Questionhello,
I am 39yrs old and have had two ectopic pregnancies in which both of my tubes have been removed.My husband and I are dong IVF since Oct 2011 and every month it has been cancelled due to not enough follicles less than 3 or only one dominant and the others not catching up enough. I have been on Gonal-f, menopur, cetratide, and micro dose lupron all with no success. this will be our last attempt and i am now on DHEA and Chinese herbs. What do you think my chances are with this next cycle and is it true that you can ovulate different amounts of follicles when doing IVF? I have 4 other children from a previous marriage and my FSH level is 7.5. all my other blood work tests every month have been normal my Dr says i am just not responding to the medication.
AnswerHello Anna from the U.S. (Virginia)
I cannot answer your question regarding your future chances. Also, without reviewing the details of your IVF cycles, I cannot comment regarding whether or not you have received adequate treatment or if your ovaries are in fact not responding. Based on your FSH level, the ovaries should respond decently, but these tests don't always reveal everything.
Unfortunately, your cycles were all cancelled and it is my opinion that no cycle should be cancelled. Cancellation automatically causes failure, but there have been many patients, including patients I have had in my experience, that have been successful with only one follicle and one egg. How can one know if that one egg is not the best egg? In a natural cycle you only get pregnant with one egg, so why shouldn't you have that opportunity with IVF?
The biggest factor you are facing, in addition, to your tubes, is your age. That basically means that the majority of your eggs are not good eggs. But that does not mean that all of your eggs are not good eggs. So, you do have a chance for pregnancy if you hang in there. There have also been studies showing that even in poor responders, those that do not respond well to stimulation, do eventually get pregnant and also that each cycle is a unique cycle with unique possibilities. I am a little worried about the philosophy of the clinic and/or doctor that is caring for you. DHEA and Chinese herbs won't do much to help your chances but having the right clinic and doctor will. You may want to consider that alternative as well.
Good Luck,
Dr. Edward J. Ramirez, M.D., FACOG
Executive Medical Director
The Fertility and Gynecology Center
Monterey Bay IVF Program
www.montereybayivf.com
Monterey, California, U.S.A.
for additional information check out my blog at http://womenshealthandfertility.blogspot.com check me out on twitter with me at @montereybayivf and facebook @montereybayivf
