The joys of Menopur (just don’t ask where it comes from)!

[Vikks]

This is my first cycle taking Menopur and would love to hear of anyone else?s experiences, successes or if there?s anyone in the same boat as me.
So I?ve finally got to grips with injecting myself which was not as bad as I feared but I?ve still got questions about the treatment. I?ve been told that we?re going to try this for 6 cycles; 3 with timed BD and 3 with IUI. Is this course of treatment usual? Anyone else done it this way?
Also I?m not sure what amount is usually prescribed and how many days other people take it for. I had a scan on Thursday after taking it for a week and was given another 4 days supply, next scan Monday. I had one follicle 11mm and one 7mm, one on each side. The clinic seemed quite pleased with this, but I?m not sure how long it takes follicles to reach 18mm. Do they ever get bigger than that? Would I have the trigger shot if they got to 17mm? As you can tell I?m a bit clueless, any advice or success stories would be great.

Buddies welcomed!

[Vikks]

Bump

[sgibbo]

Hi Vikks, I'm on menopur and am coming to the end of my 3rd complete cycle. I've been very lucky and only had to inject myself once and had someone else do it everyother time.

They say that they grow 2mm every 24hrs so by Monday if my calculations are correct yours should be closer to 19mm. My biggest so far has been 21mm but everyone is different.

We have an appointment to discuss our options with the consultant if this cycle is not successful but hopefully we will have another three cycles with menopur and IUI.

[Vikks]

Sgibbo ? Thanks for posting. I?m off to the clinic in 10 mins, so here?s hoping! 21mm is huge; I didn?t know they could get that big. Have your last 3 cycles been with IUI or timed BD? How long before you know the results of this cycle? How many days have you been injecting Menopur?
Sorry loads of questions! Good luck to us.

[sgibbo]

Hi Vikks, our last 3 cycles have been with timed BD so i'm hoping that the next lot will be with iui rather then straight to IVF. only three more days and i will know the results of this cycle, i'm expecting a BFN but that's because i did a sneaky test this morning!

I had 5 injects of menopur this cycle and clomid 50mg at the same time for 5 days. I started my injections on day 3 of my cycle because they are never large enough on my day 9 scan

how long have you been TTC?

How did the scan go?????

[Vikks]

You might have tested too early, I hope you have! Good luck with the results, let me know.

Well the scan today showed that my follicles haven?t grown any more and my ovarian cysts are starting to enlarge due to the drugs. But the nurse today seemed sure that I?d get something to mature eventually, so more injections and more scans! My 4th scan this cycle is on Wednesday and that will be 13 days of FSH (started CD4). It?s been hard work today, I was thinking it would be a positive day today, but no; my body always seems to keep me guessing.
DH and I have been going 2 years 9 months now (I just worked that out) but we?ve been having medical help for 2 years now. We?ve tried Clomid 150mg and Tamoxifen for 9 months, had a couple of Laps, the last one was Ovarian Diathermy, so as I?m sure you know, some days it all seems a bit hopeless.
What about you? How long have you been TTC? Which treatments have you been through?

[sgibbo]

Hey Vikks, i'll keep my fingers crossed that they grow

We have been TTC for over 4yrs and have been having treatment for the last 2yrs really. We have unexplained fertility (purely because they haven't found anything wrong yet!)We had a HSG and then rounds of just clomid and now clomid with menopur and ovitrelle. Not sure what the next step is but we have an appointment with our consultant on Monday to discuss our next option.

I've not had Tamoxifen or Ovarian Diathermy (which sounds extremely painful)

[chandellina]

good luck with your treatment, though from what i understand the statistics are better to go directly to IVF rather than multiple attempts at IUI.
Is there a reason you haven't tried IVF?
I had one IUI, with menopur, then two IVFs, one with Gonal-F the other with menopur. Finally conceived naturally ...

[Vikks]

Sgibbo - Sorry to hear you?ve been going so long, I can?t imagine how hard that must be. I?m struggling to cope now, I suppose you just have to carry on and believe that some thing will work down the line. I was pinning my hopes on the Ovarian Diathermy because that?s got really good success rates, but three months after the op still no OV.
Have you tested again yet? Will you let me know how your appointment goes?

Chandellina - I was under the impression that my treatment was just going through the normal course of procedures. I guess it may be different with every doctor and clinic. I?ve been told 3 cycles Menopur with timed BD, 3 with IUI and then IVF. Although I had an appointment today which didn?t go so well, so who knows. It?s great to hear that your story has got a happy ending. How many DC do you have? How long did it take you? If you don?t mind me asking?..

And me?.. 4th scan today shows not much change. The nurse said she could see one follicle that was about 7mm! That?s rubbish I know. So more Menopur and more scans!!! 5th Scan Friday and that?ll be 15 days of injections. I think that?s a little unusual, isn?t it? The nurse said that they might double the dose too. At every turn I seem to defy modern medicine!!!

