Did you undergo IVF without ovulating the cycle before?

[Shellster52]

My periods are normally 26-27 days but for some reason, last cycle was only 21 days. Dr said I could go ahead with IVF this cycle but I decided not to as I was worried that my body has not gone through the normal process of ovulating and then recruiting antral follicles ready to grow for the all important IVF round. So this cycle I have been doing OPKs and today is CD14 but still not a positive OPK in sight.

I took baby Aspirin for two months before my last IVF cycle in November and started with a whopping 15 antral follicles instead of the usual 3-4.
So of course I have done it again in preparation for another IVF but remember reading that Asprin can inhibit ovulation so perhaps that is why last cycle and this cycle suddenly seem out of whack.

Am now very stressed. Do I go ahead with IVF anyway? Should I stop the Aspirin and wait another cycle? But then I will be back to 3-4 antrals instead of 15!

[FlipFantasia]

No idea on this but when I had ICSI I was put on the pill the cycle before to start the process of shutting everything down (long protocol so downregging before stimming).

Are you short protocol? Is that why you're trying to boost the afc? I've never heard of aspirin being used to boost afc or it helped with stims/no of eggs collected.

Good luck regardless. It's stressful gearing up for it so hope it all goes smoothly (and successfully!).

[Shellster52]

Thanks for taking the time to reply Fantasia, even though you are not sure. Yep, on the short protocol. Have done it before and am a poor responder so that is why I am trying to boost my AFC. Not sure if your IVF was a success (but perhaps not if you are still lurking the infertility boards) so if it is any help to you or whoever else reads this, here is a tidbit from the study on aspirin as well as the link:

Study results showed that 45 percent of the women who took aspirin became pregnant compared with 28 percent of the women not taking aspirin. The study also showed aspirin appeared to contribute to increased egg production. Researchers retrieved an average of 16.2 eggs from the women taking aspirin compared with an average of 8.6 eggs from women not taking aspirin.
www.fertilethoughts.com/forums/i-wish-someone-had-told-me/382990-aspirin-may-boost-numbers-eggs-retrieved.html

I spoke to my IVF nurse who said to wait until after a normal cycle to start IVF, so the decision has now been made for me anyway. Still taking the Aspirin this cycle as I really want more follicles during IVF cycle. Just hope it is not the cause of my lack of ovulation last two cycles and it doesn't happen again this cycle!

[FlipFantasia]

Wow shellster, super interesting! Aspirin is an incredible drug.

Well done for trying everything. Glad the nurse could answer this for you. I wouldn't worry too much about the delayed ovulation, it will happen and you're doing a fab job keeping informed.

Sending good vibes your way

Ps my ICSI did work and the baby is about to turn 4. I'm currently (spontaneously) pregnant with no 3 (no 2 was also a spontaneous conception). I would have loved an infertility board during my years on the ttc board, so lurk around here sometimes (never know what you might learn, like how aspirin can help with afc/egg retrieval!).

[Shellster52]

That's interesting. So how long were you trying for number one before IVF? And then I suppose you were just having sex without expecting it to happen when no. 2 came along? The old 'when you forget about it, then it happens' thing! My husband has very poor sperm but I wonder if my mentality is playing a part and wonder if I will conceive naturally once this IVF is over. But probably not. Am 36 now so by the time I go through IVF, go through pregnancy and then breastfeeding before my period returns, my ovaries will have gone into retirment!

[FlipFantasia]

I have banned my close friends and family from using us as an example, as I hated the 'so and so had IVF then naturally conceived quads' type stories when I was ttc! I knew people were just being nice but it really annoyed me...

We tried for no 1 nearly 2 years (but over two years of cycles as I have a 23-25 day cycle). It started with just shagging and after 6 months got more 'technical' with taking charge of your fertility and charting and the like.

Tests after a year plus showed I was fine (possibly a bit low in progesterone, used to spot before my period) but dh had both low count and low morph (he has only one testicle due to previous testicular cancer and his oncologist suggested maybe his 'dominant' testicle had been cancerous, eg the way one ovary can release more eggs...).

We decided to skip to private IVF/icsi with the lister and got pregnant first time. I was 31 during treatment and 32 when I gave birth.

We were actually gearing up to do IVF round 2 when I got pregnant (DS had just turned 1 and I was 33). We had seen the consultant and started the ball rolling. I just needed to give up bfing and wasn't ready to. Then that miscarried and I was still bfing. Within a couple of months I was pregnant again.

This time was an utter shock. We had decided we'd love a third but no more IVF so if it happened it happened. We only shagged once (though stopped trying to prevent pregnancy last may). I'm still bfing dd (22 months). I'm 36.

My own (totally unscientific) theory is that bfing somehow helps me. I was bfing with all my natural conceptions and have never spotted once my cycles returned (around the 7-9 month mark).

I also think we were shagging too much for no 1. We'd sometimes shag twice a day which probably meant dh's sperm wasn't in great shape. Second time it was every 2-3 days (I of course knew my fertile times but never told dh). This time was just once.

Dh's theory is that fatherhood somehow boosted his testosterone and therefore improved his sperm (though when we saw our consultant at the lister a year after dc1 was born his sample was still in the ICSI realm).

[Shellster52]

I have heard Flip that you are more fertile within your first year after having a baby. And I think your theory makes sense too - that breastfeeding helped because that causes a shift in all your hormones.

Yes, I agree with your that I hate people telling me when I forget it will happen and giving examples of people. We have a diagnosed medication condition and no amount of red wine or expensive holiday will correct that. I try to nod and smile because I know they just don't know any better but inside it really annoys me.