IVFers thread

You mean you're not totally knocked out for EC??? [panic]

sooty, I'm thinking of you. I hope the fishing trip went well. i hope you're not too uncomfortable and that you're taking it easy.

Thanks for the tip about the pain Soosy, I think you're right going to sleep might be good - I was thinking of taking my I-pod to zone out as well.

I wonder whether they'll call on a Saturday? Could be a test of NHS commitment . . .

I shall report back.

Sooty usually they will ring you the following day to tell you how many eggs fertilise and when to come in for ET. THey are quite good at ringing you in the morning as they are aware that you are waiting! Don't be brave during the EC sooty, if it hurts say so and they will give you more pain killers, and try and go to sleep, it's much better that way! good luck, keeping everything crossed for you.

S x

Well done Nomore, strangely enough I am missing it tonite - my first injection free night for six weeks . . .

Can anyone tell me how quickly you will know if any of your eggs are viable after the retrieval? (I'm sure you do Soosy).

Hooray Nomore, it gets so much easier and if you bruise yourself don't worry I still do it all the time.

Leoleo, usually drugs are on top, but hopefully your clinic will use drugs which are not quite so expensive or they do a deal with. I know this is true in the NHS.

I believe you pay for the drugs on top of the cost of the ivf. Don't know for sure as we're getting our first go on the nhs.
Have just done my first injection [proud] (it was preceeded by tears though)

Hi had IVF 4 years ago. About to start next treatment in July. Now we are paying privatly does anyone know if the pen to inject yourself is included or how much it costs.
It was included in my first 'bag' but not sure if you have to purchase it..

Thanks

Good luck sooty, for Friday, glad to hear you have found a doctor you can talk to, it makes all the difference.

Swerve LOL about tsunami! Good luck with your trip to London, do you take steroids as well? Just curious. You are at the Lister aren't you. It may be the next step for us, esp as DS has actually asked to have a brother today, feel really useless now!

NoMore sounds like you are on your way, I have first scan on Monday. Good Luck

Have had a v busy week, got DS school place for september, where we are going to live, more house hunting at the Weekend.

sooty how exciting that it's going ahead Fingers crossed for Friday

Hey nomore - you didn't do what I did and think that the big drawing up needles were the injection ones? I had a sleepless night over that before I worked it out!

It's all happening for me now - went for a scan today and got my favourite Dr at the clinic (the one who seems to be able to articulate all his decisions) and we are pushing ahead with the ER on friday as three follicles are looking good and my hormone levels are too high to delay longer. Three is better than two and it does have the added bonus of being DP's birthday, which although I am not superstitious does have to be a good omen as he is really desperate for a baby (more than me if truth is said).

I have to take the ovutrelle at 1am tonight after an early booster of menopur this afternoon. It is quite exciting after all this waiting even though the Dr did say my chances were 'very modest' due to the small number of follicles . . . I guess we'll know more on Monday morning. . . .

Sorry, eleveld, I didn't mean to sound discouraging about costs. Just cos I got all the optional extras doesn't mean that you will need them.

Nomore - yes, it is exciting and that's not weird. You're finally doing something positive rather than waiting for something to happen. I get excited each time. It's the treading water while waiting for it to start that is really frustrating.

eleveld, welcome to the band with more ups and downs and needle marks than Amy Winehouse.

I got my surge today (is there a tsunami warning system in place for dh?). So that puts me on for transfer on Tuesday, starting drugs in 2 days time and having an IVIG on Wedns. fly in to london on Sunday for it all.

I don't even want to think how much each cycle costs us once we've added in PGS, IVig x3 and all the rest. The flights don't even get counted anymore!

soosy Just seen your dates - I could be having ET at the same time as you

Hi eleveld You should be able to find the prices on the website of your clinic Our is between £3,500 and £4,300 for fresh cycle and about £1000 for frozen plus £300 initial consultation fee/andrology assesment and £600 to freeze embryos.
I have been taught how to do the injections now and am not worried at all - the needle is tiny! Am actually excited about starting the injections - is that a bit weird?

Eleveld, I wish you lots of luck with everything.

In London, Self funding (ie NHS, but you pay for it) is about £900 for drugs, £2,750 treatment, and £100 or so for consultations. With NHS you don't usually get charged for investigative bloods or procedures. Privately you would be charged.

I don't know about Manchester, I know in London there is quite a lot of competition which keeps prices down. Some clinics give prices on their websites. Check out the HEFA website too for info about any clinic you are considering!

AF arrived today have first scan on Monday 19th for FET. OAP how is in going?

Swerve when do you think your FET will be, I am guessing mine will be either 29th or 31st May. Should I be laying bets?

Hi

I'm sure you will be able to help me with this query.

It looks like we're getting to the 'IVF is your only option' stage.

Can someone who has been through it recently/going through it now give me an idea of how much it costs now?

I've been told costs have dramatically reduced but keep hearing/reading different things. I would be going to a clinic in Manchester if that makes any difference?

Many thanks

No more don't worry about the injections, it is much easier to do them yourself, my DH can't even watch!!!! and you'll be a pro in a week.

Sooty, don't worry about the eggs you only need one good one!

OAP I have really missed you, glad to hear you are settled up north and to hear you have your mojo back!!!

