IVF/ICSI/FET - any more for any more... MORE!

[jumpingjackhash]

A thread for anyone going through fertility treatment, about to start or with a success story to share. Welcome one and all!

So our last IVF/ICSI/FET support, wallow, celebratory and whatever else thread got full, so let's pick up where we left off!

Carebear, great news on your EC on Sat!

I've got over my strop now and have re-rearranged my work schedule so all set once they confirm the date tomorrow!

Re. the costs of ivf/icsi - we're self-funding, rather than 'private' (the only difference aside from the additional £1k fee for private was you get to see the same consultant at every appointment - given the team set-up at Guys, we've seen the same people more or less through this icsi, the first one and the FET, so no real difference!).

Their costs have gone up across the board this year, so icsi is £4k (up from £3,600 last year) for the actual process, but then you have initial and additional consultant meetings on top of that at c. £250 a pop, plus any additional tests. Then there's the drugs, which, depending on what you're prescribed will be in the region of £1k (oddly drugs this time were initially slightly less than last).

Thanks God I signed-up to the TROPHY trial and got the hysteroscopy test for free - the consultant wanted to do something similar which probably would have cost a few hundred as it took place in the surgical section!

Not sure what the new storage costs are - anyone know if you pay per embie or per patient? We only had 1 to freeze last time so paid £600 until the FET.

God, it's all so depressing to talk about this in terms of money (whatever the reality), isn't it?

Sorry - just realised that's a big £ rant - it's not meant to be!

Just think it's interesting how the 'not for profit' costs (which akl self-funding is meant to be) vary so massively, even when you discount variations in overheads across regions (e.g. including or excluding drugs).

Agree with you completely Jumping about variation. Interestingly, the local private clinic where I am charges the same as the NHS one. Guess they've had to "compete". It's sickening.

Can't believe they add on all those extras! All my consultant appointments were include in the cycle costs. The only extra was if you wanted general anaesthetic for EC (they do conscious sedation as standard) then it was an extra £312.

That's a fair old increment just for being in London. It's such an unfair system . How many cycles did your PCT fund (if any)?

By the way my clinic charges a set fee to freeze regardless of number of embryos. Got the bill today - it's £420 for the first year.

Our PCT doesn't fund any fertility programmes, which feels unfair when you think that the official guidance is one cycle and some PCTs fund up to three (although I've always believed that ivf should fall under things like cancer treatments etc when it come to funding priorities and the line needs to be drawn somewhere!).

Having said that, if our PCT did fund, we'd be tied to having it at a different hospital (St Helier, where they're even threatening to close the maternity unit) with a lower success rate and a grotty-looking, depressing-feeling unit in a far less convenient location for all the last-minute appointments. We'd probably have ended up self funding to have the treatment at Guys (our clinic of choice) anyway.

Agree with you that a line does need to be drawn, but the inconsistency between PCTs really isn't fair. It's not really a "National" Health Service as it currently stands.

I was very lucky and did at least have one cycle funded.

We're fortunate in that we can afford to do this (to a point), I really feel for couples who can't if they don't get funding. Then I get angry about inconsistencies across the board!

Anyway, how are you and the twins doing Knackered? Feeling good?

Definitely agree with you that it's so unfair that having children when you are sub fertile depends on whether you can afford treatment.

Yes, I'm good. Feeling incredibly tired - actually the tiredness is bone-crushing and very nauseous in the mornings BUT I am sure I'll be through the worst of it in a month at most.

How are you doing? When is test day for you?

I hope the nausea passes, guessing the tiredness will remain for a few years yet!

I'm testing next Saturday, in a hotel where all our friends are also staying so breakfast will either see me squirming with excitement or trying not to cry (hoping no one notices either!). I'm getting some slightly niggly feelings in my womb area, so hoping it's a positive sign?!

Yey for the niggles jumping good sign I'm sure... What a time to be testing... At least you will be surrounded by friends what ever the outcome! I've had loads of cramping - all through the night in fact and managed to convince myself it's an eptopic pregnancy. I don't think ACU are open for scans etc til Monday so think I'll make myself an appointment for early next week so I can have a check up.
Feel better now tho... Just fraught that things won't work again.
Had no nausea at all - boobs still sore tho. Seem to be eating more than I usually do... Hope thats a good sign and not just greed!
Waves to everyone...

Zeebee I didn't have any nausea until 6 weeks. And I worried with all the cramping it was ectopic, but it's very normal. Could you ask them to check your beta HCG levels? It might be too early to see anything on scan. You normally need a beta of 1,000 to 1,500 to see anything.

