Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Conception

When's the best time to get pregnant? Use our interactive ovulation calculator to work out when you're most fertile and most likely to conceive.

Original poster

anybody planning IVF for November?

65 replies

suss · 29/09/2005 08:58

My ds is now 8 months and was an IVF baby it took us 7 years of IVF and 10 attempts which is why i want to start again soon as it may take a while again. I wondered if any one else was having fertility treatment at around the same time

OP posts:
wendy11 · 27/10/2005 10:15

Suss

Know what you mean about all the tests. You have just started me wondering if we have to have those tests again before starting IVF, hopefully in December. Had them in March of this year - is there a timelimit on them? Something else to ask the nursing team about. I hope you don't mind me asking, but if you are doing a private cycle have you ever been able to get your drugs on perscription from your GP instead of buying them directly from the hospital pharmacy? I think I have read something somewhere about people who have done this.

Original poster
suss · 27/10/2005 13:57

no we are self funding (lovely term, which basically means you should have treatment on the NHS, but you are not going to. Prescription issued and filled by the hospital (Chelsea & Westminster). They told me you had to have HIV & HepB & C within a year of the treatment. Luckily I didn't have to pay for those, but my ivf cycle is now £2,500 without drugs. When I started eight years ago it was about £1,700 and the drugs were only £300 now they are about £700. Expensive business having babies.

OP posts:
Original poster
suss · 04/11/2005 21:04

Having a nightmare time, trying to get my prescription etc, finally I got it today, went ot get it filled at the hospital pharmacy, in itself a whole comedy sketch, and they don't have any puregon , my hormone of choice and the one that works best for me. It is of course the most expensive and 12 days will cost me over £1,000! which means treatment & drugs will be a wopping £4,000 this time. Anyway I told them I needed the drugs by tues thinking my period would arrive sun or mon, but it is here tonight so need drugs and scan on monday. Everything that can go wrong before even starting IVF has done i just really hope that it means that I am having problems now, not later. how is everybody else, let me now wht you are up to.

OP posts:
angelfire · 07/11/2005 01:17

Hi suss. For me it is now count down time. I am about 10 days off the start of my period. When I get my period II then have to phone clinic to get time tbaled with a view to egg collection mid Jan - it all feels frighteningly soon! IVF is such a roller coaster. Best of luck!

Original poster
suss · 07/11/2005 08:54

Hi angelfire, I have my fingers crossed for you. Although I am meant to be starting drugs today, doing cetrotide protocol, which is much shorter, but have a feeling it won't be happening as the pharmacy won't have them ready. Which means I'll be doing this cycle next year, not what I had planned.

OP posts:
Original poster
suss · 07/11/2005 20:46

Started hormone injections today, so I am on my way. Monstersmum, when are you starting?

OP posts:
Original poster
suss · 11/11/2005 21:11

bump

OP posts:
wendy11 · 12/11/2005 15:42

Suss
Glad you got things sorted with your drugs. I used puregon last time as well and will probably use it again this cycle. Going for a high dose this time to try and get more eggs. I had nine last time, five fertilised but only two good enough to go back. Did get pg but lost it at 10 weeks. I am just waiting for my letter of offer to come - supposed to be starting with my December af but who knows. Really hope things are going well for you.

Original poster
suss · 13/11/2005 19:48

Hi wendy, things seem to be going much more slowly this time - My dr thinks I had polycystic ovaries, but was ovulating before I had DS and I used to produce enormous amounts of eggs nearly always in the 20's, but this time I think it is going to be more like 12 or 15, so perhaps having DS has changed things. I am on 200iu puregon. I had a mc at 9 weeks after 1st IVF attempt, It is horrid as you have early scans. I am sure you will be sucessful you have to keep going - I know its hideously expensive, but you have been pregnant so it will happen again. When you say you are waiting for your letter, are you waiting for funding? That's hard too. We had funding for 1 Cycle, but the rest we have paid for, I dread to think how much we have spent. Good luck and Keep posting

OP posts:
wendy11 · 14/11/2005 18:30

Suss
We are paying for our treatment but our clinic still sends out a letter to tell you which af you are to start with. I assumed that when we were paying for all this that at the very least we would get to choose when we wanted to start. Nothing is simple. I just keep plodding along thinking that when our time is right we will get pg. I have had a natural pg which ended at 23 weeks and an IVF pg wich also ended so I just keep hoping that we can do it again and that 3rd time lucky and we will actually have a baby at the end of it. Have to keep positive!! Hope you are OK today. Do you have a date for EC yet?

Original poster
suss · 14/11/2005 20:04

no date for EC as I am doing a cetrotide protocol and we just wait until the follicles are big enough I think it will probably be friday or monday, as my follicles took of over the wkend and I have 17 and one is already 18mm. Which meant I started the cetrotide a bit late (it stops you from ovulating, but you injest it when your follicles get to about 15mm and so the whole treatment is much shorter). I think its totally s**t that you don't get to choose when you do your cycle, I have never been told when to start. Its hard enough to get pysched(?) up about he whole thing without the added pressure of the clinic telling you when you can IVF. I am sorry to hear that you have lost two babies. In some cultures they say that if you get pregnant then a soul has been made that will be born someday. So it will happen

OP posts:
Original poster
suss · 16/11/2005 21:22

EC i think will be monday - 27 follicles so far feeling a little full to say the least. Any news on your letter wendy?

OP posts:
wendy11 · 17/11/2005 17:30

27 follicles. You have every right to feel full!!!

