# What happens next after 1st failed IVF????



## visnjak (Dec 30, 2005)

Hello, i am new to all this and was in a right state due to two IUI failures and first attempt of IVF was a failure, only got as far as egg collection, i responded superb to drugs for my first time, they recovered 4 eggs but during fertilization two were penetrated by 2 sperm and the last one was fertilised by one but it didn't make it to the halving stage so i was devastated, i have been told i have poor egg quality, does that mean they will not advise further attempts at IVF?
i am a private patient and because this happened up to the run up to Christmas i was left to deal with it myself and i was devastated....will they proceed to egg donation and surely they will not ask me to look for a donor? what is the usual waiting time if i am a private patient? please help i would appreciate any advice, thanks


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## jo &amp; ian (Nov 27, 2005)

i dont think you'd have to find a donor yourself, when we sign up for egg collection we're asked if we'd donate any "spare" eggs so they probably share them around?
best to ask your clinic about the rest of the stuff, i cant see why they wouldnt let you try again with youre own eggs though.


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## Lol (May 19, 2004)

Sorry to hear your clinic have not been that supportive.

Egg quality can be variable so really depends on whether you want to continue trying with your own eggs. Different drugs can help improve quality, it is trial and error on a patient by patient basis as to what suits you best.

You can go for egg share, where you pay for the cost of the other persons IVF in return for 1/2 their eggs.  I am not sure what waiting times are like.  A lot of people choose to go to Spain for egg donor as there is no waiting time and it is reasonably priced.  THere is a board on this somewhere.

Best of luck.


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## maxine (Dec 15, 2005)

Sorry to hear about your BFN. The same has happened to me as it was Christmas i felt completely forgotten and am in limbo.

I had to phone my clinic and leave four messages before they replied a week later. I am now changing clinics. But try to stay positive.
Hope all goes well in future 
Maxine


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## visnjak (Dec 30, 2005)

Thank you for your help, i don't have much time on my side and the embryologist said there is nothing one can do to improve egg quality, how true this is i have no idea, you say they have drugs that can help quality?  my nurse told me egg doners are far and few, so with all that information given to me with my first attempt i don;t know what to believe....so far they have only booked me in for councelling this week, and my body needs to come back to normal after all the drugs.


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## visnjak (Dec 30, 2005)

Update: this week i had my councelling session.  Then insisted on seeing the doctor by which i did ask to make appointment to see him the week of egg collection, no one made that appointment so when i saw the secretary she said she would find out who it was i spoke to and had failed to do their job.

She did say after failure they make follow up appointment 6 weeks later! so why is that not written in the literature...also said how could they improve what was already in the literature if it does fail?  it was unfortunate it was the Chrismas period and i was lucky the nurse rang me as she was concerned about me but then i had grown close to her and could ask her anything.

Anyway my appointment has been made with the doctor 2 weeks earlier than the normal 6 weeks, i need answers so i can move on....donor wait is 6 months though they are coming in more now...i have been told again if eggs are poor then there is nothing that can be done to improve them. 

i have found this site a brilliant help!


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## Ellie.st (Mar 11, 2005)

Dear Visnjak

Sorry to hear about your first IVF.  Deciding whether you should try again with your own eggs or go down the donor route will depend on a number of factors but I thought you might be interested in some things I tried during my last cycle to improve egg quality.  

First time around, I had about 12-14 follies, got nine eggs, of which five fertilised.  Out of that I got one Grade One four cell embryo and a second four cell with a little bit of fragmentation. Two others did nothing at all, and one stopped after dividing before day 2.  (I had ET on Day Two).

The second cycle, I had ten follies, got eight eggs, five fertilised, from which I got two Grade One eight cell embryos, two good 6/7 cells embryos to freeze and one four cell (but it stopped dividing on Day Two).  (I had ET on Day Three).  I think, given my very ancient age (41) that this was quite an improvement although I do know that results from cycles can vary for no particular reasons so it may just be coincidence.

What I did differently the second time was:

1. ask to be changed from Puregon to Menopur for stimming (I had read that this is better for older women because it has LH as well as FSH unlike Puregon).  I have since heard about research that suggests this isn't correct but thought I would give it a go anyway.  The clinic weren't bothered which stimming drug I used as they say they all have the same results so they were happy to let me have the one I wanted.  I did respond slower on Menopur and had to stim for three extra days, which was rather nervewracking! I think the Menpur also upset my cycle more afterwards, but it has gone back to normal now.
2  took co-enzyme Q10 starting about three months before this cycle
3 took a bee pollen/royal jelly supplement for about two months before EC
4 drank far more water each day than during last cycle - at least 2 litres in addition to normal herbal teas, juice etc
5 drank 750-1000 mls of milk a day during stimming 
6 really upped my protein intake - I tried to get 60 g a day (I am a vegetarian so eating alot more nuts, eggs, milk, cheese etc).
7  ate nuts (especially brazil nuts) also for extra selenium, plus pumpkin seeds, sunflowers seeds etc for protein and zinc, and walnuts for essential fatty acids.  I have read that selenium helps implantation.
8 I also take a prenatal supplement along with an EFA supplement and extra Vit C (but I did this first time too).  I also eat  a mainly organic/wholefood diet, although this is not new.
9  I had four weekly sessions of reflexology before I started the second cycle.  
10  I took baby aspirin during my 2ww - started during second half of stimming.

I ended up with a BFN again after my second cycle but I still think that my second cycle went better than the first one, and I think that what I tried was certainly worthwhile and didn't do any harm.  The only thing I would do differently the next time would be not to eat quite so many nuts! 

I realise that I am not in exactly the same situation as you but hope that this will be of interest to you in any case.

Best wishes

Ellie


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## visnjak (Dec 30, 2005)

Thanks Ellie for all your information...Yes you did brilliantly for your age, might i say i am a little older and did pretty good with drugs until the state of eggs which devastated me...all i did was give up smoking otherwise i pretty much eat healthily and regular, i never drink or take drugs...I made 10 follicles which surprised them for someone of my age.  I see the doctor in just over a weeks time so i will get the results from him and see what he says, the nurses are not hopeful but i guess it is the doctor i need to hear it from to see where i go from there.

Drugs: bruselin (suprecur), gonal F 450iu x 1, gonal F 900iu x3, ovitrelle.  I did good on these drugs and had no side effects, even surprised them.


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