Anyone else want to join me in getting ready for ivf in 2013? Good egg buddies wanted!!!

[Karbea]

Hello,

Dh and I have been trying for over 2 years and had one failed ivf (Icsi) attempt at the Argc last spring. We are going to go again in the new year.

I wondered if anyone else was planning to do the same? And whether anyone fancied joining me in 'princessing' (stolen from style & beauty :) ) for ivf?

I'm not sure what this means in terms of what I'll do, really hoping for some help in researching how to get the best eggs ever, and perhaps how to improve dh's little swimmers....

Anyone up for being a good egg buddy?

Just sticking my head in to reassure everyone worried about injecting that it is EASY. I've done six rounds of IUI, the last three were with SO. I can recommend googling for youtube vids of your medication if you're in a pickle. I found the first few hard emotionally, but very easy physically. And another thing I got quite bad side effects from menopur, but was absolutely fine on gonal-f. So if need be switch drugs.

The pre-IVF health kick will take place abroad :) we're in my TWW for the sixth IUI now, review in Feb, lovely holiday after that. And then, maybe IVF, maybe more IUI, as it has worked once (but mc) before...

Yep Saturday nights just don't feel the same. I was drinking mint tea instead of the usual white wine and we are both trying to eat healthily! Good luck to all of you with appointments this week and let's hope for no snow, unless it means I get a day off school

Vallinna when I did my mock cycle I was on climival for my womb lining. This did the job, when scanned it was 13mm. They have prescribed cyclo-progynova for me to take when af arrives. Is that what you are taking?

lemondrizzle just goes to show how different we all are, i was on 450 of menopur with no side effects. It is a case of finding what works for you.

delilah i always count first morning with fresh red as day1. It is so stressful, can you speak to the clinic. Btw my donor, at a uk clinic, was found in 3 weeks from my initial appointment. We were amazed at the speed.

fairy well done with the injections, you will be an old hand by now. I always found it more challenging mentally than phyisically.

That is funny sweetie. I was on 75 units of menopur (aiming for 2 follies only) and had side effects, and none on 100 units of gonal-f. I am quite sensitive to hormones though...

Hi

Can I join in....I had a read of this thread yesterday and it felt like the kind of support and advice I could do with.

I start taking noresthisterone tomorrow, this is our 1st IVF on the NHS. Have previously had 3 IUI attempts with SO, all unsuccessful. I have never been pregnant. Came off the pill nearly 5 years ago and my periods went haywire as well as my skin....grrrrrr. I've always had clear skin and all of a sudden I was covered in spots which to this day are still there. I suppose in the grand scheme of things that's fairly minor but it just adds to the feelings of inadequacy and over emotion.

Back to the IVF....I'm on a mid luteal protocol, not sure that I really understand the differences between them all, and I start with the tablets tomorrow, next Monday will be the 1st buserelin injection and then it continues.

Has anyone been on this protocol? What can I expect as side effects from these drugs? Is there anything I need to do specifically to keep me sane!!!? It's more the emotional side I'm worried about, putting all these hormones into my body.

I'm eating eggs, drinking milk, taking cod liver oil and folic acid. What about the booze....is it a definite no no or just in moderation?

I know I've asked loads of questions and anything you are willing to share with me I would be very grateful for.

Good luck to you all

Xxx

Sweetie - I'm on 8mg progynova and then 5 days before ET we will add 200mg cyclogest twice a day.

Hi, can anyone help with a bit of evidence/reserach based info?

I've posted on the fertility friends thread about my hospital pre my appt tomorrow as [I think I said before] I'm really concerned they are going to make me do long protocol again.

A couple of posters have said that my particular unit will do short 'as an exception' and suggested I take in evidence to demonstrate that I am an expeption based on my bad experience with down reg and my subsequent poor response to high stims.

Only problem is, all the 'evidence' I can find is anecdotal - I can find a million sites with people saying SP is better for poor responders, low AMH etc etc but no actual FACT to back it up!

Any clues? TIA

Scarlett - maybe start the conversation "SO how do you deal with poor responders, those with issues down regging" and move on to the "I have read about x, y, z"

This is how I intend to broach whether I should be on baby aspirin/Viagra to help improve my lining if my scan isn't great tomorrow. It must get a bit annoying for consultants with people 'self diagnosing' with google/forums etc but on the same hand I think that they get a bit set in their preferred protocols and don't necessarily see women as separate cases IYSWIM

Cheers vanilla I think you're right, rather than going in chucking a pile print outs at them and demanding I go on a different protocol I will try the 'ok so that didn't work, what do we do differently this time? And if they insist on repeating the whole exercise, I just have to try and hold my ground about why we would repeat a course of treatment that only succeeded in making me ill...

Good luck tomorrow!

