IVF what to expect

[Spoonmoon]

Hi all, first post just wanting some seasoned insight into the IVF process if anyone has any to offer?
First scan and bloods next week followed by first consultant apt a few days later. Feel woefully unprepared for this and wonder if anyone has any pointers or advice? And can give me some insight into the process.
Partner and I both all clear on all tests so far. 2.5 years trying and we are both 37, I had a chemical after a HSG in March but other than that no luck. The IVF is NHS funded if that makes a difference and is at care fertility.

Hi @Spoonmoon, I’m not a seasoned IVF pro but I have just done my first round of IVF (privately with Create Fertility) and physically it was nowhere near as bad as I thought it would be. I was on mild stimulation so I took a much lower dose than is standard, and I didn’t do any down regulation, so my experience might not be too helpful for you, but I did 11 doses of stimulation drugs which were always done at 7pm starting from CD2, and starting at CD8 I added a morning injection which was to prevent spontaneous ovulation, I had scans every other day to monitor follicle development starting from CD6, and then I had my eggs collected on CD15 and a 3 day transfer on CD18. It all went very quickly and was pretty straightforward to administer; the egg collection was fine, I felt a bit queasy and sore for the rest of the day, and a bit sore for a couple of days after, but nothing horrendous. The worst part for me was managing my expectations, I was told to expect between 10-15 eggs, and a fertilisation rate of 70-75% so I was hoping we’d have at least 5 to go in the freezer for a transfer at a later date if the first one wasn’t successful, but we only got 4 eggs collected and only one fertilised well enough for transfer, and I found that really difficult to deal with because I felt like we didn’t have a safety net; but they always say it only takes one so I just tried to be positive. Emotionally it can be quite difficult because I keep thinking if this doesn’t work then there’s nowhere else to go, we’ve exhausted all options, but the actual process of doing it is much less daunting than I expected it to be so my only advice would be to try to stay as calm as possible, not have any expectations and just take it as it comes, and speak to your partner about how you’re feeling and let him help you. And have lots of protein and electrolyte drinks throughout the process to help avoid OHSS! Good luck!

Hi, I was in a very similar situation to you OP, about the same age, same period of trying, although I also had about 18 months of failed attempts at timed ovulation and iui. Like LHF1990 I did a short antagonist protocol, 2 weeks of injections then trigger shot with scans every other day from second week. I found it all entirely manageable and despite getting very hormonal and ragey around my period I didn't find that the simulation hormones affected me that much. The egg collection was pretty quick, I didn't have many after effects or much pain apart from pretty epic constipation from the sedation but that subsided after a few days. I have pcos so was on the edge of ohss and so had to forgo a fresh transfer but ended up pregnant on my second frozen transfer 4 months later.

So I may have been lucky in my experience but I would say that as above my main tip would be to try not to worry too much about the process going in as the anxiety can be the worst part of the whole process. I think there are things that can go wrong and you do need to be on top of them but the first cycle can be considered to be one to see how your body reacts to the drugs etc. If the cycle fails and no changes are made then you need to read up and advocate for yourself but the first time round I would just take vitamins, stay hydrated and see how it goes. I'm not sure how many nhs egg collections/transfers you get in your area but I definitely felt that getting at least one cycle on the nhs took the pressure off a bit. Even if it fails you'll find out something which will help future cycles be successful.

Sorry, I've realised that the above is a bit wishy washy. One practical thing is to ask which protocol your consultant thinks would work for you then go to the Fertility Friends forums which have very detailed explanations on each of the options and questions that you could be asking your consultant. There are threads there which go through the drugs, the amounts, etc etc.

@LFH1990good luck! Thanks so much that’s helped me understand things a bit better.
@Sakari I’m really lucky we get 2 full NHS cycles in my CCG, I was very surprised. Nice to hear a positive story and the signpost to fertility friends is really helpful.