tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57644621261583551.post6663328944827154173..comments2023-05-23T14:31:22.445+05:30Comments on Stork Stalking: Taking the sensible approach to treat infertilityAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15553205805046479504noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57644621261583551.post-61914732476318092912013-11-19T18:58:20.601+05:302013-11-19T18:58:20.601+05:30What it would take for people to transfer one inst...What it would take for people to transfer one instead of two or three would be to fast forward to the late second trimester, when they were actually dealing with the reality and the risks associated with that period. Nobody ever thinks that far ahead though: We are all about thinking what will happen 20 days later at that point...all we can actually think about then is that BFN or that failed IVF cycle, we don't factor in long term risks at all, and that is classic human nature. <br /><br />You are right...I knew all the risks, and but I had thought about them in abstract. After my RE had boxed me into a corner by freezing in pairs, one of the options (refreezing one) was something I did not want to pursue because I was afraid it might damage the implantation potential. The other option, hiring two surrogates, was definitely doable. Had both transfers actually worked, the cost would have been painful but affordable, and would have taken more time. I took the easy way out, and In retrospect, I totally criticize/chastise myself for not doing it, because it was not the sensible thing to do.<br /><br />But, as I said in the start, all I could focus on then was short term gratification: the BFP and how quickly I could get it. I also had the "not believing in my embryos" issue...I honestly thought none of them would implant, or very few of them would, in the discriminatory uterus (I'm assuming my surrogates had them, based on their lack of loss). And the evidence suggests that overall, there WAS an issue, because out of five transferred blasts, which have a 50% chance of implanting, only one did. But still, that is a gamble. You could have only 2 good embryos out of 10, and if your luck is really bad, those two would be frozen together.SciChickhttp://aboutplanb.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57644621261583551.post-65806658853487737312013-11-19T11:22:19.567+05:302013-11-19T11:22:19.567+05:30First of all, thank you for this post. We have bee...First of all, thank you for this post. We have been debating between transferring 1 or 2 (transfer is on Thursday), and this post helped remind me what is most important, so we're going to contact the clinic to let them know we're switching to transferring a single embryo. I'm not judging others, because if some of our circumstances were different (namely, if I was 10 years younger, in better shape, with lower blood pressure), we would most likely be transferring two. <br />One thing that struck me about your post is the comment you made that you took the gamble as well. I'm not criticizing you, because I believe everyone needs to make the decision that is best for them. But based on what I have read in your blog for the past couple of years, you're clearly very well educated (better than most patients, I think) about reproductive issues and the risks involved. From what you've said in previous posts, finances also seem to be somewhat less of a concern (not saying that they don't matter at all) for you than the average patient, and you also have surrogacy resources that are another thing that is perhaps a little bit easier for you to tap into than others. So given all of that, and you chose to transfer two, it makes me wonder what it would take to get people to choose to transfer one instead of two. That's not a dig in any way - it's a sincere question that I'm interested in hearing your thoughts about. What would it have taken to make you choose to transfer to two surrogates or refreeze one instead of transfer both of them? What do you think it would take to get others who have perhaps fewer resources (particularly financial) to transfer one instead of two?Rebecca (Which Way to Baby)noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57644621261583551.post-69186805832067595072013-11-18T23:23:27.935+05:302013-11-18T23:23:27.935+05:30That is awesome news, congrats!!
