# Is my clinic doing enough?



## BumbleC (4 mo ago)

Hi everyone, hope you're all doing well. I was hoping to get some advice/feedback from you all as I prepare to have a follow up consultation with my doctor. I am sure this is a question many of you have questioned at some point on your IVF journey. 

A bit of background - I've recently turned 45 and have had x4 cycles to date this past year. My IVF journey started later than I'd hoped because of the pandemic (took me a year to get a meeting with a clinic!) and as my first cycle was with DS and there was a global shortage of Caucasian sperm, we encountered another 6 month delay.

Cycle 1 - short protocol - x4 mature eggs collected and all fertilised with DS but one by one they all stopped by Day 6
Cycle 2 - same protocol as above but only one mature follicle and the womb lining was v thin, so we abandoned on the advice from the Doctor
Cycle 3 - long protocol - lots of follicles but only two follicles that grew to above 20mm. On egg collection day I was told I'd ovulated early. Devastated as I was never told that this could happen. The doctor wouldn't collect the others because apparently there was no point.
Cycle 4 - mild IVF protocol - x2 mature eggs collected, both fertilised with partner sperm but stopped growing on the day of transfer :-(
Cycles 2-4 were relatively back to back June-October, with one period between each. I should also note that my partner had a vasectomy earlier in his life so after the failed DS cycle we arranged for him to have a PESA procedure this year and we currently have 3 vials of frozen sperm left (one vial was used for Cycle 4).

From doing lots of research on here and good 'ol google, I wonder if there is more that my clinic should and could be doing to better understand my body and ovaries in order to have a successful cycle. For example, I've read that some ladies have blood tests showing them their basic hormonal profile between days 1-3 of their cycle when they have their baseline scan which allows the clinic to ensure that they are on the right protocol. My clinic has never done this. (Although I did have blood tests done via my GP before I started my IVF journey which told me my AMH, FSH, LH, E2 and Prolactin - they weren't taken on a specific day of my cycle and I have no idea what any of the results mean but my IVF clinic received a copy of them). Additionally, at our last meeting following the premature ovulation of cycle 3, I discussed some research reports with my doctor about eggs being collected before the 20mm size as the eggs can 'over mature'. Whilst my doctor agreed and was aware of the research, when it came to egg collection they insisted I wait to trigger. As a result my two mature eggs were 21 & 23mm at collection. On a positive, the clinic did check my oestradiol levels (E2) on both cycles 3 & 4 and my progesterone and LH the day before cycle 4 egg collection but this was at my insistence to avoid a reoccurrence of premature ovulation. As with most things, these extras all come at a cost!! I should also state that I have had an ongoing cold for close to 6 weeks now so its clear that my immune system isn't great (we checked for covid but all tests were negative).

I read an amazing older post on here which contained frequently asked questions about improving your chances after a failed IVF but I guess I'd like to hear some personal experiences. We're at a crossroads, which I am sure many of you have been at before. Do we look to change clinic to one that specialises in older women (either here in the UK or abroad) using OE, that would do all the necessary tests before and during the cycle to make sure everything is optimum? I'd love to hear other peoples experiences.

My partner and I have agreed to one last OE cycle before looking at DE but obviously we want to give ourselves the very very best chance of success. I have been taking DHEA, COQ10, 75mg Aspirin plus lots of different supplements (to the point that I literally rattle) for the past 18 months. My last cycle I cut down my running at the suggestion of my doctor (I can run up to 30 miles a week), with very little exercise for the two weeks of stims. I stopped caffeine, restricted carb intake and processed sweet treats (cake, choc, biscuits...) not that I over indulge that often, oh, and I stopped drinking alcohol earlier this year (but I've never been a huge drinker).

I appreciate that every clinic does things differently but I am starting to feel like we have been paying a lot of ££££ for a service that isn't particularly personalised to the individual. If this last cycle of OE doesn't work then we've pretty much decided to go abroad for DE as their success rates seem a lot higher and the cycles are cheaper.

If you've gotten this far, well done and thank you for sticking with me, lol! I'd love to hear from anyone with positive and negative stories.

Bumble 🐝


----------



## AK42 (4 mo ago)

BumbleC said:


> Hi everyone, hope you're all doing well. I was hoping to get some advice/feedback from you all as I prepare to have a follow up consultation with my doctor. I am sure this is a question many of you have questioned at some point on your IVF journey.
> 
> A bit of background - I've recently turned 45 and have had x4 cycles to date this past year. My IVF journey started later than I'd hoped because of the pandemic (took me a year to get a meeting with a clinic!) and as my first cycle was with DS and there was a global shortage of Caucasian sperm, we encountered another 6 month delay.
> 
> ...


