Today is the day to start my second pack of 'active' BCP's. I had to call the nurse because the pharmacy said it was too soon to refill the Rx. She got that worked out but I asked her if she had my EFT (endo biopsy) results back yet. After fumbling around she found them and started to read things to me... she might as well have been speaking a foreign language. She said the bottom line was something showed slightly abnormal and it might be the endometriosis that the CA125 test had indicated was a possibility.
So the doctor wants me to have another CA125 test after this second round of BCP's and then go into yet a THIRD cycle of BCP's leading into my next IVF cycle. I was crushed. A third cycle of BCP's, that's 63 days... which would put me into late July before I could possibly start stimming for IVF3.0? For treating POSSIBLE endometriosis?? This puts me at 5 months in-between IVF's... what happened to No Cycle Shall Be Without A Purpose?
So do I have endo or don't I?? I have no idea.
I asked if I could talk to Dr. T about the test results and the possible diagnosis, even if by phone. I was informed that Dr. T doesn't "do" phone consults but I could make an appointment. Of course, I know that means at LEAST 4 weeks before I can talk to her, I'll be in my 3rd cycle of BCP's by then.
I was blinking back tears at the pharmacy this afternoon picking up the BCP's I need because I can't get pregnant... it sucks and it doesn't make sense.
Second Opinion
I had my phone consult with Dr. Su.rr.y at CCRM last week while at the beach. He does suspect that with my 2 chemical pregnancies (he agreed that's what they were) it's likely an embryo quality issue. He recommends PGS (Preimplantation Genetic Screening) with my next IVF cycle to get a better idea of my embryo quality. He also talked about how different labs impact the quality of the embryo.
He also doesn't believe in using the CA125 test to diagnose endometriosis (it is a test commonly used for cervical cancer) and it could mean MANY things, especially given it was barely above the normal threshhold. Apparently the use of the CA125 test as an indicator for endo started at Wake Forest so he suspected it was picked up by my clinic due to the local connection. He doesn't believe in using BCP's for endometriosis control, he would use Lupron priming. He doesn't believe in the EFT (endo biopsy) as it's not validated outside of the Yale research facility.
If I work with CCRM, I would need to travel to Colorado 3 times... 1) Initial evaluation/workup; 2) Egg Retrieval; 3) FET (after PGS results)
There was a lot more to the consult but I'm trying to keep this post condensed.
Do I stop taking the BCP and go to CCRM for my next cycle or don't I? I have a pro/con list in my head.
Pros
- New lab
- New doctor
- More info on the embryos
- Moving forward within next 2 weeks
- Local monitoring (via my current clinic, is that a pro or con?
- New doctor not as familiar with my history
- I'm 1/3 through the BCP protocol (should I need to start it again one day, I'll have to start over)
- Travel/time away from work
- What happens if my CCRM IVF doesn't work?
In the meantime, I'm at a loss for whether I can schedule a trip with 2 of my oldest girlfriends to celebrate our 40th birthday's... we were thinking late July. If I stay with Dr. T, I'll be stimming in late July. If I go to CCRM, I'm not sure (depends on when I stop the BCP's) but my ER could be mid-July so we might be able to do our trip (depending on how I swing things with work).
Decisions... I wish someone could just tell me what to do for a change, because I have NO IDEA.
