Toot, Toot. Calling all dirty chicks! Jump aboard the charabanc with Barry & The Berries. Destination BFP" (thread 26)

[happylass]

The smallprint –
Berries have a strict entrance criteria (TTC #1, over 30, TTC for 12+ months, NO instadiffers, must have a special pot and definitely no mention of baby dust or baby dancing).
Those not abiding by the rules may be escorted from the premises.

Current passengers:

Happylass, 37, TTC since Aug 2012. 2 failed ICSIs. Time to defrost the spare.
Beaky 35, ttc coming up 3 yrs, 2x failed iui 1x long protocol ivf cancelled due to poor response. Awaiting follow up with FC and possibly short protocol IVF next.
Minx, 34, both tubes blocked, 1 buried ovary, appointment with consultant early March.
Nolly, 33, TTC 2.5 years, BFP Christmas Eve, MC New Years Eve. Awaiting "spontaneous conception" before IVF starts, August 2015.
Wild 40 - TTC for three years. IVF double-stimms freeze all embryos cycle started in February - due to complete May/June.
HampshireBlues 36 TTC 3.5 years, unexplained. Cycle 1 chemical pregnancy, cycle 2 abandoned due to cyst, cycle 3 failed. Plan thrombotic profile, scratch and short protocol.
Lumen, 35, ttc since Nov 2011, unexplained, two IVF cycles in 2014, both bfns, waiting for lap&dye and results of numerous bloods, aiming for one last IVF cycle in the summer.
Tigerdog, 34 ttc since Jan 2013. Unexplained. Starting ivf in March.
Gillster, 40, TTC since Feb 2012. Had IVF in Feb 14 and had 6 one cell embies frozen due to polyp. Cancelled FET cycles in Sept 14 and Dec 14 due to more polyps. Awaiting hysteroscopy before commencing natural cycle FET. Hoping to be at least PUPO on the 4th attempt!
Smidge, 38, TTC since Jan 2013. Unexplained. IVF#1 Short protocol July 2014 yielded 1 blasto, BFN. IVF#2 in process - Long Protocol Oct/Nov 2014
Kuma - 40. TTC 2 years. Low AMH high FSH - DH antisperm ABs. Failed IVF June 14 and two cancelled IVFs Nov and Dec 14 due to poor blood results. Hoping for another try at natural cycle IVF end of Jan.
Jelliebabe - 40, Threw the pills away 8 years ago. Unexplained but have a very low AMH, 1st IVF with clinic in Prague, 2 embryo's, chemical pregnancy. 2nd IVF in London branch of clinic - 1 embryo, BFN. BFP Feb '15

Lucie
I can't add anything to what Wild said.
The big follie could well be hiding around the back and the sonographer missed it. And the measurements can change depending on which way the follies are sitting (they aren't perfectly round, and the usually take 2 measurements, rather than 3).
There are a few of us who had more eggs collected than follies that showed on the final scan because they either found more around the back of the ovary, or there were 2 eggs in one follie, so please don't despair. Even to get 5 is a great haul...

Lucie your day 10 measurements are very, very similar to mine, and I ended up with 8 eggs. You only need one.....

Lucie I'm so sorry you're having such a stressful time. It's true that there will be variations between sonographers. I was scanned by 3 different nurses during both my cycles and the results were all slightly different. Also as the follies get larger it all becomes pretty jam packed in there and therefore harder to see/measure. It could be that they are measuring different follies on your left side rather than the originals have actually shrunk.
As the others have said you definitely need to wait to see what Prague say before you can make a decision. I was told that between 3-15 follies is optimal. As horrible as it would be to cancel you have to remember that conditions need to be right, especially with you spending all that money and travelling all that way. Thinking of you

Sorry I didn't see any of the above before I posted! As Barking says your measurements sound good and also similar to my day 10. Also you won't necessarily lose embryos as you go along. I only lost 1 or 2 over the 2 cycles so you never know.
Thinking of you and keeping everything crossed

Thanks everyone, this process is so hard. I'm inclined to go ahead now anyway as everything is booked and I would be devastated to cancel. I would just have to hope and pray that they have missed some and that more mature in grow between now and egg collection.

