Anyone else about to start IVF?

[gardenpixie]

DH and I have our first IVF consultation in a couple of weeks and I just wondered if there was anyone out there who was in the same position?

We've had loads of tests done already so the Dr says we may well be able to start the treatment cycle sometime next month or early May.

We've been TTC #1 for 3yrs now and I am on cycle 5 of clomid so will continue with that until I start the IVF drugs. There are no obvious medical reasons why we haven't conceived naturally, just a case of unexplained infertility, I guess.

I know the odds of getting pg still aren't great but I am really excited about the fact that IVF even exists (isn't amazing what they can do?) and, although I am a bit apprehensive of everything it will involve, I am thrilled to be given the chance to see if it might work for us.

I would love to hear from anyone with any advice or who is in the same boat,

thanks for reading

Luck sorry just realised I didn't reply to you - is the Buserelin the down regs (mine was called something else and was a nasal spray)? Yes, it made me forgetful too...and emotional, but as soon as the stims started I felt better. Hope you're ok

kool and caramel very best of luck to both of you for the next couple of weeks, it's very exciting...kool hope EC goes really well. What are ear seeds by the way, they sound cute! owl I think I am about a week behind you, I have my first scan (day 8) on Tues this week to look at the follicles....I have no clue what I am hoping for, I guess not too few, not too many, not too big, not too small!? Re looking after your DD it's tricky isn't it, I am wondering about who I will get to look after my DS but obviously I don't know when EC will be scheduled for yet (fingers crossed I get to that stage!) and obviously you don't get that much notice of the date/time. Do you have a good friend you can ask and just say something vague about a hospital appt, or a family crisis? I like the idea of an early morning meeting as a possible reason. How old is your DD? Anyway good luck, hope you think of something! Hugs to everyone xxx

Should be in bed but mesmerised by hackgate! Kool loads of luck for tomorrow and caramel great news xx

kool and caramel I am so excited for you both! Hope all goes well with ET today kool and that little embryo snuggles down into your cosy womb, all toasty warm and happy.

All's well with me, got AF on Fri and thank CRUNCHIE what I thought were mental downreg symptoms were just PMT, so am feeling much more normal now. Hopefully starting stims on Thursday and am getting v excited about the road to EC/ET! I'm taking 2 weeks off work afterwards to do lovely things, including a bit of gentle walking in wonderful Wensleydale (where we were this weekend). Bring it on!

Our info (for Leeds) says that we can take in a CD of our choice to listen to during EC - have any of you done this? I'm quite taken with the idea and am planning all sorts of fab songs eg Sparkling Diamonds from Moulin Rouge and Judy Garland singing Get Happy. Nothing restful - lots of amezzin women singing big RA RA RA songs!

OMG I nearly forgot my jab last night - was so busy getting sorted before the Apprentice final. Suddenly realised about 20 mins after my normal time...hey ho. Hurrah for Tom!

Anyway, on on...that red bush tea won't drink itself. love to all!
xx

Good luck for today kool. Sending you positive vibes. Good luck as well caramel. It's all go for you guys!

I had a scan today EC penciled in for friday. Previously it was wednesday, then thursday and now friday. I'm not sure what happens if it goes back another day to saturday. I guess they still do it. There are 12 follicules (there were 14 before - not sure what happened to the other 2), 7 are a good size and 5 are a bit small. I guess we are holding back on EC to see if they can get a bit bigger!
Tummy is very swollen and sore so can't wait for EC.

Dannygirl - I've roped a mum friend into looking after dd, she already has a 3yo and baby to look after so I will owe her BIG TIME!

Good luck to all

Thanks for your happy vibes and messages everyone! ET went well this morning, in fact I found the whole thing pretty amazing, especially as you get to see it on the screen, just mind blowing really. It looked like a little bright star . Had to walk from there back to the tube, from the tube to acupuncture then back to the tube and finally back home so I'm worried I've overdone it but Guys seem to really be of the opinion that you should just carry on as normal (apart from doing stuff like heavy lifting etc). And now the wait begins!

Something really weird happened yesterday....having never really listened to it before or since watching the (ahem) last Sex and the City film, I had a yearning to listen to the song "I am woman" (by Helen Reddy). So this morning I woke up nice and early so I could mentally prepare and be calm for ET. I remembered about the song so quickly downloaded it and set off for the station and listened to it on the way...what an empowering anthem! Luck you MUST add this to your songs list. It even has the word embryo in it and it's really not even a song I knew well, freaky eh?!

