Anyone doing ivf at 40+

[lucieloos]

We're considering doing a couple more rounds of ivf at 40.5 years old. We have 2 children already but still feel someone is missing.

Is anyone else starting or already having treatment at 40+ and would like to share the journey?

@lucieloos Im still here too. Not much going on, waiting for Feb AF due in 2 weeks or so. Then another 3 weeks after that to start down reg. So... ages before anything starts! Did you decide whether to try again? X

I'm 39. In my 3rd cycle... I'm 9dp3dt and BFN on a FRER so I know this is failed too.

This round:
18 eggs, 14 fertilised & only 5 in the running by day 2!!!
Had 2 front runners transferred day 3. None to freeze.

Absolutely heartbreaking 💔

I'm so sorry @SlothSF that is so tough. Before I did IVF I was terrified of all the injections and procedures but they were relatively ok - it's the failure that breaks you. You are still a little early so not totally out of hope but I'm sorry that things are so hard. I've been there - sending lots of love

Xxx

Yes we decided to go again. We're doing mini ivf and didn't expect a lot due to age but there were only 2 follicles growing at a decent size. Considered cancelling but decided to go for it. Had egg collection yesterday and both eggs collected and mature and both have fertilised today. So now to wait until Tuesday for the next results. I'm really not expecting it to work given age and odds but we wanted to give it a try.

@ACAL have you started yet?

Hi @lucieloos - not yet. Should be starting in about 10 days. That’s great that both have fertilised! That’s a cracking start! What’s mini IVF though - is it the same as a natural cycle on IVF?

Joining in. I'm 41 in March. We've done two rounds (ICSI) since September.

Round 1: 14 days stimms resulted in 5 eggs, 3 mature, 2 fertilised and only one made it to 5 day blastocyst and transfer. BFN.

Round 2: 10 days stimms, only one follicle. Went in for egg collection and nothing there. They assumed I had ovulated early following the trigger shot, so did an IUI with DHs sperm. BFN.

Don't know where to go from here. Honestly don't know if I can do another round and every respect to those who can do multiple attempts in the IVF trenches. Limited choice of clinic here in N Ireland and not massively impressed at a number of aspects. We talked about abroad for the financial aspect but also the clinical experiences of those who have ventured abroad seem to be more positive (better technologies etc)

Just don't don't know what to do. I just feel old and tired of trying, and we haven't been through a fraction not what other folk go through. But absolutely wishing everyone on this journey the success you dream of....it's a tough old time!

Hi all 😊 just turned 40 here. Unexplained fertility given so I'm literally filling out the forms to have our 1st consultation for self funded IVF. Have no idea what to go for, IUI, ICSI etc, hopefully the consultant will go through all the acronyms with us and advice us to which route to go down. I would like to do pgs testing but it doesn't seem to get good press, why's that? Wouldn't you want to know that the embryos you're putting back in are healthy and have a higher chance of success or have I totally not understood what pgs tests are?

@ACAL mini ivf is really low dose stimms so kind of one up from natural. I had really good success with it 3 years ago and did it twice and had 7 eggs then 8 eggs collected and my daughter came from that round but I'm older now and it doesn't seem to have worked as well but they aim for around 2-4 better quality eggs rather than high quantities.

I feel a lot more chilled with this round. Probably because I don't expect it to work anyway. DH says probably only one more round max due to costs and stuff but I would carry on u too it worked if we could afford it.

@sabtom good luck with your consultation. I am doing pgs on any of mine that make it and have done it previously. My son was a pgs tested embryo. It can get bad press because some believe in a small number of cases it could damage the embryo but I think it's pretty rare and I would just rather have it done and know that the embryo we are putting back is genetically normal. I find the hardest part is if you have a transfer and then all the waiting and testing especially if it's a bfn or chemical. I find it easier not to have the transfer and if it doesn't pass the pgs test I find it easier to deal with than a bfn.

@IPokeBadgers we cycle abroad for our treatments. I've lost count of how many egg collections I've had now. Maybe 9 and the. 10 transfers. It really is a numbers game and how much time and money you have to keep throwing at it.

@lucieloos - ah that makes sense re mini ivf. They hammered me with max doses last time having said they thought I might be a natural cycle so who knows what is in store for me this time.

Really good that you are feeling chilled! So will you have your transfer this coming week? Or if pgs do you do FET later?

Hi all. I also turned 40 2 months ago. I have a 22 mth old DS from my first fresh ICSI round so was v lucky, and had 2 failed FETs from that round last year.
I would love another child so much so I think I will give it a few goes before conceding my eggs are too old. We originally had IVF for male factor reasons but now my results aren’t great so it’s a combo (my AMH tested in Dec as 6.5 and FSH as 11.5).
Previously at a London Clinic but despite having success in DS was not that convinced by them so now at Reprofit in Brno now and egg collection is tomorrow! Am pleased to have got this far, will see if there’s anything to transfer next.
Have found them v efficient so far and I know the drill so don’t need my hand held. They did email to advise me before starting that I have a very low chance of success (10-15%, thanks for that 😫) but I have to try. Will let you know how I get on....

