1st cycle with Argc 41 years old

[Wildstar]

Just completed a fresh cycle with Argc . Had 11 eggs, 8 fertilised and 5 got to blastocyst stage.

Had 3 embryos transfered and negative.

Hoping to have FET in September and wanted to know if anyone my age has had success or what to share their journey.

Been feeling so low and wanted to know any success stories ?

Hi @Wildstar . Sorry about your negatives. This process is so heart-breaking isn't it.

I don't have success stories yes, I am your age too and our first cycle only had one embryo by day 5 (out of 13) and it didn't take. Just started on cycle 2 and waiting for our embryos to get PGTa tested.... Hard to stay optimistic during all this....

Sending your good wishes and strength. This process can be such a downer..

Sorry to hear that. I am waiting on my 2nd FET, it was cancelled this month as my lining didn't get thick enough.

I am 40 and my consultants are still only advising me to transfer 1. Did they give a reason why they done 3 for you, or was that 3 separate occasions?

Hi @contentsmayb ,

Thank you for your good wishes. It’s such a downer .I’m considering going to see the gp as I’ve been feeling so depressed but I’m worried if I take antidepressants it could affect my fertility treatment negatively.

Its nice to be able to speak to yourself and others who are on the same journey.

Are you having your fertility treatment at Argc ? For some reason I’ve never been asked for PGTa. How long do you have to wait for the results ?

Fingers crossed you will get some good embryos ❤️ keep me updated.

hi @SadieBarts

I’ve had multiple implantation failures in the past and had success when they put two back when I was 38 on a FET. One stuck and now I have my son who is two years old.

I have slightly raised cytokines for my immune but was treated with humira that got them back to normal levels and was given steroids and interlipids to help
manage my immune.

I was given the option of two or three on this fresh cycle, I chose 3, hoping it would up my chances.

Maybe you have better quality embryos so you are given the option of 1 ?

Are you doing a natural or synthetic cycle for your FET?

Yeah we were devastated after our failure. We both started doing counselling because we couldn't cope. I think it really helps with accepting things and staying positive. I highly recommend if you can afford/get through GP. Also try to schedule dates like movies or theatre with your partner to get some distraction in life. It's hard but it helps.❤

Pgta was offered to us almost as a default. We were told that due to my age, the percentage of abnormal embryos can be quite high. That is usually the reason for miscarriages or embryos not implanting. The test takes 10 days to 2 weeks. So with testing you can obly do frozen emryo process.

@contentsmayb

thanks for suggesting counselling, I think I would rather choose that over meds.
Im just not finding joy in anything at the moment, I think speaking to someone will really help.

If I need to do another cycle I think will consider PGT-A. But for my age as you said a majority of embryos could come back abnormal, then maybe I won’t have any to put back. But then there’s the hope that even if one came back normal, it gives you a better chance. Two weeks isn’t a long time to wait I guess.

How soon did you do your new cycle since your failed cycle ?

I'm not at ARGC but I am 40. I am doing ivf due to secondary infertility (I've had 3 miscarriages: 1 chemical and 2 early ones in past 2 years) - unexplained probably just age they think.

My first cycle was a disaster 3 eggs, 1 blast. Failed fresh transfer. (3BC).
Second 10 eggs, 4 blasts. Failed fresh cycle (3BC).
Modified natural FET a month after (5AB) and I have just got my positive. I am hoping this one sticks.

I've read sometimes the break helps as your body has gone through so much.
I also had thin lining (hence the modified natural element of the FET to help thicken the lining with some drugs).

I did take supplements from the book it starts with the egg through my ivf process which I do think really helped particularly with the quality - It's such a hard journey sending you lots of luck.x

@Wildstar Yes, I am preparing myself for a heartbreak of all coming back abnormal... They say that odds are 1 in 5 for someone our age.😕
I think being realistic and learning how to live with either outcome is what counselling teaches you. Honestly, I have been in a much more positive mood since I started.
I took once month off between the cycles, that's what was recommended to us. Basically waiting for one normal period cycle and then start again.

