# anyone used menopur?



## Tfor

hi girls, in really early stages of ivf and i'm going to be having menopur. it doesn't seem to be the popular choice so was wondering if anyone has used it...had any success?  x


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## ♥JJ1♥

I had it 3 yrs ago and got pregnant on it on its own, some people have it combined with gonal f or puregon as well.  wishing you lots of luck
L x


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## 4sillybilliesand3cats

hi there,

I used menopur for my ivf with icsi cycle in october, for male factor infertility. i was on minimal dose of 150 because of my age and good fertility. i had 9 eggs collected on EC day, 8 of which where mature enough for ICSI. Only had 2 embies for ET day, but that wasbecause of the sperm quality, 5 eggs didn't fertilise, and the one other egg that did only got to four cell. Saying that, the two embies put back both took and I am approaching the end of my first trimester with 2 babies growing and developing beautifully.

I think that most units use what they are familiar with, but if you don't respond well this time perhaps you could negotiate a change of drugs.

Hope this helps. This was my first IVF cycle, so first times really do happen x


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## Myton

Hi Hon,

I have used Menopur on this cycle - dont know the result yet but got the most eggs of any cycle (previously used Puregon) on this one - we got 7, 4 fertilised and two back in.

I was on 350iu a day - the clinic said it was their standard protocol - I did wonder whether my private cycles used Puregon as its more expensive LOL but not sure on that one :0)

Good luck


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## Tfor

thanks guys, i know you can somtimes read too many links on 'tinternet, and it said on one link that menopur not frequently used so although i've not started on it yet i was panicking. Am private so wasn't sure if they were using expensive drugs.....don't mind if they work!! anyway got peace of mind now so thanks. good luck to you all x


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## ♥JJ1♥

No menopur if much cheaper than gonal f and puregon by far.  I was 8 vials of menopur and privately they were £12-13 pound a vial- you can get great deals cheaper out the cheaper drugs thread by ordering direct from manufacturer etc, whereas the clinic were at that time charging £24 a vial.  

Puregon and Gonal f are around £360-400 (best deal I could get) a 900 unit pen and I was on 600units a dose.


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## Tiny21

I was on menopur for both cycles and to be honest it seemed a very common drug to be on, as you can see on our 2nd round of IVF, which turned to ICSI (but 7th treatment) we have been blessed and my bump will become a baby any day!!! 

Good luck


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## Tfor

crickey there is SO much to learn about all of this! because it's our 1st attempt and we don't know anything we are getting drugs from hospital and are paying 922 for drug package (whatever is included in a package)!!! so maybe i should check out cheaper options if we're not successful this time round.  when you said you fell on your own do you mean through treatment or after taking drugs alone?? x


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## ♥AngelBumps♥

My clinic told me Menopur was much stronger than Puregon. I believe this to be true having researched the internet. I kept getting OHSS with Menopur as it was so strong. I got lots of eggs, which is bad - quality not quantity and all that. IVF 1 and IVF 2 were both Menopur. IVF 2 was abandoned due to OHSS and 35 follicles/egg sacs on *each* ovary. IVF 3 was a mixture of Menopur and Puregon - far better response, but BFN. Finally, IVF 4 was purely Puregon, which amongst other factors, resulted in my BFP. Everyone reacts differently and I believe Menopur is a very popular choice. It is generally used on the NHS as it is a cheaper drug and they can gauge your response to stimms drugs by using this first as it is 'stronger' than Puregon. Stronger is not always better, as in my case, but Menopur is a good starting point to see how your ovaries will react.  Good luck!


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## Han72

Hi all

Angelbumps, and 2sba3c - congrats on your ickle miracles! 

Moog - good luck hon!    

Tiny - not long now if you haven't already introduced your little munchkin to the world! Good luck chick       

Myton - so sorry it didn't work out this time    

Hi JJ 

Hey Tfor  I just wanted to add that I've never heard menopur described as a "rare" drug to use, nor have I ever heard that it's stronger than any other stim medication (sorry Angel!)

