to trigger or not to trigger...

that is the question

ok so I just started my first cycle of femara last night. When I talked to Dr. B we had discussed starting out by taking femara and doing TI.

Last night, Linda from Dr. B's office called to go over everything and she said in addition to femara she was going to call in the script for Ovidrel and then we could do IUIs. I was like woah wait...I told her that we were planning on starting with TI before moving on to IUIs. She said that's fine but still suggests we trigger with the ovidrel. Dr. B never talked to me about this so I said I wanted to wait...she is gonna talk to Dr. B and get back to me today.

Here is why I am torn...

DH and I weren't trying for that many months before finding out I had PCOS and those months my cycle was super irregular anyway. We kind of wanted to start simple by trying to regulate my cycle and help make sure I ovulate. This is why we talked about just starting with femara and BD. I would rather not start giving myself trigger shots, but I know it will ensure I O and give me a more precise time to O. I don't want to just take the femara if it won't really be as effective.

I guess my question is if it will be a waste of a cycle to just use the femara without triggering. What do you ladies think?

Re: to trigger or not to trigger...

I also have PCOS and this is initially how I started before learning we have severe MF issues. We wanted to start very slow, but I still triggered. The trigger is totally harmless and I think it's important. I think if you are taking the femara, you might as well trigger. In the end, it's really up to you and your DH, but when I was in the same situation, I triggered.

Do what feels right for you.

Good luck!

Re: to trigger or not to trigger...

IMO, I would trigger. This will ensure ovulation and you can schedule intercourse better. We did Femara, Gonal & Ovidrel this month for our TI cycle. We have had 3 failed IUI's and before we move on to IVF we decided to gived TI a try with the meds. Good luck, HTH!

Re: to trigger or not to trigger...

I did a trigger last month for the 1st time. I never needed to do it before. I always got my LH surge. It is totally up to you! If you do it, it will ensure that you ovulate, that's the upside. But if you want to go a month without it, then do that! You have to do what you are comfortable with!

Re: to trigger or not to trigger...

i can totally relate (i don't have PCOS but when i first started at the RE, i wanted to try things as "natural" as possible). i can honestly say that i felt better knowing exactly when i was going to ovulate, rather than wait for my body to do it on its own. if it was me, i would trigger. this way you can really time it. the ovidrel isn't bad at all! good luck!!!

Re: to trigger or not to trigger...

thanks ladies. I am thinking triggering may be a good idea so we have a more precise idea of when i am ovulating. DH is just getting a little overwhelmed bc he wanted to start out slow and now he is seeing all the meds I am getting and isn't sure if we should be doing all this. I guess we just need to talk about it and decide what we want to do.

Re: to trigger or not to trigger...

Ovidrel really is NOT a big deal! Don't get intimidated by all the drugs... they all have a different purpose. The ovidrel is just a one time thing and like others have said, it guarantees you ovulate and gives you a more precise idea of when!

Re: to trigger or not to trigger...

Re: to trigger or not to trigger...

I am kind of in the same boat as you...this month I started the trigger...not bad at all!
Just guarantees ovulation so you can at least time everything well...I would do it

Good luck

Re: to trigger or not to trigger...

DEF TRIGGER!!
i waited 6 months (which isnt very long) when i started TTC to see and RE and get d/x with PCOS. i wasnt ovulating in any regular pattern, just every few months id have an ovulatory cycle. my first cycle on clomid i had no follies. next on injectables i had TOO MANY and had to cancel the cycle. you BETTER BELIEVE as soon as i had 2 confirmed in the next cycle that i was triggering and guaranteeing ovulation and properly timed BD!!

is this your first medicated cycle?
if it is, femara might not do anything at all for you (its common to not be enough to make PCOSers ovulate). if it doesnt you'll have to move on to injectables anyway. not trying to be a downer - just giving you realistic expectations. i didnt have that and i thought clomid was going to be my miracle drug. when it did NOTHING for me i was surprised and devastated (at the time).

next, me and DH were the same way - wanted to do the "as natural as possible" thing. we actually never even once did an IUI. all of my medicated cycles (we did 6 before IVF) were TI and I did get pregnant twice but both ended in chemical. i ended up going from all TI cycles to IVF. so in the end we got our sticky bean in the least natural way possible... but it doesnt matter to us at all how we got there!!

now im thinking of trying to do an unmedicated birth.. it prob wont happen.. but EVERYTHING else about making this baby were SOOOO medicated, that i think it would be nice for SOMETHING to be natural!!

Message edited 2/3/2011 8:54:24 PM.

Re: to trigger or not to trigger...