Fertility Appointments and Beyond: Electric Boogaloo

@thislittlebird ive just read your earlier posts about FSH and just wanted to respond because it was me who asked you about it. I just wanted to say, there was no malice in the question, I was interested because I had done some reading of Dr Robert Winstons book and website and he said no matter what your AMH, your response to IVF is impacted by FSH and he goes onto say over 15-20, you are likely to have a less successful response to IVF. I saw you were upset about your response which was less than you wanted so just wondered if it was something that maybe be relevant. Sorry to have caused you any upset. The reading might be out of date, I’m not sure. I just found it interesting for me personally

@thislittlebird I'm sorry that must be so disappointing. Gonna drop my it only takes one line to keep the positivity in, but please know its also SO ok to be feeling upset x x x (also lol I know, if I'd married my first bf jeeeesus!) Also, also, lol 'pen portrait' a brief bit about what they like doing (hockey, seeing friends and family) why theyre donating (want to give people a chance at having a family), a message to the child (cant type it, will cry, and I cant cry at work again lol swung it for me), and a bit about what theyre like as a person (sounds very like me!)

@99pctpractice glad they can see you quickly! It could 'just' be the embryo nestling in (when I had my 7 week scan the nurse said she could see I'd had a bleed, which I hadnt physically, and she said sometimes it just stays inside depending how much/where everything is, and its totally normal) thats interesting re PGT... why is there less chance with donor eggs?

@tinkerbell098 5 days once youve had the additional info 😅

@beckyCarlos I'm glad you've found a couple of donors you like, but the system for choosing is a little strange. Hope you get to make the right choice. Is there a time limit as to when you have to choose by?

@thislittlebird 4 fertilised is great! Everything crossed for Saturday that you get some good ones in the freezer too.

I picked up my meds for a frozen cycle yesterday. My cutoff to get AF is 2nd of December so they can fit me in for a cycle before their Christmas shutdown.

@99pctpractice all the best for the scan today! A girl on another thread I'm on, had some spotting, bleeding even throughout and she's been for a scan and all ok. Apparently it's common with IVF pregnancies with the pessaries we have to be on to irritate the cervix. Fingers crossed everything's ok for you too X

Thanks @thislittlebird @beckyCarlos yes, I have a scan booked at noon today so hopefully will know more definitively then. I'm 6 weeks so in theory there should be a heartbeat if it was all ok. I've had some sharp pains on one side so slightly concerned it could be an ectopic, but really hoping it isn't! I wanted to do pgt testing on the other (donor egg) embryos that they froze (to avoid future potential miscarriages), but the clinic were very adamant that i shouldn't because they're donor eggs and so there should be less risk of chromosomal abnormalities and therefore miscarriage than with my eggs. And yet here we are.

I'm probably not going to drive to the funeral (it's in Chiswick and I think it's quicker for me to train it). I might go to the funeral and skip the wake. Either way I won't be drinking and I don't want to have to explain why (when everyone else will be drinking heavily....)

@thislittlebird I know it isn't what you were hoping for, but 10 isn't bad as a starting point - all fingers crossed for your fertilisation call 🤞

@beckyCarlos that is tricky. With leb the pen sketches were all available on the website, it was just a race to pay for the eggs to reserve them. It does sound a bit like the stick or twist of the college boyfriend - so tricky to know whether it's the right choice to go ahead with so little information!!

Oh 99 I'm so sorry. It could 'just' be a bleed (I know, just is a ridiculous word to use). Can you call your clinic or your local EPU on the off chance that they might be able to see you before the funeral? Sending you lots of love x x x x

We found a couple we like, weve requested more info on one (you can only have their pen portrait one at a time, which is a bit mad!) Which we like, but trying to decide if we want to release her and get the pen portrait on our other fave, but then the first might get taken by someone else (and theres nothing wrong with her, I think its a bit like getting married to your college boyfriend lol how do you know something better isnt out there?! I say this tongue in cheek, one of my best friends married her first boyfriend and they're very happy) x

@beckyCarlos exciting!! Have you found any donors you like yet?

@thislittlebird hope ec goes/went well. And really hoping one of the eggs is the one for you.

I started bleeding last night so think this one is not going to make it. Feeling heartbroken again. And I know it makes me sound like a small child, but I just feel like it's so unfair that this has to be so hard for us. I'm also really annoyed that I let the clinic convince us not to pgt test the remaining embryos because the idea of going through this again just absolutely sucks. Sorry for a miserable rant - I'm also annoyed because I don't think I'm going to be able to make my friend's funeral today because I'm paranoid about how the bleeding might evolve....ugh, this whole process just absolutely sucks!

Small update from me, counselling was ok, not sure what I was expecting (and I'm glad we didnt have to pay for it, I'm not sure we got 'that' much out of it) but gave us a couple of things to think about. But...today we got access to the egg bank! Husband is still away so I've had to sit on my hands all day, but going to have a look tomorrow! Very exciting! X

@thislittlebird sorry the other group has made you feel rubbish. I don't see the relevance of FSH. They're giving you a higher dose to counteract even if you have low FSH, so they're already addressing any potential issues there. 8 follicles is still great, and fingers crossed, there are others hiding. I only had 8 in the end and got 5 mature eggs out of those. So stay positive. It's quality over quantity that matters.

