IVF buddies for January

[Bonnie31]

Hi guys

Are there any ivf buddies out there who are starting treatment soon?

I am starting my ivf injections on the 10th January. This will be my first cycle of ivf, very excited and nervous!! We have unexplained infertility and have been trying for two and a half years! My treatment will be at Bourn Hall clinic in Colchester.

Would be nice to near from people in a similar situation! xxx

[Solars]

Hi there, didn't want to see this unanswered, but just wanted to say there are a few threads on the conception boards that are specifically for people going through ivf and will give you lots of support. Here are a few: (I hope the links work)

Assisted conception

ivf in 2013

I regularly post on this thread, which is more general with lovely ladies going through all the ins and out of ttc including ivf.

Brookers thread

I went through ivf towards the end of last year so know how lonely it can all feel. Wishing you all the best with ivf! I have everything crossed for you!

[Bonnie31]

Thanks Solars, I will definitely go on one of those threads! Thanks for pointing me in the right direction! x

[AdaKate]

Hello Bonnie31....seems we both had the same idea...here's part of a thread I posted yesterday.....(6th Jan)

Hello??? Anyone out there? A little nervous on numerous counts....1st time I've started a thread....1st round of IVF......1st time I've felt really nervous about anything for a long while.

Living in East Anglia, and attending a very well known clinic. Privately funding as no chance of NHS help as I'm 43. No children (but hoping).

Have Baseline scan tomorrow morning....what will they be looking for?

Think we are doing the short process....but not really sure of timings. Think they will go thru the drugs tomorrow and I will be taking Gonal F (have I said that right, don't have my notes to hand???). Anyone else taken this - how does it make you feel?

This is our secret journey as only myself, DH and mother know. Looking for some support, advice, and any knowledge that you lovely ladies out there who have been thru this or are going thru this now might want to share.

Would be good to hear from anyone who can offer advice. Thank you for reading.

[AdaKate]

So the Baseline scan took place today and all went well with the bloods so have started injecting tonight - GULP - it's all systems go here. Was nervous injecting myself, but actually it was fine. Have to go back for next scan on Saturday.

Bonnie31...are you on long or short phase of drug taking?

[Solars]

Hi AdaKate I couldn't help but notice you mentioned on another thread that your husband had a vasectomy, I hope you don't mind me asking but was your DH tested for antisperm antibodies? Hope the injections are going well by the way. How are you doing so far? My only advice would be to take one step at a time, the whole process is such an emotional roller coaster and try and do nice things for both you and DH especially in the 2ww. Good luck!

[AdaKate]

Thanks for the good luck wishes Solars. All going well with the injections. To be honest I can hardly feel the needle going in so that's great, although I start another injection on Thursday and that needle is thicker and bigger and makes me quite nervous!!! Yikes!!

As for DH, he had a vasectomy reversal??? Is that what you're referring to?? He gave a sample at the IVF hospital which was tested and came back with the results I mentioned in other thread - very shocked as hadn't been good up until then. And yes I think it was tested for that. Don't have my notes to hand, but the consultant was very happy with the results so all was ok.

Why do you ask?

Are you currently on the iVF journey?

[Solars]

We had a failed ivf/icsi cycle in October last year and hoping to get another shot at it in a few months time.

The reason I ask is one of the things that came out of our cycle was that the clinic suspected that DH may have antisperm antibodies because when they were preparing his sperm and putting it through the centrifuge they noticed that the sperm were all 'clumping' together so they had to do an emergency icsi. DH's sperm analysis has always come back with good results so it was quite a shock for them to tell us this. However the clinic wouldn't actually test for it to give us any answers. Also men who have had vasectomys or had trauma or infections to their testicles are more likely to have more antibodies, which made me ask you the question. It doesn't however make a difference to ivf but it may make a difference if you're trying naturally depending on the percentage and where the antibodies target the sperm from what I've read. Sorry that got a bit long winded there!

[AdaKate]

No problems. Just looked at notes, and no thankfully all fine on the antisperm antibodies!

Sorry to hear you had a failed attempt. You're right, this is surely one hell of an emotional rollercoaster.

Do the clinic determine time between cycles, or is it your choice to wait, or perhaps it's just however long the body needs to adjust??

I wish I'd seen the IVF programme on BBC4 Monday night - I think it showed "backstage" as such, you know the nurses doing their bit. That would have been really interesting. Although I probably would have been in tears the whole way thru!

