Thank you!xx
I read so much in the past year about different clinics and the treatments they provide that I am almost an expert:) The doctors are always commenting that I know a lot about the process.
The first protocol was short, on Menopur 150+Decapeptyl 0,1. I only injected Menopur for 7 days, came to my 1st ultrasound and they scheduled the trigger for the same day. The largest follicules were 18 at that moment, but there were still 3 that were under 15 and could use some growth. I think they should have waited with the puncture...
For the second protocol we switched to a different clinic. The protocol was also short, but with a different FSH medicine and the increased dosage: Gonal F 225+Decapeptyl 0,1. Here on my second ultrasound I had follicules of 20, 21 and they still said to continue with Gonal F for 1 more day for the other ones to grow...
Now about freezing. @LouweezeI @FingersXssd83
I am doing IVF in the Netherlands and here they say there is currently no evidence that day 5 is more beneficial for all types of cycles: fresh and cryo. The previous studies only showed some preference for the day 5 fresh transfer. Therefore there is currently a national study across different clinics called ToF (three or five) where they investigate both fresh+cryo cycles.
Here is an abstract from the description of this research:
"Previous research into an embryo transfer on day 3 or on day 5 often only looked at the fresh first embryo transfer. The results of cryo (a frozen embryo) treatments were often not included in this. In the TOF care evaluation, we will look at the difference in the number of pregnancies and the number of children born between an embryo transfer on day 3 and day 5, including all frozen embryos. This is also referred to as the cumulative percentage of live births".
You can read more about it here (use Chrome browser, right click and choose Translate to English):
www.zorgevaluatienederland.nl/evaluations/tof
Our first clinic has recently started doing only day 5 ET and freezing, therefore from 3 embryos on day 3 we were left with 1 on day 5. They waited 1 more day to see if the other two catch up but they didn't, so they didn't freeze them in the end.
Our second clinic is doing day 3 ET and freezing on day 3, 4 or 5 (like most clinics in the Netherlands) and is also participating in the ToF study. Now, if you opt in for this study, they first check that you have at least 4 embryos on day 3 and then randomise you for day 3 or day 5. If you participate, all of the remaining embryos are also frozen on the respective days. The latest one can decide about the participation is on the puncture day. We got 16 eggs, I was very happy (3 times more compared to the first time!), so we decided to participate. Now, when we heard we only got 5 embryos, we withdrew from the study...
On the day of the ET we were told that we have 4 out of 5 embryos, one is being transferred and the other 3 will be frozen the same day. I asked how they decide when to freeze, day 3, 4 or 5 and was told that normally they freeze on day 3 and only if there are doubts they wait and see how the embryos are developing. I was told in my case they were of good quality, so there was no need to wait.
Now, 2 days after the ET I was called and told that they managed to freeze another one of our embryos!!! I was soooo surprised and happy. The fifth one apparently caught up and became a blastocyst, therefore was frozen on day 5!