But maybe when the clinic said it was "stronger" they were referring to the fact that Gonal and Puregon are FSH only whereas M'pur is a mixture of LH and FSH?  As a result, M'pur is often more effective in "older" ladies and some poor responders because of the LH content.  It doesn't always give more eggs in those circumstances, but it does generally give better quality ones.

On the other hand, there are many ladies who find that Puregon works better for them and they get nothing or very little with M'pur.  I have to say I've often wondered if this is a case of the clinic not monitoring hormone levels closely enough during stims cos if your LH rises too quickly, you ovulate early and then there's nowt there when they get to EC....

The best clinics (in my opinion) are the ones that monitor you properly during stims (via scans and/or bloods) and are willing to chop and change or even combine the stim drugs, depending upon the individual's response...

Love and luck to all!
xxx


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## Guest

They are all widely used and are all v effective stims drugs....some ladies do better on one type of stim and others on another - but often you do not know until you try! Agree with Nix though  - esp re dosing - that if you have close monitoring at your clinic during stims then you will ensure you are taking what you need (and when) during the process . Good luck!

xxx


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## purplejr

Hi Tfor,

We used Menopur on all 3 of our cycles of ICSI and it worked for us on the last one.

Good luck with your tx.

xx


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## ♥AngelBumps♥

Nixf01 said:


> I just wanted to add that I've never heard menopur described as a "rare" drug to use, nor have I ever heard that it's stronger than any other stim medication (sorry Angel!)
> 
> xxx


Hey, no worries, I agree...!  I was trying to think of an antonym for 'purer' and I couldn't, so just stuck to what my clinic said - stronger!  As Puregon, is purer (according to them and hence the name) - Puregon injections contain the active ingredient follitropin beta, which is the synthetic version of the natural sex hormone follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). Menopur comes from the urine of nuns (apparently!) and/or menopausal ladies, whereas Puregon is derived from genetically engineered proteins. Puregon aggravated my ovaries less than Menopur, which was a nightmare for me, but lots of ladies have used Menopur with fantastic success rates. Maybe Menopur was 'stronger' on me as it comes directly from menopausal ladies/nuns? Who knows!?! 

Menopur gave me more eggs (around 70 once) and OHSS. My abdomen felt so much more comfortable with Puregon, not swollen and more acceptable levels of eggs (less). The hospital said a lot of women they have react to it in this way, not all women though. They said they would try me on Puregon as it tends to be more gentle on the ovaries.

A xxx


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## Guest

Hi,
I used Menopur for our ICSI tx.  I started on a low dose as I have PCOS and there was a risk of OHSS.  My dose was upped to 4 vials later on.  ACU at UCLH (think it's now CRGH) prescribe it for quite a few patients.


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## Stars*

Hi,

My clinic give me Menopur now as 1st tx had Gonl F only had 6 eggs, then switched to Menopur, and past 2 tx have been 10 and 11 eggs retrived and of much better quality 

I was on 3 amps a day (225iu) 

Good luck

Lisa xx


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## Guest

Angel, reveiwing the dose much more often and seeing you for bloods/scans as early as day 3/4 is what will reduce the chances of OHSS really...good luck!


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## ♥AngelBumps♥

Hi Lukey,

How are you?

