Assisted Conceptions (and all the bits in-between) Volume 11

[vallinnapod]

I really hope I haven't missed someone else starting this!

Sending lots of positive vibes your way Lucky
xxx

You will get there, Lucky, even if you have to discard the prospect of using your own eggs. You will not love a donor child any less. Good luck with the last round of IUI (if this one is a bust). At least you can say you have tried every which way you can with your own eggs

Hello ladies

Thanks for the warm welcome from all. Has anyone had a karyotype blood test to test your genetic makeup? Had mine done by the GP 10 weeks ago and the gp is saying the results have gone to the Ivf clinic (NHS) even though I didn't even tell the gp that the Ivf clinic (private) had requested them. Wondering why they thought to send them to the NHS clinic. Got appt with them in a couple of weeks but not sure if they are just going to turn around and say that they don't have the blood results as it was the gp surgery that requested them. It likes banging your hand against a brick wall, don't seem to be able to get anyone to 100% commit to knowing where these results are!

Anyone else had this test done through gp and results sent to Ivf clinic?

luckystar how are you doing? Sending good luck vibes your way xx

Any news from anyone else on the thread?

You can ask the receptionist to print them out for you maybe?

My gp would not fund those tests due to cost but the cheaper tests he did and I just got print out of all results. If you need them for private clinic then you will need a copy of the results yourself to give to them I guess.

Hi hoophopes I did ask for print out of all my bloods in the hope that it would be within it and they had just missed it on the system when I've tried to get it but unfortunately it wasn't within the stack of papers!

There's no cost to the gp for doing the tests. My DH is a GP and all bloods are funded by the local health board which is always strange why people can never get an AMH test done through their GP. It doesn't cost the practice a penny. If the Gp says this it is usually because they don't know how to interpret the results. (My DH has never requested karyotyping himself so isnt sure of where the results go in case anyone's wondering why I just don't ask him!)

I had the test refused due to cost but all sorts of other complicated ones done. Some the lab refused to do unless I was under a haematologist. That is what I was told. Seems we all get told different information. However I did get copies of all tests results printed out whether from gp, NHS fertility unit or a private one so could use them wherever I wanted. All test results for me were sent to whoever requested them. Some did not get done by the labs I remember despite the request so had to be done again, maybe that has happened in your case?

Lucky, is it OTD today? Hope you're okay x

Waves Woohooo ladies....popping in to say hi, I'll be back properly in just over a month.

Can't believe it is 3.5 weeks since the MC. It is like I was never PG.

So, 9 vials of blood down we are throwing the kitchen sink at this. I have had the recurrent miscarriage panel to test the majority of immune/clotting issues and karotyping as we are going to have PGD.

As of the 20th I can take Provera to induce a bleed and then the pill for a cycle during which time our results will be back but fingers crossed we will get going end of Oct/beginning of Nov. Going for the antagonist protocol so we should be pretty swift.

I hope all bubs, bumps and duff ovaries are doing well

Hi, Vall, nice to see you so positive. What is PGD and antagonist protocol? I wish you all the best with this cycle

Morning ladies

vall really sorry to hear you miscarried. I had no idea - you sound fired up and ready to go. Which is the only way to be so good on you. Can you explain PGD it might be I just don't recognise the abbreviation. What is the difference with an antagonistic cycle - why has they chosen that route? Always keen to understand more :-)

AFM - tested yesterday and negative - but tested by irine rathe me than blood so the dr wants us to give it til Friday - no spotting this time which is good! Equally no sore boobs and any signs - so I'm not hopeful!
Now weighing up where to have our donor cycle - considering Czech Republic thanks to pram queens advice on her experience at reprogenosis - however need

Trying to do my research as their recent results have been less successful than their competitor Gennet - who is linked to the uk clinic city fertilty where I've had these IUIs
Trying to go through it all to make the best decision xx.

Lucky, fingers crossed for you for Friday. I never had ANY symptoms for my bfp...