Luck aw, you made me all gooey with your cosy warm, happy vibes! I have to say I'm getting quite into this whole visualisation thing. At my post transfer acupuncture the cd got you to visualise welcoming your embryo and I was all over it, loved it! Am planning to listen to the cd at home every day too. So glad your AF arrived, woop woop! Exciting that you're really in the nitty gritty of it now. When I got to stims it really felt like turning a corner. I wasn't given the option to take a CD for EC, it's a really nice idea, although I have to say I'm not sure when I'd have been able to listen to it as I was asleep in the procedure room (fond memories of that anaesthetic still!) then I left soon after. There was some classical music playing during my ET today, not my choice but quite relaxing I guess. Yay for Tom from me too! And don't forget your jab tonight

Owl hi, I think it's pretty normal for some follies to not continue. Its better to get the dominant ones to a decent size. Sorry your tummy is bloated, how uncomfortable. I kept being told to keep drinking plenty of water, which I'm sure you're doing anyway. Great news that you've sorted your childcare out, well done! I'm sure it'll go ahead still on a Sat, I've had to go to Guys a couple of times as that's just how things have worked out.

Hi Teds! How's down regging going? And did you get the nice easy gonal f injection pen for stims? Hope so!

Hi Dannygirl, good luck with your scan tomorrow. Ear seeds are less cute than they sound...they're teeeeny tiny acupuncture needles that stay in your ears on a kind of sticky plaster!! You don't even know they're there...

Biscuits feel free to hang around, even if you've not started you're still on the same journey and this way you'll be an expert by the time you do

Right, I'm off to do some damage to a bag of Percy pigs

good to hear of your experience kool - sorry for the quick update but have no news and work is crazy. Wave to everyone and a special welcome to the newbies.

Hey kool so glad it went well - did they transfer one embyro like with me? Don't worry about overdoing it, i panicked yesterday about that too but as you say, my hospital just say carry on as normal too bar aerobics and heavy lifting! It is really hard not to keep worrying though, was even worrying last night whether I should sleep on my back all night or could turn over onto my side and whether the car was going over too many bumps today! Its very hard not to think about it constantly isn't it? I've been trying to do visualisation too, I'm imagining the endometrium is like a big comfy duvet that wraps itself around the embryo and that the embryo just snuggles into and doesn't want to leave from it! Going to listen to 'I am woman now'!

Owl really exciting your EC is not far off. Really exciting times, hope all goes well and hope they fix a final date its so frustrating the dates keep changing!

Dannygirl good luck with your scan tomorrow thinking good follicle vibes for you!

Speak to you all soon.

xxxx

Hi, just one quick question for the ladies who've just been through ET. When did you discuss with anyone how many embryos to transfer? I've got myself into a bit of a state about it and really want to figure out when a decision will (hopefully) be made.
Thanks

Hi Owl well originally they said they would transfer two but when we got to ET yesterday, only one was viable to transfer so then the decision is taken out of our hands. I believe they usually transfer two if there are two that are viable. Hope that helps.

Thanks caramel - did you discuss it immediately beforehand? I think dh would like to be involved in the decision but unfortunately has to look after dd when ET happens. I'm under 35 if that makes a difference.

Argh suddenly feeling anxious again, must go and eat box of after eights...

Hi owl the decision depends on a few things. Firstly I think that clinics are encouraged to keep their multiple birth rates down so if you get to blasto they really only recommend one as it's more likely to result in a pregnancy anyway. Next, if you're under 35 they tend to recommend one as again the rates of pregnancy are a bit higher. And then it's a matter of how the embryos are doing day to day, so I'm afraid you might not know for sure until the actual transfer day. I guess mine was quite straightforwrd as I'd only ever wanted to go for one and it all kind of worked out as my embryos were thankfully good quality and made it to blastocyst. I had to sign something today saying I'd agreed to one. I hope that sort of answers your question? I know it can be frustrating but until they've done EC and seen the eggs, then the fertilised embryos, nothing can be certain. Have they discussed it at all in theory with you yet?