Hi, you have had a long journey. I was in similar situation with a local private clinic who did not change anything or now I feel tailored anything to me and just kept going saying that this is a game of numbers and that results will be poor at my age. 
I have had a few consultations with three different clinics in Spain and their approach is so different, very individualised too. They are a lot more thorough in their investigations which is obviously more costly. But I am at a point where I want to have a good try to make sure I have done everything I could. 
A number of clinics offer free first consultation where they go through everything. You can try to make those appointments first and see how you feel.


----------



## MommyKenny (Jul 9, 2019)

BumbleC said:


> Hi everyone, hope you're all doing well. I was hoping to get some advice/feedback from you all as I prepare to have a follow up consultation with my doctor. I am sure this is a question many of you have questioned at some point on your IVF journey.
> 
> A bit of background - I've recently turned 45 and have had x4 cycles to date this past year. My IVF journey started later than I'd hoped because of the pandemic (took me a year to get a meeting with a clinic!) and as my first cycle was with DS and there was a global shortage of Caucasian sperm, we encountered another 6 month delay.
> 
> ...


Since you and your hubby have already decided to try one more cycle with OE then good luck is in order? Or are you undecided yet? We went straight to IVF abroad when we learned of our condition. It was both sperm and egg donation. Your decisions also must be considering availability of funds. But trying this last time for your OE seems like a more practical thing to do. Good luck on either of your decisions!


----------



## wilberdoo (Feb 27, 2012)

Hi lovely, didn’t want to read and run. 
it’s so hard isn’t it! I am 42, soon to be 43. Due to do a last round for a sibling for my son (from IVF at 35) with own eggs.
Can you talk to your clinic and share your concerns? If you don’t get a good feeling you could change. Unfortunately we are our own advocates and much of it falls on us to ask the questions and drive changes. I have a blood test and baseline scan on day 2 or 3 and then regular blood tests and scans until they decide I’m ready for egg collection. I’m doing a short antagonist protocol in November and getting any embryos PGT tested before doing a FET if we get any viable embryos in the new year. My FS is lovely and I trust her but I still bombard her with questions and ideas! I put myself on uniquinol - I’ve got a AMH luckily but I can’t help thinking about my egg quality!
Good luck lady! Xxxxx


----------



## BumbleC (4 mo ago)

AK42 said:


> Hi, you have had a long journey. I was in similar situation with a local private clinic who did not change anything or now I feel tailored anything to me and just kept going saying that this is a game of numbers and that results will be poor at my age.
> I have had a few consultations with three different clinics in Spain and their approach is so different, very individualised too. They are a lot more thorough in their investigations which is obviously more costly. But I am at a point where I want to have a good try to make sure I have done everything I could.
> A number of clinics offer free first consultation where they go through everything. You can try to make those appointments first and see how you feel.


Thanks for replying @AK42. I’m definitely going to discuss with my current clinic but suspect that even if we wanted to continue with them they may not offer me the opportunity unless I go down the DE route (due to my age). I think we’ll end up going abroad and your suggestion of utilising the free consultations is a good one!
Wishing you the very best of luck on your journey, do keep me updated!
Bumble 🐝


----------



## BumbleC (4 mo ago)

wilberdoo said:


> Hi lovely, didn’t want to read and run.
> it’s so hard isn’t it! I am 42, soon to be 43. Due to do a last round for a sibling for my son (from IVF at 35) with own eggs.
> Can you talk to your clinic and share your concerns? If you don’t get a good feeling you could change. Unfortunately we are our own advocates and much of it falls on us to ask the questions and drive changes. I have a blood test and baseline scan on day 2 or 3 and then regular blood tests and scans until they decide I’m ready for egg collection. I’m doing a short antagonist protocol in November and getting any embryos PGT tested before doing a FET if we get any viable embryos in the new year. My FS is lovely and I trust her but I still bombard her with questions and ideas! I put myself on uniquinol - I’ve got a AMH luckily but I can’t help thinking about my egg quality!
> Good luck lady! Xxxxx


Thanks so much for your message @wilberdoo 
I find the system so frustrating! I’m definitely going to voice my concerns and frustrations to the consultant but fear it will fall on deaf ears. Since the original post, my partner and I have discussed DE in more depth. I’m not adverse to it at all, so long as it works. As suggested by @AK42 I think we’ll get some free consults booked with overseas clinics and find out how they might approach my cycle differently. Best of luck with your upcoming cycle, do keep me updated as to how it goes.
Bumble 🐝


----------

