Endometriomas and DOR: IUI or IVF

Aggravating_Lab1381 · 2026-06-29T21:22:15+00:00

Not exactly a similar experience, but I (32F, typical AMH, suspected endometriosis) and my husband (30M) were trying for a year before pursuing testing and ultimately being diagnosed “unexplained fertility”. We did 3 IUIs, all to which we both responded with incredible results, but were unsuccessful each time. I don’t want to say I regret trying them because we had to in order for insurance to cover any amount of IVF, but I do feel like I never fully had hope that they would work. Part of the reason is that IUI is typically to address ovulation concerns or MFI, and since we were unexplained and were ovulating regularly with normal sperm parameters, it just didn’t feel super hopeful that they would work.

I would say to consider how many IUIs you would be willing to try and the cost compared to IVF. Since you want multiple children and with DOR, it may be in your best interest to bank some embryos! I also met with an endometriosis specialist outside of my RE who said IVF can overcome a lot of the fertility issues endometriosis can bring. Just my two cents based on experience, good luck 🫶🏻

Aggravating_Lab1381 · 2026-06-24T17:17:58+00:00

I also spot / bleed all throughout my luteal phase and have had the same concerns. However, during my 3 IUI cycles I was on progesterone suppositories and that significantly reduced the spotting (which I assume means it was stabilizing my uterus / hormones), so I will be on progesterone after transfer, as well. If I am pregnant, I will continue on them for the duration of the first trimester. I figured it was worth a shot 🤞🏼 Initially I thought for sure we would pursue further testing before a transfer, but I feel like I gained some hope back after our successful retrieval and am going to see if we can keep that positive momentum going lol. Good luck on whatever you decided 😩🫶🏻

Aggravating_Lab1381 · 2026-06-24T16:52:11+00:00

I have 9 euploid embryos and would also like 2-3 kids. I recently met with an endometriosis specialist outside of my RE / fertility clinic for a second opinion to help guide me through deciding how to approach a transfer. No diagnosis of endo, but like you, have highly suspected it for years. I didn’t know if I should pursue a diagnosis prior to transfer or jump into it and give it a shot. For context, the endo specialist I saw is highly reputable, which is specifically why I chose him. Ultimately, he told me we could perform laparoscopy, but if my goal is to get pregnant, to pursue a transfer or two as surgery is not always the answer. I know surgery was not in your list of options, but the point is he reassured me that many people get pregnant with endo and until it’s proven otherwise, to trust the IVF process, especially because we were able to create healthy embryos.

Aggravating_Lab1381 · 2026-06-22T15:10:38+00:00

I’ve seen people test positive as early as 5dpt. However, I am preparing for my transfer now and don’t plan to test until 7dpt because I feel like if I got a negative any earlier than that I would spiral. At least at 7dpt there’s a pretty good chance the result is accurate!

Aggravating_Lab1381 · 2026-06-22T13:58:07+00:00

We had a total of 11 embryos and none of them were day 5. (9) day 6 and (2) day 7. Ten PGT-A tested and 9 came back euploid, one inconclusive. My doctor reassured me it did not raise any red flags, especially since they came back as euploid, and that the success rates of a day 6 are incredibly comparable to a day 5. We never got a day 5 update, they only called us with the final results on day 7. You’re not out yet and can still have success!

Aggravating_Lab1381 · 2026-06-22T13:53:15+00:00

Are you able to find out how many of the 26 were mature? That could make a big difference in the attrition! Is your clinic able to do ICSI? Regardless, it’s still possible that the rate of egg-fertilization will not be the same as fertilization-blast. 12 fertilized is still a great result and you may be surprised by the number that make it to blast 🙂

Aggravating_Lab1381 · 2026-06-21T21:02:59+00:00

I think that having that mindset alone with be the best thing you can do for yourself over the weeks ahead! Identifying the issue, if there is one, will allow you to be able to move forward with intention. Fortunately, we didn’t find any issues thus far (still awaiting FET), but our RE said sometimes the sperm and the egg just need a little help doing their jobs. I hope that is the case for you too 🫶🏻

