Starting IVF

[Lily999]

Anyone is about to embark on this rather stressful journey? We are awaiting for our first consultation after being referred to the clinic back in June. Have mixed feelings as I am excited and can't wait to start, but also nervous and stressed out at the same time! Would love to have cycle buddies in this madness!

Hey @Lily999 didn't want to read and run. We started in March this year for IVF.

We got 7 eggs, 4 fertilised. We used 1 for a fresh transfer and have one little frozen blast left.

Unfortunately the first fresh transfer ended in MC at 5 weeks. I've just started meds for our frozen transfer, if everything goes ok.

My only advice is to literally take one day at a time (east to say - I struggled)! There are hiccups and different obstacles along the way. Extreme highs of excitment and lows to bring you back down to earth. Its good to talk though and know your not alone!

All the very best with your journey xx

Hi @LouLouB1987, I am sorry to hear about your miscarriage. Can I ask do you have unexplained infertility? We have MFI that's not too bad, but also my tubes are blocked so have all kinds of issues really... Luckily we are eligible for 3full rounds of IVF on NHS including any FETs as well, but I do fear it will be a long process. Already feels very long. I found out yesterday that my HSG was inconclusive and the fertility nurse said I will probably need a laparoscopy to see if both of them are blocked or just one. Not really understand why would they make me have a surgery that would not change the outcome as the tubes are bypassed with IVF.. It just doesn't make sense. I am hoping it was just the nurse speculating and she said once the doctor is back from holiday they will discuss what to do.
What medications will you take for the FET?

Hi Girls, I am new to the forum, nice to meet you. I apologize in advance for the mistakes i will be making but Eng isn't my first language.

@LouLouB1987, i am very sorry for your loss!
Lily999, looking forward to exchanging information about the process from now on, i hope we could be IVF buddies?
We just started our IVF journey , we get one try through NHS and our 3rd appointment is scheduled for 5th Aug. We already went twice- 1st time was literally 1 min appointment- they gave us blood test and sperm forms and sent us home, it was very disappointing. We already knew there were problems with my partner's sperm and we found out I didn't have immunity to rubella so i had to get 2 MMR shots in order to continue with the treatment. I tried anything to skip the vaccinations (we discussed this on our 2nd appointment) because i got thyroid problems (autoimmune disease) and i was reading a lot about the side effects of vaccinations to people with compromised immune system. Anyway, there were no way to continue our IVF treatment without it so i did it. Thank God i am ok (for now) and we are going to our 3rd appointment. I got no idea what to expect and what happens next and i am trying to not put my hopes up. Our experience with NHS hasn't been great so i am very skeptical. I will keep you updated.

Hi, don't worry, we will understand you just fine :)
Funnily enough I had that vaccination yesterday as my blood showed I am not immune to Rubella either and they don't do IVF unless you are immune. I was quite happy to get the jab as it is very dangerous to get Rubella when a woman is pregnant and my sister has 3 children, they bring home all kinds of viruses all the time, I babysit them quite often. Better be safe than sorry. Only down side is that if you get the shot you can't try for a baby for a month as it is the virus they inject to make you immune. If I got pregnant now I would need to terminate the pregnancy. So I ovulated yesterday, but we had to sit this one out (HSG last week was done with an X-Ray so they told me to use protection in this cycle that's why I decided to get the shot as well. It's very difficult thought to not TTC when you know you are ovulating, I was quite frustrated...
We can definitely be cycle buddies (or so I hope) as we have no schedule, just waiting for our first appointment. I am hoping it will be a bit more than 5minutes as I have like a million questions to ask.
Did your husband have a semen analysis before your first appointment and did you have blood tests before? Can I ask were you referred due to unexplained infertility or do you have a reason? Did they ask you to have tube check (HSG) at all?

