IVF/ICSI/FET - any more for any more?

[jumpingjackhash]

Hi all, we're about to start FET following an unsuccessful round of ICSI last year (well, we got the bfp, but then I miscarried shortly after ). But... time to get back on the bike and go again...

Anyone else going through this?

Hi there everyone,

Karbea sounds like you're having a difficult time, plus the protocol is different from what i did so can't advise too much, but it sounds like you're doing everything you can with the acupuncture and staying off work. Sending you positive vibes and a big hug, hope you get just the eggs you need at EC. I find trying to think about things one day, and one stage at a time, the only way i can deal with it - try not to think too far ahead to all the possible 'what ifs' you'll just drive yourself mad.

Josie glad you are on to stimming now, does it feel more positive now you are on your way?

Angel good news the drugs have arrived. Bit odd to start with though isn't it - makes it all seem very real. Hope you either get a last minute reprieve or you manage to get started on time this weekend!

Raspberryjam good luck with the scan tomorrow. What day will that be for you?

Knackered are you considering whether to do egg donation next or just thinking about it as a future option? I've found what DH and I are prepared to do has changed so much over time, each time one thing has failed, it has seemed to change the landscape a bit if that makes sense. Do you ever feel that way?

Lumili and Lizzie I can completely understand what you mean about the investment. Lizzie you talked about swopping, have you ever discussed combining you both so its eggs from one and carried by another? Hope that question doesn't overstep the mark. Wishing you all the very best in your decision making and sending you soothing vibes. Do you do meditation CD's? I've got loads if you ever want a copy, I find them really helpful for getting rid of negative emotions.

Jumping all the very best for you, is it the scan tomorrow to determine ET? You are right behind me aren't you?

ZB hats off to you for getting DH to do the Zita West CD!! I tried but did not succeed!

Millymoo yey to you for getting started and also for feeling excited about it, so you should it is exciting. How you feeling so far on the drugs?

pinkapples waves and hope things are well with you.

Bugsy thanks for the good wishes, how are things with you?

Teds you are our inspiration, please keep any nuggets of advice coming on how you managed to stay so chilled and positive. x

On the subject of number of embryos I got a stern talking to yesterday about putting two back - had to restrain myself from shouting but I want lovely boy and girl twins you idiot of course i want two put back
It really is quite an odd experience to show your vajazzle to a room full of strangers isn't it, especially a 60 yr old male doctor. They were all very sweet though, wishing me well. I'm pleased (and embarrassed) to say I was significantly more relaxed than last time and really it was just like an extra long smear. The meditation tapes before and after definitely helped. In fact I spent all yesterday in a meditative haze.

Oh and just an over-sharing alert - i'm pleased to report that front door use of pessaries rather than back door has resulted in significant reduction in bloating, wind and constipation. Just a little piece of advice.

I'm just taking it easy for the next week or so, only a few days at work next week where I am hiding in a quiet office! DH has kindly spent today with me as well as yesterday as there's nothing more important to him than looking after me its cheltenham week

am bizarrely quite enjoying myself this time round and feeling very positive so far

waves to anyone i missed. x

x-posts Lumili!

Hi Carebear of course your question doesn't overstep the mark. Just recently I suggested to my DP that I could donate my eggs to her and another egg recipient, that way we can get the actual IVF free and only have to pay for my DP's transfer, ICSI, assisted hatching and blastocyst if we got that far. This is a significant saving. Sorry to talk about money here but after spending approx £17k on treatment so far, we have to look at more affordable options. However, there are risks associated with that, mainly being that if I don't produce enough eggs they will all go to the other egg recipient rather than my DP. How would we feel if this happened? Also, would it be even more confusing for the child? We have never tried meditation CD's, we may do so in the future :) I always found it rather strange when they asked if you would like to put one or two embryos back, I think most people would choose 2, especially if you are trying for your first child. Take it easy and I hope the 2 week wait goes quickly for you :)

Tonight I just gave myself my first certrotide and it was easier than I thought it would be, might do them all myself from now on, haha check out how brave I am.