Swerve, I am having a natural FET too, just trying to time the whole thing. AF I think will arrive tomorrow, which means i could go away as they could do some early scans then kit it. They could then scan me before doing FET, but I don't know if my clinic would let me...

The stress thing, I think if you have stress which distracts you from treatment then that is a good thing, but if you are constantly tense about treatment (hard not to be I know!) maybe that is not so good. I think it is being relaxed that is important. I really tense up after ET and I know its a really bad thing to do. When I got pg with DS just after my Mum died and at the time I was resigned that nothing else could go wrong, so i sort of reached a level of calm, even though it was a stressful time.

Sorry long rambling post.

Good luck to everyone!

Gosh, it feels like first day back at school with more people to meet - Hi from me old girls.

I had my second scan today and still only 4 eggs. ER will be friday if the right side doesn't develop further (in which case it will be 2 eggs) or monday if it does and therefore 4. Seems like the drugs are taking control of me, must be the build up - tears most days, over trivial hurts! I keep telling myself it's the drugs, and obviously it is, but they still keep coming. I went to see Nick Cave on Friday (who was tremendous) but found myself crying through the gig! Guess this is must be like to be one of those really emotional types, so I am trying to think of it as just another little thread in life's rich tapestry!

Hang in there with the injections Nomore, I have to say I am strangely starting to enjoy that part of it (or maybe I've just been listening to too much Nick Cave).

Completely agree about the injections - DH did them all on the first cycle when I had an auto injector pen that just shot the needle into you. Last time around I just had syringes and did them all myself. Best tip (got it from this thread actually!) is to put a lump of ice on the area (I always use my tummy) for a few minutes first as this does numb the area for you, so you don't worry about it hurting and tense up.

And I have found it a lot easier just to do them myself actually - takes 3 minutes max including icing time, rather than faff around waiting for DH to be ready.

Speak soon

hi OAP, so glad to have you back with us! How've you been? congratulations on being in your new (old) home! I'm excited for your next cycle. We're all busy at it here!

Nomore: don't get stressed. It's much easier than you think and much more of a mind-game than anything else. For my first cycle I got my dh to give me the injections cos I was too scared. Then he went away for a couple of nights and I had to face it. I sat on the edge of the bath for about 15 mins thinking "I have to do this, I can do this". then I ran through the alternatives: getting my mum or dad to do it (PLEASE!!), going to the clinic, etc etc. I did it, realised it was much easier than dh's injection technique and have done all of them since.

another scan for me today to see how i'm getting on.

Hi OAP and swerve good to see you both again

I'm getting myself in a tizz about the injections - any advice? I'll be learning how to do them tomorrow and starting for real on thurs.

Hi all, did anyone miss me?? Lots of new faces on the thread, lovely to see,

Well, we have now made the move 250 miles north and have settled into our new (or old in my case) home. The weather has been fantastic so we have spent most of the time in the garden trying to weed out 10 years + of weeds - I think my father thought he would let the land lie fallow for a while. And broadband has been installed at last, yippee.

I'm in the middle of downregging, and will stop this on 25 May. No symptoms at all yet, as my lovely clinic lets me downreg using the pill rather than injections etc. Am feeling positive about this cycle already, the failed one earlier this year seems a lifetime ago.

Re stress - I actually see it as a positive thing (within limits, obviously) as my first successful cycle was over year end at work for me, deals closing all over the place, busiest time ever (16 hour days etc) plus I had 12 people staying for 3 days + over Christmas, couldn't fit the scans into my work schedule at all, and yet the cycle worked. This compared to my last unsuccessful cycle where I was at home all day, no stress at all, looking after DD all the time.....and no luck. I'm hoping the house move during this cycle and commuting 250 miles back to the clinic will be a positive thing!

Morning girls! How's the sunburn? I hear it's been a scorcher over there! I had a long weekend with dh and dd in Istanbul - good and bad in parts (the bad was dd getting a tummy bug, the good - staying with glorious friends & grand bazaar).

to my reckoning, May is a busy month for us. first sooty - egg collection this week? nomore starting stabbing on thurs, me peeing on a stick to see when i ovulate then dashing over for the fet maybe next week, and soosy buying / selling houses while hoping AF doesnt wreck half-term - nothing like keeping the stress levels low, eh? I asked about stress levels on one round and the dr told me it was very hard to define how much it affects outcome. As he pointed out, this is an incredibly stressful treatment and yet it still works well enough to have 1000s trying it. and the harvest when i got pregnant I was so stressed I could hardly speak for the whole month. Maybe distraction will be a good thing.

I ended up having a scan (monitoring for ovulation - very routine) in Istanbul because otherwise it was either that or cancelling the trip. It's so damned hard to keep life going on in some pretense of normality while doing all this. We have completely ditched the idea of booking a summer holiday again because we may well want to do another harvest exactly that week.

Wishing you all a happy and fertile week!

No sooty! Hopefully the sale is going through (major stress point!) And we have found somewhere, but we have to do the whole offer thingy. Which I find v scary! Hope you have had a relaxing weekend both of you! Good luck with scan on Monday Sooty. Good Luck with Bloods on Tues Nomore. Hoping af will not arrive as I want to go to Wales for Half term with my brother and his family, and won't be able to if af arrives as I will be having FET!

Watching Indy on TV, can't believe this film was made so long ago, I am officially old.