Pulled Out a Wild Card

Today was our follow-up appointment with the RE. Not only did we get a new protocol for this next cycle, we were definitely dealt a Wild Card in the Infertility Game.

For months now my baseline day 3 FSH has been well below the level where it would be any concern. Has it been trending higher? Maybe. Numbers I have heard over the course of my treatment have included 6.8, 8.9 and 9.3. Well, this cycle, I pull a 14.3!?! What? That's crazy right? Yes. It is, but having that number documented, puts me into a new category.

I'm almost 35, you can't treat me like I'm 25. This number is proof of that! Even if I get retested and it's lower, I pulled this number "one time" and we'll have to treat me as such.

Should I be devastated by this news? Are my ovaries just too old to do this? I don't know. What I do know is that it shakes up our protocol going into this cycle. This comes as a huge relief to me. Not only are we increasing my dosage of meds, we are doing something completely different.


Welcome to the Microdose Lupron Flare Protocol. Lupron increases from 20iu once a day to 20iu twice a day and on the third day, we add in stims. The difference here is that it had been 20iu of Lupron for 12 days, and then start stims on day 13. Also, we'll be removing Menopur from the mix all together and doing a total of 450iu Follistim for at least the first 5 days, and then going back in for blood work and ultrasound to determine how to proceed.

So, in essence, we aren't completely shutting down the ovaries (or suppressing them) and then turning around and expecting them to kick it into high gear and kick out the follicles.

By going this route, everything shifts up a week. Can't complain there! Instead of yet another delay, we get to move ahead quicker.

We also asked about 3-day vs 5-day transfers. While ideally they'd like to see us get to day 5 blast transfer again, but if things aren't looking as good as they maybe could, we definitely have the option of a 3-day transfer with assisted hatching.

As for why our cycle failed, there really is no simple answer to that. So, we'll take the new information we've been given and go with it. I'm excited to be trying something new. More than just adding in higher doses of meds. Something truly different than we did before.

My renewed Hope remains!