Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Our Best Laid Plans

Now that we have our one good blast safely frozen away, what are we going to do?

We just finished our regroup with Dr. Surrey and he started out by saying I responded about the level he expected (don't really know if that is a positive comment or not...). Anyway, he then went on to talk about our eggs. Our current blast was the only perfect 3-day embryo that we had. The remaining embyros stalled at day 3 and didn't develop further. This, he said, probably indicates that they were chromosomally abnormal and wouldn't have implanted even if they had been transferred.

From there, we talked about our options. He basically gave us two: 1) stick with our current blast and do a FET, or 2) do a second stim cycle and try to get more embryos. We tried to get him to give us his opinion on what would be our best option, but no such luck. With #2, we'd possibly get more embryos and give us better odds, however, there's no guarantee.

So our plan: go with option #2. Doc and I had already decided this prior to the regroup. Although, Doc didn't really want to do another cycle, I told him that if we didn't, I might regret for the rest of my life and did he really want that hanging over his head and our marriage. With that comment and my absolute guarantee that this would be the last and final, I was able to convince him to do one more cycle.

As for the protocol, it'll be the same as before. Dr. Surrey was satisfied with the results and he didn't think that anything need to be tweeked, so we'll be doing the extra day of stimming plus the HCG/lupron trigger. But, in addition, I'll be using sai.zen, a human growth hormone, which supposedly helps poor responders.

Our last and final cycle starts in March. Denver here we come...again!

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think this is a great choice not only so you have more embryos bus also since with each frozen cycle there's a chance an embryo won't survive the thaw. With more embryos you have back-up and MUCH better chance of the FET not being cancelled.

Anonymous said...

well, poops. it sucks that you're in this position but you do have one beautiful blast waiting for you. i wholeheartedly agree about trying once more to get more embies. putting back more than one will give you better success rates and if get a BFN (but you won't), you would always wonder. i have everything crossed that denver take 2 gets you your long awaited and much deserved BFP. keep your spirits up! this is gonna work. it's just taking a little longer than we hoped. xo.

sienna said...

im soo happy that doc came around to this decision! i know this is hard for you, the waiting and waiting. hang tight. thinking of you :o) xoxoxoxo.

Nink said...

Hi, I just came across your blog and wanted to give you some support. I'm so sorry for being in that tough predicament with only one embryo. If you had two, it'd be such an easier decision. But, you just have to follow your heart. I had a failed IVF cycle in December, but was left with three frozen embryos. I was so devastated for the negative, but so grateful for the 3 frozen embryos. I really think you should have another stimulated IVF cycle. That is, if finances isn't an issue. Because, sometimes not all embryos make it through the thaw, so it'd be a good idea to have back-up(s) for that one you have. That's just my two cents (from a new blog follower!). Good luck and wishing for the best for you. :)

Anonymous said...

I probably would have chosen the same option and always wondered what would have happened if I didn't. Good luck!

Rambler said...

I think the fact that you had the one make it to blast is a very good sign. I know it's tough to go back through it all. The good thing is that CCRM knows what happened with your last cycle (which they controlled) and can adjust it accordingly. Did you ever go up to 450 Gonal-F? This cycle was the first one where they pushed me to that amount in the middle of stims.

Hoping for the best!

Teresa said...

Good Luck! I would do the same thing. Phew! What a rollercoaster.

Anonymous said...

I'm wishing you all the best Sooz! My thoughts and prayers are with you!!