Hey Lily, guess i am not the only one going through the Rubella vaccination path :) Did they suggested just one shot? Because I had to get 2 and wait for 2 months. Tbh it was happy during the 2 months because i wasn't stressing out about ovulation, scheduled sex, lubricants and 100 more things. Sometimes i feel like giving up and we haven't even started yet! The psychological moment is a big problem for me.
We have been trying for 19 months now (wow that is a lot) but i somehow knew things wouldn't work out easy. So after 6 or 7 months my partner had his sperm tested an the result was low sperm count. It was done privately. They gave him some vitamins and told him to go for another one in 3 months time. Meanwhile i did a lot of blood tests- TSH, FSH, LH, Oestradiol, smear test, full blood count, AMH, ovaries scan, then HSG and antral follicle count- everything was done privately, and it was very expensive but I needed to know. I am part of an online forum in my country where women share knowledge and tips about infertility, that's how I knew what tests to run. We also went to a walk in center to check for STI's. Everything was fine with me. So we end up having male factor infertility. When we went to our initial appointment with NHS they have done full blood count for me plus FSH, LH, Oestradiol and detected ovulation. My partner's sperm count was better but his morphology and motility got worse. So they have run some blood tests on him too and his prolactin came back a bit high but that was all. 2 months later hes done another test with the GP and the prolactin was ok. Also, I insisted on getting a referral for a scan to check for varicocele (through NHS) and everything was perfect as well. At the end we went to private fertility specialist with all tests and he advised us to go for ICSI because of the male factor. He told us to use our one try with NHS and to go private afterwards if it doesnt work out. Its been long and painful process and i am so overwhelmed. Guess God had a different plan for us.

Yes, it is most definitely an emotional roller coaster, can I ask which country are you from?
We have not been trying for a long time, but I also wanted to know if everything was ok or not with us. I had a full hormone panel and AMH done privately before we started the process with NHS, everything came back tip top (I also got checked for diabetes and tyroid issues as we have both in my family), but everything was in order. Then my DH had a SA in February and it came back with 70milion/ml, and 29% motility. So we thought our issue is the motility. We went to have 3rounds of IUI privately and they all failed. In the meantime we got the ball rolling with the fertility clinic as we knew we had an issue and we were going to qualify for IVF even though we did not have the 2years of trying at that point. They accepted the private SA from my husband and asked him to have another one in 3 months. I felt waiting for 3months was a lot, so we decided to do IUI in the meantime, so that kept us busy :) So we had IUI in March, April and May.
Then the second SA was in May and also came back with low motility (33%, the limit is 40%), so we got the referral in June and I was all over the moon. When we got the referral I had a blood test and found out I am not immune, but I did have German Measles when I was a kid, apparently I grew out of immunity, so only needed one booster that I got yesterday.
Then we got a letter 2,5weeks after the referral and it confirmed our first appointment is on the 15th of August.
so I thought (as I can't just sit around and wait) that I should have an HSG. So I had it last Tuesday and got the results that showed one side is definitely blocked, but the other one they couldn't say for sure, so now the nurse told me yesterday I might need a laparoscopy surgery to see if the right one is open or not. I don't understand why would they force me to have a surgery if it doesn't change anything and is not relevant? I will find out tomorrow if I have to have the surgery, but I really don't want to...

I think you should wait for your NHS appointment and ask them about it before having the surgery. They might say you don't need it since you are having an IVF- you don't need your tubes to be unblocked for it. Also, how come they didst ask you to do HSG test before the IUI's? That's very strange. From what i know, you need 2 open tubes in order to have successful IUI, which clinic did you visit if you don't mind me asking?
We are in West Essex and we get only one try through NHS. Do you know how many are you getting?

We did the IUI privately and I said I had a referral for HSG with NHS and the X-Ray department kept postponing my appointment (good old NHS...), so I was offered a choice to do the IUI with not knoing for sure about the tubes or to wait. Well, you can guess which option I went for! As we were paying they did the IUI (now it actually pisses me off as they should not have done it, there was no chance for it to succeed, could have saved us so much heart ache and money... Doesn't matter now as we are starting IVF soon, but still is upsetting.
I have a feeling they will not do this surgery as there is no medical basis for it.
We live in Scotland so things might be different up here, we didn't discuss options for private IVF as it is rather pricey and luckily Scotland is quite generous with the 3rounds.
Would you be able to have IVF in your home country? I know people sometimes go abroad for treatment as it's cheaper.

Hi @Lily999 I wanted to let you know that I'm in Scotland too and had an HSG when I had my last lap for endometriosis removal and there was no spillage at all from either tube although they couldn't see any adhesions or anything so unsure why my tubes were blocked. When we started IVF I wanted another one (this was about 2years later) but the clinic said it was pointless and just to go ahead with the IVF. I think I was just so nervous of the whole process and still in denial really, and had read about it clearing tubes and people being able to conceive naturally after the procedure and had hoped for. Anyway, we went straight ahead and started the IVF. I won't lie, it's not an easy process but I found talking to people and being open about it really helped me and actually joining a group on here that were going through it at the same time helped me massively. I'm delighted to say we were extremely lucky and after only one round we conceived and I'm now nearly 11 weeks. We had an early scan at 7weeks and saw the heartbeat. The most magical thing ever! I can't wait for our 12 week scan. PM me if I can help with anything at all.

