IVF Protocols?

[Seedlings]

I am trying to get my barrings on ivf protocols.

My 1st and 2nd ivf's were ~
BCp's
Baby asprin
predinesone
fsh/lh = Follistim and menopur (allergic to repronex)
GnRH-antagonist =ganirelix stims day 5

My embryo quality has been barely average to poor. From both cycles the best I have had is: 1 6 cell, 1 5 cell, some 4's and then just immature.

Since I am 39 my estrogen is out of whack indicating that I am on my way to menopause. For my 3rd ivf my re wants to do a Stop Lupron Protocol. Would someone please let me know what they think about that. From what I've been reading it just seems to be the luck of the draw to how you'll respond. I would love to know more about Estrogen Priming Protocol (EPP). I would also love to hear about what you all know about ivf protocols.

I feel lost

[crazyrunningmama]

Originally Posted by Seedlings

I feel lost

to you, it's crazy isn't it. So much to know and figure out and then you pretty much have to trust your RE. I have no idea about the stop Lupron thing. I have done IVF twice now, the first time with baby aspirin, this recent time without, I meant to ask them why not but I forgot.
Both times:
BCP's
Synarel nose spray
repronex and gonal F
HcG trigger shot

then progesterone supponsitories until beta

Did they give you an answer as to why they are thinking of changing the protocol in that way? What difference do they think it will make and how likely is it to work in the way they hope it will?

Good luck to you.

[Seedlings]

Thanks so much for understanding. I am feeling detached from this and am having a hard time finding peace and the questions I need to ask my re.

My re wants to do the stop lupron to see if i'll produce more eggs and better quality ones. I am not really sure he even knows if lupron will make a difference for the better in my eggs. I think he is just trying what has worked for others in the past. I should ask him about how likely it is to work. That is a very good question.

[Julia'sMom]

I"m sorry you are going thru this. I don't know much about how different protocols work. I do know that I used
bcp's
lupron
follistim & repronex
hcg trigger shot
pio & prog suppositories

I don't know the final result yet. However I do know that I produced 13 eggs, of which 10 made it to blastocyst (day 5). I am relatively young (30) but I have PCOS, which makes my hormones a bit out of whack and means I don't ovulate on my own.

[kristinc]

Based on your age, it sounds like you need the estrogen priming protocol. That is the big guns that my clinic pulls out when you have the age factor, poor response in previous cycles, poor equality-several of which it sounds like you might have.

I have all of the above ecept the age factor (i am 27). I had a poor response with ivf #1, so swictched to SIRM clinic who specializes in all of the above issues and when they looked over my records from the previous IVf they said that my cycle was mismanaged AKA they did not put me on the correct meds for my problems and the doses were too low. another thing is that they never use menopur on high fsh/poor responder patients b/c it destroys the egg quality.

if you want a second opinion from them you can go to their website www.haveababy.com and post your situation and the RE's will repsond with their thoughts. You can also do a free phone consult with the one closest to you to see what they think after looking your records over. I am planning to cycle with them this fall/early winter so I hope my outcome will be as good as they are predicting...esp since the last RE said move on to donor eggs or adoption