The Dr has decided to up my dose of Menopur from 225 to 300 for the next couple of days. However I thought I had read that after about day 5 of stimms it was too late to increase doseage as it wouldn't have much effect this late in the game?

Hmmm...not sure about the processes there wild sorry to disappoint. However kuma if you are able to go directly to the consultants secretary than through the booking teams or admin staff then it usually moves things on a bit more quickly as they'll know to slot you in to any cancellations etc.

Aw lucie that is a tough one but as others have said, I would act on the advice of the consultant at your clinic and not one sonographer. Big hugs and lots of follicle growing vibes coming your way. The uncertainty and lack of control is very hard to manage but you're very much still in the game by the sounds of it. Don't loose hope xx

The lady who scanned me on Monday has rung me back now. She said she totally trusts her colleagues scan this morning as that woman taught her but she said if I did want a second opinion then she is happy for me to go back. She said that sadly that cetrotide injection I had last night can cause that affect on the follicles but it was quite rare. I have been able to find any information from anybody else on Google that it's happened to and czech Dr did not say anything about this happening.

I said I would like another scan just to double check as the woman this morning had said about me cancelling the cycle and that's a big decision to make so I'm going in at 4.30 this afternoon x x

lucie lots of good advice there, you will be fine, try and relax a bit if possible (!). The consultant seems confident it will be ok and he sees hundreds of people. I only got 2 follicles on my first try but didn't cancel because I couldn't ever know what might happen the next time. I did get one top quality embie, but it just didn't stick.

tiger as it happens, they have just phoned as there are two cancellations tomorrow, so I'm in tomorrow afternoon.

Lucie, was last night the first night you had Cetrotide?
I had it for about 5 days, and was told it just stops OVing, rather than having any effect on the follies. I've done a really quick google and can't find anything about it shrinking follies.
The menopur has two functions - number of follies and size. After day 5, upping the dose isn't going to make any more follies appear, but I don't see why it shouldn't help hurry them along a bit with the growth? It is just adding to the dose your body is producing to grow them...

kuma Great news about tomorrow! What time are you seeing them?

Thank you spare, yes last night was my first night on cetrotide. I can't find anything about it shrinking follicles either and have goggled quite a bit. I also emailed my czech Dr and asked if it was true that this could happen and she said it can slow growth but she didn't think follicles would shrink or disappear because of it. Everyone is telling me different things. Going to have the rescan at 4.30pm but I think I am going to continue with the cycle.

Keeping everything crossed for you at 4:30... Let us know how it goes...
I've been googling some more, and still can't find anything about shrinking follies, even on the millions of FF threads

I had my trigger shot earlier... Defrost starts on Friday morning and one will go back on Saturday. Fanny candles and steroids start tomorrow. Gulp.

Thanks spare, I'm now wondering whether the large 17mm follicle on day 8 got too big and released early?? I don't know if that's possible?

Well done on the trigger spare, hope it all goes well on the weekend and keeping my fingers crossed for you.

But the cetrotide should have stopped you OVing, and 17 is still small for your body to spit it out naturally!
If you had OV'd, they'd probably have seen a corpus luteum, plus all your right follies wouldn't have carried on developing.
My money is on it hiding around the back where they couldn't see it...

Ok thanks spare, I don't really know a lot about it but that's seems to make sense what you say. I'm just sat in a packed waiting room waiting for the next scan.

I had to abandon a cycle for a FET because I OV'd when I shouldn't have, and they spotted it straight away on the scan, so I'm sure that isn't what it is...
When they scan you, do they push down on your stomach to get a better view? Might be worth asking them to, or doing it yourself?

I didn't see your message before the scan spare but no they don't push down at all.

