Micro/ mini IVF

[Adanma]

Has anyone had this procedure and had any success? From what I understand they just don't stimulate as aggressively since the patients are younger? I was considering opting for this since it's considerably cheaper and my only fertility problem is damaged tubes, but I wanted to see if anyone had success or complaints with this treatment. Thanks

Adanma

 

[Hpyns4life]

I'm looking into mini IVF as well. I'd love to hear some feedback from others who have gone through it. I've done a bunch of research online and it sounds like a great option for me. My only problem is I only have one tube left and it's dilated. But I have normal hormones and I'm only 26 so I'm a good candidate. Has anyone gone through mini or low stimulation IVF?

 

[Adanma]

My left tube is all I have left and it is dialated as well. It is also very scarred from previous surgeries. I lost my right tube to an ectopic pregnancy as well at 7 weeks. I was really hoping somebody on here had experienced this procedure! I have made a consult appointment for next month anyway, but I would really love to hear someone's experience having the procedure done.

Adanma

 

[Hpyns4life]

I'm sorry for your loss I had a really hard time with recovering my emotions after the surgery that was in Sept 2010. How are you doing now hun? I only have my right tube after my left ruptured from an ectopic that didn't respond to the chemicals, I was 8w3d. They think the tube damage originated from multiple abdominal surgeries from a ruptured appendix when I was 10y/o The docs didn't care to share with me that the scarring might hurt my chances of conceiving. I guess they didn't think to tell that to a 10 y/o or her mother.

There was one lady on here that had a lower dose IVF but that was doctor prescribed and she had trouble with hormones and age so that was different. She described the injections as not that bad, but the meds did affect her, causing achy back and legs, headache, and other mild symptoms.

Would you mind if we kept in touch so I could hear how your appt. goes? We're thinking about doing it in July, so I have a bit of a wait before we have to know everything.

 

[raf-wife]

hi i did very low dose ivf as you know hpyns4life, not through choice but because i have a very high egg reserve, it obviously was too mild though and they only managed to collect 6 eggs its all trial and error though unfortunatly and what didnt work for me could work for someone else perfectly well, i am 31 and have scarred tubes from surgery,if you have any questions i can help with feel free to ask on here or pm me x

 

[Blue12]

I haven't been through it myself, but I am pretty sure it is also for people who are very poor responders. So basically they can take the one egg that a woman normally produces on her own each month - remove it - fertilize it and place it back. This way there is bascially no cost of meds and a much smaller simpler collection.

Best wishes.

 

[Hpyns4life]

Blue: What does it mean to be a "poor responder"? I was also looking into the natural IVF, but was afraid that it would be too risky to go through the procedure and hope that your one egg was good enough. That's pretty much how it goes when you try to conceive naturally though so it's a very nice choice to have out there.

Lottie: Thank you for responding, you have a lot of information to offer. Thank you for letting me follow you through your experience

I wish there were more mini IVFers on here so we could get more insight on where we stand on how much of a dose we need/prefer/want. I'll keep asking around and maybe we'll find a few more to talk about low dose IVF.

 

[Adanma]

Thanks everyone for your responses! hpyns: we absolutely can keep in touch. I am doing well now. Emotionally I'm in much more pain than physically which I'm sure is quite common. I had just had a miscarriage in september and was pregnant again in January. I had experienced some cramping and had gone to ER but it was too early to see anything. A week later I was in ER again with severe pain, like worse than labor! It took 9 hours for them to get an OB who knew immediately what was going on. Luckily it didn't rupture, but the tube was too damaged to keep as the baby was in the fimbria. I have had multiple abdominal surgeries and also a tubal reversal so I had a higher chance of ectopic anyway. During one ultrasound they had seen a sac also in the uterus so I told them no D & C during the procedure, but I started bleeding a few days after the surgery anyway.

This has been the most heartwrenching thing I have ever gone through and I'm just praying everyday that this happens for us soon. I do feel lucky though in that I have two beautiful boys already which I know a lot of women do not have.

My appointment is on March 16th so I will update with any information I am given at that time. I am going to go to the Sher Institue for Reproductive Medicine. I think they have many offices around the country and they have a really good reputation so fx big time!

Again thank you everyone for your stories and I wish everyone the best of luck in their journeis.