However If your betaHCG is increasing at the level it should (doubling every 48-72 hours) your pregnancy is unlikely to be ectopic.

My clinic does a beta at 14 dpo (EC) and then at 21 dpo to work out whether pg likely to be viable / ectopic. I had bleeding and cramping 12-14 dpo so they did an additional beta at 16dpo, which was good and set my mind at ease.

Hi all, just a flying visit today and not my usual essay

Hope you're all keeping well.

I'm feeling a little better having spoken to the clinic nurse. I didn't understand a lot of what she was talking about to be honest, protocol this and that but the essence of it was not all is lost just yet and there is still hope. Booked a phone consult with the doctor in a couple weeks when the results of my amh should be in and we'll take it from there.

Heading into a week of nights in work but hope to catch up with you all in the next few days.

Have great day

Don't forget everyone will have their own pregnancy Zeebee so you nay be lucky and escape morning sickness altogether! If you're really worried call the emergency doc, they do do scans on weekends but as Knackered said, it's usual to feel something so try not to worry. Have a cuppa and put your feet up.

Glad things are moving for you Cookie, it's a lot to take in but once you start it falls into place. You'll get literature and various scheduling charts from your clinic which really help too. Did the nurse mention a particular protocol for you, or is it too early to know (based on your tests)?

None Of our friends know we're close to testing again (except the bride & groom) so whatever the results, we'll be keeping them to ourselves (and you, of course!) for a little while!

Hi all
Well the cramping has Subsided I'm happy to say.. Boobs still tender too so hoping that is a good sign... Phew. Going to ask for hcg level check at hosp next week - will probaby have to pay £££ for it but I think it will put my mind at rest. Even did another POAS yesterday and happily came up positive still at 4-5 weeks... Last night of opera last night and big 70s themed party - great music - danced a lot then worried about embies can't win! Anyway had fab time. Now watching amazing tennis at mums.
knackered thanks for the advice - so glad the cramps are normal, and glad u r doing well.
jumping & care how r u both doing on the 2 Ww?
Waves to everyone else!
Zb

Glad the cramps have eased Zeebee! How exciting was the tennis yesterday? I can't believe is was such as straight run! We were watching it on iPhones and listening to the radio as we were out. Caught most of the doubles though - they played really well!

In other news... I'm OK, trying not to think about testing but not helping when DH keeps asking 'are you pregnant then?' or 'do you think you're pregnant now?' every 5 minutes!

We had a nice weekend of distractions, at a wedding on Saturday evening (being designated driver meant no awkward questions about being sober!), then a family christening yesterday. However, we were surrounded by babies and young kids then (many of them were sadly so ill-behaved we started to wonder if we're doing the right thing! ). Of course our drive home was full of those old chestnuts "when we do have a DC, we're not letting them..." and "well, our DC (when we get there) will... not..."! Anyone care to remind me of this in a couple of years time?! .

How is everyone? Still enjoying the Olympics?

ZB hcg check sounds like a good idea to put your mind at rest about what's going on in there! If only there was a webcam.

Jumping glad you're ok. How are you feeling physically?

I must admit I'm finding this round the toughest so far. I felt pretty great until ET, quite positive and feeling this this might be the one, but since they gave my embryo's a lower grading I've been a bit of a wreck to be honest. I've had some light fluttery crampings over the weekend with a splash of bright pink spotting yesterday, and a few twinges today so I think they must be having a go in there, just not sure how far they will get. Its made me really scared for the future too. I was fairly distraught on the evening of the ET and sobbing on poor DH. My mind is now a bit jelly like, and finding it hard to focus on anything. Thank god for the distraction of the olympics!

care i'm so sorry that you are feeling pants - its the awfulness of the 2WW... so helps to try and get your mind on other things - i tend to visit my Mum or a good friend if I know i'm going to be on my own 1 day, or make myself go to an exhibition or something - just so I get out out of the house if I'm not at work.. mind you - being at work - i'm obsessively on mumsnet the whole time anyway! I think light spotting is a great sign tho? Plus twinges...
what day do you test?
jumping your weekend sound fun - I understand re DH and asking questions all the time like: do you feel PG, are your boobs still sore, are we ever going to have again
normally I reply "i don't know" to every question!!

Aww Care, sorry you're feeling crap. The crampings and spotting sound positive so try not to worry about the quality - if the embryologist didn't think they were in with a good enough shot, they wouldn't have put them back! When do you poas?