Hey my day ahead pal Caramel! So yes, I had 1 put back and they're calling me tomorrow to say how many were suitable for freezing as apparently they try to take them on to another day before they decide. Did you listen to the song? Amazeballs?! Glad we're having similar worries - I've not been able to sleep on my front for a while as my boobs are so sore, I guess that could be the progesterone? Love your duvet visualisation! Are you having another acupuncture for implantation? I was planning to but have been told I need it on different days by different people. One person said a week after transfer, another said 5 to 6 days and another said 4....I'm . I must tell you, a good friend who has had 2 babies via ivf had a really bumpy taxi ride back to the station after her transfer and it still worked

Hi womanly, hope it's not all work and no play! x

X posts with you both....oooh after eights? My kind of girl . Right, first piece of advice....breathe, it's going to be ok! Next, seems perhaps like mine and Caramel's clinics do things a bit differently as mine don't automatically go for 2. Once you've had collection and then the fertilisation has occurred you will probably have a better idea of how things stand. Maybe mention. It next time you have a scan and you might get a feel for what they tend to recommend. It's totally normal to be feeling anxious btw but hang in there, nearly there x

Hi owl really try not to worry, the clinic will recommend whatever they think is best, you're in good hands and if you have a strong opinion either way talk to them about it too. When you go in for EC the doctor will come and see you before so you can ask any questions then but the nurses should also be able to explain when you go in for your next scan. In my case as I am over 35 the policy at the clinic is to try to put two back in but I know they only recommend one for under 35s.

Hi kool hope you're having a good relaxing couple of days. I've just listened to 'I am woman', it made my cry - I blame it on the hormones! Unfortunately I had a call yesterday to say they wouldn't be freezing any of my remaining embryos as none of the other reached blastocyst so I'm counting on the little one already in there! I'm having acupuncture on Friday but I too am v confused, the doc said implantation could be a couple of days after ET so no idea! They've told me to do my PG test next Tuesday, 2 weeks after EC - is that when you've been told to do yours?

Dannygirl hope all good with the scan today.

Right, I'm off to watch a cheesy film, speak later. xxx

Morning Caramel :-) I'm sure your little star (that's what mine looked like on the scan pic!) is settling in all cosy. I'm sorry they weren't able to freeze any but now you must focus all your energies into this one. I'll get the call today to find out if any of ours have made it to the deep freeze. I know yesterday they weren't quite at blastocyst so I'm not sure how they would have got on overnight. Eek, I have to say if I hadn't been walking to the station I probably would have had a little cry at the song too, it's pretty powerful isn't it? I kept listening though and became more empowered and invincible after each listen How confusing re acupuncture! Maybe it doesn't matter too much? Although surely implantation is the most crucial bit?! I've been told to test later than you - 16 days after egg retrieval, which would be next Friday. So I guess as you were the day before me that'd still have you testing 2 days earlier than me...

Ooh a cheesy film sounds good...I still haven't got around to watching my Black Swan DVD but I'm not sure that's too light hearted?! My friend recommended a film called Heartbreaker, a French romcom apparently.

Wow I've missed loads whilst away - am planning nice quiet night in tonight so will get comfy and have a good read through.

Just wanted to post quickly for Kool and Caramel, congrats to you both on your new PUPO status . So pleased that it went well for you both, I hope your little beans are getting all snuggly xx

Have come back to work and its manic, I've been presented with a great opportunity but it's so not good timing, what with all this malarky, aaahhh . Going to have a chat with my boss about it later.

My drugs arrived yesterday, so it's all feeling a bit real now, eek!

Catch you all later x

Afternoon all

kool and caramel glad all has gone well - am sending lovely, warm and cosy implantation vibes your way too. caramel really sorry that you didn't get any frosties but hope the mini caramel is bedding down for nine months so that won't matter xx.

I've started my down regs and so far don't seem to have any side effects

Hello there
I have been reading your amazing posts (while at work - shhh) and really feeling so much better about the IVF that my DH and I are about to start. So far we have had a consultation at Guys & St Thomas' and we are waiting to hear when the IVF evening is - I guess that is going to be an evening about what can expect etc... We have been granted funding - amazingly - that has to do with my age - 38 and that we have been trying for over 2 years now, and following tests at our GP clinic we both came out as fine!

I must say I am feeling very daunted by the prospect of IVF, and i particularly liked a post I read here about not having to remain happy and positive - but persistant!

I had a blood test this morning at St T's - so waiting for results form that this week.
Hope everyone is well.
ZB :0

Welcome zeebee . I'm glad you found us and hope that the prospect of ivf seems a little less daunting now. I'm at Guy's ACU and I've found them to be really good. You're right, the patient info evening is exactly about what to expect. Persistence is just what you need but I do recommend happiness and positivity too (I know it's not always easy though). The good thing about it now is that after 2 years of trying, it's now going to be in the control of the experts who will get you there and that's pretty exciting . I hope you don't think I'm being flippant, I just kind of liked the fact that someone else was in charge of my fertility.

