Growth hormone in ivf ??

[APSR]

Hi there. Has anyone used growth hormone to improve the follicle count during the stimulation phase?

Hello @APSR in my last cycle in august I used I used HGH for 4 weeks in advance of stims, and alongside DHEA and dexamethasone during stims. However I was prescribed it to improve egg maturity and egg quality. My third cycle, the one I did in august, was by far the best in terms of egg quality/embryos.

thanks for letting me know . What stimulation drugs wr you on for your last cycle ?

Pergoveris, fyremadel and Gonasi trigger. How many cycles have you done?

One round but had 2 stimulation for this to get to 10 follicles ended up with just 3 eggs and 1 blastocyst which failed to implant. Next round also started with 12 follicles ended with just 6 so cycle has been cancelled. next stimulation has been planned with gh

when is your transfer planned?

How many eggs/ embryos did you get in your last cycle ?

@APSR my FET was meant to be this month but I got Covid so delayed until November. I moved clinics for the third cycle from the Lister to the Evewell.
First cycle at the Lister got 10 eggs, 7 were mature 3 fertilised ended up doing a day 3 transfer-BFN nothing to freeze
Second cycle at the lister got 24 eggs, 8 were mature 3 fertilised and ended up doing a day 6 transfer with a poor quality blast- BFN- nothing to freeze.
Moved to the Evewell- got 10 eggs, 9 were mature, 7 fertilised and have got 2x 4AA embryos and 1x 4BC. So still a long way to go but a much better result than the last two cycles! Which clinic are you at?

Good luck for your transfer 👍

Hey APSR,
I know it’s been a while since you last posted, so I hope you don’t mind me asking.

how did you get on with the GH added to your treatment? Did it make a difference?

I’m on my first cycle, max dose of stimulation drug and follicles are not developing, at all. I had more visible during pre-treatment tests.

low AMH and age means few options so I want to ask them to try GH next time

Hi @RF81 do you mind telling me if you have added in growth hormones, and if so, were they successful?

Hi @onewishplease
I asked my consultant about it in July and he said there was little evidence to support it. He was however supportive of me taking DHEA (although they don’t prescribe it and you kind of have to initiate it yourself and other it from EU country).

For my next cycle he changed my meds to Menopur, and we had much better results. 7 eggs, 5 fertilised, 1 fresh 5 day transfer.

that was unsuccessful. Then another round of the same, 1 fresh 5 day transfer and 1 frozen. Unsuccessful.

then for the frozen transfer cycle he added prednisolone (steroid) to suppress my immune system, again unsuccessful.

now waiting to start another cycle of egg collection etc, this tile will use steroids plus intralipids. I’m 42, so possible that the embryos are abnormal, but he thinks it’s possible that my immune system is interfering with implantation, although no tests for that are accurate so they are just guessing.

I’m on DHEA although I stopped it during the steroids as DHEA increase their effect and I wasn’t feeling well. Consultants are a bit indifferent about the advents I find so you kind of have to do your own research and check in with them to see if they have anything against what you are taking.

we’ve signed up for another 3 egg collection/transfer rounds and that will be it for us (due to money)

I follow the plan recommended in the It Starts With The Egg book. I get my melatonin and DHEA supplies from Biovea UK.

I hope this helps you xx

*order in form an EU country
*indifferent about the adjuvants

sorry auto correct

Re GH - I read up a lot more and the evidence is really not there, so decided to not pursue that.

focussing on antioxidants, healthy diet, no caffeine etc, taking all the supplements plus DHEA and Melatonin.

Thanks @RF81 I appreciate you getting back with all of this. I’m sorry to hear you haven’t been successful yet, but that was a good number of eggs you got. Hopefully these next cycles are where you find your good egg. Im also 42 and start a 3 consecutive cycle of embryo banking next month and have bought DHEA and melatonin. I will take both. Also taking everything else from ISWAE book. No alcohol this year. No caffeine for 6 months. Mediterranean diet. Organic where I can. Yoga. Trying to do everything I can to increase the chances. I have just had a cycle cancelled because I only had 1 follicle of size after 12 days max stims. The other 2 weren’t big enough (10,14 and 18mm) so trying to think of ways I can push the follicles to grow more in my next round.

Hey @onewishplease
I’m sorry to hear you’re having a bad cycle. Our first was like that, which was a real shock. Consultant said that sometimes it can happen for no real reason.
My AMH is pretty low at 2.4 and in the natural frozen cycle there was just 1 follicle visible. In comparison in Feb23, my initial investigatory visit to the clinic, he could see 5. So it’s either because I’m older or just one of those months. Given I’ve been taking 75mg of DHEA for a few months now does make me think that we are running out of time.
I used to obsessively read any research paper I could find on the topic of age related ovarian insufficiency, but there’s nothing else out there apart from what’s already in ISWAE.
I’m still hopeful, but it’s draining. I know you know how it feels x