I'm feeling OK physically, well, actually I've had the odd cramp (no spotting - obsessively checking ), sore boobs, feeling a bit icky and wanting to eat potato products (the thought of potato waffles, potato cakes, hash browns.... ooh!), and usually I don't really eat many carbs (never fancy them, certainly not junky stuff like that) I'm taking as positives. I also just feel generally uncomfortable (still a bit bloated but I've got more of a handle on that) and can't wait to get home from wherever I am and just take my clothes off! Much to DH's pleasure, until I snap at him to 'get off, my boobs hurt'!

HOWEVER, I also believe you will often see / feel things you're really looking hard for / really want to. Trying so hard not to get my hopes up.

Evening all! Mind if I join you?

Well, I'm on my second cycle of ICSI (first cycle was December and it was cancelled as I was a poor responder), had EC on the 23rd July (15 eggs collected), ET on the 28th July (5aa blastocyst). Have 4 similar grade blastos on ice and the embryologist gave us a 50/50 chance of the blast sticking.

My test date is this Thursday (should have been Weds but DH is out of the country) and I am going barmy symptom spotting and googling the crap out of every little thing

Do pregnancy cramps feel different from AF cramps? I'm having very light cramps that feel a bit AF-like but then I also get a few sharper tingly pains, some of which are close to my hip on the right hand side and also in the....erm....under-carriage area . Have also had hot flushes, felt light-headed, mahoosive boobs, spots.....

I know that all these symptoms are likely to be down to the Cyclogest but I can't help but hope for the best.....one minute I'm convinced that this hasn't worked, then the next minute I let myself believe that the test will be positive

How do you keep your sanity in the last few days before the test?????

Hey fishfingersarnie, welcome!

So you're close to the end of the 2ww?! Sounds to like like the feeling Care and I have been having, we're taking them as good! Have slso had a sprinkling of spots on my chin (attractive). Hoping the boobs attract attention away from them!

Wow, a 5aa! Plus 4 in the freezer! You really got a good batch this time! . How have you found the process second time around?

Ps re. Sanity... That went (along with my shame) at the beginning of this process!

Welcome Fishfinger! Sounds like you've got an excellent chance. I had a 5Aa put back, and a 4Aa. Both took...

Care I had cramping and spotting so very promising. Definitely a good sign. Try not to get too disheartened. If (and only if) the worst happens it doesn't mean a third round won't be successful. I only made 2 x 2Bb blasts on cycle two, but on cycle three I made a 5Aa, 4Aa and 2 x Bbs that went on ice. I responded much better on my third cycle than my previous two in terms of number of blastocysts and quality. I have no idea why, but apparently it's very normal to make different quality embryos on different rounds. My worst cycle was the one in which I produced the greatest number of eggs (cycle two). Sorry, don't want to be negative just trying to reiterate that some women take three or four cycles for it to work, and that is totally normal. But hopefully that won't be you and it will work this time. And the signs are looking hopeful.

Zeebee early pregnancy cramps were very similar (probably more severe) than AF cramps but I kept wishing they would stop and I ran to the loo every five minutes - especially as I had a bleed days 12-14 post EC. And then when they became less frequent I panicked as well. I don't think you can ever relax when you've been through assisted conception.

Jumping I think the 2ww is the most agonising part of IVF/ICSI. Good luck for Saturday. Really hoping it's a BFP for you.

Hi jumping!

Really pleased this time - I was so heartbroken last time as we didn't even make it to EC and I was convinced that my ovaries were rubbish, the eggs would be rubbish etc etc, so this time around, I'd said to DH that I only wanted 6 eggs, that was all.

When I went in for the final scan before EC they were worried I was overstimulating! Can't get much more different than last time! Although they got 15 eggs, 12 of them were from one ovary and there were many more follicles than that at the scan (I think 18 on the left and about 10 on the right) - so they prescribed me Cabergoline to counteract any signs of OHSS - that made me sick as a dog and miserable (as I think they have a slightly depressive effect and I have suffered depression in the past).
Once I finished the Cabergoline though I felt mentally better and my body caught up a few days later.

Chuffed to bits at the quality and quantity that we ended up with - was very surprised that there were some top quality blasts that we could freeze! We've already said that if this cycle doesn't work (but it WILL......think positive!!!!) then we'll go straight in for another go with one of the frozen ones.

Same as you with the spots - all over my chin! I never had spots this bad when I was a teenager!!!!

What were you taking as stim drug fishfingersarnie? It did the job!

Hey Knackered! you and the twins well?

jumping I was on Menopur - 4 vials a day! I think my ovaries are old before their time!

Good luck to those that are waiting to test and congratulations to those that have had a long-awaited BFP!! Here's hoping that this is a lucky thread!

Decaf all round! Anyone for ?

Would live a but think they need a and [non-alcoholic ] too!