The IVF Club

A Personal Blog About IVF Treatment & Infertility

IVF Round 15: New Treatment

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As I prepare for round 15 (which my clinic thinks is round 14), I am amazed at how much the drugs I am on have increased over time. This time, although I am doing a natural cycle, I am still doing something different.  I will be taking hormone replacement tablets three times a day called Prognova as well as a steroid Dexmethasone and aspirin. The aspirin thins my blood.

Apparently I continue to take this for a while.  However, within a week of my cycle I am due back in hospital for another dose of Intralipid. This is where you are drip feed this creamy liquid into your veins to reduce your immune system to combat my problem natural killer cells. I have written about this previously and it is worth checking out my tips on how to handle it if you have trouble with this treatment.

As some point unknown to me, I am required to have an Ultrasound to measure my lining on my uterus. It needs to be 16mm or thicker. I don’t think I need to do ovulation tests for this round although maybe this is something I should check. Since I am not a virgin at this treatment anymore maybe they think I will do this automatically.

Anyway once instructed, I will then need to have Clexane injections and augmentin duo. The Clexane thins my blood and from memory the last time I had these injections I have massive bruises on my belly. Lucky I have a big belly otherwise there would be no belly to inject.  I am also required to use pessaries to help build the lining of my uterus. Pity I am using these as I still have about two boxes of  Crinone gel at home which I would like to use at some point because they are expensive and I would hate for them to go to waste. Although I might just change my opinion if I get pregnant.

So that about sums it up. My next cocktail of drugs involve:

  • Aspirin Tablets
  • Dexamethasone Tables
  • Progynova tablets
  • Intralipid Infusion via the vein
  • Clexane Injections
  • Augmentin Duo Tablets
  • Prosgesterone pessaries

Probably not to bad this time around. Of course I still continue taking Elevit, Omega 3 tablets, CoQ10 and Vitamin C tablets.  Imagine if this doesn’t work, then it would mean that I would probably have to take all of the above medications (probably with the exception of the progynova) plus the standard injections (Puregon or Gonal F and Ovidrel) and the antagonist injections (Orgalutron). Phew – imagine that. It means I could be injecting 2-3 times a day at various points in my cycle – now that I am not looking forward to. Better get pregnant this time around I think.

Frozen Embryo Transfer with the Colorado Protocol and Treatment for Natural Killer Cells

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Wow! I thought the drugs when you do a full on IVF cycle quite tough. I reckon just counting the drugs you need to take when you have natural killer cells and are doing a Frozen Embryo Transfer amazing. Imagine if I have to do both full on IVF and treatment for Natural Killer Cells. I reckon doing that would be the end of me.

As I am about to commence another frozen embryo cycle, I am amazed and what my treatment will now become like.  Here is the sequence of events:

  • Dexamethasone and Astrix / Baby Aspirin (day 1 onwards) – one does things to reduce your immune system and the other thins your blood
  • Book in for intravenous feeding of Intralipid – I get lay down for half a day while the anaesthetist drip feeds me.
  • Pee on Ovulation test kit from daily day 10 until you detect a surge
  • The day after the surge, commence Augmentin DUO twice a day for 5 days
  • The day after the urge, start injecting yourself in the tummy with Clexane
  • Have intercourse the night before transfer so it upsets the endometrium and makes it more receptive for the embryo to stick
  • Commence Crinone Gel for 15 days on the day after embryo transger
  • Commence Estradot Patches on the day after transfer

Amazing collection isn’t it. Imagine if I have to do both full on IVF and the treatment for Natural Killer Cells.  The drugs I would have to take would more than double!  That is mind boggling – I never expected to take so many drugs at my age.  I thought it was just something my people did when they got old.

I never thought of myself as being brave doing 13 rounds of IVG but now I really have to consider that I really am brave just doing this. I am not too happy about the effects it has my immune system and my blood.

I also need to be careful not to bruise myself because the aspirin and clexane thin my blood. And I can be quite klutzy. Lucky I happened to walk into a park bench yesterday and cop the big bruise on the leg (which is still sore) while I was just on aspirin and not clexane. I need to watch and bruising and be ready to report to nurse if the bruising does not subside.

