Fertility Appointments and Beyond: Electric Boogaloo

Hello!

@beckyCarlos sounds like you're making exciting progress!! Which clinic did you go for in the end? I found the donor choosing process both exciting but also super hard...feels like such a big decision to make on not that much information! And figuring out whether to prioritise the physical vs personality traits I found quite tricky. I only had oestrogen tablets for my transfer prep, but sounds like you're getting a much more involved prep!!

@thislittlebird so glad you took some time off work, I'm sure you needed it. Good luck with starting stims - the new clinic will hopefully provide some fresh ideas for you, and I really liked the lister when I had a consult there.

@Tinkerbell098 I'm sorry that is rubbish. Glad it wasn't an ectopic but it's still just so gutting to experience.

I have some tentatively good news - tested positive on Saturday at home on a frer, then had my otd test (a day early) yesterday and my hcg was 439. So I think I'm 4 weeks 3 days by my calculations (from fertilisation), but they count it from transfer (that's weird, right?), so won't book my 7 week scan until the first week of Dec, which feels a long way away....they didn't suggest a second blood test, but I'm going to get one tomorrow anyway because I'm nothing if not paranoid and the frer progression has felt a bit slow since Saturday. I already had some bleeding on Sunday (black, but still), so didn't really expect to get this far, but glad to be still in the race! Pregnant today, as they say, so trying not to look too far ahead until I get there.

Weirdly I thought I'd replied but I cant see it! Must not have pressed send then exited the app! I got a sample drug sheet and it was just tablets and pessaries, then she ran it past the consultant and it came back with buserelin and lupron injections. Ive asked why 🤣 always good to know!

Yeah so 'full' as in loads of eggs, I was worried there wouldnt be many and now I worry about how I'll choose! You get to filter by build, eye colour, hair colour, and skin tone, then you get a bit more info like likes/dislikes, job area, and (if I remember right) if you like one and want to reserve (you can put them back in) you get their personal message about why they donated which I think will make me cry. Hopefully one will speak to me. I'm just so grateful this is a thing people do, I cant imagine doing it all in my twenties altruisticlly

Thanks ladies.

I'm going to go back on BC for a bit to suppress and control my adenomyosis and then start again next year. In the meantime I'm going to get in touch with others a reproductive immunologist and have some tests done to see if I need to be on an immune protocol for the next round

We have 3 Frozen left although the 4AA was used for this round which I wasn't happy about because we got there and got told 4AA was thawed but because my lining wasn't optimal, the Dr said they would try one of the others and save the best till last.

Anyway I know someone who had a 4AA and it didn't stick and they then had 2 lower grade 4's transferred and successfully had twins so I just need to think of that.

@Tinkerbell098 I guess it's some consolation that things have happened naturally for you and you didn't need any surgical intervention.

@beckyCarlos oh wow I didn't imagine the bank would be full! How much info do you get on the donors? Their physical characteristics and medical history?

@beckyCarlos they haven't sorted my protocol yet or prescriptions as still waiting for my planning meeting. They didn't want to do anything until EPAU discharged me fully (they still haven't!). They said they do Buserelin for frozen blastocyst transfers as a standard and I have no idea why as some clinics just do oestrogen tablets and that's fine. I'm really dreading 3 weeks of injections, and although I've never had Buserelin, I've read awful things about it, similar to your experience. I have a feeling I maybe on it during Christmas, which is going to be awful.

@timkerbell098 so weird! But definitely glad you're all sorted. Interesting you mention buserelin...I've got my drug list for ED (but not my protocol with an explanation) and buserelin is on there, fir your FET whats the doseage of buserelin, and do they need you to have a bleed and 'quiet ovaries' before they'll transfer? I've asked my ED nurse and shes getting back to me, but when I was on long protocol I was on busereling .5ml (I think) for 3 weeks and it was awful, I was so exhausted I couldn't do anything past 6pm and was asleep at 9, at one stage I was having an actual afternoon nap 🙈🤣

The bank is quite full at the minute which is good, I just worry i wont be able to choose!