Yes, the natura...That is awesome news, congrats!!<br /><br /><br />Yes, the natural process fails in some, but definately not all the patients who go for IVF. That is why I stipulated that <br />My point was that if you don't test, or take a chance and transfer a single blast/day 3 embryo, you end up doing transfers of multiples. From that point on, what happens is solely luck. If you get pregnant with a singleton, great. If you get pregnant with multiples, you can run into all sorts of hell, or you could be lucky.<br /><br />When you rely on luck, and you lose, you lose in a way that will shake you to your foundations. Bfns and failed cycles are nothing in the face of a loss at 20 weeks, and I beleive taking such a chance is foolhardy. Having said that, I've taken it too, and like you I got lucky. But I still think what I did was stupid, and if I ever have to transfer more embryos, I'll not do it again.SciChickhttp://aboutplanb.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57644621261583551.post-77178624819053724642013-11-18T23:07:21.239+05:302013-11-18T23:07:21.239+05:30I absolutely agree that doctors need to tailor the...I absolutely agree that doctors need to tailor the treatment to the patient. While I understand your inclination to go to the more "natural" protocol, I think there are benefits, in some patients, for choosing the more medicated route. By the time the patient gets to IVF there has generally been a failure in the natural process and controlling it with medication can help. (Also the testing isn't fool-proof plus its expensive, unless someone has had multiple losses, I personally, wouldn't recommend it as heavily as you do unless the patient was at a clinic that does the testing often and the patient can afford the added expense). <br />I did the long agonist protocal which I am not certain was the best possible one for me (only 10 of my 17 eggs were mature and only 5 survived to day 3). <br />But, I did do a day 3 medicated FET of untested embryos, based on my experience (and that of my RE) after a long conversation with my RE, we collectively decided that was the best plan for me. I honestly didn't expect it to work based on the poor quality of the embryos (which may have been crappy eggs, or may have been a crappy protocol)- however the medicated FET appears to have worked (I'm currently 11 weeks with a singleton) so, I can't complain about that.formerlymmmnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57644621261583551.post-44210813464422279602013-11-18T16:35:13.948+05:302013-11-18T16:35:13.948+05:30Wow...I can't believe your RE pushed you to tr...Wow...I can't believe your RE pushed you to transfer 2 when he was aware (I'm assuming) of your BP issues. We all do this though...we don't want to deal with immediate failure so we toss the dice and hope we get lucky. REs I think hate seeing "failed IVFs"...that really should not influence their decision making, but I'm sure it does. <br /><br />We all need to stop thinking in the short term, and thinking long term. But it is human nature to grab what we can today, and think of tomorrow, tomorrow. That can be very dangerous here though, because because if stuff does not work out 20-ish weeks into the pregnancy, the results can be shattering.<br /><br />I'm hoping you get pregnant with only one of them, or failing that, neither implants.SciChickhttp://aboutplanb.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57644621261583551.post-52695636953496987082013-11-18T07:08:11.532+05:302013-11-18T07:08:11.532+05:30Thanks for sharing all this info. I work in Ob/Gyn...Thanks for sharing all this info. I work in Ob/Gyn and for my first IVF cycle I was planning to do a freeze-all, PGD testing, and a single transfer with one euplolid embryo. Unfortunately, on day 3, I only had three decent looking embryos (of the five that fertilised) and went along with my RE's recommendation to transfer two. It was such a painful decision, as I have labile blood pressure issues, so twins increases my pre-eclampsia risk, but having seen so many complications relating to twins in my professional experience, it felt so professionally irresponsible to transfer two. Yet with all that we had invested to get to that point, I felt that I couldn't hold out for day 5 and risk having nothing to transfer. In the end, we did have two that became blastocysts. I almost feel that if my beta is negative, I can have a sigh of relief and move on to working with my fro-yos, one at a time.Jane Allennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57644621261583551.post-88667175152767171992013-11-18T03:03:46.173+05:302013-11-18T03:03:46.173+05:30I just hope you whiz past 24weeks in a bullet trai...I just hope you whiz past 24weeks in a bullet train. Too much sadness around....i am praying for ur baby and wish you all the best.Sherinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57644621261583551.post-79101095469160911542013-11-18T00:16:58.393+05:302013-11-18T00:16:58.393+05:30I always respect how much thought you put into the...I always respect how much thought you put into the science of infertility and your understanding of it. Nellhttp://Nellskatingontheedge.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.com