August IVF

[Langpants]

Hi there,

Anyone else doing IVF this month? I’ve had 2 weeks of Buserelin, and just started the oestrogen tablets today. I’ve never known time to go so slowly before. 😬😂

FET planned for end of August.

I’ve been a hormonal wreck. Got AF this weekend, plus all the extra hormones, and the other half doesn’t know what to do with me - or himself! Ha Ha.

Would be nice to connect with others going through IVF at the moment. x

[Jenbot78]

Hello, yes I have a FET planned for end August too. I started on Progynova last week and have not loved them I’ll be honest...make me feel nauseous and hormonal. Defo nice to connect, am on another thread that I joined ages ago when I thought I would have my FET in May but it has been delayed a bit due to thyroid issues. Most ladies on there have been through their FET and come out the other side! So feeling like I need fellow FET ers to chat to. I started on Prednisolone today which is part of my protocol so looking forward to the moon face and weight gain 😬😬

[Jenbot78]

Sorry, just re read that. Meant it would be nice to chat to fellow FET OR IVF ers...

[IVFaugust2018]

Hi @Langpants, Im having my first cycle of ICSI this month, starting the short protocol from my next period which is due around 21st August.

I feel like this has crept up on me and am panicking that we've not done enough to prepare!

What's your story? I'm 34, MFI and have been trying unsuccessfully for just short of 3 years.

How long do you have left of injections? I've got my first in 2 weeks

[Crazyeyes3]

Hi,

I am 32, been ttc for nearly 3 years and I am starting my first IVF cycle this month. We have unexplained infertility. I’ll be starting a long protocol on the 18th. I’m scared that it’s all now happening after trying for so long. Will be nice to have others to talk to who are going through the same thing x

[ChocolateLab]

Hello all - can I join? I am due to start short protocol (flare) on or about the 11th August.

I am 34, trying for about 4 years, couple of cycles of clomid, one IUI but a recent decline in AMH has prompted some pretty aggressive IVF. Never had even a hint of a BFP.

I can't quite believe its all actually going to happen - its been so long in the making that now it has finally come around I suddenly feel really unprepared!

Would be great to have others to talk to! x

[Langpants]

Hi @Jenbot78 @IVFaugust2018 and @Crazyeyes3, thanks for joining the thread.

So - here’s my story. Wanted children since - forever. Finally met the right man back in 2014. We were just about to start trying in 2016 but had to put it off for 2 years because I had breast cancer and had to have a mastectomy and chemo. Just before chemo, I had IVF and managed to freeze 8 embies.

Fast forward 2 years (or just short of), and I persuaded my oncologist to let me come off my cancer drugs to start a family. I don’t want to be off the drugs too long, so we are going ahead with a FET. This is my first time. I’m so excited, impatient, happy - and soooo bloody moody. 😂

I’ve been on Buserelin for 2 weeks, not sure how long left - assuming right up until
Embryo transfer! I’ve started taking Progynova today (up until pregnancy), and need to call the clinic for next steps tomorrow.

Embryo transfer should be towards the end of Aug. When are you anticipating embryo transfer, ladies? x

[Langpants]

Welcome @ChocolateLab!

Forgot to mention that I’m 34 as well.

Can anyone ever be properly prepared?! I’d hoped to shift some weight and save some money before IVF.. but, hey ho. 😂😂😂

Lovely to meet you ladies. Hope we can go through the next few weeks together. Xx

[ChocolateLab]

@Langpants - Blimey - you have been through the wringer! Extra fingers crossed for you and sorry to hear about your difficult few years, glad you are out the other side and looking forward to getting on with the IVF. Not really the same but I lost my dad a couple of years ago to Alzheimers and that was pretty traumatic so its a nice fresh start now.

I totally feel you on the weight - I even't shifted a pound, it just keeps creeping on. Basically though, I am snacker by nature and have a desk job with super long hours so I use those as my excuses! The spare tum roll gives the DH something to inject all the drugs into though so that is something I guess...

xx

[Langpants]

@ChocolateLab - ha ha! I’m so with you on the spare tyre for jabs.