@thislittlebird im not quite sure. I think usually two normal periods before starting. But I don’t know if the bleed after miscarriage counts as a normal period. Were your cycles back to normal pretty much straight after? Also, my clinic weirdly does three weeks of buserelin for FET. Thought I’d be done with injections after stims. This means I’ll have to start on day 21, so if I need to stay two periods before starting injections on day 21, that would take me to new year. I’m due to have a planning meeting soon so I’ll hear more then.

@beckyCarlos oh wow that’s soon! Hope the bank is good and you’ll find a good match. Would it move quite quickly from there? I know! I was so worried I’d need methotrexate as my hCG wasn’t falling as they wanted it to and was looking more like an ectopic. I still don’t know what it was as they said my ovaries were too enlarged from the ivf stims to have a good view of that area. So I was classed as PUL.

@thislittlebird thats so good to hear that you took some time off. And you're back on the horse! Like you say now is as good a time as any, and (my optimism shining through here) this could be the one.

We're waiting for our ED counselling next thurs, then we'll have access to the egg bank and I'll be freaking out about how to choose from all these selfless women who've done the crap part of IVF with no trade off at the other end!

@tinkerbell098 'good' to hear things are not ectopic for you as well! So glad your bloods and scans look normal now. Weirdly that was my biggest worry, that I'd need meds and surgical and it'd delay everything.

@thislittlebird yes I was on cyclogest, so that's what I think stopped the bleeding too. Hope you had a good break from work, much needed! It's great you are starting stims again tomorrow. I wouldn't worry about not taking supplements, not many consultants recommend them other than folic acid anyway. I've heard really good things about Lister so you are in good hands. Good luck with the scan tomorrow X

@thislittlebird yes my hCG on the initial test was 119, 6 week scan showed nada, so EPAU scanned again, nada, did bloods, which went from 70, to 68 and then down to 32 last week. I was asked to do a HPT this week, which I did yesterday which was negative. I started to bleed last week, so they are happy that I've resolved it naturally. There was a week of limbo when my lining was still thickening, hCG was just staying static and no bleeding, so was worried it might be ectopic. But luckily everything's resolved now. Just waiting for my cycles to go back to normal so I could maybe think about a FET (got one left in the freezer). How are you getting on? Did you have the appointment at Lister?

Aw @tillybabs sending lots of hugs x x x
@thislittlebird good to see you back 😊 hope you're ok!

@Tillybabs I'm so sorry :( it's just so hard! Hope you've got some nice treats to make you feel better. Massive hug!!

Morning. Got a BFN 😕 can't say I'm surprised tbh but still hurts nevertheless

@99pct99pctpractice I was just thinking about you! How are you feeling?
@tillybabs no bleed means youre still in! X

Ooooooh @tillybabs - I think still too early. Not sure what hcg test strips are like in terms of sensitivity - are they like frer? Hopefully you would get a result tomorrow / Sunday. I'm going to try to hold out until Monday (tests arriving tomorrow though so highly unlikely I'll make it beyond 5am Sunday morning 🤣).

I had the transfer exactly a week ago. I know it's still too early to test 🤦🏽‍♀️. Not telling OH

Did a HCG test strip just now and got a BFN

will test with a frer next week but not holding out much hope.

I'm going to have a few months break and revisit around spring next year and go back on BC to suppress my adenomyosis.

@beckyCarlos I found my HCG strip tests. But I'm too nervous to test early. Maybe I will on Saturday...

🤣 anyone who waits is a self controlled saint in my book! Everything crossed for you! X

@beckyCarlos I could but think my OH will tell me off if I do it early 🤣😂

The joke is now I'm feeling bloated again and constipated and nauseous. Probably from stressing 😭 I'm going to try and just hold out

@tillybabs this was me! I'd clearly have been devastated if it'd been negative, but it was the not knowing that was driving me absolutely bat shit, having the cramps and not knowing if the next time I went for a wee there'd be blood 🙈 can you get a test on your way home tonight? X