abc IVF experience sharing - 2021/2022

[Millymillymillymillymilly]

Hey everyone,

I've benefited so much from the last 2 abc ivf threads that I thought I'd start a new one and hopefully can contribute back to the community.

I'm 33 years old, AFC around 24 (based on the initial treatment scan) and the reason we are doing IVF is due to male infertility issues (morphology lower than 4%) and irregular ovulation. We are undergoing treatment at the Harley Street branch.

Here's my treatment timeline so far:

09/11 Tue - Bemfola injection 125
10/11 Wed - Bemfola injection 125
11/11 Thu - Bemfola injection 125
12/11 Fri - Bemfola injection 125 + 1st scan
13/11 Sat - Bemfola injection 125
14/11 Sun - Bemfola injection 125 + Cetrotide injection
15/11 Mon - Bemfola injection 125 + Cetrotide injection +2nd scan
16/11 Tue - Bemfola injection 125 + Cetrotide injection
17/11 Wed - Cetrotide injection + 3rd scan + Ovitrelle injection (exact timing TBC)

After my 3rd scan today, the nurse said I didn't have to do anymore injections apart from morning Cetrotide shot and the Ovitrelle which someone from the Create clinic will call and let me know when to inject as it needs to fit into their egg retrieval appointments (I still haven't received the call and my scan was at 08.30 this morning).

My follicles' growth was as below:

1st scan
11 < 6mm
10 10 mm

2nd scan
2 < 6mm
12

Hi guys..I have got news..Tested this morning and I got a BFP...am so speechless..just when I have up to go in for IVF...I wish everyone all the best in Thier journey. We will all smile at the end..cheers guys

I will keep you guys updated as the journey proceeds...

@waitingmyturn you're nearly there now! Everything crossed for you 🤞

@star2022 I needed a blood test to check for rubella antibodies, a thyroid function test and they ask if your smears are up to date They also want a sperm analysis that's been within the last 3 months so my oh has that booked in for next week. The nurse said the treatment consultation would need to be 2-3 weeks before your period, but when I called the other day to make mine the receptionist said it only needed to be 1-2 weeks before 🤷🏻‍♀️ So you may well be ok. I didn't have a thyroid function test at all so your one might be enough.

@Cutedolly Congratulations!! That's really great news. I'm secretly praying for a BFP this cycle so I don't have to go through with it... But I know the odds are slim to none. As you said though, we'll all get there 🤞

I wish you all the positive energy ...thanks alot...It's been a long five years but am glad it ended without the IVF...wish you the best of luck as well..let me know how it goes...cheers

Thank you for the well wishes @Mazzaroo2022 and @star2022, really appreciate it.

Bit of disappointing news this morning, the embryologist phoned and none of the 5 embryos we had left are going to be suitable for freezing, she said even though they'd developed and 'tried hard' they hadn't quite reached where they wanted them to be, she's going to let me know if there are any positive changes as they will give them until tomorrow but I can't help but feel like there's not much hope there, and I felt like she thought the same.

It's also making me less hopeful about the one they've transferred but they've assured me that inside it's natural environment is where it will do best so I'm trying to hold on to that as best I can.

@waitingmyturn I'm so sorry you got this news especially as you must have been feeling so positive with such a great number of embryos. I have everything crossed for you that you will get better news tomorrow. Don't give up hope that the implanted one won't result in a bfp though... People have got pregnant after really low quality embryos have been implanted so it's really possible it will stick. Be very gentle with yourself over the next few weeks. This is all very tough on you x

Thank you @Mazzaroo2022. I'm feeling quite deflated today, I know nothings guaranteed but was hoping to have some options after having 6 fertilised and now it's all riding on the one they transferred, fingers crossed it's growing nicely and I'm worried over nothing.

I think today is the first day I've actually fully accepted that this might not work this time.

I’m seeing a lot of new usernames! Nice to see people using this chat :)

@waitingmyturn, there’s still hope! A lot of D3 embryos make it to a live birth. Embryo grading is only how it looks but we can never really know whether this embryo is viable or not based on what it looks like. So you definitely still have a chance. Fingers crossed for you!

