IVF.. what's the process like?

[ideal]

I am heading with DH to our first consultation next week and am equally parts terrified and excited!

I just wondered if anybody can advise on the process when it comes to zing? I know we will have this explained more to us, but I've read so many horror stories online of egg retrieval etc being extremely painful. I am not very good with pain is it really bad?

Any tips or advice would be so appreciated!

I'm quite scared of the process and DH is worried about the things I may have to go through.

Thank you

I'm sorry you are needing this OP, and sorry this is long! I have no idea what you mean by 'the process when it comes to zing??? I've had IVF twice OP. You will read stories of it being awful, draining, takes a toll on relationships etc, but I honestly didn't find this at all. I was expecting my hormones to be all over, like pre-menstrual, cranky etc- but I felt no different at all. Are you in the UK?

For the actual injecting, I bought emla cream beforehand. Its a local anaesthetic cream used to canulate children or pre blood tests to numb the pain. You can buy it online, or from larger pharmacies. Normally, you'd leave it on for 1hr to completely numb the area prior to canulation, but the needles for injecting are very fine. I'd often just leave a pea sized blob on my tummy, and watch TV for 20mins of so. It certainly took the edge off any sting. You wipe the cream off and clean the skin before injecting though.

I had 'consious sedation', so I was breathing for myself, but have absolutely no recollection of the procedure at all. I woke up back in the cubicle I'd been in prior to the procedure. I had no pain at all. I wore a panty liner, and at most, had the tiniest, speck of pink later than evening. No bleeding nor pain at all. Not even any cramping after the procedure.

You'd normally be given progesterone suppositories to use. These can be used vaginally or rectally. They warm with your body temperate and melt. Using vaginally is similar to inserting a tampon- but, when they melt, you get a white, paste all over. You can use a panty liner though, but I found it just so messy! Used rectally does feel uncomfortable for a few secs. I found using a tiny bit of lube on the tip helped with insertion, but there was no mess at all. Once it melts, it stays inside till you next open your bowels.

I had IVF after having 2 MCs and at that point, had TTC about 10yrs. I had 2 embryos inserted each time. Got pregnant the 1st round of IVF, saw a single heartbeat at the 8 weeks scan, but unfortunately MC a week later. The 2nd round of IVF, I didn't get pregnant. I TTC 13yrs in total and no kids. Please note though, that many people will get pregnant and have a healthy baby. I was just unfortunate, but have a very happy life and lovely DH. Its just a different life to the one I'd always assumed we'd have.

Sorry again this is so long 😬I'm happy to answer any questions you might have and wishing you all the best x

I also had conscious sedation for egg collection and don't remember anything.
I found the hardest parts were the waiting. Waiting for the cycle to start, waiting for stims to work, waiting for egg collection, waiting to see how many eggs, how many fertilised, how many got to day 3 and then 5. Those are the stressful parts and that takes its toll. A supportive partner and a network of people who get it is really important. I made an entire new group of IVF friends on insta just by using the hashtag for my clinic.

@YouBoggleMyMind - I agree with you completely. I found IVF surprisingly easy from a physical standpoint. It wasn't painful, more uncomfortable. But the anxious waits for news (10 days after the embryo transfer in particular), were the worst!!! But so worth it for my gorgeous DD.

Good luck OP xx

I wasn’t phased by the injections and they just became part of my daily routine. Some of the meds made me feel premenstrual but not badly so. As a pp said, the waiting can be difficult and I don’t think I’ve ever been as nervous as when I was waiting for the phone calls to update me on how the fertilised eggs/blastocysts were doing.

I’ve had gas and air for the egg collection. The four initial injections were not pleasant but the first one started to work quickly so the second one was already not as bad.

I’ve had two transfers, both unsuccessful, and about to have the final scan for my third.

All the best, OP.