Latest scan shows they have grown a little more through the day so I now have

(20,19,17,14,13,13,11,11,10,9,9,8)

The big 17mm one on the left is definitely not there though. She said it would be easy to spot one that size. She said it might have popped or ovulated already. She looked in my pouch of Douglas (?!) for signs of ovulation and she said there was a small amount of fluid which may or may not indicate ovulation.

She has seen more follicles than I had on day 8 or this morning though albeit the smaller ones are probably going to be too small for anything but to my eyes it doesn't look too bad a haul especially if the 11s were able to catch up by sunday. She did tell me though that once the trigger is taken then that's it there will be no more growth whereas I thought people had said that they still grow after trigger?

That is positive news! Maybe the 17 was an empty follie that has drained? But if you had ov'd, I'm sure they would have seen a corpus luteum? The pouch of douglas has a bit of fluid in it all the time, so without knowing what you have before OV, they can't know whether that is significant. I'm pom pomming for you!

I've never had mine measured after a trigger, so don't know if they carry on growing. I thought it was to 'ripen' them rather than grow but could be wrong.

So what is your next step? Getting on the plane?

at 'pouch of Douglas'. Not sure what it is but it is making me snigger.

Sounds like you've got lots going on in there Lucie. Not too sure about growth after trigger but I doubt they just stop developing as soon as you take the HcG.

Just logged in after a few busy days and its all go!
I've read back through the posts and whilst I am really new to this whole process my advice to you Lucie would not be to cancel. What a strange/unnerving/confusing thing for her to say in the first place. Glad that you finally seem to have got things cleared up a bit and looking at the stats on your follies they seem really good. Like others have said it only takes one! Good luck!
I hope everyone else is ok and all on track.
I have finally got all my notes and scanned them in so will be sending them off to the clinic in Prague this evening. I am hoping to be able to arrange IVF for start of July. Could anyone please tell me though, when you start stimming does it need to be at a certain point in your cycle or can you choose?

Pouch of Douglas?!?! Is that near the Isle of Man?? I thought I'd heard it all but apparently not . That's definitely going in the next thread title (alongside the candle smugglers!)
On a serious note Lucie I'm glad things are looking more positive this afternoon. I injected the last of my Menopur on the same evening as I triggered so I guess more growth is possible although I've never been scanned after trigger so I wouldn't know. You've got a few more days until trigger yet though?
Pont are you long or short protocol? If you're short you start stimms on cd2/3. I'm not too sure about long - I think it's when you're sufficiently down regged, although there may be a bit more leeway for starting stimms than with short protocol.

Thanks everyone you have been amazing today. I reckon I'm going to go with it. From the results this afternoon I think have have potential to collect 8 eggs if the little 11s grow quickly over the next few days.

The plan is to trigger at 9.30pm on Friday and then collection will be on Sunday. I really hope that goes smoothly now and I am pleasantly surprised. I can't deal with complete stress at every stage!

I also sniggered at pouch of douglas lol.

Pont how old are you and what is your amh if you don't mind me asking? Should give some idea of whether they will do long or short. Short protocol starts on day 2 of your cycle.

Hey Happy I'm probably jumping the gun with the question because I don't know if I am short or long protocol (or even what that means im afraid!) How do they decided which to put you on? Is it based on hormone levels? I am sorry for being so ignorant but thank you for being patient with me and answering my q's

Pont long protocol means you down reg (inject to shut down your ovaries) for 2-3 weeks before you start stimming which I think then takes about another 2 weeks. With short protocol you down reg and stim at the same time so 2 injections a day from the word go. This takes about 2 weeks altogether (although sometimes less).
I did short protocol but no one ever told me why! I was 36 at the time and my AMH isn't great so maybe they figured that it'd be easy to shut my system down! It does sometimes also depend on the clinic and what suits them best.

Hi Lucie I am 35 and I have looked through all my notes and can't see anything which tell me my AMH level. Its tells me FBC, FSH, LH, Oestradiol, Prolactin and a day 21 progesterone which all say normal in brackets and suggestive of ovulation. I googled AMH and see that it determines fertility by egg reserve. I am going to ask for this test when I see my consultant on the 27th.