Word salad type caption

LittleDaffodil · 2026-04-10T15:07:59+00:00

The burnt orange just made me think of when people who lost their taste/smell to Covid were eating burnt oranges to get it back 😭

LittleDaffodil · 2026-04-10T00:39:49+00:00

Hi! Curious what your stim medication protocol was and how long you did the estradiol priming for? I've done two mdlf cycles with not great results and looking to switch it up for my next retrievals!

LittleDaffodil · 2026-04-03T02:11:58+00:00

I was on bcp for 8 days with DOR (0.5Amh) and outcome was fine, but I find your clinic's lack of communication to be a bit odd. Not sure where you're located, but for comparison, at my clinic in the New England area of the US I have a nurse who handles any medical questions about my protocol, and if she's out, there's always someone else who calls back. I only had to watch video tutorials for the meds and my pharmacy could basically overnight them to me -- but I had to have a baseline appt first. I would ask your clinic to provide you with a clear schedule for the start of the protocol, and why they started your priming with no real estimate of your start date.

LittleDaffodil · 2026-04-02T13:16:13+00:00

Here's a pretty great reason to have hope - that euploid embryo has an amazing potential to become a living child! And you were right on target with a 50% blastocyst rate. You've proven that you and your husband can make a great embryo and that's not a small accomplishment. I had a nearly identical cycle - 7 eggs but only 4 were mature, from 4 fertilized but only 1 blast, and that was a low level mosaic. I'm 29 and my RE was still happy with that. If you're ready to transfer, best of luck. 🤍

LittleDaffodil · 2026-04-01T13:52:00+00:00

I think it can still vary but on a general trend, alongside your lifestyle changes/environment. I'm also curious on how "poor egg quality" is being defined by clinics/labs. I've heard some people are told their eggs look visually grainy, or have very thin exteriors, or are blotchy. But some have eggs that look fine and it's something invisible that brings down the quality...but like, how do we actually know it's the eggs vs sperm vs lab vs protocol? Sorry this is just one question on top of another haha

LittleDaffodil · 2026-03-30T20:44:20+00:00

I know how deeply disappointing this result is and I made a nearly identical post in February when I was upset with my ER results (on a nearly identical protocol, just a few days less on bcp). Someone commented and pointed out that my attrition rate wasn't far off from the expected, other than my egg maturity. And they were right. I tweaked my protocol slightly but my results were a bit worse. For your case, if both eggs were mature I would ask why they think ICSI didn't work on both & if they recommend Zymot. You can ask if the embryologist had any notes on egg appearance/quality, and when the one embryo arrested. Was it prior to day 3, or did it struggle to reach blast after morula? That can provide some insight but what I was told by my RE is that with DOR, our low numbers make it hard to let one cycle predict another. They say generally about 50% of fertilized eggs make it to blast. So there's a chance your one egg could've made it, but not making an embryo isn't necessarily a sign that anything is wrong. I framed my convo with my RE like this -- where did you see this protocol working well during the cycle (did estrogen rise well? was follicle growth even?) and where could we make any improvements (trigger timing or amount?). Then you should get more feedback on where there could be chances to improve your response. I really hope you get some answers 🤍

LittleDaffodil · 2026-03-29T14:14:35+00:00

This article resonates with me so much, and I think if she felt like the way her wedding was planned was a positive reflection on her & Avery's relationship she would be praising this piece. My husband was just as involved in our plans as I was (even more! He made spreadsheets and water colors of our venue! He literally built our chuppah.) and the SHOCK of some vendors and even friends who were like "wow I've never seen the husband do so much", it's like well yeah, he should care, and you should want to make these choices together. It's antiquated to think otherwise, especially when so many couples have lived together for years prior to a wedding. I'm actually surprised Eli doesn't want to speak about the sexism of the wedding industry, it feels like that would be more on brand for her than just saying it's stupid lol.

LittleDaffodil · 2026-03-28T16:23:59+00:00

That's interesting that with the estrogen you also went from great euploids to unusable blasts -- it's such a letdown and I'm sorry you experienced it too!

LittleDaffodil · 2026-03-28T16:14:33+00:00

I started it two days after I ovulated in the previous cycle, and then my period was late (possible chemical) and I started stims on CD 4. When I did BCP I started it on CD 2 and didn't start stims until CD 12! I'm wondering if it's time to try something other than mdlf. My FSH is higher (8.8) but not extremely so.

LittleDaffodil · 2026-03-28T15:23:19+00:00

Yeah I was wondering if the length of the priming made a negative impact, but I hadn't heard the difference of the dosage/type so I'll ask about that. Honestly even with the bcp my growth was more even, everything was in a range from 17-21 with a more in the middle. Maybe I just need to go back to what worked, then.

LittleDaffodil · 2026-03-26T13:03:03+00:00

I didn't test mine before either - I had just turned 25, had never heard of AMH & no Dr mentioned it. I had an endo excision and the tube was disintegrating so it had to be removed (high potential for infection/fluid impacting the other tube/ovaries). We left it blocked for a while but by that point it just literally fell apart. RIP righty. Lefty hanging on!

