New to IVF

[blueirises]

A little history first...My left tube is blocked and I recently had a polyp removed from my uterus...I O on my own, but my OB/GYN had me do 2 rounds of 100mg Clomid in Dec/Jan w/no success. I sought out an RE who is just want I wanted...Aggressive! Yeah!!! So, we are going to do IVF in April...of course still not soon enough for me...did I mention I will be 33 in May and the tick tick tick is getting louder every day...anyway...I am totally not thrilled about Feb/Mar being wasted months...to make things worse my IVF center is closed the last week of Mar/1st week of Apr...this poses a problem for me. My period was on Jan 31st which means I am on schedule for another one on Mar 2nd and then Apr 1st...My RE told me I could possibly start Lupron in March and then do the stimming and ER/ET in April, but I needed to call secretary for scheduling...she told me b/c of when my period is due to start in Apr I won't be able to go that cycle and will have to wait until the end of Apr for next period b/c they will be closed Apr 1st...this totally pisses me off b/c I don't want to have to wait b/c of 3 measly days...they open back up on April 4th! I am wondering a few different things:

What does Lupron do? I think it is used to stop body from ovulating...
Do all people go on birth control before IVF? Why hasn't my RE mentioned that? Is it b/c I have normal cyles and O on my own?

I am meeting w/RE on Tuesday for a check for Post-op and I want to maybe suggest I do at least an injectibles w/either timed BDing or IUI in March so it won't be a total wasted month. Is it possible to do IUI and IVF back to back?

If an IUI fails how long do you have to wait to do the next IUI?
If an IVF fails how long do you have to wait to do the next IVF?

I really hope someone can answer all these questions and not just read my post...I'm desperate for answers...

Thank you in advance!!!

[scorsmeier]

I can not answer your questions....but there are so many here that can!! I am new to IVF too....we will be starting in March/April. I am interested in the answers to your questions too! Keep me updated and maybe we will be newbie IVF cycle buddies!!!

Stephanie

[sasha25]

Hi, I know how much waiting sucks! I started going to my fertility clinic in may '05. A bunch of tests, we couldn't start anything until every single level of everything was normal. We have male factor, they tested my dh three times, and everytime we had to wait about 6 weeks in between. Then when we were ready to start an IUI, they put me on Clomid twice and the two times I failed to ovulate. So finally we did an IVF cycle now in jan. So this whole time has felt like an eternity. Not everyone's cycle is the same, but i'll tell you a little bit about mine:
they put me on BCP for a month, then on lupron. lupron supresses your ovaries so that your doc can take control of you ovulation and pretty much make sure that your ovaries start working when stimulated by your clinic.
I was then put on gonal-f and a low dose of HCG to start stimulating my ovaries. by the end of the cycle i started going everyday for bloodwork and an ultrasound to see how the follicles are doing. when they measure the appropiate size, they give you a trigger shot and your egg retrieval is schedule approximately 36 hours after that.
If an IVF cycle fails, you can start a fresh new one the following month, but some clinics suggest to wait a month or two to give your body a break from all those hormones shots. I never did the IUI, but I assume it's the same.
Good luck!! Keep us posted!
Sasha

[blueirises]

one more question...why did they put you birth control pills? What do they do?

[KarenS-MI]

Welcome aboard! You should definitely ask your RE about getting you on BCP's or doing something to get AF started sooner so you can cycle sooner than later. They can do that & it doesn't pose a problem to your cycle.

Yes, Lupron suppresses your system & prevents ovulation. Honestly, I think that the BCP's are just to get your body in synch with a certain time frame. I've never been put on them before for my cycles & not every RE has their patient use BCP's before Lurpon. I know that someone who knows this one for sure will answer you & correct me on the BCP question though!

When you have a failed IUI you can do another one the next month, unless you're using injectibles, then they may want you to wait a month in between.

When you have a failed IVF, you have to wait for 1 AF, sometimes 2 AF's (this depends on your RE & his/her preference) before starting again. After being on all the meds, they want your body to have a little bit of a break, that's why the little wait.

Good luck! Be sure to update us on how things go with your f/u appointment, ok?!

Karen

[sasha25]

the reason for BCP in my case is that i never get my period due to PCOS. They put me on the pill to bring a period and when they have me stop the pill, they know exactly when to expect my period. basically they put me on the pill to be able to plan my cycle better in advance, knowing when AF was gonna come.

[blueirises]

I figured the BCP were for people who are irregular, which is why my RE didn't suggest them. I wish there was a way to delay my period...is there? I know when people do certain cycles they take progesterone (provera or prometrium?) which keeps AF at bay until they stop...I think I have that correct...I wonder if doc will let me take that in March so I can delay AF 4 days...It just kills me they are closed when I am ready to start!!!!

I'm just so eager now that all my testing is complete and looking good, and DH is okay, bring on the baby!!!! It doesn't help being surrounded by two PG girlfriends at work either...I could deal w/that if they were just friends...I could just limit how much I see them...but we work together...ugh! Okay, sorry for venting...

Thanks for the help...I wish you both luck & BFP's with your cycles!

[amg]

I guess some docs do the BCP for different reasons. Mine uses BCP before IVF to control your cycle. He does a few IVF's at the same time and he uses the pills to get you on the cycle he wants. It is usually less then a month of pills. Also I have done 6 IUI's and a few of them were back to back. He left it up to me if I wanted to skip a month...as long as everything looked OK on the day 3 checkup. So I guess it will just be whatever your doc suggests, it sounds like different docs have different reasons.
Anyway Good luck with everything!!!

[MEstrada]

My RE used Lupron on my first IVF for suppression, and a reduced amount during stimming to keep me from ovulating on my own. It was too much for me, so IVF#2, they put me on BCP for suppression and to "take control" of my body, and then used another drug during stimming to keep me from ovulating on my own. IUI's I did back to back, and same with IVF (which I had one AF in between as they "took over" my system). By the way, I have "normal" 28-day cycles, too.
HOpe this helps, and good luck!!!

[KAYJAY]

Hi there, maybe you could ask about BCP's so that your AF is timed so you are not delayed.

Welcome aboard..hope your stay is short!