Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Ramping Up The Meds

Well, we've moved on from just lupron to lupron, estrogen patches, heparin and prednisone. One odd thing here is that we're starting the heparin and prednisone now instead of when we start the PIO (i.e., at ovulation/retrieval).

I may have mentioned at some that there is a possibility that I have an auto-immune problem because I've had so many miscarriages since DS and only one of them (that we tested) came back with chromosonal problems. I usually think that the prednisone/heparin combination is just smoke and mirrors, but Hippogriffs just found out that if she hadn't used heparin her whole pg, she would have likely lost one of her twins. She thought it was a bit voodoo medicine, too, so it sort of freaks me out.

Yikes.

DE Daddy and I continue to marvel at the differences in protocol between clinics. Less estrogen patches and more heparin/prednisone early here, more estrogen patches and more heparin/prednisone later there. At our old clinic, the doctor pretty much would have kept me on prednisone and heparin for the whole pregnancy, I think. This clinic says only the first 12 weeks are needed.

It makes us think that this whole IVF/DE/auto-immune thing is more preference than science. The doctors don't run double-blind randomized designs to determine what the best treatment is, they just sort of go with what works. As long as this works with us, we don't really care. I'll give birth with bruises up one side of my watermelon belly and down the other, if that helps us have this baby. I don't really care.

No news on the donor stats yet. I'm dying to see how she is doing.

3 comments:

Pam said...

You sound like you're about a week or so behind me. My clinic has me on baby aspirin, estrace (oral estrogen) and prednisone. On the day of retrieval I'll start the PIO. And I'll start the fragmin shots (like heparin) the day of transfer. As far as I know all continue until told otherwise. I know from others that the estrace and PIO will probably stop at the 12 week mark but I have no idea what they do with the prednisone or fragmin. All I know about our donor is she's "doing well" with her stims. I'll be able to get more info tomorrow. :)

Good luck!!

Anonymous said...

Do you gain wait with estrogen patches? I take the evil Estrace, just like Pam. Hate it, hate it, hate it. I always gain weight, and it is so tough to lose.

Kami said...

I think your right about the voodoo science. All our losses had normal chromosomes too although the two early ones tested female so they could have been my cells. Did you have any normal testing boy embryos?

GL on this cycle!