Yes, my first IVF was a medium dose - can't remember what now, as it was first go and many moons ago! But they told me they'd either increase it or reduce it dependent on scans every other day. IVF 1 was in MHO was OHSS, as it was the most painful and I was the most ill, couldn't walk with the pain, but TX wasn't cancelled. IVF 1 failed. IVF 2 they reduced the does considerably - still got OHSS, even after close monitoring - IVF 2 was cancelled. I was monitored very closely on all four IVFs. We decided Menopur wasn't for me after IVF 2 failed, but they wanted to try Menopur-Puregon combo on 3rd go, which was slightly better (less eggs-wise), but was BFN, so the last and final go we did purely (pardon-the-pun) Puregon and it finally worked! Absolutely no abdominal discomfort whatsoever, hardly even knew I was cycling! (Got about 25 eggs-ish - least I'd ever had). Hopefully, this pregnancy will get to term and I hope so, as IVF is the hardest thing to go through isn't it!?! I was scanned and had blood tests every few days during treatment. Menopur just doesn't agree with me, just like Puregon doesn't agree with other ladies. It's hard, 'cause they have to try and tailor the drugs to your body's needs and unfortunately it's a learning curve, time and money! They have always monitored me more closely due to my dramatic response with multiple follicles. There's no way of knowing until we try is there?

Never mind... I'm a few pounds less (£'s not lbs - I wish!   but got baby to thank for that!), but a lifetime of happiness hopefully awaits.

A xx


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## Han72

Hi all

just a quickie, I was poking around on the net and found this:

http://209.85.229.132/search?q=cache:OlrWI5u-jk8J:www.fertilethoughts.com/forums/ivf-high-tech/529379-menopur-vs-repronex.html+menopur+and+pcos&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=fr&client=firefox-a

OK bear with me cos I'm no doc but, as far as I can figure it out, it seems that PCOS is linked to raised LH levels. If you take menopur or any other stim med that also contains LH, it aggravates the PCOS which can lead to the production of far too many follies and raised E2 levels. If your clinic hasn't monitored your levels closely enough and then goes ahead with egg collection, they give you the trigger, your E2 levels soar and you end up with OHSS... Also, I remember reading that too much LH can impair egg quality which might explain why PCOS sufferers often produce lots of eggs, but sometimes the fert rate is low or they don't do well in the lab....

Um.. at least I THINK that's how it works! 

Love to all!

xxx


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## ♥AngelBumps♥

Nixf01 said:


> Hi all
> 
> just a quickie, I was poking around on the net and found this:
> 
> http://209.85.229.132/search?q=cache:OlrWI5u-jk8J:www.fertilethoughts.com/forums/ivf-high-tech/529379-menopur-vs-repronex.html+menopur+and+pcos&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=fr&client=firefox-a
> 
> OK bear with me cos I'm no doc but, as far as I can figure it out, it seems that PCOS is linked to raised LH levels. If you take menopur or any other stim med that also contains LH, it aggravates the PCOS which can lead to the production of far too many follies and raised E2 levels. If your clinic hasn't monitored your levels closely enough and then goes ahead with egg collection, they give you the trigger, your E2 levels soar and you end up with OHSS... Also, I remember reading that too much LH can impair egg quality which might explain why PCOS sufferers often produce lots of eggs, but sometimes the fert rate is low or they don't do well in the lab....
> 
> Um.. at least I THINK that's how it works!
> 
> Love to all!
> 
> xxx


Hi Nix,

Yes, makes perfect sense. The introduction of Menopur seems to correlate with my resulting symptoms any way! 

A xx


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## SR3

Hi Ladies,

Just reading this thread and find it very interesting.  I've just been to our follow up appt at the clinic after our 1st unsuccessful ICSI and have been advised that they now want to try me on Menapur instead of Gonal F due to my poor response to that particular drug (only 3 follicles but all good size).

Its amazing what opinions different clinics have on drug regimes.  I'm just hoping they get it right this time


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## Bluemorpho23

I am being treated privately at a v expensive US clinic and they have put me on Menopur. Am on Menopur 2 vials, Gonal f (300 uts) and Lupron. For me at least, my numbers don't seem to be different to my other cycles, but I am on slightly lower doses and they seem to be growing a little slower, not sure if that's good or bad.

Last 2 times I was on Merional and Fostimon and one to stop ovulation..can't remember the name.., before that just gonal F and something to stop ovulating...can't remember the name. 

None of the drug protocols seem to make much difference to me though

Hope that helps...


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