19 August 2008

secret recipe

so after countless emails about my last protocol I am finally posting the secrets to our success.
IVF #4

first of all, I believe we went to the best RE out there (in the world maybe) for a high fsh/poor responder/AMA dx. yes, this is my simple opinion but many people (with fancy medical degrees) feel the same as I do. dr davis at cornell is a genius! his wait list is long but he is so worth it.

before I completely assaulted my body with hardcore hormones I did a little fine tuning to my diet. my acupuncturist who specializes in IF had me commit to specific changes that were necessary for my particular dx and constitution. and I did A LOT of research on my own as well.
- no wheat
- no caffeine
- reduce sugar intake dramatically
- no alcohol (not going to lie. I did have the occasional glass of wine here and there. and here and there...)
- no soy (very bad for fertility)

I included
- omega 3's
- co-q10
- DHEA (75 mg for at least 3 months)
- tons of protein (whey shakes, eggs, nuts, beans) for egg quality
- pnvs and extra folic acid
- specific herbs from my acupuncturist
- fresh (almost daily) wheatgrass shots (powdered or pill form is not as effective.)
- weekly acupuncture

my fsh was 16 point something going into round 3.

co-culture!!! brilliant! I truly believe this was the "magic bullet" for our bfp. cornell is known for this practice. it's not for everyone and does come with a high price tag. they literally do a cervial scraping and then freeze your cells. it's awesome for those with repeat "questionable" embryo quality. it allows the embies to grow and develop in your own "fluids." makes sense to me.

for round 4 I was put on EPP/MDL (estrogen priming/microdose lupron - a VERRRRY long protocol.) I was injecting 525 IU follistim and 75 menopur -- 5 shots a day total.

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