went for my follicle scan and I was due to have EC today but after my scan on friday they cancelled the cycle due to a poor response to the menopur. I have a FSH level of 7.6 and my age is 36 and my consultant put me on a basic drug intake for my age and FSH level (they don't do AMH at my hospital). Anyhow I only had one follie on the left which was a medium size and 3 very small follies on the left, they also dicovered that I have Endometriosis! 

they have now said that on my next period I can re-start but ont he highest dose of menopur costing me an extra £1,100!! Yeah great I've just waisted £570 on my previous drugs. We are paying (self-funding) our treatment du to the PCT guidelines not excepting us for a free cycle due to my partner already having a child.

What I'm asking is what are the chances if the higher dose making more follies?

Thank you 
Hx


----------



## Mistletoe (Holly) (Jan 1, 2007)

Hi,
I am so sorry that your cycle was cancelled and you had a poor response.

I also very much understand the whole problem of self funding when your DP has a child - mine has a child from a previous relationship 16 years ago and we were excluded from NHS care. To top it all, my DH is azoospermic - so I have to use a donor for the sperm, but because I am married to him I get no help. Makes me mad.  My treatment to date has cost over £14K.

You might find some help and support on the poor responder's board.

http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=253516.0

And the PR research thread

http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=230320.0

How many antral follicles did you have at baseline? They should be able to see how many little potential follicles there are for recruitment before you start stimming.

An FSH level of 7.6 is OK. What was your oestradiol level on that day - too high an oestrogen level can suppress FSH levels.

Good luck on another try. They do learn a lot from a first cycle and can adjust things for the next.


----------



## Hbkmorris (Apr 7, 2010)

Thank you for your response Hopeful Hazel

My word you've really been through the mill and you've had to pay alot of money for it too! I sympathise with you immensely. Ont he upside of that your now Pregnant which is amazing news and all seems worth it I'm sure. 

The government should give all PCT's a standard practise in which they all follow the same suit and give all couples where the women hasn't any children the right to one free cycle with the NHS and scrap all this 3 cycles business.. Sorry that's my rant over with!

Well to be honest I'm a little confused with how the Birmingham Womens Hospital have conducted my cycle. I started DR on 16th December had my first scan (Baseline I guess) on 5th January my next scan was the last scan I had being 14th Jan (EC was due this week). From talking to other women on FF I seem to be the only women that's had such a low amount of scans! Is that right? Today I am going to call a few fertility clinics nearby and ask them how many scans are given (as standard) between each process.

When I had my scan on 5th Jan all she said was "Oh I see you have a bit of Endometriosis" (which I knew nothing about) and then said all looks fine see you on the 14th! When I arrived on 14th I had 1 medium size follie on the right and 3 very small ones on the left. That's all I was told and to be honest I was in so much shock that I felt sick and what ever they said just flew over my head. My DP seemed to have asked more than I but I still didn't take it all in. From what they had seen they wanted me to stop all drugs, cancel this cycle and start a fresh when I have my first period (Still waiting for) If they had scanned me more then they would of known that I needed to up my dose of Menopur!? Surely. 

The BWH also don't test your AMH as they say your FSH is sustainable, clearly not in my case and I wonder just how many women have to go through the same before there made to pay!. What worries me the most is that due to all my infertility factors and that my partner has very low sperm count and now with Endometriosis will ICSI work for us? As I thought the lastest discovery can sometimes stop the edd from implanting? Is this right 

Gosh so sorry I've waffled on rather alot! I have tried to call my clinic but my consultant is on holiday until tomorrow and I just needed some answers now!!


----------



## Mistletoe (Holly) (Jan 1, 2007)

The endometriosis could be anywhere - it could be chocolate cysts in the ovaries or anywhere in the pelvis. I think it usually affects fertility by causing adhesions in the fallopian tubes - best to ask a specialist and what they saw on the scan.

Some places do only give a few scans, some are very intense with daily scans.

At my clinic (London Women's Clinic in Harley St) in my first cycle I was scanned after 5 days and then every 2 days, in my second, less - I think the first scan was after 1 week. They might have had a better recruitment of follicles if they had upped the dose early when there were low numbers of follies recruited initially - but I am no expert.

As I said they learn a lot from your first cycle. You might want to change clinics if you are paying for treatment and feel another clinic will suit you better. But if you do that I would shop around, go to some open evenings and make sure you get a complete copy of your notes to take to the new place. You do not want to lose the valuable data from the first try.

I have never had my AMH tested - my consultant said that my FSH of 3.7 and a high antral follicle count when she scanned me was enough to see what was needed.

You would need to discuss your own chances of success with your consultant. If your DH has sperm and they can get some good quality eggs from you then there is always a chance ICSI will work.

A friend in her 40s has recently gone on a very aggressive antagonist protocol with very high doses of another stimming drug and she produced 8 eggs after only producing 2 on her first try (converted to IUI). Unfortunately, only 2 fertilised with plain IVF rather than ICSI and it did not work this time, but she did have a better ovarian response to a different set of drugs/protocol.


----------



## Hbkmorris (Apr 7, 2010)

Thank you for your reply. 

I have spoke to a few clinics all of which are more expensive than mine and that my consultant is also the head consultant to BMI Priory and consults with Midland Fertility Services therefore me staying with BWH seems the best for me right now.

They all perform more scans than BWH but after speaking with my clinic yesterday I think I may be treated a little different next time as not to upset me further!!

With all that's wrong with me I keep thinking that the chances are so much less than someone with just one or two problems but I have to keep positive and as soon as my next cycle starts I'm going to start Fertility Acupuncture which I'm told can help certain couples like us.

Thank you for all your support and kind words.

Kind regards
x


----------

