? for those who have had a BFP from IVF cycle

[Winnie123]

I was wondering if any of you who have had a BFP result from IVF would be willing to share anything you did (before or during your cycle) that you feel may have helped? For example: diet, acupuncture, etc. I am about to start my 3rd IVF cycle and at this point- I'll try anything. Thanks in advance for your responses.

[3 ladybugs]

I have got a BFP from an IVF cycle and I think what helped me were 2 things...

My RE diagnosed me with insulin resistance and put me on Avandia and a special diet. The test itself wasn't fun but I am sure that this helped add to my success. (The test is a 3 hour glucose tollerance test... the same as they give to pregnant women that they think may have GD.)

The second thing that helped me with my second IVF (last) was I didn't think about it that much. My first IVF I was disecting everything. This last time I just let things happen the way they were going to happen. This translated for me a higher fert ratio and a higher freeze count. First IVF 9 eggs, 5 fertilized (non ICSI), 2 transfered -3 day, 2 made it to 6 day, 1 frozen. Second IVF 15 eggs, 12 fertilized (non ICSI), 2 transfered - 5 day, all 12 alive on day 5, 4 frozen (met critera to be so).

Now I will not say I didn't have my moments in the 2ww, because I did have them! However for the actual nitty gritty of the cycle I was not really paying attention to it.

I should also say that with both IVF cycles I did do bedrest (got up to go to the bathroom or make something quick to eat but that was about it) till most charts say implantation should occur. My RE didn't have any strict rules to follow just the day of the transfer, however he did leave it up to me to decide what I thought was best and this is what I did. (I got pregnant both cycles by the way.)

Good luck!
Jennifer

[Winnie123]

Jennifer- Thanks so much for your input, I appreciate that. I really like your idea about "letting things happen". I really think it would help me if I did not obsess and stress so much about this. Quick question- what made your re suspect you were insulin resistant? Thanks again for your reply.

[Anomaly]

I had a HORRIBLE turn out with my first cycle so my RE really revved things up and took me to the point of OHSS to get good embies. I think my E2 was about 5,300 or 5,200 the day of trigger so no telling what it was at ER. Sick as a freakin dog but my follies got to 24mm which was key for me. If it wasn't for having a creative/aggressive RE, I don't think it would have worked. She didn't have much experience but she had a great education - undergrad at MIT, Harvard Medical, Duke for Fellowship and she was hired by a great practice so I had hope that she knew what she was doing even though it was not a conventional protocol.

I also did accu the second time, quite drinking and did the protein diet. Lots of meat, eggs, etc.. Took about a thousand supplements (there is a board for an IVF diet, which includes supplements, etc. on the IVF Connections board which is run by some holistic tree hugger but hey, I did it).

Good luck to you. Are you having quality issues? Can you tell me more about your last few cycles such as how many retrieved, fertilized, day transfers, injectibles, etc?

[sassymermaid]

I did hypnotherapy.

My first cycle - I didn't know what to expect, I was overstimulated, stressed out, scared of anesthesia, scared of the unknown, etc. I swore after that one I wouldn't do it again.

My RE talked me into it and I agreed. This time around - I knew what to expect (I think that helped with some of the stress levels), but I did 4 sessions of hypnotherapy. The hypnotherapist is a labor and delivery nurse and she specializes in hypnobirthing. Well, she had also done quite a few enhancing fertility sessions with patients as well, so I thought - why not. I can't tell you how CALM I was this whole cycle and even now in my life. Like Jen said, I was able to let things happen - go with the flow and I stayed relaxed throughout (a bonus - my Dh went to her and quit smoking while I was stimming too!)

I, too, was eating very well before this cycle - less carbs, more protein - and I worked out at Curves - nice and easy - until right before the ER. I spent the 2ww pretty much lounging around the whole time - getting up only when needed. I took a chunk of my vacation time, but it was worth it.

The only difference in treatment for the second IVF was I was in a study so I did the SAME med, same exact dose for stimming except I didn't use the repronex this time. I actually had less eggs this time and the quality was NOT as good as my first round.