Exactly this

Thank you all so much for taking the time to answe my questions! I don't know where the word 'zing' came from I have a new phone and struggling to work with it. I meant 'when it comes to it'

I am 26, my DH is 28. I have been given the all clear several times during my scans, bloods, check for eggs via internal scan etc. unfortunately, DH has a low sperm count. I am just praying this works for us. I don't know if I will be able to cope with the waiting and hoping. We have TTC for 3.5 years now with no luck at all. Obviously makes sense though now that we have the results on DH's semen analysis - the consultant said we would have next to no chance of natural conception.

We were registered with a clinic close to home with the intention of going via NHS, however sadly I didn't quite fit their criteria. My BMI was a little too high, so we are going elsewhere and starting from scratch again. This is how I know the results I do so far.

Starting again is going to be challenging. The consultant at our previous clinic did say the clock is ticking on DHs part. His analysis results could keep getting worse and worse until there is no sperm left.

• no viable sperm left.

I think a lot also depends on your specific circumstances.

A woman with a normal egg reserve will likely get through the stimulation phase with more certainty than a woman with diminished ovarian reserve where there is more of an anxious wait between each appointment to find out whether or not you're going to be able to get to the next appointment, or whether the cycle will be cancelled. And then more of an anxious wait for whether you'll actually retrieve any eggs.

Similarly, if you retrieve a good number of eggs, that gives a better chance of creating a healthy embryo that will lead to a healthy pregnancy than a woman with fewer eggs retrieved. That doesn't take away the anxiety for a couple that manage to create multiple embryos, of course, - they'd still have the worry about whether or not the cycle will work - but it does increase the probability of success and relieve some pressure I think.

The main thing I'd say is to look after yourself and each other, take it all one step at a time, and simplify any other life commitments whilst you're doing IVF as far as you can to give yourself more capacity to ride out any ups and downs.

I found following Instagram accounts very helpful.

Put Ice on your stomach before the injections and you won't feel a thing!

The egg retrieval process isn't painful but the aftermath is uncomfortable! I had 2 days off work on the sofa.

All in all I found it to be a positive experience, I had icsi. Worked first time and from from my first appointment, I was pregnant within 5/6 months

Good luck OP

Thank you all.
This will sound crazy to ask but we haven't yet had the opportunity to discuss the ins and outs of the process with the clinic, yet.

For egg retrieval, what is the usual process? Are you put to sleep, or sedated? What exactly happens? How do you feel after? All of these questions are scaring me the most..
I had a hefty operation 1.5 years ago now and found the anaesthesia really difficult. My anxiety was sky high around the idea of being put to sleep, and I'm almost certain the tension of this is what made recovery so difficult when I woke up.

Hi, I had 4 IVFs. I found the physical side ok. It became part of my routine. Egg retrieval was fine as I had sedation. The emotion side was tough. Be a team. I hope it works for you.

I was given the option between sedation or gas and air. Was told that the actual anaesthetic is the same in both so chose gas and air as I could regulate it myself and it leaves your body faster. Half an hour later I was ready to go home; sedation would have been a longer process. It honestly wasn’t bad and I am a wuss with pain. The nurse stood next to me and told me when you to inhale at the beginning (eg. before first injection and before they went in); after that I used it as and when I needed it. This was an NHS clinic though (we are privately funded); private clinics might have other options.

I’ve had one round of ivf and got incredibly lucky as I fell pregnant with my DTs after.

I won’t go in to the ins and outs, but I did not find it an alright experience, I found it extremely draining and traumatising. Didn’t help that I had a massive fear of needles for both injections and blood tests! It chucked up a lot of emotions for me and I felt my body wasn’t mine, it was just a hormonal messy sore pin cushion that kept getting poked around with the dildo cam.

One thing we did do before starting ivf was follow a good sperm diet. DH went from not terribly good sperm count and quality, to having to do the test again because they didn’t believe it was his. I also took q10 and followed a bit of a fertility diet during that time because I figured it couldn’t make my infertility worse!

I was sedated I think for my egg collection, and I was in pain for a day or two afterwards.

All in all, I wouldn’t wish ivf on my worst enemy. On the flip side though, it was definitely worth it because I got lucky.

