Our girl went in for a follicle and blood work check today. The doctor thinks he can get 12 eggs from her. I would only be purchasing 6 fresh. The nurse said the doctor would not usually proceed with a count that low but because he knows her well and how successful she's been in the past (4 pregnancies so far) he is willing to move forward. They want a commitment from us to start stims ASAP.
I was thinking we would start next cycle, not tomorrow... I didn't think it would be this soon. But that's OK, we can make it work.
They are really working with us on prices, and I love that of course, but I have questions:
1- She is 29 but her count is going downhill. Does that mean her quality might be going down too? How along ago was her last cycle?
2- Would 6 eggs guarantee me 2 blasts? Would it be better to wait for another donor and get more eggs?
3- Can we check Dan's sample to see how he is doing before starting her on stims?
I'm scheduled to talk with him tomorrow at 2pm. Anything else I should be asking? We love this girl but we want to be smart and if it's best to wait for a better candidate, we will.
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I'd have him check her Amh level - this is a similar story to our last FAILED donor- she was 29 produced 20 eggs in a shared cycle for her last cycle at 27. Her folical count was 16 and and Amh level was 1.4 ( above the normal 1.1 required by most clinics) . She produce 9 eggs for us of which 3 were mature and we got one blast.
ReplyDeleteWhich didn't result I a pregnancy. I'd personally look for a donor with an Amh level above 2 and a folical count of 20 - there are PLENTY on them out there.
Knowing what you've been through - I'd have a serious conversation with the MD and see if he feels this is the best donor for you ?
I've been lurking for a while, silently cheering you on. If I was faced with the same decision, I would do everything to maximize the chance of success. 12 eggs is okay but not that great for a 29 year old. If male factor wasn't an issue then 2 blasts from 6 eggs may be a reasonable bet, but with male factor, betting on 2 blasts is more risky. I agree with the previous poster who suggested looking for a donor with an AMH of at least 2 and AFC of 20.
ReplyDeleteI'd also ask the doctor if your donor had any blasts to freeze, grades, and how many frozen from each cycle? If all of her pregnancies were from fresh cycles but she had none to freeze, that might indicate a problem.
Whatever path you choose, I wish you success!!!
I don't get this AMH thing, I had 8.9 a few years back and 6.1 last year. That didn't really tell us anything. Could you please explain a bit, I'm lost on this one :(
DeleteAMH is generally looking for a range between 1.0 and 3.5 (or 3.0 depending on the clinic.)
DeleteAbove 3.5 is an indicator of PCOS.
That said - my AMH dropped from 1.4 last Feb to under 1 in Dec. Fortunately my FSH had barely move up (12.4 to 12.6) so even though it wasn't great, they still wanted to proceed. I am so thankful they did. 12/13 eggs; 9 mature. 6 embies. 3 were average to good. The other 3 would have never made it to blast. Now if only our twins stick!
I've had an AMH of 8.9 and been tested by 2 doctors for PCOS and I don't have it. They've checked my insulin resistance, my testosterone and my ovaries, and I do not have PCOS. Like many things in fertility, I don't think it's clear what AMH is really an indicative of.
DeleteIt's an indicator of PCOS, but that doesn't mean you have it if you have a high AMH, just that they will want to test you for it. :-) Since I have a low one they would never test me.
DeleteThe higher number they see, the better they expect you to respond to medication. I've always see a correlation with low numbers (responding poorly), but haven't researched or talked to many people on the high end. I've also had mine fluctuate, but it is still on the low end. And in my case, they had to go with the option (highest dose of antagonist protocol) that coincides with low AMH because I respond so poorly.
But yea, I think there is still wiggle room in what it all means. Bigger problem if you are on the low end or PCOS. Sounds like neither applies to you, but you may still want to find out if she is on the low end. Because that can tell much more than what it tells in your case of being high.
i don't like how rushed this seems.
ReplyDeletei think if you went ahead with her, it would probably be fine, however,
if you waited and found another donor, you may get way better results.
it is expensive, and important... i just don't like how it is so rushed! 12 isn't a ton. you are purchasing 6, you want them to be the best of the best, not just the best of the few that are available, kwim?
go with your gut.
According to the doctors I've talked to, there is no way of knowing which eggs are good and which aren't just by looking at them. They are giving me 6 mature eggs, all mature eggs look the same. No matter how many they retrieve, I'm guaranteed 6 mature eggs from a 27 y/o woman. I'm happy with that :)
DeleteI find the AMH thing a little confusing my self but I guess the AMH and the folical count are good indicators of how successful a IVF cycle will be. If I am understanding it correctly neither too high or too low is ideal.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.advancedfertility.com/amh-fertility-test.htm
If you google AMH / folical count you'll get good information and Elevated AMH level l. I forgot your husband has MI - I would not recommend 6 eggs for you unless his sperm is improved. I feel like we've had similar results with both good eggs and poor sperm at times . Is it possible to buy the 12 eggs and use half donor sperm / Dans sperm. This way you should 2 blast from DE sperm and hopefully a blast or 2 from Dan. This to me would finally tell you if the problem is the egg or the sperm and most important a super duper bast form a DE that has a good chance of archiving a pregnancy as a back up.
I know there must be a golden egg somewhere In the bunch with the combined genetics of you and Dan ( meaning a Donor egg or sperm + DNA from one of you) and I hope you find it!! But this approach would give you a back up incase your GC doesn't get pregnant with the embryos from either that you transfer .
Any just my crazy 2 cents - and after failed IVF cycles, 2 failed De cycle , 1 failed GC/ DE DH sperm - were trying one last time with DE DS and a GC.
Best of luck with you choices -
What a roller coaster you've ridden! I'm so sorry! I am ready to throw in the towel if this doesn't work, for many reasons, and this time for real. Not because of the money, not because of Dan's wanting to stop. I just want to go on with my life. Well, I am saying that now, who knows later, but that's how I truly feel...
DeleteI wouldn't take the chance on a cycle this rushed without having all the information I can get my hands on. Even though they are working with you on price for this shared cycle, there is no guarantee that 12 eggs will be retrieved or that they will be fully mature. I'd wait for a cycle knowing the AMH, knowing how DH's levels are doing, and with a higher chance of more than 2 quality embryos to transfer. Just my 2 cents worth! You have so much invested emotionally and financially, wait until you feel in your gut that it is the right thing.
ReplyDeleteMy IVF which produced 11 eggs- 6 fertilized, 2 blasts (one good, one fair)- resulted in my now 2.5 year old son. That was at age 35 after fertility issues/failed fertility treatments. It's hard to predict the outcome- but don't be discouraged. Best of luck!!
ReplyDelete6 eggs does not guarantee blasts - but then again nothing does.
ReplyDeleteHow many follicles did she have? Was the doctor basing it off 70% follicle/egg ratio? We got eggs from every follicle for me my last cycle, but I've known people that got 0.
Sorry I can't help. I'm reading this late so you've probably already made your decision. Which ever decision you make - stick with it and have no regrets.