I haven’t been too active on this thread due to I’m on the NHS treatment at the moment. However, when comparing what I’m going through now with UCLH/CRGH - the experience at abc was sooooo much better! I don’t get any detailed info on how big my follicles are, the drs and nurses aren’t particularly friendly and the amount of drugs I’m on is crazy… currently I don’t think I’m going to get any more eggs than I did at abc with the amount of medication - but hey ho, it’s free…

I thought I’d just share this in case anyone who’s reading this by chance is considering abc. I really think you get a good value with the amount of money you pay.

If anyone’s interested, happy to share the results vs the abc results once I’m through this treatment cycle!

Hope everyone’s treatment goes well!

Thank you @Millymillymillymillymilly, I had the summary through yesterday and unfortunately as I expected none of the 5 embryos made it to being frozen, the one they transferred was 5 cell when they expect them to be between 6-8 on day 3, although it was a grade 2 and from what I can see I don't think that's too bad so I'm holding out hope.

Would definitely be interested in seeing your results from your cycle if you're happy to share, do you mind me asking how long you had to wait between cycles to try again?

Hi all, sorry again for the radio silence.. thank you all for your lovely messages, and my husband was allows into the scan with me.. but unfortunately that's where the good news ends :(

At the early pregnancy scan, we saw the baby and a heartbeat, but were told the baby was measuring quite small and the heartbeat was a bit slower than it should have been. We were referred from ABC to our local Early Pregnancy Unit (EPU) and told to go for another scan a week later.

We can our scan at the EPU on Tuesday and they confirmed I had had a missed miscarriage during that week as there was no heartbeat.. I don't really have any words that can describe the rollercoaster it has been..

I had no signs/symptoms physically and chose to go down the surgical management of the miscarriage which I had yesterday. I already feel like a part of me is missing :(

@Millymillymillymillymilly did you have the option to go with ABC for your NHS round or do you just have to go with where you are offered it? Please do keep us posted on your journey.

@waitingmyturn stay positive until you have reason not to be.. it only takes one and that might just be the one you had implanted xx

@Sazles99 I'm so so sorry to hear your news, you must be heartbroken. I'm devastated for you.

Thank you for thinking of me, even with your own things going on xx

@Sazles99 I’m so so so sorry to hear that. I know it must be so hard for you right now. I just hope with time you will start to feel a bit better. Rest up and just gotta keep going because we will all get there someday, just gotta hang on! with the NHS, you go with whatever hospital/clinic they have funding with in your area. For me it was UCLH/CRGH so I do all my scans and checks at the hospital but all the egg collection and transfer happens at the CRGH clinic.

@waitingmyturn I waited for a bleed to happen and then started my NHS round on the period after.

With the NHS round, I definitely took way more drugs. Norethisterone for 16 days, then period comes 3-4 days after the drug and then they do a baseline scan on day 1, 2 or 3 to check everything is in order, then it was 75 menopur, 75 bemfola plus an addition of 1 pill of dexamethasone per day. Starting from day 5 of stimulation, I had to start cetrotide and 1 doxycycline everyday.

Had my trigger shot last night which was 1ml of Buserelin and 1500iu of Gonasi. Tomorrow is egg collection day and I have no idea how many eggs they will be able to collect. However, I had the consultant call me yesterday saying that even though my lining was thick and it’s got the 3 line appearance, it did get thinner potentially due to all the drugs I’m taking and even though it’s thick enough, the fact that it got thinner during the stim process, it may suggest the womb lining is not ideal for implantation so they suggested we don’t do a fresh transfer this round (to be honest, I’m surprised I even get an option - I thought they’d just say no we are not doing a fresh transfer this instance)

Looking back at my abc notes, it did seem like my lining went from 16.6 to 12.6 during my last couple days of stimming. So I was wondering whether or not this was why my abc transfer wasn’t successful…

Let’s all try and stay strong and carry on! All we can do is trust the professionals and our body and hope that what we will all soon get what we desire the most :)

@Mazzaroo2022 thank you for all that information it really helped!

@Cutedolly massive congratulations to you! You must be over the moon! So happy for you knowing you've had a long 4 years of ttc just goes to show it can just happen naturally after so long too. Wishing you all the best going forward! Please do keep us updated!

@waitingmyturn i'm so sorry you're feeling deflated but honestly please don't give up hope! A friend of mine didn't respond to any of her medication last year, literally nothing went as planned and she didn't even get to freeze any - they just had one to transfer which wasn't ideal but she has had her little miracle just fine! So you really never know. Hope that gives you some hope, hang in there.