So all getting very complicated now...

I had to do the cetrotide before 530, before 6 I need to do the clexane, between 8-10 I need to do 450 of fostimon ( this is less than yesterday, what does that mean? Anything?)
Suprecur at 10pm

Then cetrotide at 5am and aspirin and dextra... In the am with food...

How is everyone else doing?

I'm back in for a scan again tomorrow, will be nice what's going on inside me !

Blimey karbea proper little pharmacy you have going on there! Is it just for 1 day/night you take that?! A 5am start? I thought 8am sniff was bad! Good luck with it all...
Amazing accupuncture sesh today - so relaxing. I just hope it's helping my womb get nice and juicy. Have scan on tues to check. jumping how was yr scan today? Hope your lining is now a thicky
care I like that you have your DH at your beck and call for 2 days.... Have good resting - watch a box set or two.
Night all

Morning all (just!). Wow! A lot to catch-up on!

Karbea, hope the follies are doing the bizzo - when they come to collect you may be in for a pleasant surprise, so try not to worry. I've read Knackered's advice and information and it's all reassuring. Plus I'm v impressed at your knowledge Knackered, I thought I knew a fair whack about what was going on but now I feel pretty un-educated! Thanks for sharing this, I'm going to look at the link you posted properly tonight and gen-up a bit. I suppose I really should get a decent understanding of what's happening!

Angel, so your drugs are with you - hope you get on well with them! Don't worry about asking loads of questions. I was convinced I wasn't taking them properly because I barely had any side effects when I started them. I'm also a big fan of taking loads of notes, I have a small notebook where I write everything down - I'm sure the nurses and doctors at the clinic must think I'm a little obsessive, but it's the best way for me to take it all in and make sure I'm clear on where we are and what's next.

I'm easing off the choccy now too, which is good! The oestradiol patches are making me feel quite sick, so all I can stomache at the best of times is a little nibble of fairly bland food. Am now firmly back onto the protein, pulse and veg-based diet I'm used to and Zita's so fond of!

Carebear - yay! Hope the little 'uns are settling in for an uneventful 9 months and you're having a quiet 2WW. Will keep everything crossed for you.

Hope you and DP are OK lumili.

So, a good scan this morning. The increased oestradiol is working and my lining is now up to 6.7mm, so the consulatant is happy for us to go for the transfer next Friday as it will keep developing until then. So no more sniffing after Saturday night, and the pessaries start on Sunday morning... delightful. Really nervous that frosty might not defrost OK and this will all be futile, but you've got to try, right?

I also asked the nurse about the pain of the transfer. Last time it was so painful I nearly passed out and I'm quite anxious about it this time, so she's suggested I take a couple of paracetamol before to help. She also suggested I take my Zita CD on my ipod to help me stay relaxed. Will be listening to Zita A LOT this week!

Any other tips on a relaxed / more confirmatble transfer experience?

Jumping that is great news! Well done to your lining! I found transfer significantly less painful this time. Knowing what to expect in terms of the procedure, accupuncture beforehand, zita west cd before and after, and concentrating on the relaxation points zita says in the cd during the transfer, all helped I think. Best of luck for the next week.

Karbea, are you taking drugs for immunes too then?

Lumili and Lizzie hope you get some answers soon and a clear way forward. Its really tough thing to go through.

ZB what cycle day will tues scan be?

Hi care bear, yes I am. Had scan a two bloods this am. Looks like I might trigger today waiting for the call. Three follicles look good and two are possibles, glad my three are doing well, more will be a bonus :)

Lumili it sounds like you have some important decisions to make. If I were you I would wait until the initial grief isn?t quite as raw before making any decisions. But I hope you are both doing ok, considering the circumstances anyway

CareBear yes I feel a bit more positive now I?ve started stimming. I feel like I?m actually doing something, and I?m nearer the end now. I?m glad you mentioned about the pessaries as I?ll be started them after EC. At first it sounded horrendous but compared to progesterone injections they don?t seem too bad!