Good luck !!

[MMM26]

For my BFP cycle I did everything that I could find from researching from this site and google for success. I did silly things too like not eating french fries (somewhere in the IVF diet thread I think), sleeping in a totally dark room, soaking my feet in warm water everynight for 30 minutes, acupuncture (changed the protocol from the BFN cycle to follow the "IVF and Acupuntcure" book, ate eggs every day during stims, ate more protien, no caffeene, no soda, no junk food, ate organic meats and milk, took DHA, took L-argininie, did massage and reflexology, chiropractic care, did the pineapple thing after transfer and ate the core. You name it I did it, if it didnt hurt I tried it. I felt like a nut with half the stuff I was doing, but didnt care if it ment a BFP. Also my RE added medrol and PIO to my BFP cycle and that probably made a big difference. My BFN cycle was a progesterone study cycle.

Bottom line I think the protocol change with the medrol and PIO with the added acupuncture, reflexology, chiropractic adjustments and massage helped the most.

[Aunt2bMomSoon]

I have been ttc for over 5 years now. Made many changes along the way but the most significant ones are:

1. Lost 55 pounds using carb control diet and regular exercise. Hopefully this helped my PCOS symptoms to settle down a bit.
2. Tried to increase protein intake.
3. For my 4th IVF cycle I started following the IVF Diet which is a book written by Harvard doctors. This diet includes drinking 2-3 servings of whole milk a day, taking extra vitamins (folic, iron, calcium, omega3 fish oil, multi vitamin), eating more plant proteins and less animal proteins, etc.)
4. We used a technique called co-culture to help improve our embryo cell growth (we used to have 4,5,7 cells on day 3 transfer and with co-culture we had 10, 13, 15 on day 3)
5. We went to Cornell for IVF # 4. They have better techs and lab conditions. They started me off on high stim doses but lowered me down to half starting in the middle of the cycle.
6. Ate pineapple for only 5 days from ER - a couple of days past ET.

[bebedoc]

Like one of the previous posters, I also did a low-carb diet before cycling. I increased my protein intake, tons of eggs! I took fish oil once a day. Blech! I also did pineapple after ER as well as wore socks to keep my feet warm. These things may or may not have helped, but since it worked once, I did it again with my last cycle out of superstition. We also did an antagonistic protocol on cycles 4 and 5 which was a great protocol for me.....I only have one ovary and ovulated before ER TWICE!!!

But the one thing I definitely recommend is acupuncture. We've had 5 IVF cycles total and the only two cycles that were successful were the ones that I did in conjuction with acupuncture. I had weekly sessions until ER and then one session after ET. No herbs. I followed my acupuncturist advice and ate "warm" foods, no cold drinks, etc. I can tell you that I was extremely relaxed and my stress level was so low. It helped tremendously in my attitude.

[3 ladybugs]

Originally Posted by Winnie123

Jennifer- Thanks so much for your input, I appreciate that. I really like your idea about "letting things happen". I really think it would help me if I did not obsess and stress so much about this. Quick question- what made your re suspect you were insulin resistant? Thanks again for your reply.

My RE saw that I had an ovary that was poly cystic on my monitoring cycle. Now I had just had a disasterous clomid cycle and that could have add to it. The clomid was from my OB. However he had me go in for the test to rule it out none the less. To our surprise I was I was insulin resistant!

My RE told me that the only way they could tell that I was, would be to do the 3 hour test. However now (almost 3 years later) I do know that my RE uses a 2 hour test for this.

Good luck I hope that helped!
Jennifer

[marsalilass]

Originally Posted by Aunt2bMomSoon

3. For my 4th IVF cycle I started following the IVF Diet which is a book written by Harvard doctors. This diet includes drinking 2-3 servings of whole milk a day, taking extra vitamins (folic, iron, calcium, omega3 fish oil, multi vitamin), eating more plant proteins and less animal proteins, etc.)

Where did you get that book? Did it actually go into the reasons for their suggestions or was it just simply a diet layed out?