Adanma

 

[brumbar]

I did mini ivf , but didn't work for me... happy to answer questions for you guys! It is highly likely to work for you especially when you know you can fall pregnant... It is also cheaper and you dont dose yourself with that many drugs! I've done both mini and standard ivf and i'm having an ultra long downregulation protocol next.

 

[Adanma]

Thanks brumbar! So you still have to use drugs just not as much right? And this is in hopes of stimulating a few but not a whole bunch of eggs? About how long are you on the meds or is it different for each person? Also price wise would you say it is worth it to save the few thousand dollars vs traditional or do you think the possibility of having frozen to work with should the cycle not work the first time would make the extra money worth it for traditional? So many questions! Sorry!

I have not been sleeping the last two nights with anxiety for some reason. My mind won't quiet. I keep going over what if it doesn't work, what if it doesn't work, I'm getting older, what if they can't do it because of my scar tissue? etc. Need to relax.

Adanma

 

[raf-wife]

i had to have stim injections for 7 days but it varys depending on how you respond, at my scans i had 20+ large follicles but when it came to egg collection there were only 6 eggs of which 5 were mature, 4 fertalised and 3 made it to et, i dont know if i would of responded better on a long protocol, maybe i would of got some frosties and then would of had another chance i just dont know, lots of people do respond very well on the short protocol x

 

[brumbar]

Well, on mini ivf you usually start stiming on cd2 and later they'll add another drug to prevent ovulation. I was on 150 iu gonal and ended up stiming for about 10 days they collected 8 eggs at the end but only 5 were mature. On a long protocol you will have to start down regulating and will continue taking the down reg injection throughout stimms...i.e you'll be doing two injections per day durimg stims-one to grow the eggs and one to stop you from ovulating. I was injecting for 24 days in total- 14 days downregs only 10 days on the stims. I suggest you book a consultation and discuss your options with a specialist, it all depends on your medical situation... Mini ivf is good for ladies with pcos and is also used for ladies who don't respond well on a long protocol. I did't get any frosties from neither the long nor the short protocol... The only difference for me is that one was a couple of hundred pounds cheaper and doesn't last as long. X

 

[Adanma]

Yep I've got a consult scheduled for March 16th. Thank you everyone for sharing your stories. It helps to kind of know what to expect and have at least SOME info so I can ask educated questions when I see the doc. I really appreciate it!

Adanma

 

[Adanma]

Well, I had my consult and we have been approved for Micro ivf. I am so excited! Our cycle will be in may and I'm really looking forward to it! I will update about what my protocol is etc.

Adanma

 

[Hpyns4life]

Oh great news Adanma!! So exciting that you get to start that soon!!

Did you have to ask for the micro ivf or did the dr. recommend it? Is there anything specific that I should bring up with the dr. when I go in? I haven't chosen my fert clinic yet so I don't want to pay $200 for an initial consultation if I'm not positive I'm going to use that doctor. Can't wait to follow you on your adventure

 

[Adanma]

I had to ask. My consult was free so I didn't have to worry about that. They did an ultrasound and everything! I wonder why some charge and some don't? We have just got our finances in order so we are all set to go! Praying thsi works! We can only do one try so if i don't get pregnant, that's it for us. If you feel you're a good candidate I would be sure to bring up Micro and ask about the differences between the two so you can make the best choice for you. ALso make sure to research the difference in protocol for each clinic. The clinic I am using doesn't really have a different protocol and they even ICSI every case. The big difference is the amount of medication given and just the price since you are assumed to be someone likely to have success.

Adanma

 

[africaqueen]

Hi girls.

Just wanted to say i wish u all the best and im sorry about your losses.
I suffered 2 ectopic pregnancies within 6mths of eachother last yr and lost both tubes, so we have our first appt with IVF consultant on 19th april and i am going to ask about mild stimulation as i suffer from mild pcos and im only 29 with no other issues just no tubes. Hormones etc appear to be ok aside from the mild pcos.

xxx

 

[Hpyns4life]

Adanma: thanks for the advice. FX'd this is your time to have a miracle :thumbsup:

africaqueen: I am so sorry for you losses 2 ectopics and losing both tubes in 6 months must have been so hard, wishing you all the best on your ttc journey I hope the appt in April goes well!

 

[Adanma]

oh wow. sorry for your losses. I think we're ALL due for some good news eh?

Adanma

 

[africaqueen]

oh wow. sorry for your losses. I think we're ALL due for some good news eh?

Adanma

Amen to that! Hope this is our year girls xxx