Fingers crossed for your next transfer <3

@LittleDoveLove

congratulations on your positive result. That’s amazing news. Sending you lots of good wishes ❤️

Im taking a two month break from my failed fresh cycle to FET and I’ve been taking loads of supplements. I watched a you tube podcast for huberman lab. It was super insightful and I took all the recommended supplements. Coq10, inositol, omega 3, l-carnitine. The link is below.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=O1YRwWmue4Y&feature=youtu.be

I think it help me get 5 blastocysts 4x 4ab and 5bb from my fresh cycle.

@contentsmayb

I think I need to learn to accept the worse and it helps taking to people who are going through the same thing. I don’t feel so alone.

Sending you lots of good wishes for the news on your PGT-A xx

I'm currently on the 2ww of my second cycle with ARGC. I'm 41 also.
First cycle I had 3 transferred on day 5 and ended BFN. I did not do any immunes testing that round.
This last round I did immunes and had only very slightly raised numbers and have had one intralipids so far. Had a split transfer this time, 2 on day 3 and 1 on day 5.
I've previously had one chemical and one MMC. That's it. If this round is also BFN I'm done. I've given it everything I could.

@SandySan
its so tough emotionally and physically. Hopefully this time you’ll get a positive. Fingers crossed for a positive 🙏🏾

I think I’ll do another round with Argc if FET doesn’t work. Like yourself , then I’ve done everything to make it happen.

@LittleDoveLove

I forgot to mention that prior to taking supplements I did a fresh cycle when I was 40 which resulted in 7 eggs, 1 fertilised and was transferred on day3. BFN.
so I do believe 1 year later the supplements helped get better quality embryos x

@Wildstar We are currently doing modified natural. I had a call with Drs today, 1st I checked if I am approaching menopause, which I am not. I then asked what other tests can be done. They confirmed there isn't and it sounds as if the dominant follicle each month doesn't contain an egg, so my body doesn't produce the estrogen, causing thin lining. Have tried estrogen tablets and patches which didn't work. They basically said they need to wait until one of the follicles has the egg and my lining gets thick. Pot luck then I guess.

It took me 4 attempts at FET last year, really not sure I can go through that again, unless they make drastic changes to the protocol.

@Wildstar yes I think the supplements helped me, I was cautious first but I think having upped them to the recommended amount for my situation it did help me. I think the accupucture did too.x

Hi there - so I have done a number of cycles with ARGC over the years and have been very lucky to have three beautiful children - the first when I was 39, second at 41 and the third in January this year when I was 45. I’ve never had any frozen embryos as we only ever had enough to do the transfers. Prior to my last round I had quite a few failed attempts during which they tried a much lower dose of medication which just didn’t work for me. On my last round - which even ARGC said to me almost certainly wouldn’t works - I had two eggs collected and both stayed the course to be transferred on day 2.

For this last round I chucked everything at it - much healthier eating (went to a nutritionist) and basically followed the vitamin regime in It Starts with an Egg. I also did heaps of acupuncture and included HGH in my cycle. If I am honest I really didn’t think it would work either, and was really doing it for ‘closure’. Unbelievably though it worked and I now have a gorgeous 7 month old upstairs snoozing away.

I know I am incredibly lucky, and I have no idea if any of the stuff I did helped or not. ARGC said I had less than 1 per cent chance of success, but i guess someone has to be in that 1 per cent.

good luck with it all - it’s such a full on experience that takes over your life and pretty much crowds out everything else. But hang on in there, you really never just know!

Thank you for replying to this feed, it honestly does help to know success stories. In so happy you got the family you wanted : )

Can I ask how many failed attempts you did you have ?

My first round of ivf fresh failed, FET failed and last FET of that round gave me my two year old ❤️

I did a fresh last year which failed and no frozen. Fresh recently failed and now waiting to have FET. Also with supplements did you continue taking them after transfer ? Or stop during the the two week/10 day wait ?

I think I will start acupuncture and see how it goes.

so, on the vitamins, I think I kept going with everything during the two week wait. On the acupuncture I think the combination of that plus diet really brought my FSH down - pre one attempt it was 19 point something but with another three months of diet, vitamins and acupuncture it came down to 7 which I hadn’t even thought it was possible.

numbers of cycles… well ultimately I had six failed cycles. My first two had worked with my little girl and boy, then I did another six, and then the seventh worked. I know that sounds a ridiculous amount and maybe it would have worked sooner had I really gripped the diet/well-being approach. But who knows - it does feel such a lottery.