Vallina, so sorry about your mc. But you sound upbeat and positive for the future. Hang in there my dear.

Pram, yes I'm enjoying being a mum. It is fun and the lack of sleep is tough, then DD gives me a cheeky smile and its all just so so lovely.

Welcome Fabi

Waves to Hoopes and all you other ladies.

I keep this poem to hand, feels right to post it today...

When things go wrong as they sometimes will;
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill;
When the funds are low, and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but have to sigh;
When care is pressing you down a bit-
Rest if you must, but do not quit.

Success is failure turned inside out;
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt;
And you can never tell how close you are
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit-
It's when things go wrong that you must not quit.

Don't stop believing

Morning all,

PGD is Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis. They biopsy the embryo at day 5 to check for chromosome abnormalities so they know they are putting genetically perfect ones back, thus reducing the risk of MC for that reason.

The antagonist protocol is without down regging. Recommended for PCOs like me to prevent OHSS. They stim you in the same way and then trigger with buserelin (rather than Ovitrelle).

Sounds like I am going to be on the whole shebang of drugs too, clexane, gestone (part of my arse is still numb 4 weeks after my last jab!) etc.

Everything crossed.

Lucky I am sorry that this cycle seems not to have worked for you, sounds like you are thinking about the future too.

Nice poem, Pocket.

Lucky, I'm sorry this has not worked. I've heard Gennet is great for women with complex issues other than duff eggs and sperm. Sporty Girl (on FF) has had recurrent miscarriages and other issues which a normal IVF cycle (even donor egg and sperm) will not rectify. If it is simply a matter of needing donor eggs and sperm then RG is the place. Dr Vrana did my perfect transfer and I didn't care a jot that his English wasn't very good; it didn't need to be. Helena was all I needed and she was superb from start to finish. I cannot believe that in a space of seven weeks, from conceiving the idea of DE until my transfer, that I got my BFP. Of course, DH's sperm was great (after six months of supplements doing a terrific job on his poor morphology and average count) and so was our donor.

Vall, yes, I thought that was what PGD was. What an astonishing piece of technology. I would feel very, very confident after having that. But what is the cost??

DSB

An eek type cost Pram - adds an extra £3500-4000
but it is one of those things if we didn't do it, and I MC again and it is chromosomal I would be kicking myself.

BLEDDY HELL!!

You are absolutely doing the right thing if you can afford that kind of money. It is a superb 'guarantee' of transferring viable embryos. The very best of luck, Vall. Keep us in the loop, please; I will be watching your case closely. Really terrific that you are able to take advantage of such wizard technology

..are you at ARGC, Vall?

No, contemplated moving there. I am at The Bridge. They have been a bit patchy but I saw a fantastic consultant this time round (Mr Mamiso). That and a bit 'better the devil you know' made me stay.

Can't really afford the PGD, can't really afford the IVF. I am incredibly lucky with parental support for some of it. The rest keeps coming from not doing anything else somewhere.

vall we had this done! Cycle 3 and our only cycle where we achieved a bfp!! My bloody consultant however didn't look after my progesterone in our opinion - I spotted and list it! Out of 10 embryos that round we only had one embryo come back as a euphloid! Ie genetically perfect but in all other rounds we have had excellent fertilisation rates, excellent embryo development reaching blastocysts but clearly they were likely to be genetically abnormal we assume due my DH > 99% poor morphology! The only thing I would say is - since embryoscopy (only £500) our clinic deamed there was no need to biopsy the embryos anymore - so it might be worth asking about this vall. Quite simply because if they don't have the facilty of embryoscopy this is often the reason why a clinic would still offer biopsy.