I've got my lining scan booked - Day 10 rather than day 7, so Monday 21st. Now to hope things grow and develop as expected.

scarlett maybe if they say you should do LP again you insist on a full explanation, in light of your personal experience and what you have read about SP being more appropriate. If they have an explanation (eg better success rates) then quiz them on it. Maybe there is a good reason but it had better be pretty good to overcome your personal reservations.

hontytont I think if you are starting with buselerlin at the mid luteal phase of your cycle then you are on the long protocol with down regulation. The short protocol starts at the start of a cycle and there is no down regulation. As for drinking alcohol during treatment, I have read at least a couple of widely reported studies that had better success rates when women abstained completely during IVG. However, a couple of studies doesn't mean absolute truth and there are lots of people like ExpatAl on this thread who were successful when they didn't bother to cut things like alcohol out entirely. I am not drinking but that's what I feel like doing. Our wedding anniversary falls just after when we will probably have the egg transfer and I am certainly going to have a glass of wine that night though!

I'm on day 4 of stimms and over the weekend I felt absolutely no side effects and started to wonder whether it was actually working at all and whether they should increase my dosage of Gonal F. However today I feel suddenly rather odd and my lower abdomen has become a bit bloated and tender, like just before AF arrives. So I suppose it is working! I have my second scan tomorrow.

Scarlett I agree with Fairy, absolutely question the consultants decision if they want you to go down the long route again, especially after your experience. I know it's not easy and sometimes uncomfortable questioning someone who is qualified in this area, but you know your own body. Good luck

I too have given up alcohol and caffine. Hope it helps!!!!

fairy thank you for the advice....I think I will lay off the booze and give myself the best chance possible. Bit nervous about the side effects of the down reg but let's see how it goes.

Hope the scan goes well tomorrow xx

Evenin all,

Well as usual I was panicking about nothing and over preparing.. As soon as we went in, the consultant said we had 2 choices, either try again with my eggs or try again with DE, and if we try again with my eggs she would change our protocol. Fab! So we obvs opted to try again with my eggs and she offered short antagonistic protocol or a natural IVF cycle, gone for short antagonistic cycle with 300 units Menopur [i was on 375 on long protocol but she says on short anything more than 300 won't make much difference and it's just more hormones]. Phew!

So relieved! We've our info appt on Monday a it's a new protocol, but i don't want to start until end of Feb as we have a dirty weekend planned mid Feb...

Feel loads more positive about the whole thing now, operation ugly sister princess can commence!

fairy & vanilla how did your scans go today?

hi everyone,
AF arrived today so I start injecting tomorrow. I've got menopur 600 but can't remember what dose I'm meant to take and then cetrotide 0.25 to start on day 5. Have got a, list of questions for when I speak to the nurse tomorrow like what to drink, can I exercise, how far do I stick the needles in, any ideas anyone?

northey when do you start?

Hope everyone's ok x

Ooh, excellent news, caip!

No idea about the drinking question, but I was told to stick the needle in about a centimetre. Though when she did it on the plastic stomach it went all the way in. Hmm. Maybe a centimetre is the minimum. I was told not to do exercise more vigorous than walking or peaceful swimming once I started injecting. Partly because apparently I won't feel like it because of the bloating, but more importantly because of the risk of ovarian torsion (I think she called it).

I am waiting to hear from drug company at the moment, and then I start with next period, which should be in the first few days of Feb. Gulp!

And well done scarlett on a good outcome from appointment!

So glad your appointment went well scarlett. It's such a relief to know what course you are on.

Good luck caip! I'm sure tour nurses will have the answers.

Scan today was 'meh'. Lining had grown 1mm to 5.6mm. No change in the drugs, just a rescan on Friday. Chugging milk and attacking protein like a cave woman!

I'm glad you got the outcome you wanted Scarlett.

scarlett glad to hear the clinic was sensible.

My scan yesterday went well, I have 5 follicles over 10mm and 22 'waiting in the wings' (on day 5). I'm just hoping the smaller ones catch up before the biggies get to 18mm but the nurse said I probably won't have EC until Monday so I guess she wasn't worried about that. I started injecting Cetrotide and Luveris as well as Gonal F last night. These require mixing as well as injecting and it was really fiddly - made worse by the nurse forgetting to give me syringes for the Luveris so I had to speak to a doctor via their emergency line and then use a cetrotide syringe, which is prefilled with water so it was all a bit complicated. Not what I wanted on a cold night when I was already feeling a bit frazzled!

Is anyone else also prescribed Luveris? I am not quite sure why I have all 3. The nurse said it was to improve egg quality but if it were just that then presumably everyone would have it.

Side effects have been pretty mild so far, just a bit of twinges and bloating in my abdomen. Second monitoring scan is tomorrow so I hope more follicles will have passed the 10mm stage.

caip I just stick the needle in as far as it will go. Then i'm sure it's gone deep enough and also makes it harder to pull it out at an angle or (god forbid) break it off.

Weird, fairy. Maybe it's just a preference at your clinic, rather than anything to do with you? Good luck for Monday.

Just had the phonecall from the drug company to arrange delivery.

Also, thanks for introducing me to the worry that the needle will break off!

Sorry Fairy no experience here.

northey - the needle definitely won't break off. That is just my imagination running away with me!

valinna would iron supplements make any difference to the lining? I see a lot of references to baby aspirin on the net so maybe that's pretty benign. Good luck in any event.

Injection #1 done! Took a while to do but didn't hurt much at all