IVF Protocol

RPMD is very detailed and thorough in their approach. Here is a detailed description of our IVF cycle. I will write more as I go through with it.

Step 1: Sep 28 to Oct 7th: Hubby and I are on a 10day twice a day regimen of Doxycycline 100mg. This is to remove any bacterial infections.(if it did exist).
Step 2: Oct 12: Hubby goes in for a repeat detailed Semen Analysis and Semen Culture.
Step 3: Oct 22th: CD1 of cycle. Called the Doc office for an appnt for Day 3 labs + Ultrasound.
Step 4: Oct 24th: Started BCP "Orthocept".
Step 4: Nov 3rd: Started Lupron 10U at 8am daily and overlapping with last 5 days of BCP.
Step 5: Nov 12th: SE2 Appointment to check if I am suppressed. 2 follicles were unusually large at 11mm and 12mm but my E2 came back at 35. So starting stims next day.
Step 6: Nov 13th: Start 75IU Menopur + 5U Lupron in the morning and 150IU Follistim in the Evening.
Step 7: Nov 15th: E2 check : 240. Reduce Follistim to 125IU. Menopur and Lupron at the same amount.
Step 8: Nov 16th: E2 Check :

IVF-(In Vitro Fertililization)

My IUI with injectible cycle failed. We were shocked and beyond disbelief. We had a consult with Dr. Agarwal and ofcourse as we all know, perfect cycles can fail. In an IUI, there is not much you can find out as my follicle size, lining and sperm count were all good..

After lot of thought, Dr Agarwal my hubby and I decided to pursue IVF. For "unexplained" cases like us, that is the only best option. We get more insight into the quality of eggs, type of fertilization happening, embryo quality etc. We are excited and scared. I am continuing our weekly acupuncture and I also started doing fertility Yoga.

My favorite quote are
a) If God leads you to it, HE will lead you through it.
b) Everything will work out in the end, if it has not worked out, it is not the END.

RPMD- La Jolla

We no longer go to SDFC and decided we need to meet with Dr. Agarwal of UCSD-Reproductive partners. He was super nice and what I liked about this clinic were

1) Their success rate for somebody in my age group was 76% for IVF(highest in San Diego)
2) The doctors do all the ultrasounds and IUIs.

So we start a cycle of Injectibles with IUI

I was on 75IU of Follistim for 5 days and at the end of the 5th day, i had 2 nice sized follicles at 17mm on the left and 13mm on the right.

I took one more day of 75IU of follistim and triggered the following night with Ovidrel. I had
IUI1 12 hours after the trigger and hubbys post was sperm count was 18 million. 100% motility.
The following day we had another IUI and hubby's sperm count was 26 million with 100% motility.

A total of 44 million swimmers are swimming inside me and the doctor was happy with the numbers. They expect only 10million at the minimum.

I am crossing fingers and praying that this is it for us. I have to do 3 times a day 200mg of vaginal progestrone suppositories.

Please pray for us.

July 2009

We are onto Cycle #22. This is the third cycle on Acupuncture + herbs. After this cycle we are doing Follistim + Progestrone + IUI.

This is it for us. Please god help us. It has been a very long journey.

Beautiful article I read online about struggling to conceive...

What do I think God meant when he gave me infertility?Couples experiencing infertility often receive well-meaning but extremely insensitive "advice." We can all list the most popular ones: "Just relax and you'll get pregnant," or "adopt and you'll get pregnant," or "things happen for a reason", of the most painful from those who think they've got the goods on God's plan, "Maybe God never meant for you to have children." The sheer audacity of making a statement like that never fails to amaze me.
"These same people would never walk up to someone seeking treatment for cancer and say, "Maybe God never meant for you to live." However, because I am infertile, I'm supposed to get on with my life. It's hard to understand that people can not see infertility for what it is, a disease for which I have to seek treatment. What if Jonas Salk had said to the parents of polio victims, "Maybe God meant for thousands of our children to be cripples, live in an iron lung or die." What if he'd never tried to find a cure? Who could think for one minute that that was God's plan?"What do I think God meant when he gave me infertility?""I think he meant for my husband and I to grow closer, become stronger, love deeper. I think God meant for us to find the fortitude within ourselves to get up every time infertility knocks us down. I think God meant for our medical community to discover medicines, invent medical equipment, create procedures and protocols. I think God meant for us to find a cure for infertility."No, God never meant for me not to have children. That's not my destiny; that's just a fork in the road I'm on. I've been placed on the road less traveled, and, like it or not, I'm a better person for it. Clearly, God meant for me to develop more compassion, deeper courage, and greater inner strength on this journey to resolution, and I haven't let him down."Frankly, if the truth be known, I think God has singled me out for a special treatment. I think God meant for me to build a thirst for a child so strong and so deep that when that baby is finally placed in my arms, it will be the longest, coolest, most refreshing drink I've ever known."While I would never choose infertility, I can not deny that a fertile woman could never know the joy that awaits me. Yes, one way or another, I will have a baby of my own. And the next time someone wants to offer me unsolicited advice I'll say, "Don't tell me what God meant when he handed me infertility. I already know."-author unknown

Acupuncture for DH and me

So we fall under a category called "Unexplained". That means that all available tests/blood work and surgery reveals nothing wrong with either one of us.. So now what do we do???

We know we have to work on our diet, exercise and extra nutrition. We meet San Diego's best acupuncturist and herbologist... He is certified by NCCAOM.

He suggests that we both take herbs and supplements for 3 months. and I do accupuncture twice a week for 3 months to regularize and clean up my cycles...

In August we plan to do our first and last IUI+ injectibles.. I know this will work and we will get pregnant with a healthy baby...

I told myself this today

" God gives us choices in life, there are multiple choices leading to the same end result.. Nothing is better or worse than other.. medical intervention is what was chosen as my path and it is no better or worse than anybody else's.. This is just my path..."

Acupuncture with Herbs

I am very positive that I am doing acupuncture + herbs. I have done acupuncture alone in the past and I have felt really relaxed afterwards.

My cycles vary between 22-30 days and my acupuncturist is going to work to make it 28 days long with normal bleeding without clots. I am extremely confident about this as many people have had wonders. This is the right approach for us instead of jumping into further fertility treatments.

Will keep you all posted on my progress.!