IVIg Therapy Question

[Stacey4905]

Hello

I will try to make this long story short.

I am currently married to a soldier and we are stationed in Germany. We are having ICSI this winter at a clinic in Austria.

We are having ICSI because my husband had a vasectomy many years ago and also an reversal in early 2007 that was unsuccessful.

Additionally, I have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and am just now 40 years old. When I was married previously, I had two miscarriages. After the second, I had several tests to determine the cause and was told it was "unexplained".

Therefore I have asked my endocrinologist here to administer IVIg infusions to hopefully increase my chances of success. She is willing to do this, but asking me what the normal protocol is for IVIg therapy as it relates to infertility.

I have two questions about this.

1 - can you please point me to studies showing the benefits of IVIg therapy so she feels more confident about doing this

and

2 - Is there anywhere I can find out what the normal protocol is for IVIg? I have some idea of the dosage and that it is administered slowly, but not sure at what rate.


Yes, I know it is strange that my doctor is asking me these questions but I have come to expect that here.

Any information you can provide would be great.

Thank you
Stacey

[Dr Jeffrey Fisch]

Most IVF failure is due to genetically abnorml eggs, not implantation disorders. I am more concerned about the TSH level than the thyroid antibodies. Many women like you will need a specialized type of stimulation that limits the amount of male hormone. This can help make better eggs.

There is not a lot of good data supporting the use of IVIG, but we still use it in many patients. The standard dose is 40g given about a week before transfer and again in 4 weeks if pregnant.

If you contact me directly, I would be happy to review your case with you in more detail. Then I can make specific recommendations. Many patients do travel from Europe to LV for treatment with us. We have much less restrictions than the Europeans do. We have special financing options for members of the military.

Jeffrey Fisch
jfisch@sherinstitute.com