Zeebee glad your acupuncture went well. It?s rare we get to relax during these sorts of things so I?m glad it?s helping

Jumping how exciting! Sorry you find the transfer painful. I haven?t had one yet so I can?t comment I?m afraid. I?ve heard it?s very similar to the HSG, which I found to be quite painful, not unbearable but not something I would like to do again. Hopefully it goes ok for you

I?m glad you?ve got at least three good ones Karbea Any less than that and my clinic won?t do EC so I?m hoping I can get at least that too (I?m predicted to respond poorly). Fingers crossed EC goes well.

And for me, I?m managing the 2 injections a day, swapping sides as the stim injection leaves me quite tender but it?s manageable. And, I might be imagining it, but I?m pretty sure I?m getting twinges in my ovaries, ever so slight, hardly noticable, but I?m sure they?re there. I?ve only had 2 injections so I don?t know if it could even be working yet!

Glad it's all OK Josie! You'd be surprised how quickly your body can respond to the drugs. After this the pessaries will be a doddle!

Thanks for the transfer reassurance Carebear, I'm hoping it's just my nerves running away with me and I'll barely feel it. The nurse said it would likely be a woman embryologist doing the transfer this time and 'they're more gentle' . Anyway, putting my faith in paracetamol and Zita!

Just had the call not triggering. Back in for more bloods tmr AM.

Sorry to hear that Karbea, hopefully they're just being over cautious

I'm hoping they are going to try and get the other ones to grow a bit more, hope the big ones don't overipen!
I'm happy stimming, actually I'm enjoying it more than work!

Hi how is everyone doing today? Any thoughts, news or updates? Karbea how did it go this am? Lumili cost is am important factor and certainly adds to the stress of it. I think egg sharing is very brave for those who do it, but definitely adds more factors into the mix. A lot to think about. Hope you're managing some chill out time too.

Afm I'm trying hard to keep the 2ww wobbles at bay. Never gets any easier does it. Am ok when zita is playing in my ear. Otherwise the doubts keep creeping in. Trying hard to stay positive. Those of you who have had a bfp were there any signs beforehand?

Hi care bear, fine this morning, just two blood tests, back in tomorrow for more blood and a scan.
I bet the two week wait is hard, fingers and legs crossed :)

Hi ladies,
Hope you are having a good weekend. Had my scan on Friday which showed a reasonable number of follicles but none big enough yet - to have rescan tomorrow and hopefully EC later in week. Went for acupuncture this afternoon which was v relaxing.

Hope your scan was ok Karbea.
Glad you are finding the injections ok Josie and hopefully you will too Angel.

It's such a difficult time for you Lumilli - may be after some time has passed you will know the best way forward.
Hello to everyone else .

Happy Sunday evening all! Sorry not to have checked in for a couple of days...it's all been rather busy. My news is that I have got the hang of the sniffing now - the yucky taste does go away quite quickly doesn't it, and if it doesn't the chocolate definitely helps! I also seem not to be getting any side effects, although it's early days - but no spots or mood swings or tiredness so that's good. I asked my mum and she said that when she had the menopause (which is basically what it's doing isn't it?) she was fairly symptom free, so hurrah for genetics! I also had to go to a 40th birthday party this weekend... a bizarre experience being completely sober, but quite inspiring - I think I had forgotten that it was possible to have fun without a drink - although it was awkward at first and we did have to tell a few people I was on medication as everyone asked - 'are you pregnant?' as soon as I turned down my first Pinot!

Just a quick question for you more experienced ladies out there... when should I be looking out for my AF? I will have been sniffing for a week tomorrow and have base line scan around the 26th... they said I should have my AF before then, but I wasn't sure when to look out for it...

