Thanks for your honest opinions ladies. I knew I could count on you to provide some food for thought!

Nicky: I haven't considered other options (DE, adoption) only because of my age and the fact that I DO have a DD that I gave birth to. I feel so blessed that I have her that #2 would just be icing on the cake. But I did come from a family of 4 kids, so I would like my DD to have a sibling, if it's possible. If not, I'll figure it just wasn't meant to be...

T: I thought we were going to do assisted hatching on our first cycle, but I don't think it happened. But we definitely did on cycles 2 & 3. The reason we did the 3 day transfers was b/c both REs preferred to let nature take its course on the implantation and development vs letting the embies go to 5 days. I did have the triple line during my second cycle. That was also when I did the intralipid infusion...

J: What's puzzling to me is that everything they tested me for (APA, NKA, HSG, you name it, I think they did it), my results came back fine. Even my blood work on day 3 came back great, especially for my age! Egg quality was suspect on some of them (some with a harder shell, some a little squooshier than others), so that's what lead my second RE to think that it's just a numbers game for me... You really think I could have success thawing out the 5 day blast? Is there any greater success with a 5 day blast vs anything less mature?

Meenu: So you've done both fresh & frozen cycles... what is a typical protocol for a frozen cycle? And when do you start? Funny you should mention doing another fresh cycle and timing it to do the frozen one... we discussed that with our RE on the last fresh cycle. But given the "numbers game" he was trying to beat, he felt our best chances were to put all our eggs back in my basket (LOL) on day 3 and let nature take its course vs losing some/any between day 3 and day 5.

HB (Renee ;0): I'd like to know what your protocol and timing were too on your frozen cycle. Everyone says how much easier it is (I guess b/c there's no stimming involved)... really, how much easier is it? Would be interested in comparing what you did vs. Meenu...

Marian: Funny how you wound up with 2 vs 1... After my first cycle, I received a follow up letter from the embryologist that I didn't have any left to freeze... and in my phone follow up with my RE, he mentioned that one was frozen... HUH? Turned out that there was a glitch in the computer software, and I did in fact have one frozen. Go figure. I was so hoping that I would get pg in one of the three cycles that I wouldn't have to worry about thawing and its subsequent quality... As mentioned, I did have the triple line during cycle #2... that was when I did the intralipid infusion (maybe it was worth it?) with the Viagra suppositories... but no such luck. And yes, I was doing the heparin/baby aspirin regimen... they even had me doing that before I started my IVF cycles. I was on a break from the OPKs and the heparin/BA when I got pregnant naturally while we were on vacation. What kind of steriods were you on when you got pg (if you don't mind me asking?

Not sure if I mentioned it here or not, but my RE is no longer at the clinic where I did my 3 cycles. So would it be worth it to have a follow up consultation with the medical director who IS still there even if he isn't the one that treated me? Or do I wait until June when my previous RE is hoping to open his own practice? Any thoughts on that?

One last question. I presume that the one frozen embie belongs to me... if I choose to use an RE that is no longer with the practice through which it was frozen, can I obtain possession (for lack of a better/proper term) of it?

Sorry my response/additional questions got so long... just so much on my mind... ugh.

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