Egg collection: you come in at a specific time after your final trigger shot, get into a gown, have your vitals done. Taken through to a theatre, legs in stirrups and cannula put in (if having conscious sedation). They'll talk to you and pop the drugs in through the cannula and you'll not remember the rest. You wake up in recovery and they check your pain levels, vitals and if you're ok. You're then wheeled back to your room and encouraged to eat and drink. They'll want you to have a wee before your leave. At that point they should be able to tell you how many eggs have been retrieved. I was a bit sore after but manageable with paracetamol and ibuprofen though I was prescribed codeine if I needed it.

I found it awful but I had complications. However if the problem is male factor, your DH needs to start supplements now. Absolutely no delay. It could make a big improvement in the three main factors (they don’t routinely test for sperm fragmentation). One is Impryl and that helped my DH quite a lot but we had male and female factor.

Sorry you are having to go through IVF - I found infertility so emotionally taxing on top of the physical side. When doing your round just keep an eye out for symptoms of OHSS - and trust yourself. I knew after my egg collection something wasn't right - but clinic just told me to rest. Ended up in hospital when it got worse. But all fine in the end!
I recommend following some infertility instagrams if you don't already / I'll list my favourite below. And I think there are 'IVF Fairies' where you get paired with someone who has gone through IVF who gets it and you can talk to. Unfortunately it's something that people who haven't been through it will never understand. And as a pp mentioned - the waiting for each step is just stress after stress!

@thefertilitydetective
@the.ivf.warrior
@bigfatnegative (they also do a podcast)

Good luck!

Thank you all so much.
It's all so confusing and scary. The thought of the egg collection is what's scaring me most. And I suppose the fact you probably have to be sedated again for the implantation of the embryo providing you are lucky enough to get one 😣

No, you aren't sedated for embryo transfer. Think of it as a smear test. I also suggest you follow some insta pages and Big Fat Negative is an excellent one, so is the podcast.

Oh I haven't heard of sedation for transfer - it was just like a smear test for me. Over very quickly
I remember feeling so overwhelmed at the start but once you get into it it's just one step at a time.

I'm sorry.
I sound so stupid! I don't have a clue what the process is. I am trying to find out as much as I can online

Omg you are not stupid at all. I didn't even know what transfer meant or what collection entailed before I started! It's so overwhelming. I think talking here is a great first step, but it's still a lot of information. Hopefully your consultation will set things out clearly for you, and your specific situation, as it can vary person to person.
You got this - you will be an expert in no time - we all end up that way unfortunately but it makes it easier to navigate. I also think this is why it's good to find people who have gone through it, so you don't need to explain it over and over!

Having IVF, both the physical and the emotional side of it, is not nearly as bad as the emotional horror of needing to have IVF. In my experience. Wishing you good luck.

Thanks everyone.
I have come to terms with the fact we need intervention of some kind.
We still aren't sure if we will require ICSI or IVF.

If your dh sperm is poor, you will probably need icsi. It makes no difference to your journey though, it's just what the drs do behind the scenes that changes (and the cost is more obviously).

I can tell from your posts that you are mainly nervous about the egg retrieval. I'm sorry to say for me it was the worst part. I didn't respond to the sedation, just felt a little giddy, and felt every follicle being drained. It was painful, I was begging them to stop but they didn't. I remember everything, so I believe I was just unlucky with the level of sedation they gave me. BUT, and this is a big but, it was worth it and it was over fairly quickly. You cannot go through something like this without expecting some pain or discomfort. Giving birth is painful!! But we do it.

Im sure if you are super nervous, the clinic could offer you reassurances that they will sedate you properly so that you don't feel a thing. I think I was just unlucky, but I wanted you to have a balanced set of experiences to help you understand.

Best of luck with your ivf journey xx

I agree that the waiting was the hardest although I think I've sort of blocked it put. We were successful first time but it was a very difficult pregnancy and birth so we were straight into that.