[blondebaby111]

Hi bonnie, good luck with your first cycle. We had our first cycle last end of last year which sadly failed but we are all set to go again end march/april time. I didn't find the whole process too bad, nowhere near as bad as I thought it would be and I'm actually looking forward to starting again. It can seem quite daunting at first, I remember crying when I opened my medication box and seeing all what I had to I thought ' how can I go thru this' but I did and like I say I was fine. Everything went just to plan but unfortunately we had one embryo transfered but it sadly failed for us..never mind, we bite the bullet and did it again.
Any questions you have just ask, I found the whole process very facinating and I wish you the best of luck with it all xx

[AdaKate]

Despite your failed attempt blondebaby you sound so up beat which is fantastic. Good for you!!

Like you I am fascinated by it all and can't really believe I am injecting myself - bizarre!!! I ask so many questions, about everything - the scans, the blood samples - just like an inquisitive 2 year old!! .

Good luck!

[Solars]

Adakate our clinic said that it would be fine to hear from us about the next ivf cycle after my second 'proper' period, so I guess that means 2 cycles after the failed ivf. However our journey was slightly complicated in the fact that we decided to go for a lap as they discovered an endometrioma on one of my ovaries and plus we also wanted to change clinics. I had my lap mid December and we're just about to send our registration for the next clinic. No doubt by the time we get an appointment and possibly further tests it may be a few months before we start our next round of ivf. By the way you can still watch the bbc ivf programme on I player! I started blubbing halfway and DH told me stop watching it, I think he found it tough too.

Good luck to you too Blondebaby

[AdaKate]

Hi solars are you self funding or can you change clinics on the NHS?? You obviously weren't happy with the first clinic, hope you feel happier with the new clinic.

Sorry, but I'm new at all this....what is a lap??

Yes my husband mentioned iplayer as there was another programme on last night BBC4 I think about IVF but it was way too late - after 11pm I think. Have to be tucked up way before that!!! Oh wait can you get BBC 4 on iplayer?? I'll have to check. But like you I will probably blah the whole way thru.

Struggled tonight with my injections. Not the Gonal F - that's easy now, but the other I had to start taking tonight - you have to mix it?? wasn't a good time. Hopefully tomorrow will be easier!

[blondebaby111]

Hi adakate, good luck to you too. I have to be upbeat otherwise I think I would just crumble. The prog on bbc4 the other night was very good, it showed behind the scenes and its amazing how much work that little sperm has to do to catch the egg. Hope your getting on ok and good luck. We have unexplainned but did get told my egg reserve is below average so I don't know if that means it would be harder for me than the average person x

[Solars]

Hi Adakate we are self funding now. Our first cycle was with the NHS but they would only fund 1. We could have stayed with that clinic and paid privately for further ivf treatment with them. However although by and large they were a good clinic we wanted to go to a clinic which had better success rates for older women, I'm 40, but also I wasn't very impressed with them in terms of their advise with firstly about my endometrioma and also the antisperm antibodies.

A lap is short for laparoscopy, where they make small incisions around your stomach under GA and then have a good look around and treat any areas, in my case they removed my endometrioma on my ovary. I think they also remove an appendix this way too.

Are you on menopur now? The injections do get easier, hope today's goes well.

[AdaKate]

Hi Solars. gonal F and Cetrotide. It's the Cetrotide that I found tricky at first, but now 4 days in it's fine - although it still stings afterwards!

Oh that old chestnut....40 years old......and OLD!!! Giggle. Don't you just feel over the hill when it comes to fertillity!!!!

You never know, you may start your next cycle sooner than you think - my whole experience has been crazilly fast. Perhaps you'll find as you're private this time appointments may not be so far apart.

Regarding the "clumping" of your DH sperm - didn't the clinc detect that when your DH gave his first sample?? Just wondering how it got that far before they knew??

[Solars]

Hey AdaKate fertility clinics really do make you feel old and guilty for wanting children at 40! But I had a lovely comment from our gynaecologist at the weekend who wrote to my husband in an email, that I seemed lovely and really hoped he would see us with children soon, made me well up.

Re the "clumping" all DH's sperm analysis came out with great results so they never suspected a thing plus the NHS in our area don't test for it. It was only when they put the sperm in the centrifuge, preparing it for ivf that they noticed the clumping. I do feel that if they had checked for it earlier we may have been on the ivf path a lot sooner.

How is the injecting going? Are you due for a scan soon to see how the follies are growing?

[RachelmyIVF]

My husband and I tried for just over 2 years to conceive and in the end we had IVF, it did take a few 'Goes' before I got pregnant, but I can totally understand your apprehension and questions. The good thing about forums like this is you can vent your queries and someone will help - which is priceless.