Hi Teds, thanks for your happy vibes lovely . I'm so glad that your down regging is going well, with no side effects. I did wonder if it was possible to squirt twice up the same nostril? Surely it all ends up in the same place?! Might be worth calling the nurses as a sore nose doesn't sound like much fun. Aw thanks, I didn't watch Black Swan thank goodness. I've been knitting and am now glued to watching the Murdochs being interviewed....

Hey Skitoo! hope you had a good work trip. Your new opportunity sounds exciting, hope you have a productive chat about it. Thanks for your snuggly vibes. Erm, what's a PUPO?!!

I got the call from Guys to say that of our 5 remaining embryos, one has made it to the deep freeze. The rest had apparently carried on developing but then showed signs of degenerating. I know we're lucky that we've got one though, so I shouldn't be greedy!

I hope Garden is ok xx

I am soooooo sorry that I haven't posted for ages and ages. I have been absolutely inundated with work which is great and a real two fingers up at my horrid mean ex-clients!

I think I have a million posts to catch up on so I promise I will do that as soon as I can!

Just wanted to say massive waggles to KittenKool and MiniCaramel - settle in good and strong there little people!

And obviously big welcomes to the new ladies

I am well, if a bit busy and we have our next appt next week - i could be back on the stims by next weekend eeeeek!

Lots of love to everyone and please bear with me while I catch up with everyone

xxxx

Welcome zeebee, its totally natural to be daunted to start with but really it gets less daunting as i goes on and this thread is also a real life saver so f you ave any worries or stresses, share them with us and you'll feel tons better, believe me. Good luck with the blood test results, lets hope you can get started soon.

Hi Garden good to see you back, so glad work has been busy after all that crap with your clients, really good news. Keeping everything crossed that you get back on track again next week. Thanks for your 'mini' waggles!

Kool great news about your little frozen one too, lets hope you don' need it anyway! I watched Desperately Seeking Susan this morning - great cheese film! Also downloaded 'I am Woman' its been going round and round in my head all day, such an empowering song.

Skitoo and Teds thanks for your good cosy, snuggly vibes. I too am intrigued as to what PUPO is!

Off to watch another film methinks. Back to work tomorrow, kinda wish I'd taken another day off although I think work will take my mind off 'the wait'!

Laters xxxx

Hello everyone and welcome to the new ladies . Just a very quick post to say I had my scan today (day 8 of FSH) and am a bit disappointed I think...there were only 9 follies of which a few were only measuring 11mm (the rest much smaller). Given they need to get to 17mm I am feeling a bit worried and I wish I had thought to ask a few more questions...like..what if they don't get to that size? And why aren't they increasing my dose from 112.5 which I think is quite low....Should I call and ask tomorrow or is this being annoying? They are scanning me again on Friday. Any advice greatly appreciated xxx

Hi Danny girl.
You follicules are bigger than mine were on the first scan (day 7 I think). The largest was 7mm. They increased my dose from 225 to 300 and 2 days later the biggest was 15mm. I think they need to review blood test results before they can increase dose though, it depends on the level of estrogen. You should defintely ask your doctor - it's not annoying.

EC for me on thursday now, so fingers crossed.

Hi all, sorry i haven't posted much either, trying to not spread the negative too much when i've felt down and also trying to think about other things (difficult!).

Kool and Caramel, sending you loads of great vibes, take it easy and all my fingers and toes are crossed for you. It only takes 1, ladies.

Danny, I only had 2 over 11 I think at one stage and ended up with 9 at EC so I wouldn't worry, these docs do know what they're doing. They can all grow very quickly right at the end.

welcome zeebee. Huge wave and hugs to Teds, Garden, Womanly and anyone else

i too am hanging on to the thoughts of 'its persistence not positivitity' and 'there isn't a limited amount of pregnancy' which are the best two things i've heard on this thread.

ps AF showed up on saturday, so start medication on next AF for FET round.

x x x

Hi Dannygirl its 3 days away till Friday which gives them plenty of time to grow. If they were worried I'm sure they would have increased your dose. They may still do this after your scan on Friday anyway. However, do call them tomorrow if just to put your mind at rest - and don't ever think you're being annoying, they are there to answer questions, this is your body and your life so they need to make you feel as calm and reassured as possible. Hope that helps in some way. xx