I should also say that I did the immunes treatment with every cycle though it varied from time to time and again on my last cycle i needed the least amount of additional drips etc.

if I could have done anything differently, I would have really paid attention to all the additional lifestyle/diet advice in all the rounds that failed. For me they were a mix of BFNs and miscarriages so it’s been a rough old ride and obviously also ridiculously expensive.

really good luck with it. if there’s anything else I can tell you please do ask - I do feel a bit of a grizzled old timer having done nine rounds!

hi @Verygeri

Wow 9, that’s a lot of cycles and defo worth it. You have 3 beautiful children ❤️❤️❤️

So I am now thinking of banking my embryos, through back to back cycles. Did you ever pgt-a test your embryos?

I’m wondering if it will be worth doing, I know for my age it’s like 20 % chance of one being okay. But if I bank a few then I’m increasing my chances right ?

so for me, I never had enough embryos to do PGT - pretty much for the last 6 cycles we only ever had one or two embryos and the advice then was that it wasn’t worth doing. Batching is definitely something that I was interested in but certainly in the last few rounds given my age ARGC steered me towards transfers straight away.

the whole thing is such a rollercoaster and when I started out I really, really wanted to try and not become obsessed/let it take over our life totally, but inevitably it kind of does. Nine rounds now sounds (and is!) a little bonkers but it didn’t really feel like it when I was in it. I had always said I would stop whatever happened when I hit 45 and I squeezed one last cycle in just as I turned 45. Had it not worked, would I have managed to stop and stick to my plan? Honestly I don’t know.

Hi @Verygeri

thanks so much for all this info, I think I’m going to start batching as soon as, I’m going to do duo stimulation hopefully and get more embryos, I feel definitely more positive speaking to you. You did it and it was all worth it. So thank you : )

Just one final question. What grade embryos were you putting back ? Mine were 4ab, didn’t stick, so im
am thinking of doing pgt-a going forward. Xx

Ah no problem at all. I think I would definitely batch if I could. My last cycles just weren’t graded as they were day 2 transfers - I think they only grade them from day 5?

really best of luck with it all - stay positive, if it can happen for me there’s no reason it can’t for you too.

Thank you. It really is a roller coaster!! But I do feel very positive after speaking to you. Xx

@SandySan Hello... I hope that you are doing well and hopefully this last attempt worked?! 🙏🙏🙏 You mentioned in your message that you did a split transfer. May I ask what is that?

@Verygeri I am so glad that everything has worked out for you. May I ask:

1. Did you have autoimmune diseases, high NK cells?
2. Who was the consultant at ARGC you were seeing?
3. You mentioned HGH? What is that?

I am considering ARGC as everyone says that they are the best clinic for autoimmune issues and I have both high NK cells and Hashimoto hypothyrodism, thyroid antibodies.

A split transfer is where they transfer 1 (or more) on day 3 and another 1 (or more) on day 5.
Unfortunately that round also did not work so we've reached the end of the line.
We are having a 6 month break then will have a discussion whether we want to try donor eggs. But it's definitely the end for my eggs now.

@SandySan 💓💓

Hi @NV42 - so no autoimmune disease but my immunes results were all over the place for each cycle to be honest. Some cycles they were super high and I had IVIG throughout (horribly expensive) but other times they weren’t v high and I had one or two drips.

the consultant I saw the most was Sapna who I found very good. But with ARGC you just see who is on duty - so sometimes Mr Taranissi, and he did my last egg collection and a couple of my transfers throughout. So a real mix.

Sorry, HGH is human growth hormone - I think from memory I had it about a month to 6 weeks before I started treatment (I think at least!) and it’s another injection. Again, I have NO idea if this made a difference but as well as diet it was the main change from the previous cycles that had all failed.

hope that helps and good luck!

Hi there
may I ask about your clinic, I’m 41 and I was at care but after two retrievals and all 6 embryos came back as aneuploid.