Hi all
I am due to start my first round of IVF in April :o :o
I have had 3 EPT last year and am just about to be given my hcg levels of 0 nex t week ( currently at 9 )
My question is does the the fact I have had so many EPT put me more at risk with IVF??
I was /am so shocked to be told that iIVF didn’t stop the chance of EPT - but are my % chances less with IVF than if I was to try myself?
I think the stats with IVF are 1-2% but because of multiple EPT I was told my chance of having another is 10 % - can anyone shed any light if these stats are even remotely right??
If i honest i don’t know If I could cope after paying for IVF to be told it was EPT so just want to get an idea of stats and or personal experiences to help
Thank you all so much in advance
Fudge xxxx
I had my first pregnancy in September & it was ectopic - I had had IVF. I was shocked to find that the rate of ep with IVF is the same or greater than for the general population. But it is thought that this might be because many women seeking IVF already have some condition with predisposes them to ep (e.g.; tubal issues).
If I am reading you right, you have had 3 EP? The stats say that unfortunately your chances of future ep are pretty high. BUT the stats are very confusing & misleading & mix up correlation & causation.
The key thing is do you have any idea why you might have had your ectopics?
There are doctors who imply/state that your IVF risk of an ep remains at 1.5% for any subsequent pregnancy - which looks to be much lower than the non-IVF rate. But unfortunately there is just not enough statistics. Furthermore, I am unsure if the HFEA even collect the data which would tell you how many ep any individual woman has on IVF - I think they just collect the absolute rates.
I put a call into the HFEA about this, but they couldn’t tell me & nor could the hosts here.
The bottom line is that if you had your Eps because of something like your fallopian fimbriae not working properly, then IVF may carry a lower risk for you. But like all things IVF the situation is very unclear. BUT if you choose a clinic & a doc who you trust then you will feel much more supported and will be monitored very closely.
Hi corinnek
Thanks for your reply
I only have one tube after my right was removed in feb 2013 , just been discharged yesterday from my 3 rd EPT
I have tubal issues , when the dr removed the right tube he assessed the left tube as best he could he said it looked " fine" but clearly this is not the case . I also had some adhesions / scar tissue as well so he helped to unstick the adhesions!
So I feel that there are definitely tubal patency issues with the remaining tube so I almost feel its a guarantee that I would have another EPT if I was to try myself so I guess ivf has to be a better option . But I think to go through ivf and have the same outcome would finish me off ( not literally , but I can do that myself!!)
I find it very strange that there is not more transparency regarding percentages of EPT through ivf - I will ask the question with my dr and see what answer he may give me.
Thanks again for your answe xxx
Yes - I do understand about being ‘finished off’ - we have decided to do back to back IVF until we are successful. I estimate given my age we can do at least 6 more cycles before having to move abroad. But the idea of having 6 more unsuccessful cycles will definitely finish me off. For this reason I am going to find myself a counsellor to help me through the IVF roller coaster. One good thing about IVF is that you do feel very supported & monitored. My best advice if you go for it is to choose a doc who you like & really trust.
Unfortunately I don’t think it’s transparency with the figures - I think they aren’t collecting the right figures. If you just collect the EP rates from all the clinics you can’t backtrack & identify how many women have had repeat ep through IVF. I think it’s a real missing & don’t know why the clinics don’t collect it (probably because the numbers aren’t great enough - but maybe the chains like CARE could do it). If they could identify that the rate of repeat EP is much lower with IVF then that would be a very strong selling point.
Good luck