Yeah. I had never heard of Intralipid Therapy/Infusions either.

That is one thing I love about our new fertility clinic. Dr. Acacio is super cutting edge with his treatments and medication protocols. At our consultation he mentioned that IVF fails sometimes because of undiagnosed autoimmune disorders in the woman. In short, Your body attacks its own reproductive system. This can cause reoccurring miscarriage and failed implantation. Treatment for this, is an infusion of Intralipids (basically a ton of fat is shot into you and it works to help with pregnancy and I don’t really know how) is administered before embryo transfer and in first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

Intralipids is a cutting edge treatment beneficial to couples who are preparing to undergo infertility treatments such as IVF, who have immune disorders, repeated IVF failure, or recurrent miscarriage. Some types of infertility may be caused by a slightly overactive immune system. When this occurs the immune system can attack egg, sperm, embryo and even a developing fetus. This can result in difficulty achieving pregnancy, maintaining the pregnancy, or repeated miscarriages.  It is a highly calorific mixture of natural fats containing a mixture of 20% Soybean Oil, 1.2% Egg Yolk Phospholipids, 2.25% Glycerin, and Water. It is given intravenously mixed with saline for about an hour. Intralipids have been shown to lower the activity of the natural killer cells component of our immune system.

Researchers and trial studies conducted both in and outside of the U.S. are showing raving results. A lot of studies will target women who suffered from immune disorders and recurrent miscarriages and/or failed IVF cycles and more likely than not achieve a successful live birth after undergoing these Intralipid infusions. A recent trial done by British researchers involving IVF and Intralipids…

“Research on Intralipid involved 96 women – average age 37 – all of whom experienced at least 6 previous failed IVF attempts. Fifty of the women in the group received infusions of the soy-based oil, given by intravenous drip about a week before their IVF was to begin. Forty six of the women received no treatment. All the women subsequently underwent an IVF procedure, which included removing their eggs, combining them with sperm in a laboratory dish, and then implanting the resulting embryo into the woman’s uterus. Fifty percent of the women who received the Intralipid infusions achieved successful pregnancies, compared to just 9 percent of those not treated.  In terms of miscarriage, just two women who received Intralipid miscarried (about 8 percent) compared to seven miscarriages in the group who did not receive the infusions (about 64 percent).” WOW.

The only downside is that insurance does not cover the cost of treatment for Intralipids because it is a newer treatment and is still a bit experimental. So at a whopping $600 for each infusion, I am praying this is the magic potion to keeping these little embies to stick this time around. But let’s be honest… I would pay $600 a minute for an hour if it meant seeing two lines on a pee stick.

I had my infusion this past Monday and our transfer is scheduled for Tuesday March 29! I feel like this has been the longest month of my life. I am getting nervous, but trying to keep my excitement and positivity up. YAY for FAT!