They actually say now that embryoscopy means less chance of changing the structure of the embryo which can cause possible damage to it which it can't repair from. I would honestly just ask this as embryoscopy also allows them to monitor the embryos 24/7 and the embryo development and any genetic difficulties are apparently very obvious from this! Especially if you reach day 5.

pram queen glad you've said this about RP as I was getting my myself in a muddle last night seeing their rates have dropped. I just so don't want to go to all this effort of another new clinic and abroad and still be bloody dissapointed and get an bfn!!! Do you know if their double donor rates have dropped at all in the last three months, because their ED have!

pocket I can remember you sending me this on round 4 when we got our BFN - whilst I believe it - I feel like bloody hell I keep having to believe with not much evidence that I should!!! But there's no other way round this bloody mountain is there! GGGGRRRRR!!!!!

One last questions do you think I should have a month off before doing the mock cycle for my double donor round - as during this IUI round I am still using cyclogest and a small dose of aspirin and prednisolone??

Thanks all. Xx

Lucky, yes to taking a month off before steaming ahead with double donor. I sense panic in all of your recent posts, Lucky, and you really need to see that your baby is there around the corner and is not about to leave just because you take some time to think. You have been through so much and seen so much disappointment (understatement, I know) that your need for success is palpable. However, you could really be doing the wrong thing by leaping straight into another treatment.

Do email Helena and ask her to send figures for double donor success rates for the months of June, July, and August. Do you really think you need intrallipids and immunes treatment? Have you had any miscarriages other than that early chemical (if that's what it was)?

I wish I could convince you that IVF abroad is no greater gamble than one in the UK. A BFN will hurt just as much, but i don't believe it will break you either. I can only tell you of my success and the effortlessness of my communications with Helena and of the trip itself. 'Abroad' seems like a massive leap and ergo a massive gamble if it doesn't work. You just have to prepare yourself mentally like any other cycle you have attempted. This way, at least, you will gamble a lot less money than if you were to attempt double donor in the UK.

Keep thinking and talking to those who are in the know, but most of all don't let your mind tell you that 'abroad' is too much of a risk.

P.s..Lucky, Prednisolone, Cyclogest and Clexane after a double donor round may be all you need to get your take home baby. I so want this to work for you.

Lucky that is really helpful, thank you. Sorry for the loss though. My clinic have a bit of a lax attitude to progesterone. I had to really push for them to test when they were doing my HCG the last time. They didn't want to do it. Came back low and I went on Gestone. Glad I kicked up a stink. Is there such a thing as too much progesterone?

The embryos will live in the EmbryoScope any way according to my paperwork. This just monitors development more closely - can't see down to chromosome level ie. you could have a trisomy embryo developing very nicely but you wouldn't see there was a trisomy issue - as far as i understand.

Have manflu.

That's good val I see what you mean as ou of 10 we had two with triosomy, 7 with multiple and only 1 euphoid. So we also considered genetic testing on the embryo too as well as embryoscopy. The only thing I began to ask is, if te percentage is so high, why they really kept on encouraging us to use our own sperm still. In reality I'm not so sure theatre euphoid transferred didn't cease due to bad genetic after all as all the other 9 were faulty! Just mindful that clinics do often give hope and quite possibly just keep taking your money based on very little hope.

pram queen in all honesty I'm feeling ready its really thy the timescales would be better for me to I now, I have a life to lead around it and I don't want to be battling with winter weather either when trying to catch a flight on time!

This was Helenas response;
Doctor said it´s really recommended to take one month pause after IUI and start the mock cycle in October.

The Skype appointment is with Dr. Valachovi?, who is responsible for English speaking clients as Doctor Vrána doesn’t speak English very well (his main foreign language is German) and takes care mostly of German speaking clients. Doctor Valachovi? is very good doctor too and he is now studying all of your files.

What's your thoughts should I insist on dr Vrana?

Looks like I will have to wait a month though!

pram queen - Dr Martin Valachovic

Lucky, I'm glad RG would make you wait a month. I would insist on Dr. Vrana for the transfer itself. I never had a consultation so I guess having the best English speaker makes sense.

Great will do prambo :-)

I'm also going to have a consultation with city fertilty te Gennet now I have time and also because I have access to my consultant there already so at least I can seek advice through both clinics :-)