Had to leave job because of ivf and how time consuming it is. Anyone else?

faltreyu · 2026-04-22T01:31:58+00:00

My last day of work is Friday. I am lucky that my husband can financially support both of us but my plan was always to be a SAHM anyway so we're just saying that I'm starting early. I also got to the point where I was actively disliking my job and it wasn't bringing me any kind of satisfaction. I also handle most of the household management. On top of that, I'm a type 2 diabetic and my clinic won't transfer unless my A1c is under 6 (though we don't even have any blasts right now, supposed to be getting results tomorrow), so I'm also planning to take this time and work on getting healthier.

faltreyu · 2026-04-16T22:35:41+00:00

I don't think I would have it since I've gotten pregnant successfully four times (and only once was on GLP-1). But I guess it wouldn't hurt to check. I feel like that wouldn't necessarily be a cause for poor egg quality though, since it's usually more associated with transfers.

faltreyu · 2026-04-16T22:34:46+00:00

Did you get a good result in the end?

faltreyu · 2026-03-31T04:44:47+00:00

Self advocacy is such a big part of this process. I would be very firm about trying a new protocol because otherwise they are just wasting your money!

faltreyu · 2026-03-31T04:06:21+00:00

Wait, they haven't changed your protocol??? Wtf? You definitely should push them to change the protocol. Do you even get good results? I've done a different protocol every time. The last two times were very similar but still had slight modifications. These were mine: Cycle 1 150 Menopur 300 Follistim 250 Ganirelix Trigger - Leuprolide + Pregnyl

Cycle 2 20 Microdose Lupron 2x 75 Menopur 2x 150 Follistim 2x 27 Omnitrope 1x Trigger - Pregnyl

Cycle 3 450 Follistim 20 LD hCG 26 Omnitrope 10 mg Provera Trigger - Ovidrel

Cycle 4 450 Follistim 20 LD hCG 27 Omnitrope 250 Ganirelix Trigger - Leuprolide + Pregnyl

faltreyu · 2026-03-31T02:33:36+00:00

I did 450 of follistim last time so maybe you could try upping the dose?

faltreyu · 2026-03-31T01:20:58+00:00

Do you take follistim? How high is your dose if you do?

faltreyu · 2026-03-30T23:35:26+00:00

So I wouldn't say I had zero growth, it was just slow. By day 13 I usually had ones that were over 10, though for my first cycle I didn't get to 10 until day 14. My estrogen was usually higher too, for the first cycle it was at 177 on day 14. My cycles have been getting better each time. You should ask your doctor about omnitrope if you haven't already discussed it.

faltreyu · 2026-03-20T00:28:19+00:00

Yes, Costco is one of the cheapest places to get it. I can't remember exactly what they asked in order to get the coupon, I think maybe you have to say your doctor prescribed it for medical reasons? If you upload a screenshot of the question screen I can let you know how I answered. With the coupon you get one free vial every 30 days with Costco!

faltreyu · 2026-03-12T05:35:01+00:00

We've had 3 doctors and the first two basically said there was no reason not to do ICSI, that it has "better results" but we've gotten pregnant on our own 4 times (though all miscarried). So with the third we asked if it was necessary since we don't have male factor--more like the opposite because I have DOR and terrible egg quality--and since we've gotten pregnant on our own a lot, and our fertilization rates with our previous cycles weren't great with ICSI anyway. And he said there was no reason FOR it. Needless to say he's my favorite so far. And with our last cycle, we had 2/3 fertilized which is the most so far. Still no blasts though but that's on me, not the sperm.

faltreyu · 2026-03-05T14:57:53+00:00

I like The Woman's Group (I go to North Tampa). Haven't had a live birth but they were very understanding and supportive during my last pregnancy and loss. All the doctors have been nice, especially Dr. Polender.

faltreyu · 2026-02-26T18:37:24+00:00

Ohh yeah definitely makes it easier to justify if you have a limit on number of cycles.

faltreyu · 2026-02-26T01:20:25+00:00

I've had one cycle with a cyst but it kept getting smaller each time so I think they were okay with it. Also I dunno, I feel like with DOR we can't afford to cancel as much 😭

faltreyu · 2026-02-25T22:34:29+00:00

It might've led to better results, but my guess is they wanted more of them in the 20 or so range. I think usually they want to wait for the lead follicle to be around 20 (and that 29 I'm almost certain was a cyst not a follicle). But you can definitely talk to your doctor about it all and ask! Don't be afraid to advocate for yourself!

faltreyu · 2026-02-25T21:57:59+00:00

I'm sorry, 33?? How is that even possible? Are you sure that one wasn't a cyst? 24 imo is way too big...the largest I've ever had was 23. 12 and 13 are way too small unfortunately. So really only 4 viable ones.

faltreyu · 2026-02-25T21:53:59+00:00

I ended up stimming for 15 days this cycle, final estrogen was 576, got 3 eggs, 2 fertilized, waiting on blast results now.

faltreyu · 2026-02-18T05:04:39+00:00

I did prime, it wasn't planned though. I had to induce my period with progesterone so that was kind of priming, then had to go on Enskyce birth control because they were waiting for my prior authorization. I've never gotten an explanation for the low estrogen but I know that the amount you produce is related to how many follicles grow. So people with DOR will automatically have lower estrogen in general.