Sorry about your Dad. I lost my mum a month ago today (lung cancer). We had planned everything, including our first scan the day after she passed, and I didn’t want to put anything off. It’s given me something to focus on.

I’m so looking forward to pregnancy. It’s felt like a long time coming, so I’m a little impatient now.
😜

I’m so pleased for both of us. Xx

[IVFaugust2018]

Wow @Langpants I'm so sorry to hear what you've faced getting to this point and recently.
I'm guessing EC/ET will be early Sept for me depending on how I respond to stims? Really haven't been told much from the clinic! What I know is pretty much from lurking on these boards since we were told in May that ICSI will be our pathway.
I think I'm going to be prescribed Menopur - won't know more until 17th August when we have the "teach" session at the clinic

Nice to walk this path with people that understand! It's not something that I feel able to share with many in real life!

[Langpants]

Thank you IVFaugust2018. X
It’s frustrating not knowing next steps! They probably don’t want to overwhelm us with info, but some of us like to understand exactly what’s happening.

I’m not sure what a “teach” session is? (Assuming they go through the process with you?)

My FET is pencilled in end of Aug so we will be in a similar time frame. :) Glad to have someone to talk to as well. I have mentioned to friends but they haven’t been through it and aren’t overly interested in discussing it all. (Not that I blame them!)

X

[Crazyeyes3]

It is nice to have others to talk to who are going through the same thing. So here are some questions for you?
Are you injecting yourself or is your partner doing it? I have been giving injections in my job for years but dreading doing them to myself!
Have you told your family? I want to but I don’t think I can cope with the extra pressure that I know I will get. They would be supportive but I don’t want them asking me how it is going all the time.
Have you told work? I really need to do this.
I think I have been in denial about it all to be honest. Hopefully it will get easier to accept now the process is actually starting. I have friends who are pregnant with their second babies in the time we have been trying so it still doesn’t feel real that this might actually work.

[Jenbot78]

Langpants what a few years you have had. It sounds great that you have so many embryos!

Hi everyone else, hope you are all managing to keep the crazy at bay. My story:

TTC since age 35, diagnosed with hypothyroidism and treated for this. Still not pregnant two years later and told "unexplained" by the NHS. Had IVF 1 aged 37 which ended in a chemical pregnancy. Saw a private specialist who told me that I have an autoimmune thyroid disease and that this is likely why I haven't been able to get pregnant. IVF2 privately with steroids. Resulted in my daughter aged 15 months. Two frozen leftover, so we are rolling the dice again. Can't see how we can be so lucky twice...

So I'm not a complete newbie, hope you don't all mind me joining the thread!

Crazyeyes in terms of telling people, we told everyone close to us the first time around. My family and friends would have known something was going on as we all like a drink when we get together and as soon as I refused a glass of wine they would have known! In hindsight, I'm not sure that I found it that helpful though. It feels like everyone goes on the rollercoaster with you and the jury's out as to whether it is a good or bad thing.

This time around we haven't really told anyone, for the reasons above. We have just been staying with my parents (as they don't live locally) and I have had a few wines which meant that no-one is suspicious! Towards the end of the week with them I stopped doing this as the medication was making me feel too nauseous and anyway it's time to be sensible now!!

How is everyone's mindset? You might think because I had one DD through IVF that I would feel positive but the exact opposite is true and I can feel myself getting into a bit of a negative space already...

[Langpants]

@Crazyeyes3
I’ve just told my boss today what I’m doing. I need some time off for a scan next Thursday, and then for the embryo transfer itself the week after. Not sure they can do anything about it. It would be discrimination.

Also - I’ve injected myself 3 times so far but I’m not very good at it as don’t want to watch. I gave myself an almighty bruise that first time! Mostly, my partner has done it.
A friend did it a week ago, but she got a shock at the feeling of the skin breaking so she pulled it out and then stabbed me again. She squirted it in too fast and it hurt like hell. She said she wanted to do it again, and I said - ummm maybe next month. 😂 x

[Langpants]

Thanks @Jenbot78 - I’m just looking forward now to all the exciting times ahead.

