Update: Tried Several Different Protocols

I've been pretty bad at updating. Here is where we are today:
We spent the winter months losing weight and getting our heads straight. 
We went away in February and we had our consult shortly after we returned to start a new cycle.

• Tried Estrogen Priming, didn't respond to estrogen, didn't start cycle
• Tried Micro-dose Lupron Flare protocol, low follicle count, didn't start cycle
• Tried BCP priming, and antagonist protocol, 11 follicles to 4, cycle cancelled
• Monitored June's cycle and went straight into stimulation

We're working with 9 or 10 follicles. I had a hard time starting a new cycle. Doc thinks I may have reserve issues. But my  FSH is 4.2 (normal) but I'm not a straightforward case because I didn't respond well to stimulation last time (was also on BCP's last time)

We know that BCP's don't work for me. The cycle before this one, I started with 11 follicles, then dropped to 4 after two weeks of being on BCP's.

So here we are. 

I'm maxed at 450 IU of Bravelle, and 150 of menopur. Today was day 4 of stims. Estrogen was over 200 which is great and progesterone and lh were normal. They saw some movement which is better than this time last year. I go back on Tuesday 

June 30th. I'm hoping I'll get a print out of my follicle sizes. I'm hopeful but tempering my expectations knowing this is our last shot at becoming pregnant with my own eggs.

Here we go again!

Getting ready for a fresh round of IVF. This will be round 2 for us. Since we didn't have anything left last time to freeze we have to start over from scratch. 

After we met with the doctor, he suggested another round. Now before you think, yeah, of course he did... I have to tell you that he reviewed our case with the other 6 physicians in the practice and they do not always recommend a new course for couples like us. But we were a real head-scratcher.

My tests didn't say I would be someone that would stimulate for 13 days, but I was.
We never thought we would have a negative beta, but we did. 
Certainly never thought we would do this all again, but we are. 

Things we're doing differently:
New protocol: Estrogen Priming Protocol
Lost 28 pounds since August (gained 6 just from the first IVF)
Started taking CoQ10, DHEA, and continuing with Prenatal vitamin
Started regular acupuncture
Weekly therapy sessions
and biggest change for this cycle: using donor sperm(ds).

The last change is one of the main reasons why this will remain an anonymous blog.

At the follow-up with the doctor, he said this next cycle will tell us if it's an egg issue or a sperm issue. 

So after we met with the doctor my husband and I went to grab a bite to eat. While we were waiting on our food, we were digesting the meeting. 

He tells me that this next cycle we can use ds. He was giving it some thought and we tried it the first time, using just our genetics and weren't successful so this time, we would do everything, and that includes ds. We would do whatever we could to build our family.

When we met with the psychologist (highly recommended for those considering using donor sperm) we were working through selecting a donor, and then what would we do if things worked out where we had a child that was not genetically his. 

We had to consider protecting our child. There would come a day when we would have to tell him/her about their biological history. Until that day arrives, we would keep everything to ourselves and to a very few select people we've shared this information with. 

So that's pretty much where we've been. 

When we selected the donor, knowing we could only afford one more round of IVF, our doctor chose us to choose the cheapest vial from a donor site, because they wash the sample anyway and we're using ICSI with the donor sperm. 

We used fairfax. We ended up buying a subscription package so we could see as much about the donors as possible. Funny enough, the donor we chose is the first one we looked at together. We probably didn't have to buy a 3 month unlimited package, but it gave us peace of mind, and we were happy about that. 

Once we made the selection and bought the vial, we pretty much stopped thinking about it. 
We know that we will be using ds, and it's a real possibility that those will be the embryos that survive, it's not real because they haven't been transferred.

Posting my 'schedule' in other post. Bless us all.