The other good thing is that I am just recovering from a cold. The Intralipid and the Dexamethasone lower my immune system so I reckon I would be best off avoiding sick people.

If I am confirmed pregnant then I still have to continue Crinone, Estradot, Asprin, Dexamethasone and Clexane.

Meanwhile I still need to continue taking my naturopathic medicine such as Elevit, Omega 3 Fish Oil (EPA/DHA), CoQ10, Vitamin C and Chinese Herbs. Here are some of them pictured below. The Chinese herbs are missing from the picture and yeah I forget to mention the acupuncture treatment I also have.

Natural Killer Cells and Cycle Number 14

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Just saw my new Fertility Specialist today to find out my new treatment protocol now that I have been diagnosed with Natural Killer Cells. I arrived with my box of tissues  in tow – not because I was sad but because I have a cold. It was hard to concentrate but the Doctor seemed to think that being diagnosed with natural killer cells a good thing as it gives him (or maybe me) hope that I might become a mother.

In any case, because Aunt Flow arrived yesterday and I am now in day 2 of my cycle, I have discovered that I need to start taking two Dexmethasone tablets from today, see my new nurse tomorrow and get booked in for an “infusion” Thursday week (5th August).  Sounds like a lethal cocktail to me.

For those wondering, dexamethasone is classed as a steroid drug that acts as an anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressant. Mmm – I wonder if this will hinder my recovery from my cold….

The “infusion” on the other hand refers to Intralipid.  This involves intravenously feeding me with a syringe in the arm for half a day with the Intralipid Treatment.

Treatment is at the clinic and so I will need to take some time off work. The Intralipid is used to down regulate the Natural Killer Cells. The substance is synthetic and is cheaper than the natual IVIG which is not available in Australia. It apparently has no side effects and is therefore safe to use.

This time I get off lightly. Not a lot of drugs considering that I am just doing a simple embryo transfer and not full blown IVF where my ovaries are stimulated. Perhaps this is a good way to be introduced to the treatment.

In any case, all my and my partners blood tests came back normal and the blood tests worked. Thank goodness for this as I really didn’t want to sit through another blood test again. The last two have not been fun at all.  The first blood test didn’t work and the second one took ages (even with three separate needles).

Doing the Colorado Protocol

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Finally, found time to put fingers to keyboard and write about my latest IVF experiences. Actually it is all become a blur. The main thing is that I am doing the Colorado Protocol with an Antagonist Cycle so I have been continually having to keep my mind focused on what I have to do next.

The cycle has started off like any other.  Injections from day 2, followed by blood tests and scans on day 6, antagonist injections from day 6 to yesterday, more blood tests and scans and then finally my trigger injection last night. In between all that I have had to take Astrix from day 2 to day 9 and my husband has been taking Doryx from Day 2 to day 9.  It is nice to see that he has finally had to take some drugs.  I am now all set for egg collection which will happen sometime tomorrow.

Its all been a blur in between moving house, losing my Internet connection and crashing my car into my new neighbours gate!!! Ironically, tThe day I crashed the car I had just finished from picking hubby up from day surgery. He wasn’t allowed to drive due to having anaesthetic whereas I could since I had not been in surgery.   

What a way to make an entrance and meet my new neighbours.  Actually, I didn’t meet the neighbours as I had to run off to a meeting and had to leave my husband to deal with my mess. Poor thing – he is just recovering from surgery and I leave him to clean up the gate, post and letterbox I hit after my foot slipped of the car brake.

Even worse I found out why the gate was there in the first place after I copped an eyeful of a naked man from the vantage of the open gate and front room of the house.  I wonder if this will affect my eggs!   OK – most likely not.  At the moment, my belly is uncomfortable and swollen from my active ovaries.  At the last scan they found 17 follicles on the right ovary and 9 on the left.  I am sure they won’t all have eggs in them but I could be facing a double digit collection again. Oh for a day a rest.