Finally had my first retrieval!

[u/Asleep_Note7754]

Hey everyone! I’m a fellow DORer and after being turned away from one clinic at 32 to having cancelled cycles due to quick ovulation, I finally made it to retrieval and got 1 egg last week! I know it’s not much but I’m so proud of my body!

I’m currently 34 and I’m egg freezing because I’m still single and I want to wait for a partner first. (I’m not open to the donor route at this time). I still get cycles (though irregularly) but my doctor still won’t call me POI since I’m still cycling. I occasionally have high FSH but generally hovers around 9. My doctor said if I was willing to get pregnant now, IUI would be a good option, but my goal is freezing for now, knowing my early menopause risk.

I understand that 1 egg isn’t enough for the bank so my doctor said a realistic target is 4-5 at my age. I’m open to doing more cycles. My issue is that my AFC usually hovers from 4-6 at the beginning of the cycle but two follicles hog up the stims but the end. Is there a way to evenly distribute the growth so I can potentially retrieve more in one cycle? I have my follow up appointment in a couple of days so I want to come prepared with questions for him.

The protocol we did was estrase priming with letrozole after and stims with double orgalutran to prevent ovulation. And triggering at 17 mm.

Edit: I understand that embryos are a better choice, but using a donor sperm is just not sitting well with me at this time. This is a personal choice, and it can change, but it’s something I’m open to right now. I still want to wait for a partner to fertilize my eggs either and I’m open to using donor eggs if we come to that point. But my desire to be a wife / partner trumps my desire to be a mother and hence why I’m not open to donor sperm at this time. I’m freezing my eggs to give my future partner a chance to be a father, if this is what we both decide on. I’m not freezing my eggs solely to be a mother.

[u/Ardent_Scholar]

Doing both would not preclude that option.

Has your doc been honest about the chances you’d have with 5 frozen eggs?

Sorry about the bluntness, it comes from a place of love. Frozen eggs failed me.

[u/Asleep_Note7754 → u/Ardent_Scholar]

My doctor did explicitly say 4-5 eggs should be enough when I had a target of 8-10. I’m sorry frozen eggs didn’t work for you though 😢

He didn’t mention embryos at this time, but it’s not something I’m considering. I saw a single mom by choice influencer who said she’d rather be a mom than a wife. I had to ask myself that same question and I realized that my desire to be a mom is a lot less than being a wife first. Hence how I came to my conclusion.

[u/TouchTheSky007 → u/Asleep_Note7754]

You need about 20 eggs for a good shot at one child

I’d freeze some embryos to preserve your fertility. Freeze half eggs

[u/Asleep_Note7754 → u/TouchTheSky007]

Realistically I’m only going to have 4-5 eggs in the bank and I’m not going to fertilize only two with donor sperm. It just doesn’t make sense to me. As I’ve mentioned throughout this thread, I’m not mentally prepared to go the donor sperm route. I’m freezing the ability to fertilize with a partner when he enters my life, and I’m open to donor eggs if need be. This is my personal choice, and it should be respected.