Egg quality question??? Please help I am desperate for answers

Sheera1801 · 11-05-2009, 07:17 PM

Here is my background I have been ttc officially since dec 08. My regular ob/gyn had me on 2.5mg of femara for about 5 months she did p4's and they all came back in the 20's. I did not get pregnant so she sent me to an re. They did an HSG and SA both came back great. So the first two rounds they had me on 5mg of femara and did trigger and IUI. The next two cycles were femara, injects, trigger, and IUI. Still nothing. I have had a good response to everything. So, I am emotionally drained and ready for a break, so I called the re today to let them know I need a break before I go crazy.
The nurse called back and I was asking her what else could it be since I have good follies dh's swimmers are good. She said it could be my egg quality or there are not eggs in the follies. She said the only way to test for these is to do IVF and they would find it all out there. My question is is there any tests we can do to test for this stuff or is she right? I am just so afraid that I will not be able to have my own kids. I have had to worst month ever.

Sorry for such a long post. And thanks for any advice you ladies are great!

rach81381 · 11-05-2009, 07:25 PM

I know how you feel. I did IVF and got pregnant the first try with twins, that does not happen for everyone though. My RE did testing via bloodwork to check my egg quality and it came back fine. Your story sounds just like mine. This is what I found for you.

Testing Egg Quality
If you think you may be struggling with fertility issues, it is important to get checked out by a health care professional. In particular, you should probably make sure that your eggs are healthy and of a good quality. Women who are struggling with infertility and are over the age of 37 are usually tested for this.

It is difficult to determine the quality of an egg simply by looking at it. Doctors usually have to implant the egg using
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to see whether it will grow or not. However, there is fertility testing to determine if you may be suffering from poor egg quality. Typical tests that evaluate your egg equality include:

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: Measures your levels of FSH. Elevated levels may indicate poor egg quality.
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: The clomid challenge test is a blood test that also looks for FSH as Estradiol in your
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. However, this test is more accurate and more in-depth.

Treatments for Poor Egg Quality
If you are suffering from poor egg quality there are a variety of fertility treatments that you can pursue to help you to conceive. Just because you have poor quality eggs does not mean that it is impossible for you to become pregnant.

Using fertility drugs is one way to possibly increase the quantity and quality of your eggs. Typical female infertility drugs include
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and
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. In vitro fertilization is another treatment option. However, if your eggs are of too poor quality, you may be encouraged to use an
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.

Sheera1801 · 11-05-2009, 07:33 PM

Rach81381~ Thanks! The nurse said that the only way to tell is if we go through IVF and they are able to look at the eggs. So, I guess I will just wait to talk to the actual dr. Congrats on the twins! How exciting.

~Traci~ · 11-05-2009, 07:48 PM

You could do the CD3 testing as well as an SHG (Sonohysterograph). SHG check uterus, HSG checks tubes.

NikiAngel · 11-05-2009, 07:48 PM

Rachel - Congrats on the twins!!!

Sheera1801 - That is definitely rough. I am sorry you've been through this. I personally am a fan of IVF (even though I haven't got my bfp). I feel this way because I don't think the cycle is that much harder than an IUI with injectables but your doctor has so much more control and can tell so much more....and you often have more than one chance for the same eggs retrieved.

A few points - after they retrieve the eggs they fertilize them. If they are not fertilizing correctly they can use ICSI and fertilize them. Then they watch and pick the best healthiest ones and they are implanting an already viable embryo - so I just feel like part of the chance is taken out of the process. Then if your lucky you'll extra embryos for another try if you need it.

If you have any IVF questions feel free to ask!

Sheera1801 · 11-05-2009, 07:53 PM

Niki~ The only way my inurance will pay for a round of IVF is if we do six rounds of failed IUI's. So I have to still do 2 more. IVF is something I would love to do, but I don't know if I am mentally ready to do it yet. I don't know if that sounds strange or not. With IVF what all does the cycle involve? How long does it all take?

NikiAngel · 11-05-2009, 08:00 PM

Hey Sheera - I hear ya. I understand having to go through a certain amount of failed cycles for IVF. Sometimes the RE's can get around it. I know they did for my girlfriend, because they didn't want to put her through another failed IUI.

For me my IVF cycle was actually easier than my IUI, I tend to overstim (common with PCOS) so with IUI they had to be super careful because of HOM's. So I stimmed low and slow for 19 days and had to get checked almost everyday because of OHSS and all the risks. For IVF my entire stim time was like 11 days. I went every 3rd day in the begining then every other day. I took three injections per day, 1 in the morning Menopur and 2 at night Gonal-f and Lupron - Lupron is the suppression med and if this is your protocol you start it like 2-3 weeks before cycling and it basically suppresses your hormones so they can control them. After your follies are ready you trigger, and then go in and they put you to sleep to remove the eggs. They are immediately fertilized and you have a report the next day. 2-6 days later they are put back. If it's a fertilization issue they can do ICSI and fertilize the eggs. They also can tell whether the eggs are mature and of good quality!

rach81381 · 11-05-2009, 08:08 PM

with me for ivf it was all out of pocket so congrats on the insurance coverage. They had me take bcp's for 2 weeks then wait for a withdrawl bleed. Once I started with the bleed I started doing my injections. I was a slow stimmer with injects. I went in once a week for an u/s to check follies. Once they started to grow they had me in more often sometimes once a day. When the follies were ripe I went in at 7am for egg retrieval. After retrieval they say to take it easy for the day, so I went shopping. I went back 3 days later and my eggs were not quite ready so they gave us the option of putting all four back in me or waiting 2 more days. We decided to wait. So 2 days later I went back in and they put the 2 best in. They again told me to go home and take it easy, but I again went shopping. I figured if it was gonna work then it was gonna work.

Sheera1801 · 11-05-2009, 08:09 PM

Niki~ If you don't mind me asking, How much did all the meds cost you?

rach81381 · 11-05-2009, 08:11 PM

Sheera- Do you have med coverage for injections?

Sheera1801 · 11-05-2009, 08:17 PM

Rach~ Yeah, I think I paid about $70 for 300iu of follistim.

rach81381 · 11-05-2009, 08:21 PM

There was a girl at our clinic that had ins coverage for her meds. She also got pregnant on her first try with twins. She donated the remainder of her meds to me. There was probably 4000 worth of meds.

rach81381 · 11-05-2009, 08:22 PM

This is what I have left

14 boxes menopur
12 boxes bravelle
2 sharps containers
2 hcg
3 ganirelix

Sheera1801 · 11-05-2009, 08:25 PM

Oh wow thats a lot of money for meds. I really wish that infertility was covered for everyone! I am limited to $20,000 in a lifetime per person. So I am sure that some of our IVF treatment will have to be out of pocket.

AAAAHHHHHHHH I sometimes just want to scream and my eyes burn from all the crying recently. (sorry about this last little rant couldn't help it)

rach81381 · 11-05-2009, 08:27 PM

would any of those meds work for you?