FET success stories

[blackcherries]

Any success stories with frozen embryos? Just had my first IVF cycle which failed (CP) and have 3 blasts in the freezer. Keen to crack on but this has knocked me more than I thought and can't help thinking it's never going to work.

I'm glad to not be going through another fresh cycle at the moment but tbh I can't quite get my head around the idea of frozen embryos, it doesn't seem like it would produce a baby! (I know it does. I just need some reassurance...)

[bananafish81]

Lots of clinics do elective freeze all because it's increasingly believed frozen cycles are better than fresh because the uterine environment is more receptive when it's not disrupted by unnaturally high levels of hormones after stims

We did elective freeze all for PGS - no baby but that's because I have crap lining, the embryos are perfect

Everyone on the PGS groups ONLY do frozen transfers because you have to in order to do the testing

I think something like only 1 in 4 IVF cycles have surplus embryos leftover for freezing so to have so many blasts on ice is amazing

[FlipperSkipper]

My frozen embryo is 10 weeks old today and fast asleep next to me, so they can work. I know where you're coming from though, I had 2 FETs that failed as well (and 2 fresh transfers that worked but miscarried). Your clinic wouldn't have frozen them if they weren't good quality embryos, so you have that in your favour. Good luck!

[FlipperSkipper]

My frozen embryo is 10 weeks old today and fast asleep next to me, so they can work. I know where you're coming from though, I had 2 FETs that failed as well (and 2 fresh transfers that worked but miscarried). Your clinic wouldn't have frozen them if they weren't good quality embryos, so you have that in your favour. Good luck!

[SilverLinings2014]

That's really interesting banana that FET is thought to be better due to less disruption with drugs. Do you know if that's true of medicated and natural FET? I'm part way through a medicated and certainly feel like I've been through the ringer drug wise. Although not to stimulate ovaries of course.

Sorry to hijack your thread Blackcherries but hopefully useful for you to know as well. Not that I could do a natural FET thanks to my rubbish/ non existent cycle.

[GuinessPunch]

My frozen enbryo is 3 months now. I only had a fet as the clinic wouldnt do a fresh cycle due to pcos and risk of over stimulating. It worked first time.

[blackcherries]

lovely to hear your stories. and interesting bananafish about freeze-alls. I have no idea whether I'll be on a natural or controlled cycle. I found most of the drugs for the fresh cycle ok although bloated ovaries etc so hopefully wouldn't be too bad although would it just be Buserelin or anything else?

and bananafish you are a mine of information so thank you for sharing, you do seem to have been through it all (just having seen your name around) and I really hope you have some luck.

[Bibs2014]

My FET worked in 2013 and I have a 2 year old son and My FET last month failed.

[Blondeshavemorefun]

My 2nd fet from our 3rd fresh cycle is snuggled in my arms - 10days old

3 failed fresh. I failed fet. And then 5th go hit the jackpot


Agree fets are often regarded better as body has recovered from ec and not stressed out from injections

[icy121]

Pregnant with controlled FET. Had to do a freeze all ivf cycle due to OHSS. We froze 7 blasts; the first 2 didn't thaw properly so clearly weren't that strong. I feel that having the FET meant body was in a much better place to take the blast, and god knows if any of the weak ones would've 'taken'.

I was in pieces at the time of OHSS/freeze all though. The whole fucking infertility treatment thing is a horror show and a mind fuck. Good luck

[bananafish81]

silver yes just as true for medicated as for natural FET. It's the unnaturally high levels of oestrogen from the stims that disrupt the uterine environment, the levels from HRT in a medicated FET aren't supra physiological levels

blackcherries good luck! Unfortunately we have reached the end of the road with our treatment and have to accept that we can't have children. My uterus isn't up to the job so the only way we are going to have a baby will be to transfer one of our frozen embryos into someone else's 😓

[bananafish81]

There are three kinds of FET protocol

1. Natural FET - no drugs, your lining thickens using your body's own natural oestrogen. Ovulation can be detected by LH surge or timed with a trigger. (There's also ovulation induction FET but that's very unusual. We only did this as neither medicated not natural were an option for us)

1. Long protocol medicated FET. Down regulate with buserelin to switch off your ovaries and then build your lining up with oestrogen pills or patches (HRT). Then when lining is thick enough add in progesterone and transfer at the appropriate time after starting progesterone

1. Short protocol medicated FET. As above but without down regulation. You just start the HRT straight off a natural cycle.

Most clinics do (2) as it offers the most control

[blackcherries]

Thanks again. Presumably in (2) the oestrogen is at a lower level than with the stims used in fresh cycle? Will find out next week what the clinic recommends but will start opks from day 10 just in case...

[bananafish81]

Yes. With stims your oestrodial levels will be in the thousands. It's around 1000 units per mature egg. More eggs = higher E2 levels.

With HRT your E2 is less than 1000 - so more like what you'd have in a natural cycle when ovulating one egg.

(2) and (3) are exactly the same but (2) you down reg first.

[bananafish81]

I never had any side effects from HRT - have had loads of attempts at HRT cycles, with various different permutations of doses and routes of administration.

HRT doesn't work for me so we couldn't do a medicated FET, and had to stim me. That's very unusual however, for most people a medicated FET is very straightforward. Unfortunately in my case we have exhausted every possible option through many many mock FET cycles, and my lining refuses to cooperate. So we are very sadly unable to proceed to a transfer cycle, and are at the end of the road with our treatment - our only option now is surrogacy.

[Blondeshavemorefun]

As banana said there are 3 options for fet

2nd we did as our 4th try - 1st fet

3rd option we did for our 5th try - 2fet and successful one

Also did 2 era (mock to check the lining) inbetween and think both were 3

Only rem one injection to halt and down reg

@bananafish - I really hope you get your dream to be a mum - over the years I've kept up with your story and you deserve more then anyone to be a mum - with everything you have been through

Yet always helping others with info 💐💐💐💐

I know of a surragote - she is local to me. Would have have to go to USA or can you try and find a more local one near you ?

I know laws are different etc over there

[blackcherries]

We were given the choice of natural or controlled cycle, and are going for controlled as they advised I may not ovulate the cycle after a chemical pregnancy (can anyone point to any proper info on this? as I've been doing OPKs for a week or so - CD17 now - and looking like no ovulation).

Would this cause any issue for controlled FET? I'll be starting the downregging in a few days.... wondering if I should have left it another month but am so impatient. FCs seem fairly blase about it though!

[Fifigo89]

Hi Ladies. Long shot as this is an old post. Im having my egg collection tomorrow morning but have been told i have to freeze all due to my PCOS last scan showed 48 Follicles.... for those that have had to freeze all cycle when did you get to transfer how long after ? Thanks xxx