No word yet on the letter front. I am giving them until next Tuesday and if nothing I will ringing again. For people who work with infertile couples every day of the week they have no idea how streeful the waiting for something as simple as a letter can be.

Really hope everything goes well for you on Monday. With that many follciles will you be able to have embryo transfer now. I know our clinic have reservations about doing embryo transfer with 14 or more follicles due to the possibility of OHSS. I am starting to think our clinic have a protocol all to themselves, but we don't have any choice in where we go as only one clinic in Northern Ireland doing IVF, probably why we still have a waiting list for private treatment adn why we have to wait on that blasted letter !!

Keep in touch and let me know how you are getting on.

Original poster
suss · 18/11/2005 14:53

No, they do a blood test for OHSS, which I had today, if it shows too high estradiol, then they won't even do an EC. Its never happened to me so I am presuming that it will be OK. I have to say though it's getting a little stressful now and my Darling Boy is not sleeping particularly well at the moment, not an unusual occurance but one I could do without right now. I didn't realise there was only one clinic in NI, no wonder its all a bit different, could you fly to London and do treatment? I know at the C&W here that you can have all the scans done at your local hospital and the actual EC and ET at the Chelsea & Westminster - it may be something to consider.

OP posts:
wendy11 · 20/11/2005 10:30

Suss

Just wanted to wish all the best for tomorrow. I hope all goes well with egg collection. I know from our experience egg collection was no problem but the phonecall the next morning to find out how many eggs had fertilised was awful. I will be thinking about you over the next few days.

Original poster
suss · 23/11/2005 20:35

Thanks Wendy - I had 23 eggs and 15 fertilised which is really good. I am going for my ET tomorrow morning, I am having two embryos put back and then the dreaded 2 week wait. Ha ve you had any news yet?

OP posts:
wendy11 · 25/11/2005 10:35

Suss

15 fertilised is fantasitic!! I hope all went well at ET and that you are taking things really easy. Keep those positive vibes going to your litle embryos. I will keep you in my thoughts. I know how looooong the 2ww can be, but every day is a day nearer finding out. Have you got a test date? Keep resting!!!

Original poster
suss · 27/11/2005 20:32

two embies put back thursday am, test date ha, you wee on a stick at home 14 days later and phone in your result. I wish I could take it easy but my DB is being v busy at the moment hope it doesn't do any harm, you see, still paranoid. Any news on your letter? i keep thinking about it as its almost December and its all so hard to get pysched up to do it, I hope it comes soon.

OP posts:
wendy11 · 28/11/2005 17:56

suss

Glad all went well at ET. Rest as much as you can. My consultant told me it would't matter what I did in the 2ww - if they were going to implant they would and if they were not they wouldn't. Have to say I still rested as much as possible. I really hope this works out for you.

Well my letter finally arrived for the clinic today - at long last. Mind you I did have to ring on a daily basis over the last week and pester them to get it. I think I spoke to a different person each day and I was just getting fobbed off so finally got to speak to the person who actually issues the letters on Friday and hey presto letter arrived today. Just the issue of when af will arrive. Due on Thursday 1st December so if it arrives early I am going to be waiting for my next af as it has got to be a date in December. Did you ever hear of anything so unbelievable. Oh the joys of IVF

Take care and let me know how you are getting on.

Original poster
suss · 28/11/2005 21:12

Thats just fab news! You must be so relieved to know that its actually happening I am sending loads and loads of luck. What sort of drugs are you taking. Are you sniffing or injecting?
I thought that having DS would keep my mind off it but it doesn't! Like you I did vast amounts of rest each time so I am paranoid that I am doing too much. Keep posting

OP posts:
wendy11 · 29/11/2005 17:54

Suss

Hope everything is going well for you. I don't think there is anything that can keep your mind off what is going on. It is always there.

I will be sniffing synarel starting day 21 of cycle for about 3 weeks and then injecting puregon, so still a while to go yet before I even think about EC ot ET.

Original poster
suss · 29/11/2005 19:49

So you have another three weeks to go . I never sniffed only injected.

OP posts:
Original poster
suss · 30/11/2005 21:19

Wendy, it hasn't worked, atleast I am pretty sure, I started bleeding today, not much, but it didn't happen before. The hospital tell me to ignore it for the next couple of days and keep taking the pessaries but I don't hold out much hope. So, in the interest of statstistics that means you are now most likely to be successful! We will try again in March or April, but keep posting I want to hear from you. Take care.

OP posts:
wendy11 · 01/12/2005 16:09

suss

Please don't give up yet. I lurk on an IVF board and so many have had bleeding from spotting to full flow and gone on to have a good outcome, but I guess we all know our own bodies and I know you have been through this so many times before that you expect the worst.

In the past did you start bleeding early when it was not successful? Does that make you just 6 dpt when you started bleeding? No chance it could be an implantation bleed? I will continue to hope that things are OK for you, but if not have a good cry and focus on your next attempt.

If this one doesn't work for us we will go again around May time.

I will keep checking up on you.

Original poster
suss · 01/12/2005 20:44

Thanks for your post Wendy. I don't think its got any worse, and may have even got a bit better, but I don't want to now get all excited again. I have bled early before but it was very different, this is v slight, almost just pink with brown streaks, before it was bright red and lots of it. Yes it would have been about six dpt. I definately didn't have any bleeding when I was pregnant both times before. We will just have to wait and see. Did you af arrive as expected or is it late ,mine was always late when I was starting a cycle.

OP posts: