The great April FET thread

[Missmonkeypenny]

I can’t see an FET thread for this month so I thought I’d start one! I’ve just had the all clear to start medication for our FET so it’s all systems go! I’m on 4x 2mg progynova a day and then adding 3 x lutigest pessaries along the way, hoping to transfer on the 30th of this month!

We have 4 Frosties in the freezer ( 3 x 5AB 1 x 4AB ) after ICSI for Male factor in January. I produced 26 eggs but donated half as I did egg sharing IVF

[LillyLeaf]

Hey, I'm doing an FET this month, probably will transfer end of the month/ early May (if AF arrives on time). I did my fresh cycle in December, BFP, miscarriage so back to it with the FET. We have 4 in the freezer, I can't remember what the grades are but the one we transferred was a top grade (and didn't end well) so I'm not focusing on that. I'm day 8 of Buserelin, waiting for AF, then baseline scan, then oestrogen patches then Cyclogest and lubion. Buserelin is making feel a bit sick, bloated and tired. Hopefully AF will be here any day now.

Amazing that you donated half your eggs. I only got 8 eggs but 5 5day blasts. Is this your first transfer?

Good luck

[Wesstywoo]

Hi @Missmonkeypenny I am in the middle of FET and ET is on Thursday next week. I only have 1 in the freezer so a bit worried about it surviving the thaw! Good luck with your cycle, I haven't had any side effects from the meds xx

[sandytoes84]

I’ve just finished norethisterone so hopefully period will arrive in a couple of days. If it does I start 3 tablets a day on Monday (can’t remember the name of them!)

All being well transfer will be end of April/beginning of May.

They are frozen from a cycle I did in October, freeze all due to ohss but the upside is so many eggs (20 in freezer!). Had to wait so long as nhs funded and there wasn’t enough in the pot for treatment to continue until the new financial year!

Good luck all!

[Wesstywoo]

@sandytoes84 20! That's amazing! Good luck! X

[sandytoes84]

@westywoo I know and I’m so relieved as I didn’t have a great experience with drugs or egg retrieval so I don’t think I could do it again! They were all frozen on day 3 so a little nervous about quality but feel incredibly lucky to have a good few chances in the freezer!

[Maximoo06]

I just had a failed fresh egg transfer and have 1 frozen try. My follow up appointment is next week, how long will I have to wait before I can do FET?

[Missmonkeypenny]

Lilly yes, my first transfer! We had to freeze all due to OHSS risk from the amount of eggs collected

maxi I believe they like you to wait until the 3rd bleed after to try again ( at least that’s what it’s like down south) to get your system back to normal. For me, that was 2.5 months.

[Maximoo06]

@Missmonkeypenny I'm also in the south. Oh really I was hoping I would be able to have it straight away

[LillyLeaf]

@sandytoes84 that is a lot of eggs! Is there any reason they froze them on day 3?

@Wesstywoo that's so exciting you will transfer do soon, I feel like I'm been waiting ages.

@Maximoo06 I think it depends on your clinic, are you NHS or private?

[sandytoes84]

@lilyleaf - I think it’s just the way the clinic do it. In fact they said they normally do day 2 but as there were so many they left it another day. Their reason being that the embryo has a better chance of growing in you than out of you i think. They defrost them in pairs so if both defrost ok that’s 2 being transferred - not sure if other clinics do that

[LillyLeaf]

@sandytoes84 wow so you might have 2 transferred? Is that still your choice? I have thought about 2 but I would really like to avoid a twin pregnancy. Although it would be great to have 2 in one go, it's a very difficult and dangerous pregnancy. I was advised 1 for now as it's only my 2nd transfer but if this doesn't work I might consider it.

[sandytoes84]

@lilyleaf yeah they do two as standard with frozen and they’re frozen in pairs so I guess I could request one but that would mean losing one. I am a little nervous about twins but the clinics rates are within national averages so I guess with the earlier freeze it’s less likely overall that they take. I find it so difficult to comprehend that it could actually work that my mind can’t even contemplate twins happening!

[Maximoo06]

@LillyLeaf I'm nhs, I have 2 frozen so does that mean they have to thaw them both?