Karbea It sounds like things have been a bit up and down for you, but hope you get to do the exciting trigger shot soon... will be looking out for your posts.

Carebear I'm so glad you feel positive for this time around! I also enjoyed your tip about the pessaries and have stored it in the bank for when the time comes... How funny about having to show your fandango to a room full of strangers... I guess this process really does strip you os all last remaining dignity... still - good preparation for child birth when we are ALL UP THE DUFF!

Raspberry best of luck with the next few days - thinking 'growy' thoughts for you.

Josie Hope the stimming is going ok

Jumping Hurrah, Hurrah, hurrah for your lining... will be reading to hear your updates!

Angel When do you start your drugs?

Lumili hope things are starting to feel a little more positive? I know it's all so recent still though... hope you had a nice chilled weekend.

TO ALL!

Hello,

Just to let you know I triggered tonight. EC on Tuesday.Mr T saw 4 good follies, so hoping to get 4 juicy eggs on Tuesday :)
Hope everyone is doing well :)

That's fantastic news Karbea I'll be thinking of you on Tuesday and wish you the best of luck

CareBear I hope you can get through the 2ww ok, it must be extremely difficult

Fingers crossed for you too RaspberryJam. Hope you get a date for EC soon

Milly glad you're getting the hang of the sniffing. I don't really know about AF I'm afraid. I was due AF about a week after I started DRing but it was about 2 weeks late when it did start

You'll never believe, I'm finding the stimming quite easy!! I had to do it when I had guests last night but it was very close family so it wasn't embarrassing to just nip off and do it, and I'm getting quite quick at it so it was over and done with in minutes (although it takes DH a while to make it up ) 2 days till my scan! I'm nervous because I can't really feel anything hapening, and although I know it might not mean anything, I'm still scared it's not working, although it's definitely having some effect on me in general as my sleeping pattern is completely messed up, which isn't good, but if it means the meds are working I'll gladly put up with it. So I'll find out on Wed if it's doing the job, and if so, EC is currently scheduled for a week tomorrow. Eeeekkkk!!!!!
I'm full of the joys of spring today! I'm so much happier than when I was just down-regging, and I'm off work this afternoon (I'm not supposed to be in at all but I'm making up some hours) so I'm off to the garden centre this afternoon and I'm hopefully going to plant my climbing rose. I'm so glad summer is coming

Karbea How exciting! BEST OF LUCK TOMORROW! eeeeeek!

Afternoon alll... hope you are enjoying the sunny day... ours started with a £150 pay out to a plumber as our boiler broke down yesterday - anyway at least it's sorted now - altho feeling pretty broke
So tomorrow I have my scan to see how my womb lining is looking - fingers crossed that it will be looking OK and that they might give me an idea when we can actually DO the transfer! anyway - I am not getting my hopes up too much in case they say womb needs further stiming etc etc, altho it feels nice to have finally almost reached scan day

care it will be my day 13 tomorrow... how is the 2WW going - i can remember 1st time around it was agonising looking for the signs... not that there were any really - what date is your test date?

josie so happy you are finding the stimming OK - it's funny how you get used to it isn't it? Jsut a little scratch really - you jsut have to be A1 concentrating when you do it...your afternoon sounds nice - in the garden - I spent yesterday gardening - hacked off some branches of a tree and climbed a ladder to get rid of a load of 20 year old ivy on our wall - almost fell off the ladder coming down - as I was so pleased with myself

karbea good luck tomorrow - how egg-citing ! Hope it goes really well for you...

jumping hope all is OK with you? how are those pesky pessaries going? Not long til friday...
milly fun without alcohol - ARGH = NOT fun! So hard in social situations isn't it... i must say first time around i gave up totally, this time round I am having an OCCASIONAL half glass... the doctor at the hospital said this was OK - but i'm not doing the half glass everyday - and only for special occasions. My DH loves it as it means i drive us home from nights out the whole time!
raspberry how exciting re EC this week too - fingers crossed for you!
Waves to everyone else
ZB

Hi all,

Karbea, all the very best of luck for tomorrow! Be sure to let us know how it goes. Enjoy those drugs when you wake up!! Hope they get at least 4 very juicy eggs for you.