Hi! 👋
Here for the ride too. 28 from South Wales. Relieved to find some people around the same stage to go through this with tbh.

I have endometriosis which seems to be our issue. Symptoms of PCOS, but didn't show up on the ultrasound. Dh has a son already.

DH's SA came back great, my bloods were ok and somehow showed ovulation despite my irregular cycles. Never the same - from 19 days to 54 days.

Referred to the clinic a couple of months ago but haven't heard anything yet.

Thinking about using OV sticks or temping to see when (or if) I'm ovulating.

We're allowed 2 rounds on the NHS here.

I've summed that up, but it's taken a lifetime to get to this point and starting to get really frustrated with it and fed up!

Actually had an appointment booked with my gp (fertility specialist) today after work (who had planned to prescribe Metformin, but she was off sick so had another dr who said no and to wait for the clinic. 🤷‍♀️ Not sure whether or not to try and get another appointment with my gp or just to wait.

Oh, also overweight So have lost 2 stone and have another couple to go.

Hi @LouLouB1987 i would advice you to call your GP practice and insist on getting any update on your referral. Sometimes they mess up stuff and we have to give them a little push and to let them know we are still waiting.
@Lily999 i am from Bulgaria and i don't think that's the best place to go for an IVF treatment. I found other clinics abroad which seem more convenient and trustworthy. One is in Czech. I found one in London which is quite new, its called ABC fertility and their prices are affordable, mainly for people who are struggling to pay £5-6k for just one round. You can check their website. Also, there is a topic about the clinic in the forum. I hope our one try with NHS will work but its always good to know your options and be prepared if worse come to worse.

Hi @iwanttohaveababy we get 3fully funded cycles in Scotland, including any frozen embryo transfers, I am really hoping we will succeed during these 3cycles and won't need to go private.
I am listening to this podcast BFN that is very good I can highly recommend it. They are talking about ABC fertility and how that is affordable, that is good to have the option. I think they said one round is £2500 and there are no hidden fees. However we are not there yet, lets' focus on the first and funded one getting us pregnant :)
@torthecatlady good to hear your story! Well done with the weight loss, I can't stop myself from eating all kinds of sweets before my period comes, it's so bloody difficult! If it was up to me I could not wait, probably would have called the clinic to follow up about the appointment and/or go back and ask for Metmorfin from the first GP, but you need to know I am incredibly impatient... Also you're so young! I am 33 and DH is 31, so we started the investigations after TTC for 6months and here we are... first IVF appointment is in 2weeks time, already had 3IUI's and we have not been trying for a year.... I might have rushed this, but now I am glad I did as my tubes are blocked so could have been waiting for another year just to find out there was no point.

I might need to move to Scotland guys :) Getting 2 or 3 rounds is such a privilege.

I will definitely check out the broadcast. By the way I will be 34 in 12 days, so you are not alone...

Haha @iwanttohaveababy that might just be the solution for your problem :) It is beautiful up here, so welcome.
Can I ask will they do a second blood test to see if you are in fact immune after getting the vaccination? Because I was tested that showed I am not immune then I got the vaccination but don't know if there is going to be a follow up blood test?

Yes, they should do another blood test. What did they tell you when they found out you had no immunity? Did they discharge you from the fertility clinic? Did you get the shot through your GP?

I had problem with that because i received a letter out of the blue stating i wasn't immune and they discharged me from the unit. They advised to go back to my GP, get 2 shots and then get a referral again which just crushed me- it meant i had to waste 2 months, then get a new referral, wait for God knows how long to start over. So i filed a complaint. Thank God it escalated and they told me to go back to them as soon as I am done with the shots instead of getting a new referral. I had the immunity checked through my GP but i had a blood form from the fertility clinic which i never used. I got a copy of my results from my GP and sent it to the fertility hospital via email- had another small battle with the clinic but it was all resolved at the end... for now!

