Anyone try unmonitored (DIY) follistism cycle

[Prettyasanangel]

I recently failed a medicated follistism IVF cycle and I have some left over meds.

IVF is so expensive and  between waiting to do another IVF cycle I thought I could use the left over meds and hopefully get pregnant on my own.

I was thinking about using the left over meds, OPK's and  timed intercourse.

I'm also going to use some instead cups.

I would like to know if anyone has attempted an unmonitored follistism cycle and was it successful.

What day did you start the follistism and how many days did you take it?

What was the dosage that you used?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[NellieR]

Hi, I can understand your desire to try some DIY ovarian stimulation. However my advice would be not to. Im not a fertility Dr but am currently doing some research at an IVF clinic for my PhD and as far as I understand there are numerous serious (as in can be life threatening) conditions that can occur from taking these medications - this is one of the reasons they monitor you closely when you're on them.

Reason 2: They also need to scan your ovaries to measure the follicles - otherwise there is no way to know when they are mature, and thus when to give you the HCG injection to stimulate the egg release. You could guess the timing but every woman is different and even the same women during different cycles of IVF can require different doses and durations of stimulation. So its impossible to know when your eggs are ready if your not monitored.

3rd reason: I expect if you did get lucky and get the timing right (i.e. actually cause the release of mature fertilisable eggs) you would release many of them because multiple follicles are usually stimulated by the IVF drugs. Do you really want to wind up getting pregnant with so many embryos that you have to have a termination or reduction (which can unfortunately cause termination)? Or you end up with very sick babies because there were just too many of them crammed in your uterus to be nurtured properly? When you cant get pregnant its easy to see this as the end goal. But its not, a healthy baby is your goal and whilst DIY IVF might have an infinitely small chance of getting you a positive pregnancy test, if achieved it is very likely to be a disaster pregnancy and simply add to your distress. Please don't risk your future health or that of your babies by trying to get a whole family at once...tempting as it must seem.

4th: Im guessing you don't have tubal damage, but if you do, rest assured that DIY stimulation alone would be completely pointless as the eggs have to travel down your tubes to meet a sperm and the damage would mean they probably cant. 

The following is just my thoughts (no research to back it with), but I have noticed a few couples having one unsuccessful IVF treatment, but getting pregnant during the 6 months after it. Perhaps this is chance but I cant help wondering if perhaps the meds reset some hormone cycles or something that actually increase a couples subsequent chances of pregnancy. Maybe wait a while and see if your natural cycles return? Never give up - we had a lady at the clinic get pregnant naturally when her and her partner both had major fertility problems. They were only given a 5% chance with IVF. 

And if you do decide to DIY it - perhaps you could pay for a scan to monitor your ovarian response, if not the full cycle of IVF? I'd anticipate some disapproval from the medics but I guess they cant stop you doing what you want to your body at the end of the day. And a few scans to time your own HCG - or to alert you not to take the HCG at all if you have more than 2 mature follicles, would be a lot cheaper than a full IVF cycle. 

Wishing you all the best what ever you decide to do.

N x 

[rcr]

I agree with PP. It is too risky. Sorry, I know that is probably not what you want to hear. I too have considered it, but decided against it because I was worried that I would end up with too many babies.
 

[deborahbgkelly]

I have to third what everyone says. OHSS is a serious risk even in a monitored cycle, among other potential side effects. I am monitored on cycle day 6 and then every day or every other day until retrieval. That should give you an idea of how important it is to be monitored on  stims.

[Sourire]

I took the lowest possible dose of Follistim (50iu) during a monitored IUI cycle. I ended up cancelling the cycle because I had 5 mature eggs and the risk of multiple pregnancy was too high. I would not recommend taking Follistim without monitoring.