Our cycle has been cancelled. My lining is not growing and so the doctor explained that there are follicles but that they are not retrieving eggs. Anyone else had this experience? He puts it down to the DOR. He has stopped this cycle and is recommending that I start the pill again immediately. The protocol he has suggested is what he calls ‘the end of the line’ protocol and is known as the Estrogen Priming Protocol founded by Geoffrey Sher…. Anyone familiar with this?
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waitingbetweenthelines 
Sorry to hear that đŚ If there are follicles but no lining, why can’t they get eggs and freeze them for another cycle?
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I really don’t know, very confused! I went on my own to the appointment as my husband and I thought it was just routine… I was so upset that I didn’t take a lot of information in so I will email the doc to ask him to explain.
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Understandable! Hope you get some answers!
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Not all follicles have eggs. Egg retrieval is very invasive and the doc will want it to be worth the time, effort, cost, pain, etc. I had over 20 follicles in my first cycle but 16 eggs (75% of follicles had eggs). Of those 16 eggs, 11 fertilized (69%) and 9 became embryos. My second cycle, I had 15 follicles, 10 eggs, 5 fertilized, and 4 embryos. I’m a good responder and don’t have DOR. When you look at it from all angles, not just # of follicles, the odds of getting enough embryos to work with are very slim. Cancelling is the best thing to do to save money, emotions, etc.
It’s tough. A good friend was once cancelled, and it was very hard for her. But, she ended up with kids in the end!
Thinking of you. Sending hugs.
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So frustrating! My sister had a cycle canceled because of lining and the way I understand it is it may indicate that the eggs won’t be of optimal maturity if the lining isn’t following suit. The only silver lining is your doctor can tailor a new protocol prior to retrieval and all the heartache and time of the next part of a cycle. The reason why IVF has a higher likelihood of success after the first try is that they learn about your body and can tailor the meds etc. think of it as a trial run that landed you more vital info. Regardless- I know how much every day- even hour delay is so awful. Hope you can distract yourself. Thinking of you.
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Yes, the way I understood it was that eggs should be producing estrogen, which would thicken the lining. The fact that the lining is thin means that there are not optimal eggs. It’s just so frustrating… On all my medicated cycles with clomid, femara and menopur I never ever has this problem and always had two eggs. So confusing. Thank you for offering the silver lining… Going to hold onto that!
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That’s exactly how he explained it… Thank you for the silver lining… I appreciated the different perspective.
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Augh, sorry to hear this!
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Thank you, so disappointing!
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I’m so, so very sorry to hear this. I can’t even begin to imagine how you’re feeling. Be kind to yourself! Hugs! â¤
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Thank youxxx
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A few things? I forgot exactly what protocol you’re on. Did you do menopur and follastim (Gonal F)? Also, what day are you in the cycle and how often are they doing labs and ultrasounds to monitor? I would be curious to know how many *mature follicles* you actually have. Often times, when the cycle works, if you overstimulate, you end up having to do an “all freeze” and do a FET (frozen embryo transfer) once your hormones are cooperating (about a month or so later). If you have a good amount of follicles and the RE feels it is possible to get eggs, make embryos, and do an “all freeze”. This cycle may not be for naught. I think it’s worth it to ask that question. It’s tough. I absolutely sympathize with you.
One thing I can tell you, is I never had a really good lining until I started having acupuncture. I responded quickly and very well to fertility specialized acupuncture. It’s not for everyone, but I would highly recommend it if you are open to it. Just make sure it is with someone that has fertility/infertility training and experience.
Don’t lose hope. I’m thinking of you. Keep us all posted on how you’re doing…and don’t forget to take a deep breath. Big virtual HUG.
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The doctor said there were no mature follicles at all… In his words… ‘There has been no response’. Arghhh. My husband and I have decided to follow his advice and let this cycle go… We’ll probably try naturally just incase there was a sneaky little egg somewhere there. I actually have done accupuncture… Withy my sweet but insensitive homeopath I mentioned. I have a contact for another lady so I’ll definitely start that again in preparation for our next cycle.
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That’s great! Mine has been a godsend. Both for assisting with fertility, as well as relieving symptoms the heightened hormones cause. It’s great. I say I have a headache…she puts a needle in my foot…and the headache is gone 20 minutes later. I’m so sorry you didn’t respond this cycle, but as I understand it, many people respond differently to each cycle. Good Luck!
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On my cancelled cycles, the follicles they did find at the first appointment didn’t grow–they didn’t produce any estrogen (I can’t remember how many they saw, but it wasn’t 6), the first time they let me go a couple more days to see what they would do. For the second one, I didn’t want to waste money on the extra medicine so as soon as I didn’t respond, I stopped the cycle. My first treatment was the estrogen priming protocol, it didn’t work. They only one that actually worked was the microdose Lupron protocol (I think different clinics call it by different names). Different women respond differently to different protocols. I know you’re only going to do 2 rounds of IVF with your OE, but the EPP isn’t necessarily the end of the line.
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That is very interesting.. I will definitely ask my doctor about it… Thank you for your input!
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