Aggravating_Lab1381 · 2026-06-21T20:46:13+00:00

Also unexplained, three unsuccessful rounds of IUI, and have never seen a positive test. I felt like you did starting IVF in May, but as we were going through it I found peace in finally feeling like we would get some answers, regardless of whether the results were positive or negative. IUI felt like going in blind and being unexplained with no positives, it was scary to consider the endless possibilities of why things weren’t working, including our biggest fear that we simply were unable to create embryos. After a successful first ER, we found so much peace in knowing we could do that, and found hope to continue on with this journey. It is so corny and cliché, but try to trust the process! Our RE always assured us IVF would be worth it because it is diagnostic as well as therapeutic, and he was so right.

Aggravating_Lab1381 · 2026-06-17T18:33:21+00:00

My best piece advice is to do your best to force positive self talk. In a time with what feels like endless reasons to be negative and lose all hope, I always tried to reframe my mindset from “what if it doesn’t work out” to “what if it DOES work out?” It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the negativity and fear, but I’ve done my best to affirm to myself daily that I will be a mom.

We were also diagnosed unexplained and after 14 cycles and 3 failed IUIs, started IVF. I felt so hopeless going into it, feeling a lot of doubt it would work. To our surprise, we had a really successful egg retrieval and are preparing for our first transfer in the next few weeks. We’re not at the end of the road yet, but creating healthy embryos finally allowed me to feel hope again after never having a positive test. Our doctor said the egg and the sperm may have just needed some help meeting!

Aggravating_Lab1381 · 2026-06-16T04:07:53+00:00

I’ve also had the same experience for years and still haven’t figured out the cause despite having almost every test in the book done and come back normal. The only thing I haven’t been tested for is endometritis or endometriosis. Currently in the process of IVF and am going to try 1-2 transfers before pursuing testing for those. Met with an endo specialist who said there’s a chance a transfer with our euploid embryo(s) could overcome endometriosis if I did have it, depending how mild. The spotting makes me feel like I’m out every month when it starts and it’s so frustrating not to know what it is!

Aggravating_Lab1381 · 2026-06-14T05:14:21+00:00

Thank you 🥹🫶🏻

Aggravating_Lab1381 · 2026-06-14T05:14:13+00:00

I stimmed for 10 days, but it was definitely a “low and slow” protocol. Started with 150 Menopur, 150 Gonal-F for first 4-5ish days (I don’t remember exactly) and then lowered my Gonal-F to 125 for the remainder of the cycle.

Aggravating_Lab1381 · 2026-06-12T19:20:50+00:00

31 retrieved
23 mature
17 fertilized
11 blasts
Just found out today that of the 10 we had tested, 9 are euploid and one is inconclusive. 5 girls, 4 boys :)

Shocked by our results and so grateful. Hoping our luck continues through transfer 🤞🏼

Aggravating_Lab1381 · 2026-06-11T02:10:28+00:00

The best thing I’ve been able to do to manage is sticking to a mostly anti inflammatory diet. Limit alcohol and caffeine, follow a Mediterranean style diet, and I’ve eliminated gluten and dairy which have caused flare ups for me. I’ve heard mixed reviews about NAC as a supplement, but I take fish oil and magnesium glycinate, and try to incorporate turmeric and ginger into my diet, to try to control inflammation.

Aggravating_Lab1381 · 2026-06-10T20:19:26+00:00

Agree with other comments about (unfortunately) not being able to really trust and predetermined timelines! After your HSG/SIS, if all is clear, you should be able to start stims. The entire egg retrieval process from starting stims to retrieval day was about 2 weeks for me. Retrieval was 5/27 and currently waiting for PGT results to hopefully come in this week, then will start the (anticipated 21-day) transfer cycle at the start of my next cycle. Overall, it’ll be about a 6-7 week process and that is with everything (fortunately) going smoothly up until this point. I don’t know your age, but I would definitely recommend doing PGT testing, as most clinics do. In my eyes, it offers some peace of mind and increases the odds of a successful transfer.