ZB best of luck with the scan. Not long to go. I had transfer equivalent to day 22, but it obviously varies a lot, Jumping has been a lot later. Isn't it amazing how they can manage our cycles?! Ooh its a good job you didn't impale yourself coming off that ladder, that wouldn't of been good timing!

Jumping speaking of you how are you holding up, are you getting ready for friday? Talk us through your preparations for the day. Mine went a bit overboard i think. DH was not pleased at me insisting he drove into central london so that he could drive me home after and i wouldn't have to take public transport! Hmm, slightly over-the top maybe. :)

Milly glad the sniffing is going well. I've only done short protocol so can't help with the AF question. Glad you made it through the party ok. Drinking freely and merrily at parties seems like such a distant past!

Raspberry how did the scan today go, any news?

Josie your positive spring post cheered me up this morning so thanks for that, glad things are going well for you.

Lumili, Lizzie and anyone else I've not name checked hope you're holding up ok, let us know how you're getting on.

AFM i am absolutely climbing the walls. OMG, every second feels like an hour. Work was a welcome distraction today. Funny as I've done more than 50 2WW's (faint) so should be well used to this yet here i am as always, symptom spotting like a madwoman. Zita's calmness has gone completely out of the window! And yes like always have had sore boobs which come and go, and flutterings in my belly which come and go, and feel tired etc, but honestly i've felt all this so many times before there's just something in my gut that says it hasn't worked, but am desperately trying to hang on to some positive thinking until the fat lady sings, sigh. Test day is friday. Drills fingers on desk. !

Hi Ladies,
Good to catch up with your news from the past couple of days.

Thinking of you tomorrow Karbea- and wishing you a serving of good luck along the way.
Sounds like you are handling things really well Josie and hope all looking good on Wednesday. I have definitely felt more positive now that spring flowers and buds are growing at the moment. Don't know if any of you are into horoscopes but apparently this is an auspicious time and also in conjuction with the equinox? - I'll take any positive thoughts that are going.

Can't really help you Milly with your question as I have been on different protocols, sorry.

Hope your scan good tomorrow Zeebee- like you I'm having an occasional glass of wine this time round - think it goes a long way to relaxation and also stops prying questions. I'm on decaff tea/coffee most of the time except first thing in morning.

CareBear - it is such a long wait!!The symptom spotting would drive you crazy, but as you say don't give up on it ! Fingers crossed for you xxx

Had my scan today - good number of follicles (4 on right and 7 on left)and had grown since Friday but still need a couple more days Gonal F - hopefully EC on Friday . I'm trying not to get too hung up about numbers of eggs as 8 last time but no embryos - hopefully ICSI will help.

Karbea best of luck for today, hope it all goes really well, I'll be thinking of you all day

Raspberry I like reading my horoscopes but I don't much believe in them, although DH's said 'Venus in Taurus may bring you a baby'! which is extra weird as my maiden name is Venus, and I'm taurean Best of luck for tomorrow's scan though it sounds like things are looking good, hopefully Friday is the day

CareBear I'm glad my post cheered you up but sorry you're finding the 2ww so difficult, I bet you feel like tearing your hair out by now. Best of luck for Friday

Zeebee my afternoon in the garden went out the window, ended up running around after everyone else, but I did get the stuff to plant my climbing rose so hopefully soon I can get that in. I hope your scan goes well tomorrow

I'm hoping today goes really quick, I'd like to know what's going on in there one way or another. So I'm going to knuckle down and get loads of mumsnetting work done and not lift my head from the computer