IVF converted to IUI not responding to stims

[Keeponswimming24]

Hellooo all,

Long post alert :)🚨

I’m new to posting but have been lurking in the background. I wanted to share my experience incase anyone has been through before or is going through now to offer any advice or just keep me sane!

I’m 39 and we’ve be ttc for 4 years. Don’t qualify for NHS as husband has a child from a relationship 16 years ago. It took 2 years to get to where we are now with all the bells and whistles for testing - and came back as unexplained fertility, and everything within average numbers.

4 months on the waiting list and finally started IVF this cycle. Dr had prescribed 225 Gonal F but at the day 3 scan I only had 8 follicles - 4 on left and 3 on right so they bumped me up to 300.

On my next scan at day 10, my right ovary was dead as a dodo and my left ovary had a definite 1 follicle, and a possible second but it was likely on top of the other so didn’t really show. They decided to stim for another 2 days to see what happened. So I went for my day 12 scan last Saturday and I had one follicle at 18mm and a second at 8mm.
Had a call later that day saying I didn’t meet the minimim requirement for egg retrieval so I could either cancel the cycle or convert to IUI.

They said they wouldn’t let me roll over to another medical check, so knowing it took 4 months last time we opted for IUI. Don’t want waste a single egg with the biological clock ticking - even though the chances are slim.

So that was Easter Monday and now it’s just the wait and the extremely unpleasant progesterone suppositories! I feel like the blueberry girl on James and the giant peach! The bloat! The constipation, the cramps, terrible sleep - urgh.

It’s such a long journey to get to this stage and as much as I try to stay grounded, it’s bloody hard!

If this IUI doesn’t work out then I was hoping they would just switch the meds and we go again, apparently it’s not that easy!!

Any ladies been pretty much non responsive to one stim but been successful on another??

Novel over now- 😁 would be great to hear from any of you lovelies. Xx

I have a friend who’s just done 2 rounds of IVF and is now pregnant from a round of IUI so fingers crossed for you 🤞🤞

Hi Btowngirl
Thankyou! I may actually get some money back too if it does work as a brucey bonus so here’s hoping 🤞🏻☺️. I know they say ‘it only takes one’ - which is true I suppose. Just hope those washed swimmers found the egg! X

Hi,

Here to give you some hope. I was a terrible responder to stims. My first cycle was cancelled because my body just didn't respond and I didn't meet criteria for egg collection. On my second round, they upped my dose but I still got a very poor response. I still didnt make criteria, but I pushed and pushed and in the end they agreed if I converted to IUI which I did. They only collected two eggs... Those two eggs both fertilized, both made it to day 3, both stuck...and I'm now looking at my beautiful twin boys.

Don't lose hope. It really only does take one.

I would ask the clinic what your day 2 FSH is and ensure it is below 10 before you start your cycle. If it is higher, you can skip stims that month and then prime with estrogen (or down regulate) before trying the following month (this brings the FSH down). We had this with our first clinic not testing and then there was no response to the stims. You need your own FSH to be low enough to allow the stims to do their job.