Ohhh @Badgerismyname we use reprofit and were there yesterday. Feel like they e really upped their game from when I first started going there and they are so lovely. We are throwing everything at it this time and doing picsi and macs for sperm selection, using Geri incubator and assisted hatching for pgs testing. Really hope your egg collection goes well tomorrow.

@ACAL I'm doing pgs so no transfer. The sample will be taken on day 5 and then everything frozen until we know the outcome which takes about 2 weeks. I can't handle transfers now if they aren't going to work anyway. I would rather have the test and know the chances are greatly increased.

Thank you @lucieloos, how funny you were there yest! I’ve never even heard of picsi or macs, will have to start doing more research as throwing everything at it is exactly what I need to do this year. I feel like this is my practise round, so altho I obv hope it will work this time chances are realistically it won’t, but will help us shape the next round.

@Badgerismyname you still have time to add them tomorrow if you want to. Just ask when the doctor comes around. It's just a better way to select sperm rather than the andrologist just using their eye. Very excited for you. Good luck and keep us posted.

@lucieloos Oh I see, thank you. Will speak to them tomorrow. I also forgot to follow up reserving the Geri incubator so will ask about that. There’s so much to learn/know! I came very briefly for the day/night on Thurs for the over 40s pre-op check, then will be going home tomorrow afternoon and coming back for the transfer. A lot of to-info and fro-ing which wouldn’t suit everyone but I quite like it, is a good distraction. Anyway, will keep you posted. Must get to bed!

@Badgerismyname the pre op check is a pain. They didn't mention it to me until a couple of days before so it was too late for me to make arrangements to get there earlier or have it done in the UK by then so they let me off this time but guess I will need it done before any future treatment. It's difficult for me as I have young children and so don't like to be away for more than a night. It seems a lot of tests to try and arrange in the UK though.

@lucieloos yes it is a pain, and seems unnecessary if no health concerns. Good that you for out of it time. I tried to find somewhere in London to do it but just couldn’t find anywhere that could do all the tests at the same time and was coming out at £1k so in the end it was easier to do it here, but then I didn’t need the ecg they decided. But was still just about cheaper to do it here despite the flights and hotel cost and meant I wasn’t worried anything had been missed. But no, I don’t want to be away from my little boy for more than a night and I had to get an early train from Vienna so didn’t even get a lie in!!

@lucieloos I was trying to say, good for you that you got out of it this time... hopefully you don’t have to go back

We are down to only one viable embryo on day 2 now which has 4 cells. The other only has 2 cells and they have deemed it not viable. Not looking good 😬

Hang on in there @lucieloos. I hate the way time contracts in IVF - hope you have some nice things to take your mind off it a little?

We’re supposed to be going away for a few days at the end of the week as AF not due til next week but am starting to feel crampy so seriously hoping it’s not coming early as we could really do with have a few days away. We’ve not had a holiday for a couple of years and it would be just typical if we had to cancel! IVF just takes over everything...

Thanks @ACAL day 3 update will be in a few hours! Really hope it's looking good.

That's so annoying about af hope that it holds off for you and you get to enjoy your trip away before jumping on this merry go round again!

Well we got 5 eggs yesterday which is ok, couldn’t reasonably hope for more (tho of course I was!) The Dr seemed to think they were all mature, will have to dare check the portal later to see if all have fertilised. Transfer on Sat, fingers crossed.
Got the week off work, thank god.

@lucieloos absolutely everything crossed for you for good news today. I bloody hate that phrase you only need one, but you do.

@ACAL our bodies are so annoying aren’t they. My period for this cycle was a week early and it totally threw me. Never, ever have I had a 25 day cycle. Hope you get your holiday, I’m sure you need it.

@sabtom I’ve not given pgs testing consideration as I’m not convinced by its success, it’s expensive and I’m only expecting to get one blastocyst at best so don’t want to bother testing it, just want to put it back and hope for the best. But that’s my preference, I can see how others would prefer to test and not waste time putting back an abnormal embryo. If there was any chance of getting loads of embryos to pick from I might think harder about it but I know that will never be the case!

@IPokeBadgers I feel for you. I was so lucky to be successful first time so it makes any successive rounds so much easier as whatever happens I have my DS.
Would you consider going abroad? It sounds like the second round was a total non-starter but it just depends if you have the energy (emotional, mental and physical) and finances to go again. For me it would always be the ‘what if’ that would force me I think. Have you got recent levels for your amh and fsh?
It’s hard as well when everyone goes on about your age, just makes you feel even older and creakier!

@Badgerismyname 5 mature eggs is brilliant! Well done! What protocol were you on? Results should be on the portal very soon. Not that I'm frantically refreshing all the time 🙈

Results are in...a mixed bag for us. I thought they had discarded the 2 cell yesterday as they put number of suitable embryos - 1 and number of non suitable embryos - 1 but I've looked again today and we have 1x6 cell and 1x 5 cell. They both seem to be a bit slow though so not sure what to think really. Onto tomorrow...

@lucieloos thank you. Hopefully they were all good ones, but anything can happen now. I was on 300 gonal f and 75 menopur for 10 days. If this go doesn’t work I guess I’ll ask them to increase the meds.
I’m dreading checking the portal, will have to work up to it!