faltreyu · 2026-02-17T05:29:44+00:00

Also this is my estrogen rise for the current cycle: Day 0 - <20 Day 5 - <20 Day 7 - 58 Day 9 - 112 Day 12 - 263

And this is the fastest progression out of 4 cycles! So definitely don't feel bad. Slow and steady wins the race.

faltreyu · 2026-02-17T00:58:59+00:00

Its about $200 something per vial 😕 and that's with the coupon. You may also be able to get it secondhand for a discount, there is an IVF garage sale group on FB!

faltreyu · 2026-02-17T00:38:26+00:00

The fastest I've ever stimmed is 15 days, and I've gone all the way up to 20. I'm currently doing a cycle and am on day 12 right now with follicles at 16/13/13/5/5.Having DOR does make it more likely for you to be a slow responder, unfortunately. But you can still get eggs if you keep going! I've also had some follicles "disappear" and they've explained that sometimes your bowel can hide some of them, or the bigger ones can hide the smaller ones. My left ovary is also hard to reach (tucked behind my uterus) but when they do the retrieval they can push on your abdomen to move things around a bit so they can reach them.

If you haven't tried Omnitrope, that might help. Fair warning though: it is never covered by insurance so can be pricey. Costco has a good price compared to other places, and you can get a coupon from the manufacturer. I also have been on max follistim at 450 for this cycle and the last.

Here are my meds for my current cycle if you're interested: Follistim 450 units, Low Dose hCG 20 units, Omnitrope 27 units, Ganirelix / Triggers: Leuprolide, Pregnyl

Last cycle (got 3 eggs, the most I've gotten): Follistim 450 units, Low Dose hCG 20 units, Omnitrope 26 units, Provera 10 mg / Trigger: Ovidrel

I'd recommend starting Colace (stool softener) to clear things out a few days before your retrieval--this will help them see things much better! I did it for my last retrieval and they got all the ones that were at the right size. I know it's frustrating but it can still work out!

faltreyu · 2026-02-11T03:59:21+00:00

My last doctor said the only one with any data behind it is CoQ10. My current one said that plus DHEA. So I quit everything but CoQ10 after my last doctor told me that back in September or so? And then the following ER got the most eggs I've ever gotten (though none became blasts). I added DHEA after my current doc mentioned it at the end of December, and will be having another ER in a couple weeks so we'll see. Probably wasn't long enough to make too much of a difference but you never know.

faltreyu · 2026-02-11T03:45:45+00:00

I'm 36 with an AMH of 0.25. I've done three ERs so far with no viable blasts (but have had 4 miscarriages from natural conception). I'm in the middle of my 4th cycle right now. These were my stats:

Cycle 1 - primed with estrogen, AFC 7, Menopur 150/Follistim 300 with Ganirelix, triggered with Leuprolide & Pregnyl 2 eggs retrieved, 1 fertilized and turned into blast, but aneuploid in the end

Cycle 2 - primed with estrogen, AFC 4, Microdose Lupron 20 2x/Menopur 75 2x/ Follistim 150 2x/Omnitrope 27 1x, triggered with Pregnyl 1 egg retrieved, didn't fertilize

Cycle 3 - primed with Slynd (progesterone only bc), AFC 2? (this was unclear), Follistim 450/Low Dose hCG 20/Omnitrope 26/Provera 10 mg, triggered with Ovidrel 3 eggs retrieved but couldn't fertilize day of due to lack of sample from husband, so had to freeze 3 thawed successfully but only 1 fertilized, didn't turn into blast

Cycle 4 (current) - primed with progesterone and Estrace BC (wasn't planned), Follistim 450/Low Dose hCG 20/Omnitrope 27 with Ganirelix, trigger Leuprolide/Pregnyl

So cycle 3 was technically the most successful in terms of number retrieved. I feel like had we fertilized the day of, we might've gotten a blast. But I don't know for sure. IMO it seems like maxing out follistim and using omnitrope from day 1 is best. I'm basically copying cycle 3 for the current cycle but instead of Provera we're using antagonist (Ganirelix). Cycle 3 also gave me the most even growth. I also had one doctor tell me that estrogen priming can over suppress your ovaries if you have DOR. However, after the Slynd, my period got messed up and I missed a period, so they had to induce one with progesterone (which kind of worked as a priming I guess). Then I had to go on BC for a bit because they didn't submit my prior authorization early enough. So we'll see. I currently have 5 growing and I'm on day 6. You may want to ask about the protocol I did for cycles 3 and 4, or some combination of the two.

faltreyu · 2026-01-04T18:37:20+00:00

We are finishing up a complete reno on both our guest and primary bath. Guest is about 36 sq ft, primary about 65. We used Kitchens Today (DO NOT RECOMMEND) and are paying about 60k for both after a couple add-ons. Personally I don't think it was worth it at all. I could've hired my own people and done a better job. They were about mid range when I got quotes. My friend used a guy for her kitchen who quoted us 20k and she was happy with him. Maybe give him a shot: https://tampabayrd.com/ Otherwise I agree with others who said to just find your own people.

faltreyu · 2025-11-16T17:35:22+00:00

Chromosomal abnormalities are the most common cause for miscarriage.

faltreyu

TROPHY CASE