# Abandoning natural FET - starting Progynova on CD 12



## Cookie-Monster76 (Dec 11, 2015)

Hi to all the lovely ladies here,

I'm new here, waiting for my first FET. Because we are blessed with both a low ovarian reserve and sperm issues (only discovered after 3 years of treatment), we have moved on to double donation. Fresh transfer resulted in BFN, but we were lucky enough to have 6 D3 embryoes in the freezer. First one is scheduled to be transfered this cycle. Doctor suggested a natural cycle.  Normally my cycles are 26 days, with ovulation around CD 13 (I usually feel them). My last cycle lasted 30 days, I thought this was due to coming off of the heavy hormones from the fresh cycle to sync my cycle with the donor. But yesterday I had my first scan, on CD 11, to see if the dominant follicle would be large enough to give the HCG trigger. So I lay there in the uncumfy chair, and doc says that my lining is still very thin, and there are some follicles appearing, but too small. Blood work was done too, don't know the result of that, but at night I got a call from the doctor's office (this is usual: the doctor doing the scan is not the one doing the transfer, so they send the results to the other docter, and his office calls me to confirm the next steps) saying that "not much is happening down there", so I should start taking oestrogen (Progynova) twice a day and come back for another scan and bloodwork 9 days later.

I am, as is my unfortunate nature, worried because of this. I suppose this means the natural FET is cancelled and substituted by a medicated one.

Has anyone had that? This is my first FET ever (never had frosties with my own cycles), and after 4 years of intense treatment, we are both exhausted. Our resilience has dropped to an alltime low. I am now worrying about this, hoping that we are still in time to switch to a medicated cycle. Or should I just wait it out a bit longer, maybe my cycle is still a bit thrown off and will only kick in later? The doctor said the current problem (not much activity on CD 11) is due to my low ovarian reserve. I translate that in "you are approaching an early onset menopauze". So in that case, I should probably never try a natural FET again?


----------



## Miss Sunshine22 (Mar 12, 2013)

Hi Cookie Monster

Big hugs   After my first DE cycle transfer was cancelled, my period was erratic for 6 months and I don't think I ovulated at all. It's usually regular as clockwork (and has been again since my last transfer in February), have never been late in my life,  so I'm sure the meds affected it. The clinic kept saying it was my age   but it seemed more than a coincidence to me that things should go awry as soon as they started to mess with my hormones. Could that be possible for you? Ie could you wait a bit to see if it gets more regular again? If you were on down reg medication it can take  a couple of months for things to get back to normal, so it could be that? 

Alternatively, it sounds like you may be offered a medicated cycle as an alternative.

Sorry to hear you're feeling exhausted  . I hope you find some answers from your clinic.


----------



## Jo_Hopefor2016 (Sep 29, 2014)

Hi cookie-monster, I can't relate to your experience exactly however, I had a natural FET attempt (attempt number 4!) and due to my response to this on CD20 they switched me straight to a medicated cycle using buserelin, which I started on CD23. I didn't start progynova until a couple of weeks after.

I think a lot of clinics prefer a medicated cycle, as they have more control of what's going on. Some clinics start you on a medicated cycle on CD1, others CD21 and others CD23! Your clinic may want to do this? What did they suggest you do? xx


----------



## Cookie-Monster76 (Dec 11, 2015)

Thank you for the responses.

Jo, I'm so sorry about your abandoned cycles, that must have been heartbreaking.

Sunshine: for my fresh DE transfer I had been given a shot of Decapeptyl 3.75 in March, that put me in menopauze for 5 weeks. After those 5 weeks, and two weeks before transfer (which was on April 29th) I started Progynova. After that failed fresh cycle, I wanted to immediately start a frozen cycle, but the doc said it was better to wait a cycle. That cycle took 30 days instead of the regular 26, I felt my ovulation on CD 17. So now on the start of my new cycle I had high hopes for a natural cycle, but since nothing was happening down there by CD 11, they had me start Progynova. I had a talk with yet another doctor yesterday (because I needed to find another doctor to do an August transfer in case the July cylce would fail, because my regular doc will be on holiday then, and I don't want to waste 1 or 2 cycles because of that) and he reassured me that is was quite common to switch to or add Progynova in a natural cycle when the natural cycle seems a bit off. In about 35% of the FET, they don't even try for a natural cycle. Nature can be fickle. 
So I suppose in my case it could be some effects from the Decapeptyl, that it takes my body a bit longer to start the engines again and get running at its normal speed. If this cycle fails, I want to try a natural cycle again, but I won't freak out anymore if it turns out to need an extra push from medication. It's the destination that counts (a BFP) not how I get there 

Good luck to you all!!


----------

