Next Steps After Failed HT

[LA_Girl]

Hi,

So I'm back after a failed HT attempt. I had a BHCG test yesterday, which was two weeks after embryo collection, and it came back as 10 - which is super low. I have another test tomorrow to see if it's gone up, but it's highly unlikely.

Despite the disappointment at this not working, I always try to look forward. I hated the idea of HT because I always prefer a natural approach, and hate taking any sort of meds. I don't even take a tablet for a headache, and when I swayed previously (which ended in miscarriage at 11 weeks) I took Clomid 4 times (2 months on, 2 months break, 2 months on again), and then didn't stop bleeding for two months afterwards as I wasn't dispelling everything, and had two rounds of meds to try to (which didn't work either), so I thought, we may as well try HT after all the meds I've taken! Having said that, the meds I've taken - 4 different types of injections, 4 different types of oral drugs, plus suppositories, have far exceeded what I thought I would be taking, BUT - at least I can say I tried. I think I would have regretted swaying and getting an opposite, having not tried this route when I could have. I have to also admit that, I'd seen two perfect looking, long term sways, end up with opposites and that was my push to try HT. I can't deny that it would break my heart to get an opposite, but I feel I have to try.

One thing that is making me feel slightly more positive (possibly falsely) is that, out of the 11 fertilised embryos we had, only one was male and the rest were female. I had asked beforehand whether they sort the sperm, but they said they don't because they find that they get more abnormal embryos doing that so they just pick the liveliest ones.

Initially I was told that one embryo came back with an inconclusive result, and would be re-tested, but every other one had a chromosomal defect. I was gutted. The embryologist said that there were four female embryos which were grade 5AA (the best they could be), but they all had a chromosomal issue. I asked if those four could be retested, as I'd read up on PGS a lot, and read that they test cells from the placenta, and it's a known fact that, even in a full term, health baby, the placenta is 25-30% aneuploid (chromosomally abnormal). Initially my clinic said they wouldn't retest as they used to retest 5AA embryos as standard, but they found that less than 1% came back normal after retesting so they don't do it anymore. In the end, because they were testing one, the embryologist agreed to test the others. One of them retested as normal, so I had it transferred, but sadly hasn't taken.

So I'm thinking about what to do next. I'm 41 so time isn't on my side. I have both Clomid and Letrozole which I can take, although I'm not sure, once I start bleeding (I'm still taking the meds until tomorrow which is preventing that from starting yet) if I should take them, because I may bleed for a longer time. I have been exercising three times a week for an hour a day, so I can up this to five. I already have a long period between dinner and breakfast, but I usually have a protein smoothie with avocado, chia, coconut water, spinach and one piece of fruit for breakfast. I have green juice every day, and eat low carb because of my PCOS. One thing I struggled with recently is melasma - which is hormonal hyperpigmentation. I was eating porridge with stevia for breakfast and I wasn't sure if the carbs or the stevia was causing the melasma, so I stopped about a month ago. I didn't suffer with melasma when I was swaying before. I'm sure hormonal balance has an impact on swaying, although I don't know which way!

My questions are:

1. Should I take Clomid or Letrozole? I'm fine with the possibility of twins.
2. Should I try to take Clomid/Letrozole 2/3 days into my first period or wait until next month?
3. Should I have my smoothie as a late breakfast then dinner later, or have lunch (which was usually brown rice and green veg when I was swaying before) and dinner, as the smoothie is too nutrient rich?
4. I assume I should drop my green juice again as it's too nutrient rich. Do you agree?
5. I want to try one attempt at ovulation, with bd/release 3/4 days before as it was a 3.5 day gap between previous release and sperm collection for our HT which resulted in more females being selected - although this could just be luck.
6. I've been taking 1000mcg folate, a prenatal and CoQ10 for the last 6 months. I assume it's just the folate I should continue with?

Any other recommendations?

Thank you!

[rosaliaslove]

Hi, I just had the same history.. 3 cycles IVF because of low AMH - we had 11 Blastos to test NGS: 4 XX abnorm 5 XY abnorm, 2 healthy boys.. but I wanted a girl.

We have 2 boys (5 and 10 years old) and one boy in heaven (2018, 14 weeks)..

I m 41 years old with bad egg quality - but DH sperm quality is excellent ..

I m doing the LE Diet, but I think I need some more supplements to tune my eggs ????

DH is doing everything to have a little princess.. so we are really motivated.

If you have any advices for my, I would be very, very happy .. I really wish everyone who needs good luck and say thank you xxx

(I m not English - sorry for wrong writing ;-)


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[LA_Girl]

Rosaliaslove I really feel for you having three IVF cycle. I feel like IVF was one of the worst emotional rollercoasters I’ve been on - always waiting for test results or to see how many follicles or eggs you have.

I’m at least lucky in that my husband has great sperm, and my AMH is 21.6 (or 3.02 depending on which scale you use). I at least know we can try naturally, but not having the guarantee of the result is hard.

Good luck to you!

[Georgia_Peach]

Wow what an emotional rollercoaster. I am glad to read that you persisted on the retesting! I wasn't aware they could test chromosonolly abnormal but then be normal? We did ivf too and had all girls except 1 boy. But hes graded our best! However we just welcomed a grade 4AB girl but transferred 2 chrom normals and only 1 took ! so not sure grades really mean that much. I wish you all the best with your next chapter. Ivf is such an emotional rollercoaster.

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[LA_Girl]

Thanks Mamabird4.

I’ve read a LOT about PGS and how thousands of viable embryos are discarded every year. It’s so sad. The placenta (which is the part of the blastocyst they test) can have chromosomally abnormal cells, but it doesn’t mean the embryo has, plus the embryo has the ability to self correct if it does.

Congratulations on your little girl! Your heart must be swelling with happiness! Enjoy her! X

[Georgia_Peach]

Thanks Mamabird4.

I’ve read a LOT about PGS and how thousands of viable embryos are discarded every year. It’s so sad. The placenta (which is the part of the blastocyst they test) can have chromosomally abnormal cells, but it doesn’t mean the embryo has, plus the embryo has the ability to self correct if it does.

Congratulations on your little girl! Your heart must be swelling with happiness! Enjoy her! X

Thank you so much! We almost lost her half way through the pregnancy and had a still birth the pregnancy before so it definitely was hard.
That's amazing news! Can I ask. What chromosome abnormality did the one that got retested as normal, first have?!

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[atomic sagebrush]

Hey, can you bump this for me?? It's a little longer than I anticipated and I want to give you my best effort.

[LA_Girl]

Oh my God, that must’ve been awful! Especially when you’ve suffered a stillbirth before. I’m so sorry for your loss. I lost a son at 20 weeks and it was really tough.

It showed as trisomy 19.

I read this article https://www.endofound.org/the-abnorm...-md-facog-facs

I don’t think PGS is as cut and dried as we’re led to believe. I’m glad I tried, but I couldn’t go through it again.

[nuthinbutpink]

I wish you the best with swaying! IVF is very hard. Swaying is tough too! It takes A LOT of discipline. I hope it works out for you. atomic has helped lots of people on here that tried IVF first.

[Georgia_Peach]

Oh my God, that must’ve been awful! Especially when you’ve suffered a stillbirth before. I’m so sorry for your loss. I lost a son at 20 weeks and it was really tough.

It showed as trisomy 19.

I read this article https://www.endofound.org/the-abnorm...-md-facog-facs

I don’t think PGS is as cut and dried as we’re led to believe. I’m glad I tried, but I couldn’t go through it again.

Awwweee I am so sorry! Ugh this baby making stuff is so hard!! I will read this article.

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