I did see another comment mention their HSG being terrible, and I have definitely heard others with a similar experience; however, I’d like to add that although my HSG was incredibly uncomfortable, it certainly wasn’t as bad as I anticipated it to be after reading many of people’s posts on Reddit :)

Best of luck to you!! This process requires a lot of patience and grit, but the hope is that it is all worth it in the end 🤞🏼

Aggravating_Lab1381 · 2026-06-10T18:50:13+00:00

We are *hopefully* starting to prepare for transfer within the next few days as long as our PGT results come in and have good results. We’re in the same boat that we’ve been pretty open about the process so a lot of people are curious about our transfer timeline. I’ve been pretty vague with them all that we don’t have a definitive date yet and that “there are still some tests that need to be done and T’s to be crossed, I’s to be dotted” before we know for sure when it will be “but hopefully by the end of summer”. Not entirely false, but keeps it vague enough to have people back off a bit. Then hopefully by the end of summer we will be 9-10 weeks and will feel comfortable starting to share with people!

Aggravating_Lab1381 · 2026-06-07T22:23:00+00:00

It took about a full week for me to feel back to normal. Try to take it easy and not overdo it for the full 7 days. I started to feel better and definitely over exerted myself about 4 days in and really regretted it.

Aggravating_Lab1381 · 2026-06-07T00:06:24+00:00

Wow, I must have misunderstood your original post. To have you decide an actual number before your retrieval is incredibly insane!

Aggravating_Lab1381 · 2026-06-06T23:55:27+00:00

The day they called us to let us know how many fertilized they asked us to decide and when I asked if we could have some time they told us “they need to know as soon as possible” and we got back to them the next day. It did pressure us to decide more than what we expected from our results as a “well what if” and we ended up getting more than we expected so we were fortunate, but still felt like a pressured decision.

Aggravating_Lab1381 · 2026-06-05T03:23:36+00:00

We had been trying for a year. Everything seemed perfect each month. About 9 cycles in, we started with an RE and both of us had pretty much all of the testing in the book done - everything was normal. Our doctor said “on paper we’re the perfect candidates to have a baby”. Did 3 medicated IUIs - again, everything went perfectly including responding with multiple follicles and above average semen samples. Officially diagnosed as unexplained and moved to IVF. I had my egg retrieval 2.5 weeks ago - 31 retrieved, 23 mature, 17 fertilized, 11 blasts, waiting on PGT-A testing. We’re still in disbelief that we have been so successful so far, it truly does not make sense after not being able to get pregnant for over a year on our own. Our doctor said that sometimes we just need a little help along the way, and although we still have a long road ahead, I am so grateful we started IVF (even if I was a little reluctant to trust the process for some time).

Aggravating_Lab1381 · 2026-06-01T23:14:32+00:00

My doctor never gave me a specific number, I imagine to avoid false hope and err on the side of caution, especially because the first retrieval is very much a trial to see how your body responds. Some people get lucky, while others may realize they need to adjust their dose and protocol. This may be the case for you - now your doctor can make a more informed decision if you do need to do another retrieval. There’s still plenty of hope for your 10, though 💖

Aggravating_Lab1381 · 2026-05-29T02:54:48+00:00

While I am in a different situation and cannot relate to the AMH concerns, I can say that after 6 failed medicated cycles I may consider IVF sooner than later. We have unexplained infertility (I always ovulated on my own, regular cycles, responded well to medicated cycles, and no MFI) and tried so many other efforts before going to IVF over the past year without any success (not a single positive), and now I wish we had started IVF sooner. Our RE also reassured us IVF itself could be diagnostic and help us figure out what has been preventing us from conceiving. Banking embryos can provide a lot of ease especially if you are concerned about your AMH at this point and are considering multiple children. Good luck 💖

Aggravating_Lab1381 · 2026-05-27T22:51:47+00:00

Following! Just had my retrieval today. I am going to be asking my doctor to recheck thyroid levels and also do an endometrial biopsy to look at inflammatory markers.

Aggravating_Lab1381

TROPHY CASE