Little help please ;>)

[enigo]

I started femara this cycle days 3-7 (on day 7 now) and the doctor wants to do an Ovidrel trigger. Does anyone know what the benefit would be to using the Ovidrel as opposed to just the femara? I already ovulate on my own. Does the Ovidrel help you produce more follicles/eggs? Thanks for any insight you can give me.

[praha]

Hi, Enigo:  The Femara helps you produce multiple (and theoretically "stronger") eggs.  The Ovidrel helps you release all of them.  Without Ovidrel, you'd still only release a single egg. Releasing multiple eggs ups the odds that one will fertilize, and implant -- and stick. It also increases the amount of progesterone your body may pump out, because you'd have more than one corpus luteum.

Also, the follicles from unreleased eggs could possibly develop into cysts (I don't know how common this is).

Did you have an ultrasound to measure your follicles?  My RE counts and measures them before prescribing the trigger -- presumably so we wouldn't trigger if I had, say, 10 of them ready to go. 

I hope this is helpful!

[enigo]

Thanks Praha! That does help. Those are great reasons! I had an ultrasound on day 3 before starting the Femara and I have another to check on the follicles on cd 12. If they are ready then, they will trigger, if not I guess I go in again. I sure hope they are, I don't have insurance, so every time I go into the doctor's office I spend even more money. It will be worth it if I get the baby payoff though :grin

I haven't had any side effects from the Femara so far which is nice, but I do feel my ovaries flexing ;>)

[Vegan Princess]

Enigo: Could they show you how to give yourself the shot if you are not ready for it when you go in? My RE made us do an orientation and even practice giving ourselves a shot of saline solution. They do the scan on day 10 and everyone has to give themselves the shot at the time they specify. I wish I didn't have to do it but I guess it does save me time and money not having to go back in. Plus it really wasn't that bad - it's hard to get yourself to do ti the first time but it actually didn't hurt. I just filled my prescription today. This will be my first time triggering too. I am on day 4 of femara (cd 5 for me), but this is my 3rd month taking it. 

The benefits are all that she listed, plus it helps with timing. I am doing IUI. So they always schedule the IUI for 36 hours after you trigger - and then I think you O 12 hours later. I may be wrong about that though.

Good luck!!

Cindy

[enigo]

I really wanted to do an IUI. Since I'm going through this whole mess anyway. The doctor didn't seem to think it was necessary. Sure SHE doesn't... she has 3 kids ;>)

I was already looking up how to do it myself, I have to do Lovenox soon after anyway, may as well get used to it.

[Vegan Princess]

It def doesn't hurt to try a couple months of just the meds and not IUI. Doing IUI is adding a ton of extra money into the equation! All said and done, this cycle is going to cost me around $1,000 including ultrasound, meds and IUI. Ugh!

Cindy

[enigo]

Yeah I just wanted it to be an all or nothing shot. The intralipids I had today were $650, the Femara and Ovidrel were I think about $200. The doc is 150-200 each time I go in. At this rate, I won't have enough money left over for diapers! :grin
Edited by enigo - 8/6/11 at 9:12am

[Vegan Princess]

Ha! I hear ya! My husband was like "so does #2 not get to go to college bc we have to spend so much trying to have him or her?"

[enigo]

I'm sayin'... kid #2 is going to be barefoot and wearing his big brother's clothes...even if she's a girl ;>) But she'll be loved!

[enigo]

I did it!! I gave myself the hcg shot! Me! The biggest needle-phobe on the planet!!! I swear it didn't even hurt! Now if only the lovenox will be so easy! (Gasp I forgot about that!)

[Vegan Princess]

Yay! I was so freaked at the orientation when they made us practice with saline solution. But when it came time to do the trigger at home on Tuesday I just was like "do it!". And you're right - it didn't even hurt! I was surprised. Good job! I'm sorry you have to do more injections! It will be worth it for a little one though!! Just keep telling that yourself every time you don't want to do it.

Cindy

[monkeyscience]

This is interesting - I also did Femara back in April, I think CD 5-9 or something, but my doc said the hCG trigger was just so we would know when to time intercourse. Didn't mention anything about improving eggs or releasing more eggs.

I'm glad things went well, enigo! I, too, was paying out of pocket, and had to have 2 ultrasounds at $275/each. I probably would have had a third one, too, except I had to leave town for a funeral. Luckily, my dh gave me my shot, so I didn't have to. Of course, no baby resulted, so I guess it was all a waste, anyway.

[wissa19]

I'm hoping to start a femara cycle with trigger shot in a few days...Thanks for all the info!!

"I guess it was all a waste anyway"  -  What's the saying Edison found 99 ways how not to make a lightbulb.  ???  Maybe for us we just have to find what works and in the end no matter the outcome you can say I gave it my best...I did everything I could.

And out of pocket really stinks and controls a lot the choices you make in regards to TTC. (..Might have to use cloth diapers...just wash and reuse. ;) )

[enigo]

I'm at 5dpo and have since had to do 3 lovenox shots. Awesome...much worse than the hcg. The hcg was nothing (did I mention I despise needles?) The flippin' lovenox burns like hot acid going in and burns for a few minutes afterwards. Can't let your shirt touch it after you do the shot. I think if I don't make it this cycle, I may have to come to terms with giving up
I've been testing out the hcg. Yesterday it was pretty faint, hopefully by tomorrow it will be gone so I can start obsessing on real tests! I wanna quit doing the lovenox as soon as possible if I'm not pregnant.

But for sure I will feel like I did all I could after the past 3 years.

[Vegan Princess]

Enigo: I'm sorry the shots hurt so bad! That sucks! I'm so hoping this is it for you!!! Please don't give up! 

I am 9 dpo and 10 days past trigger and my lines are possibly getting darker. I'm trying not to get my hopes up. The lines never disappeared. So I don't know if it's just sticking around forever and my tests are really sensitive (wondfo ICs) or it's something else developing. I know only time will tell. 

Cindy

[enigo]

Wooo! Vegan Princess
I'm 7 days past trigger and just took a test. (Trying to test it out of my system so I can get a reliable BFP). It looks like it is finally almost neg. Now starts the real obsessing!