@Sazles99 I am so sorry to hear this news. I can't imagine how you must be feeling, please get as much rest as possible, we're all here for you xx

@Millymillymillymillymilly i have my fingers crossed for you!! Thank you for updating us, even with your nhs cycle it really does help as i'm sure some of us are on the waiting list so it definitely helps!

Just to update in case anyone is considering abc.

I had my initial zoom consultation yesterday which was actually really good. Wasn't expecting it to be a Dr thought it would be a nurse but he was happy to give us the go ahead with ivf. @Mazzaroo2022 luckily he didn't ask us to repeat OH semen analysis even though it was last done in May 2021. The only thing he did ask was that if when it comes to OH providing his sample and they don't get a good sample, are we okay to do ICSI to which we said yes. It was a little disheartening to hear that the chances of success is only around 35% but I'm trying to remain hopeful. All in all he answered all our questions really well and was really friendly and sympathetic which was nice.

He requested we both have blood tests done to check for infections and for myself to check rubella antibodies (even though I have been MMR jabbed already) It was still necessary.

Straight after the call I had the patient coordinator ring me, who booked us both in for blood tests for this morning (so quick!) and she booked my treatment consultation for Monday (again so quick!). She was really thorough with all the prices, and very up front and honest about any costs we could encounter along the way e.g. if we need icsi, or freezing any embryos, or if for any reason they need to do a frozen transfer.

So just to update anyone following my journey, i'll have my treatment consultation on Monday with the nurse and meds will be ordered Tuesday which is great and means I can start the process when my next period arrives which is around the 1st Feb. Feeling anxious but excited!

Hi everyone. I would also like to Jon this thread if it's ok. I just recently had a failed FET. I'm so devastated and getting emotional at times when I think about it.

@star2022 Best of luck! I think you are in good hands with abc! And I’m glad the consultation went so smoothly. It does help when things start off on a smooth note! If you have any questions, feel free to ask, always happy to help :)

@Akter1984 Of course! Welcome! I’m really sorry to hear you had a failed FET. It just doesn’t get easy does it? I myself had a failed transfer with abc end of last year and even though I knew there was a chance it won’t work, it still felt that I lost something… We can only persevere and keep trying right?

@Millymillymillymillymilly
How far are you on the process? Since your failed FET?

@Akter1984, it was a fresh transfer that failed. I still have 2 frozen embryos that I can use for FET. I was going to rest for two months and then try again but then NHS funding came through so I’m currently on a full cycle with another clinic. The plan is to hopefully keep the abc stored embryos for later use if the NHS route fails. How about you? What’s your next step?

Hi everyone.
Does anyone know when I can expect my period after my failed FET transfer? Will it be like normal period? Or heavier? It's been 3 days since my BETA result came through as neg. Still no sign of period

Sorry to hear your news @Akter1984 what will be your next step?

@Millymillymillymillymilly hope your egg collection went okay?

I just had my treatment consultation - again really really thorough and useful. I will be starting on Bemfola 150, just waiting for period to arrive now which is due on Monday next week. I will get meds delivered on Friday this week. Will keep you all updated! Feeling nervous now as it feels so real...

@Akter1984 - I think it maycome a week after the transfer? You can always call abc? I remember them letting me know what’s the next steps.

@star2022 - So exciting! I think once you start, it will feel even more real! Egg collection went well thanks. We managed to get 11 eggs and 8 have fertilised. Aiming for a frozen transfer this cycle so it won’t be until end of Feb/early March when the transfer will happen!

Good luck @star2022, keep us posted!

That's a really good number fertilised @Millymillymillymillymilly , glad it's all gone well for you 😊

@Millymillymillymillymilly that's amazing, fingers crossed for you keep us posted!

@waitingmyturn Thank you! I was just thinking about you..How are you getting on? Are you still in your 2ww?

@star2022 I'm doing ok thank you, hope you are too? It's a nerve racking but exciting time! yes still in tww, test date is the 30th, trying my best to stay away from Google, the wait is killing me haha!

Hello everyone

I have booked a scan at abc for consideration with them.

I had Ivf elsewhere with menopur 187.5iu daily, from day 6 I started fyremadel 0.25mg daily in addition and got a great result.

I just travelled abroad and had terrible outcome with a completely different protocol.

I read that abc only do mild IVF, would they be able to put me on menopur and fyremadel? I'm happy to pay more if needed.