I’m pretty positive at the moment. I guess it hadn’t occurred to me that it might not happen first time. 😬 Fingers crossed for everyone on this thread. x

[Jenbot78]

Langpants so sorry to bring you down, positivity is by far and away the best way forward! Hopefully it will rub off on me 😀

[Jenbot78]

Crazyeyes your HR should have a policy on this so definitely have a chat with them!

[Jenbot78]

Also is your moniker from OITNB? Watching the new series, not so sure yet...will persevere

[Langpants]

Lol @Jenbot78 - I’m sure it will. 😜xx

[IVFaugust2018]

@Langpants the teach session is where they teach us to give the injections. I'm a nurse so confident about the injection part - but it happening to me, not so much!

@Crazyeyes3 I've told work as the scans are alternate daily I believe to check the response to the stims, definitely can't explain so many absences at short notice!

I've started a mindful IVF app to try and prepare and will try to destress as much as I can going forward now (but not stress too much about not being able to destress of course

[IVFaugust2018]

@Crazyeyes3 I've told my boss so that he's understanding about me needing time off and a close friend at work as I cried on him when I got back to work following the consult where we were told we'd need IVF.
Nobody else as I don't like the idea of people putting me and looking at my stomach - chip on my shoulder or what!

Told my mum and mother in law as I was tired of being asked when we're going to have children and have told my best friend as I wanted to!

I took the approach that I only wanted to tell those that I was happy to know that it had failed so have kept the list quite small!

[ChocolateLab]

@IVFaugust2018 - We had the 'teach' session last week, it was helpful but really if you have done a medicated IUI its basically the same and you can find out everything else online. My clinic were pretty straight about how long they expected the whole thing to take though which was the most helpful bit (so I can plan my days off!). They looked at my period dates and were like - period on Saturday, call for scan on Monday, Start Monday evening with drugs, scan the following Monday and Wednesday and EC probably on the Friday. So at least it was clear. The following Monday is the bank holiday so not sure what happens if I need a few extra days as they usually only do EC on Monday, Wednesday and Friday!

@Langpants - I think we are going to be looking at EC around the same time which is super exciting!

@crazyeyes3 (love your name) - my husband is definitely doing every single injection. My mum knows and we probs talk about it every day which is nice. I hope she is ok with it all though as she gets quite anxious anyway. Bless her. But basically only talk to mum and husband about it irl. I also told work really really early (like 7 months ago now). They have a fertility leave policy but I am lucky to work in a nice office with a great boss so it has really taken all the pressure off hiding things. I might have felt differently in my old job.Have you decided what to do yet? I understand about the second babies already thing - some of the kids born just after we started trying are nearly gearing up to start school!

Hope we are all doing well this evening and looking forward to the next few weeks. It is really exciting, amongst all the worry! xx

[ChocolateLab]

Good point @IVFaugust2018 - we told the MIA as well so that she wasn't having to politely ask. She has 6 grandchildren already though so no pressure from her (I am very lucky for that!). We don't keep her as up to date on start times etc though.

How is the mindful IVF app? I have been using Breethe and I find the woman who does the sessions really good. Better than the hypnotherapy I had in real life - but that was mainly because the hypnotherapist always wanted to do some life coaching with me setting new goals every week and I was like - I have enough on!!! xx

[IVFaugust2018]

@ChocolateLab I hope my clinic will be that clear! Unfortunately I have a very variable period so really won't know until the day it decides to turn up. Ovulate anywhere from day 12-18 and luteal phase 7-14 days! So we'll see what happens this month 😂

Think I'm ovulating today so just trying to negotiate with my husband if we're too tired to TTC tonight as a last ditch before we hand ourselves over to the experts next month #infertilityproblems

[IVFaugust2018]

@ChocolateLab I love the app, recommend it at the moment but only on day 4 of the free bit - you need to pay to unlock some of the sessions so will see how I go. He's got such a lovely Irish accent I could listen to him forever!