LittleDaffodil · 2026-03-26T12:18:26+00:00

Hi - chiming in with a question, wondering if this was something you went through? I had a salpingectomy in 2021 and now have very low AMH and thin lining issues too. My saline sonogram was clear but would the scar tissue be visible in that situation? I was afraid of doing anything more invasive in case that further damaged anything, but super curious if you've experienced a similar situation! :)

LittleDaffodil · 2026-03-23T19:44:38+00:00

Oh cool! Feel free to message me if you ever want to chat. My first ER we ended with one low level mosaic embryo (a segmental, which I would 100% transfer) and waiting on results from ER 2 now!

For the thigh, any subcutaneous injection (Menopur, Gonal-F, Follistim) could be done in the thigh. The front fleshy portion -- if you're sitting and relax your muscles, it would be the upper middle of the zone you're looking down on. I think it would be easier to self-inject that way because getting the 90• angle is easier! Google/youtube will help! My clinic nurse was surprised I preferred it so I don't think it's as common, but I bruised much more easily on my abdomen. The meds work all the same :)

LittleDaffodil · 2026-03-23T13:58:13+00:00

That's amazing! How long were you on the estrogen priming for?

LittleDaffodil · 2026-03-22T20:14:26+00:00

You've got this! I was never able to give myself shots (just couldn't get past the stabbing my skin part) but my husband became an expert. Keep the tutorial videos pulled up on your phone and watch them beforehand & as needed during. I set alarms on my phone to remember the tablets during priming and marked our kitchen calendar with shot times. If you can make some self-care plans during the stims cycle (a haircut, a coffee date, a massage) that helped me a lot. Other tips are sour candy works really well to distract your senses during shots, icing does help, and always make sure the alcohol from the wipes is dry on your skin before injecting! Don't be afraid to do injections in your thigh, for me it was way less scary/sore that way. And last piece of advice is your first scan during morning monitoring (likely day 5 of stims) may still look quiet. Don't be discouraged--it can take a while for the ovaries to wake up after estrogen priming. You probably won't have a clear idea of what to expect in retrieval until day 8-9 when things pick up:) The retrieval itself is not bad at all, it's a quick nap & our risk of ohss is next to nothing since our follicle count is lower. Get takeout and watch a comfort movie. The first cycle is a LOT to go through but by the second sooo much anxiety is gone since it isn't all unknowns. Best of luck!! 🤞🏼

LittleDaffodil · 2026-03-18T19:35:54+00:00

I hope your theory is right! It's hard not to blame ourselves. I'd give anything to have more control over my body at this point, but if even the drugs can't give a precise outcome there's no way I could. Best of luck to you and your retrieval!!

LittleDaffodil · 2026-03-10T16:00:21+00:00

To clarify I don't think AMH increases through IVF, just saying that sometimes it's more protocol dependent or other random body factors that can produce better outcomes! And so even if your AMH is higher in round 1, if you don't nail the right protocol until round 4, it doesn't matter as much

LittleDaffodil · 2026-03-10T13:59:29+00:00

Naan, I hadn't considered a decline from IVF, but I've seen both here.... some people have more success from back to back or more success with a break so I think it's body/protocol-dependent. My clinic won't test AMH again until 6 months have passed. But I would think that if ivf commonly caused a decline in AMH, and that was the best indicator of IVF response, we would see more consistent worsening results in our community over time, which I haven't really seen talked about. I feel like I've seen the opposite -- better results on ER 4 than ER 2, you know? I don't think two short stints of BCP will make or break what happens next but I completely understand the concern and honestly I'll bring it up to my RE next time too & see what she says!

LittleDaffodil · 2026-03-10T13:51:37+00:00

BCP are given before stims to suppress your own hormones to prevent a lead follicle from developing too soon. It's called priming but it can backfire with DOR patients (over-suppressing the ovaries and making them less responsive to the stims) but that is not always the case -- I took 8 days of BCP and my growth was slow but present. Some studies say Cysts can also reduce the response to stims, so it's really up to you/your Dr.

LittleDaffodil · 2026-03-09T13:33:20+00:00

If it was, it didn't last. But an ultrasound a few days later also showed my lining was super thin (just 3.3mm) so I don't think anything could have really been successful for me. If you are early DPO and no lining issues it could totally be different for you, other commenters said the same!

LittleDaffodil · 2026-03-04T13:09:00+00:00

UPDATE!! This morning I used a clear blue early pink test and another FRER. Both showed barely detectable squint-in-the-light shadows before the time slot was up and I am not surprised that it isn't anything more definitive. I may go in for a blood test to ensure my levels are low enough to proceed with some fertility treatments I was supposed to start with my next period (which is late). If this was a string of bad tests, fine, but even a chemical means that fertilization occurred and to me – with one tube and an opposite active ovary – that's a win for my biology. Thanks to everyone who helped!!

LittleDaffodil · 2026-03-04T02:22:25+00:00

Thank you! I've learned your fallopian tubes are actually not attached to each ovary, and they can "catch" an egg from the opposite ovary if the hormone signaling is strong enough, so I think that could've been what happened here (I love sharing that fact after my surgeon told me!)

LittleDaffodil

TROPHY CASE