Oh dear, this sounds very stressful and lots of waiting. It is very interesting how different the system works at different locations.
We went to the fertility clinic on the 27th of May, they took my blood and we had breath tests (we don't smoke), then they checked my BMI (21.5), so everything was fine but then I got the results of the blood tests 3days later to say I am not immune (30th of May) . Then I had to arrange the Rubella vaccination and I got an appointment for the 13th of June that was about two weeks later. At this point they sent our referral to the clinic and our name was on the waiting list 2weeks after this (27th of June).
I got the shot, but it did not effect the timeline as my referral was sent already and we got the appointment for the 15th of August.
I don't quite understand why they held back your referral unless you have shorter waiting times. Because regardless of the Rubella shot we knew the waiting time can be 6months so in the meantime we could take care of the vaccination.
I was actually considering not getting the shot as the package that the IVF clinic says the Rubella shot is "RECOMMENDED". That does not strike me as mandatory, but so it goes, I took it so here we are.
were the two shots 1month apart from each other? So you couldn't TTC for 2months? I did cancel the 13th of June, because we were still hoping it was going to happen, however now that I had the HSG and they used X-ray I knew we had to sit this one out anyway so thought why not get the vaccination now.
I got instructed to get the vaccination by the fertility clininc, but the nurse gave me the shot on Monday at my GP.

The fertility clinic we went to told us the only way to get IVF done through NHS is getting the immunization done otherwise they were going to discharge us. I had no choice, had to do it. Yes, we stopped trying for 2 months but i really enjoyed the time off because i was stressing out way too much. Its totally different in here, no one tells you anything, its even different in the different post codes. I am planning on asking lots of questions on our next appointment and i definitely need to find out whats next and how the system works.

I would definitely make a list of questions you have and ask everything. your appointment is on Monday, right? That's just around the corner! They haven't told you anything about waiting time or when could you possibly start the process? Do you know your AMH? That is what determines which protocol you will be on.
It is definitely nice to take a break sometimes, even in between IVF cycles your body need time to recover.

No, they haven't so i will ask on Monday, good idea about the list, i will start it now. U cal tell how awful this place is, clearly they don't care about their patients! I hope they move us to another clinic.

I checked my AMH last year in June, it was 18.9, guess it is lower by now. Why is that important for the protocol? See, i don't know details or anything that's important! SMH :( How much is yours?

18.9 is totally fine! Mine was 21back in February, but had 3rounds of IUI with Clomid, so I expect it to be considerably lower now. AMH is important because that indicates your ovarian reserve and how well are you going to respond to stimulation. The goal is to have as many good quality eggs collected as possible, but without risking OHSS, so if you have too many eggs that's not very desirable also having a low number is reducing your chances. The AMH determines how much stimulation will you need during IVF.

I would definitely ask when can you start, what supplements they are suggesting you to take, also they should be able to predict how many eggs will you realistically have. also ask what medication will you be on as it can differ quite considerably.
My clinic uses a nasal spray for the first 2weeks, others use contraceptive pills, but it can also be injections as well.
Also ask if they are usually putting back 3 day or 5 day embryos/blastocycts as it can make a huge difference as well. Sorry didn't mean to overwhelm you, I am just super prepared :)

Thanks a lot Lily! That's all so helpful. Let me know if i need to ask them anything else because i have no clue what happens next and what to ask. You know way to much LOL! Good girl, you have made your research :)

*you have DONE your research :)

If I were you I would read "Get a life" His and hers survival guide for IVF. It is a brilliant, well written and funny book. The authors are a couple and every section is written by both sides, a His and Hers side of the same story. This is the only book I read so far, but I read it in 2 days and feel so well prepared. The do give you a list of questions that comes with the book and you can take those pages out, very handy.
My husband will also read it as it gives lots of tips to the guys and is written with male humor :)

Great, I will buy it straight away. I bought a book about getting through infertility but i found it boring and not helpful at all. Couldn't even finish it. Thanks a lot for the tips. I will let you know whats happening after our appointment on Monday :)

@Lily999 Yes, we're still quite young, dh is 30 and I'll be 29 in September. We originally planned to have 2 of our own children with a 5 year age gap, but it looks like we might be sticking to 1 (unless my ovaries decide to start working)!
I think I'll be booking an appointment with my original dr again for the Metformin. I need to feel like I'm actively doing something to move it forward. If I can regulate my cycle, it might be half the battle.
A colleague of mine has suggested ovulation sticks too and to document everything ready for the clinic.