[chandellina]

Hi, you can google - there has been some research showing IUI is not cost-effective and it's better to go to IVF. Of course different doctors have different views. The (harley street) consultant I saw for clomid and IUI felt I should move to IVF after one or two IUIs. (I had one.)
My history is: two very quick and natural conceptions at ages 35 and 36, both miscarried 8-10 weeks. Never could determine cause of the miscarriages, nor my subsequent infertility for the next two years.
When I did try IVF, I was deemed a "poor responder" because I didn't grow many or large follicles, first cycle was cancelled, second went through, with five eggs retrieved and two embryoes put back.
Based on my history, my clinic gave my a 5% chance of another IVF working. By then I was 37. Amazingly that same month I conceived naturally!
I'd love to have another child, but thank my lucky stars every day for my beautiful son, now 15 months.
best of luck, and I'm not trying to push IVF necessarily - it didn't even work for me - but I do recall the research was quite adamnant that women were wasting time and money by not going straight to IVF. I think it also depends though on if they know what your infertility issue is.

[sgibbo]

Hi Vikks
Welcome Chandellina

Still no sign of AF and now DPO 17, with ovitrelle should have been AF DPO 14 and the previous cycles i have been!

I've now done two tests and both BFN, yet two friends now have a DH and DS and had BFN's for weeks after with no AF

I don't really know that much about IUI and i think i would prefer to go straight to IVF because i've already had to wait so long i think i'm being slightly impatient

We have no reason for infertility and i almost wish we did so we knew what we had to do to correct it.

Vikks, hope your next scan goes OK, keep me posted, I have no idea how you've managed so many days of injections, i take my hat off to you, i couldn't do it!

Chandellina, what stage are you at???

[Vikks]

Chandellina - Thanks for the info I?m gonna have a chat with DH and see what the clinic says at my next appointment. Are you TTC again at the moment? How strange that you got PG naturally after all the treatments, I guess you never know.

Sgibbo - 17 DPO, that?s very strange, I bet you?re going crazy not knowing. I?ve got everything crossed for you. Are you testing again tomorrow? Do you think you should make an appointment for a blood test?

I?ve had a bit of better news today. After the rubbish scan on Wednesday I wasn?t holding out much hope for today?s. Well they did the right side first and I could see there was nothing there so I started getting a bit emotional and then the nurse switched sides and a could see this huge dark area on the monitor. I thought that can?t be a follicle it?s too big, but it is! They measured it at 28mm! That?s grown from 7mm two days ago. So I?ve just given myself the trigger shot and I?m in for a fun filled weekend! They gave me Pregnyl, and that injection bloody hurt! I?m not complaining really.
Baby dust

[sgibbo]

Vikks,

17dpo is extremely strange for me, previously have have had AF exactly 14dpo. not going to test until next week sometime. I left a message wit the FC nurse today but she hasn't returned my call yet. If still no AF by Monday even though we have our appointment with the consultant i will call the FC nurse in the morning and see what she says

OMG 28mm WOW i bet you are so excited!!!! How did you manage to get it that big????? I need your secret!!!! Did they give any reason for it growing so qucikly from 7 - 28mm in a matter of days? Have fun BDing, theres nothing like having to!!!

[Vikks]

My secret is inject for 15 days! The nurse said it wasn't uncommon for that to happen because I had so much Menopur in my system. I don't know what I'll be on next month if it doesn't work, they said they might increase the dose.
Good luck on Monday! x

[sgibbo]

good luck to you too, keep me posted, double the dose WOW what size would that produce????

[Vikks]

I just hoping double the dose would be quicker I'm CD18 today. I get very impatient with long cycles, they've been around 40 days so I'd love to get that down. 28 would be nice!

[chandellina]

hey - good luck to both of you! I am ttc #2 but not on any treatment because I'm not convinced my chances are any better with it. (after the consultant I really trusted, who was very up on all the research, etc., gave me a 5% chance of IVF working based on my history of drug response)
Incidentally, my one successful pregnancy was 3 months after an HSG, and I also took progesterone and baby aspirin as soon as I got the positive test.
So while I'm trying not to get manic and get back on the ttc rollercoaster, i'm still keeping track of my cycle and hoping for the best. The last two months have been so depressing though because my cycle is usually 28 days or even less but last month it was 32 days and up until AF arriving last night this month was 30 days, so I had smidgens of hope that were then dashed!
the reality is I am going to be 40 soon, and my history doesn't bode well for another successful pregnancy, so I may be better off just accepting the one enormous blessing of having had my son ...

[Vikks]

Chandellina - Thanks for filling me in. I really hopes everything works out for you, it's so hard trying not to let it take over your life. Good luck x

Sgibbo - How did it go today?

I'm on the 2TT now!

[sgibbo]

BFN for me, going on the waiting list for IVF now so hopefully should have our appointment in April 2010

Are you symptom spotting yet?

[Vikks]

Like a crazy woman! Sore BBs check, bloated check, cramping check.......the list goes on and on. Only 5DPO too!!

So sorry to hear about the BFN. How do you feel about waiting until April? Will you have anymore Meds before April? Is that just how long the waiting list is in your area?

[Iloveguess]

Please may I ask the dose of Menopur you were taking?
Thanks Claire