@99pctpractice I know the feeling. It's hard to get excited when you've been through so much. Hope the next couple of weeks don't drag for you until the scan and then you'll have some reassurance. The blood results is a good positive though, so enjoy the moment.

@beckyCarlos oh no! Really bad timing for the counselling. Hope you can still get the most out of it. Let us know how it goes X

@thisthislittlebird advise your uni not to get into apprenticeships, this ofsted malarky is NOT why I went into HE! Yeah, dont listen to the other group 🤣 they obviously havent experience the crushing disappointment of minimal follicles but then feeling bad because youre disappointed when you still have some and you should be being 'super positive'...

Aw thats good news @9999pctpractice ! It might feel a bit more real after your scan 😊

Hi @thislittlebird I'm sorry you're feeling down. I totally get the stims blues, it's such a stressful process. My last round they could only ever find 3 follicles and then they somehow found 6 eggs at ec, so sometimes you can have late runners that catch up. All fingers crossed that you get some good embryos!! I get the decision to do pgt, just to have a bit more reassurance before you do any fets. Really hoping that this is the round for you - no idea why someone mentioned your fsh levels, there's no point testing them mid-stims, surely? So frustrating to get unhelpful advice.

Thanks, @Tinkerbell098 yes, the second blood test was ok so just waiting for the scan in a couple of weeks time. Feeling quite disassociated from it : I'm not sure if it's because it's donor so doesn't feel like it's mine or maybe it's because of all the failed ivf cycles and mcs. I had some counselling, but I'm not sure that counselling is really for me, tbh, or perhaps I just haven't found a counsellor that i get along with!

@thisthislittlebird I dont understand the comments about FSH, my FSH is 16 (!!!) But that means nothing really without a follicle count, and AMH level, and it cant tell you your quality, all mine meant was max doseage for drugs because my body naturally has to work extra hard to grow follicles so I needed extra extra drugs for IVF (and your clinic definitely have that covered lol)

I have nothing but the eternal optimism of a hopeless romantic for you - one of those 8 follicles could be the one! (But I've also been the one crying in the car after a scan because I only had half the follicles I had the month before on my baseline. It fucking sucks) i hope you find some time tonight to do something that gives you a bit of joy x

I have egg donation counselling tomorrow...in the middle of a sodding ofsted visit. It is not the one. I have to slink off to a meeting room at work and hope noone overhears me! (I work in HE, am not neglecting a class of teenagers lol)

@99pctpractice thank you! Really eager to get going, but I have a feeling my cycles are still messed up and might take longer as I still haven't had a LH peak. Just have to be patient I guess. Hope you are keeping OK. Did you go for a second blood test?

Thanks, @Tinkerbell098 !

I don't think it matters if you ovulate for a medicated FET. For my transfer, all they cared about was my lining and making sure there were no cysts or anything else untoward going on in there. Also, the medication they gave me I think either suppressed ovulation or follicular development so I wasn't expected to ovulate anyway! Fingers crossed you can do it before Christmas, I know that feeling of endless delays!!

@99pctpractice oh wow! that is amazing news! You must be over the moon! Great hCG too. Bet you can't wait for the scan now. How strange they count from transfer. My clinic does transfer minus 3 days, so seems to vary from clinic to clinic.

I had my planning consultation for FET and agreed to not to use Buserelin (really didn't like the idea of weeks and weeks of downreg for a FET!). Instead, I have to ring up on day one of my cycle and have 5 days of downreg on Fyremadel and then start oestrogen tablets. Seems they use cyclogest plus lubion for FET. Timing wise, the consultant was more leaning towards a Jan transfer, but when I asked if I can't start after my November period, she said I could, although because of my MC, she'd advise to wait. But technically, my Nov period would be my second period after MC (had a bleed end of Oct, so hopefully will get a period end of Nov). This would mean I'd transfer pre Christmas (provided lining all ok). I'd love to get it over with this year and not drag on to next. Plus, given how they didn't want me to start a cycle in Aug due to bank holiday, I doubt I'd have treatment end of Dec to transfer in Jan as they'd need to fit in scans during the Christmas bank holidays. So really tempted to just go for it next cycle and transfer pre-Christmas. I'm hoping my cycles would regulate soon. I'm on day 15 and still haven't had a LH peak, so not sure if I'm going to ovulate this cycle. But if I'm on a medicated FET, does it matter too much if I ovulate or not? I know for a natural cycle, they time the transfer depending on your ovulation, but didn't think it would matter much with a medicated cycle even if my cycles haven't gone back to normal? Am I making sense?

@99pctpractice congratulations!! Amazing news xx

Thank you!! And that's great @beckyCarlos - my main worry with care was how many donors they had in their bank but it doesn't look like that is a problem for you!! Hope things move along speedily for you now. Xx

Omgggggg @99pctpractice !! Thats amazing! Everything crossed for your bloods and scan 😁 I suspect the extra drugs are because my lining was better on my long protocol, and the lupron might be extra progesterone because I had a miscarrisge but we'll see! We're going with Care, we got a good feel from the initial consult and things seem to be moving quickly which was my main concern! X