Not moving onto injectibles after all

I saw Dr. B yesterday for my CD 3 appointment to start cycling for IUI round 3. After my 1st unsuccessful IUI, he had mentioned the possibility of starting injectibles, but said that we could try one more cycle with just the Femara & Dexamethasone. After the 2nd IUI was unsuccessful, I assumed we would start injectibles for this cycle. However, I guess because my response on Femara was better the second time around, with two lead follies, he said that we would stick to the same protocol. He didn't want to increase the chance of multiples.

Part of me is relieved not to have to give myself daily injections, and part of me is disappointed, b/c I want to be aggressive at this point. I'm going on 2 years TTC, and am quite impatient!

For the ladies who used injectibles for IUI, why were they started? Were you not responding at all to just clomid or femara, or was it to try and produce even more follies?

Re: Not moving onto injectibles after all

He is open to listen to you. I was where you were, trying for 2 years and after the 2nd medicated IUI, I suggested moving on to injectibles, just to feel like i was doing something. Either way, good luck this cycle !!

Re: Not moving onto injectibles after all

Posted by maybemommy10

He is open to listen to you. I was where you were, trying for 2 years and after the 2nd medicated IUI, I suggested moving on to injectibles, just to feel like i was doing something. Either way, good luck this cycle !!

Re: Not moving onto injectibles after all

My first IUI cycle was with Femara only and I produced one follicle (but I have always ovulated on my own to begin with so I'll never really know if I responded any more than normal to Femara or not).

Initially Dr B didn't want to change anything for my second IUI because he was happy with my response. I told him that I wanted to be even more aggressive and we started injectables with the second IUI. He definitely is very good at listening to his patients and going along with their comfort level.

The reason why I wanted to move on to injectables was because I wasn't convinced that the Femara did anything for me. Plus, having more than one follicle would increase the possibility for pregnancy with every cycle. I would talk to him again.

Good Luck!

Message edited 1/20/2011 8:41:17 AM.

Re: Not moving onto injectibles after all

i just had 2 failed clomid iuis with unexplained IF.

My Re suspects a cyst on my ovary to be endometioma, so he will be doing a lap on me next week.

after the lap i want to do injectibles/iui.


If that doesnt work, I will probably move on to IVF since my insurance only covers 3 iuis.

Re: Not moving onto injectibles after all

dr. B wanted to start me on injectables but i did one clomid cycle first since i already had the script from my ob/gyn. dr. B was right, clomid was a total waste for me. I have PCOS and don't O consistently on my own. clomid didnt do a thing for me. so we moved right to injectables. i always produced follies on injectables but some cycles were too many and the cycle had to be cancelled or the meds had to be adjusted to prevent multiples. dr. B is reallllly careful when it comes to multiples!!

Re: Not moving onto injectibles after all

I think i did 4 iui's with clomid before moving onto injectibles

I always responded well to Clomid, but after 4 iui's my RE felt it was time to try something more aggressive.

As for the risk of multiples - I was started out on the lowest dosage of Gonal F to see how i'd respond, then we slowly increased the dosage that month, and then more again the following 2 months. I never produced 'too many' follicles that matured. I produced a nice amount of eggs, but only 2 or 3 at the most would mature by ovulation time, no matter what meds i was on.

my thinking has always been that if I hadn't been able to get pregnant with one egg, or two eggs.. what's the chance that i'd all of a sudden get pregnant with multiples? I wasn't getting a bfp at all, so i'd rather have taken the slightly higher chance of multiples in order to get closer to being pregnant with anything..
make sense?

honestly.. don't even think about the injections when it comes time for it. it's nothing, really! its so much worse thinking about it than actually doing it. trust me!


i think that dr's want to give a protocol more than just one month's try in order to really give it a chance you know? So if you responded well to femara last month, there's no reason why you wouldn't also respond well this month and have it work for you.
If this month doesn't work, then at least you know you've given it a fair try with femara, and then discuss getting more aggressive with injectibles.

Re: Not moving onto injectibles after all

I did 2 cycles on Clomid (50mg) and it thinned my lining, so when I went Dr.B he said to switch to Femura and gave me a choice to do injections or just stick with Femura.

I wanted to be more aggresive and feel that it was best for me. Even though he said it's a chance for twins, but he did say he would cancel my cycle if I overstimulated. Which is a chance you have to take with injections.

If you responded well with Femura. I would stick to the plan one more cycle. Best of Luck!!!!

Re: Not moving onto injectibles after all

I didn't respond to femara so I was on injections from my very first protocol.

For me, it's an all or nothing deal. I typically develop 4-5 follicles. Dr.B said that while with most people he wouldn't no forward with so many, that is the amount I need to get pregnant at all. I am not at risk for conceiving high order multiples because in cycles with 4. .. 5... 6... follies, I didn't conceive even 1. So, the chances would be slim. However, I also told Dr.B I would be fine with twins, just in case!

Re: Not moving onto injectibles after all

Posted by Otherme

I think i did 4 iui's with clomid before moving onto injectibles

I always responded well to Clomid, but after 4 iui's my RE felt it was time to try something more aggressive.

As for the risk of multiples - I was started out on the lowest dosage of Gonal F to see how i'd respond, then we slowly increased the dosage that month, and then more again the following 2 months. I never produced 'too many' follicles that matured. I produced a nice amount of eggs, but only 2 or 3 at the most would mature by ovulation time, no matter what meds i was on.

my thinking has always been that if I hadn't been able to get pregnant with one egg, or two eggs.. what's the chance that i'd all of a sudden get pregnant with multiples? I wasn't getting a bfp at all, so i'd rather have taken the slightly higher chance of multiples in order to get closer to being pregnant with anything..
make sense?

honestly.. don't even think about the injections when it comes time for it. it's nothing, really! its so much worse thinking about it than actually doing it. trust me!


i think that dr's want to give a protocol more than just one month's try in order to really give it a chance you know? So if you responded well to femara last month, there's no reason why you wouldn't also respond well this month and have it work for you.
If this month doesn't work, then at least you know you've given it a fair try with femara, and then discuss getting more aggressive with injectibles.