[Wesstywoo]

@LillyLeaf yes it feels like I've had delay after delay since my fresh cycle, even since I started this cycle there has been a further delay as my lining was too thin!! Fingers crossed us both this time round xx

[Missmonkeypenny]

Wow,sandy,are you abroad or over 35 ( if you don’t mind me asking!) as it’s really not that standard to transfer 2 embryos on a first go or freeze on day 3, or in pairs, at least not from everything I’ve read/discussed! How exciting though, that’s a lot of embryos in the freezer! Of our 13 eggs, 11 fertilised and made it to day 3 and then we dropped down to 4 on day 5 which was worrying but apparently there’s a big drop off between day 3-5, about 80%! I know a few people who have transferred a day 3 embryo and had success - as you say, the best place for it to thrive is in your body!

maxi no, they’ll thaw one at a time probably. Our clinic defrost one and if it doesn’t survive, they’ll defrost another and so on. You might be able to start on your second bleed rather than the third, don’t feel deflated! It just depends whether or not everything has settled down after the initial IVF meds I think

[Maximoo06]

@Missmonkeypenny this process just seems to take forever and after 1st round failed I'm just eager to get on with things. I have 2 frozen so hope the 1st one survives the defrosting otherwise I won't have any left

[sandytoes84]

@Missmonkeypenny - very close to 35, in fact I’ll have just passed that ominous fertility marker by the time i found out if this transfer has worked!

It’s interesting that it’s unusual and I was surprised when they froze so early but I suppose every clinic has different procedures

Tbh there were a few points throughout the process when I wasn’t so confident in what they were doing, but it’s my first ivf and we waited so long to get here (Ttc 8 yrs) so I sort of just did as I was told. The clinic have are above the national success rates and we’re recommend over the other 2 local options by fertility nurse (had to travel quite a distance whichever I chose). I suppose the reason they do 2 is because of high drop off rate between day 3-5.

[LillyLeaf]

@Wesstywoo you would think we would be good at this waiting thing, nope. Hopefully we'll both have a better outcome this time.

I keep forgetting about the fact that they have to thaw the embryos, fingers crossed they all make it.

I had the rest of my drugs delivered, will anyone else be using Evorel patches? I think I have to change them every other day, is it ok to get it wet? I think I would prefer to inject then I know it's actually going in me.

Still waiting for AF to show, I've had random cramps for a few day now so I feel like it's coming but nothing yet. I've booked my baseline scan for Monday just incase it starts this weekend.

[Wesstywoo]

@LillyLeaf they told me they have a 95% thaw rate so fingers crossed.

I'm on tablets but they had to give me the patches as extra because of my lining. It's fine to get them wet in the shower (as opposed to soaking in the bath). The only thing I've found is that they leave a red mark in the shape of the patch so I'm trying to put it in a different place each time I change them! They've done the trick and my lining is now thick enough. On to the dreaded pessaries today - 2 at once as well!!!

[LillyLeaf]

@Wesstywoo 2 at once, oh no, I think they are the worst of all the meds I've had. I'll be doing pessaries and lubion injections for progesterone support.

God I really hope it works out this time. In our first round I was very realistic and told myself it could take 3 cycles etc. But now I know it can work, I've seen that elusive BFP! Deep breath and positive thoughts.

[Missmonkeypenny]

I’m on tablets too, all okay so far, a little bit of nausea and ( tmi ) slight constapation but other than that it’s a breeze compared to injecting again! I’m back in on Thursday for a scan to see how my lining is doing. Fingers crossed for us all!

[Maximoo06]

When you have a FET what medication do you have to take beforehand, is it patches & tablets?

[LillyLeaf]

@Maximoo06 I'll do Buserelin injections and patches before progesterone, no tablets in my protocol (unless it changes).

[Maximoo06]

@LillyLeaf thank you.... was hoping I wouldn't have to do anymore injections

[Missmonkeypenny]

Maxi I’m not injecting for our FET. You can do a medicated cycle with down regulation which will be what Lilly is doing - you can down regulate with injections or sprays or the pill. Then there’s a medicated cycle without down regulation which is what I’m doing, I’m just using pills and pessaries. Then you have a natural FET which has no medication at all but relays on a lot more scans and a regular cycle to pinpoint ovulation. Your clinic will give you the protocol they feel is right for you