Fertility Appointments and Beyond.... the next chapter

[Tinkerbell098]

I have created a new thread as the previous one is about to fill up. I've tagged some of us here, but apologies if I have missed anyone.

The thread is for anyone who has started/ about to start fertility investigations or treatment. Come join us, we are a lovely bunch :)

@tillybabs
@thislittlebird
@kay00
@jeaniej
@PurpleUnicorn01
@paintfairy
@dogmam
@flutterby8
@Ughmaybenot
@dancingfairydreams
@beckycarlos
@jkjellyhead
@juno231
@decaffe
@bumble44
@BritinNZ
@tinkerbell098
@pinkginpls
@thedaydreambelievers
@everymumday
@wanderlust16
@lori23ttc
@Gracie2021
@Sofasogood1
@99pctpractice
@magnoliasinbloom

@Gracie2021 woah! it's definitely getting stronger X

Do you really think so @Tinkerbell098? I can't see any diff the latest three days and have the worst cramps. Past sore into painful so stressing.

@Gracie2021 definitely can see a clear increase from 8-10. I don't think there is anything to worry about. FRER looks so strong too! I can understand how hard it must be waiting for the beta but you're already in a good place and enjoy this moment :)

Yeah @gracie2021 I did a lot of going mad over darkness etc, but the a friend (who's also had IVF) said to me if it was a spontaneous pregnancy and I got that on a test, would I be questioning, to which the answer was definitely not. I'd be off celebrating. The cramps are a good thing (apparently lol) they mean the embryo is burrowing and getting snug, and you uterus is stretching to accommodate it 😊

Thanks a mil @Tinkerbell098 @beckyCarlos sorry to be a pain in the butt. Just such anxiety today. Have been having cramping every day since transfer but it was just the increase in severity scares me. Worse than any period cramps. Anyway I'll try and keep out of my head and not let the insanity take over. Thank you so much for the reassurance though.

@gracie2021 totally understandable! I had to take it day by day and employ my 'get your butt on a plane to have a nice holiday' mantra which is 'is there anything wrong at this exact moment? No. So breathe' and repeat (often multiple times a minute lol)

As always you speak words of wisdom @beckyCarlos! I'll do my best to follow. Don't know what if do without you lot.

@Gracie2021 I definitely see a progression !!! I know it's so difficult not to be highly anxious but it looks like it is sitting pretty 🤩 hope the cramps ease - I'm sure they don't make it any easier.

@Tinkerbell098 I really hope that they figure out a way to make it work for you - sooooo frustrating when logistics get in the way of starting!

Anyone else sometimes look at their life now and wonder at how far down the rabbit hole they have come? When we started ttc I told my oh that I definitely didn't want to do ivf. Now I'm at some bat shit crazy clinic who have decided that I have to get up at 5am to do injections of fyremadel. How is that the time that they chose?!? Esp when the advice around ivf is to get plenty of rest... 🤣🤣🤣

Thanks a mil @99pctpractice just needed an outside eye to tell me I was being ridiculous!

5am is insane?! I've never heard of such an arbitrary weird timeline as that..... are you able to get back to sleep after them at least?

@gracie2021 don't get me wrong, I still feel anxious about it, but knowing nothing is wrong at that very second does help.

@99pctpractice all time 🙈 I hate doctors, needles, exams, being poked and prodded and I get lightheaded and panicky at BP checks, yet here I am... also...5am?!?!?! Mine just said 'in the morning, we usually say 8am' they must have it wrong...surely?!

Got a funny one for ye, has anyone donated extra leftover meds to anyone or is that a thing? I have so much left over from all my egg retrievals. No good to anyone here in Ireland as they're covered by our drugs payment scheme but wondering if there's any way I could get them to someone in Northern Ireland or if that's even legal.... hate wasting them 🤔

@Gracie2021 hmmm... im not sure about drug reselling. Just be careful you don't get pulled over for smuggling if you take them across the border 😘

And I see progression between day 8 and 10 too 🙌 😁

@Gracie2021 I think you have to be careful trying to resell drugs on social media platforms because they track that stuff and can block you. Lots of people seem to do it though (they just ** part of the name so it isn't picked up by search engines), but maybe only on private groups...

I know, 5am seems to be insane and completely unnecessary but that's what they said and they weren't flexible about it!! I might ask them again today because it's killing me - I don't get back to sleep afterwards so I'm just having absurdly early mornings...even 5.30 would be better!

Thanks ladies. Defo not selling, it would be donating to someone if I could find a way of doing it but don't want to do anything illegal either. Might ask my clinic and see what they say. Suspect I might end up having to dispose of them which just seems like the biggest shame.

5am is just cruel @99pctpractice Defo worth asking again! Are you getting many side effects?

@Gracie2021 weirdly not feeling too many side effects so far - just tired from the early starts!! today i got a day off from the blood tests/scan in the morning, which was bliss. i still have to go in to pick up medication, but i can do that a bit later at least. after yesterday's scan, it looks like probably egg collection on Thursday-ish, if everything continues in the same direction... i'm feeling a lot less anxious this round (probably because it isn't straight after my mc), and i think if i have a day 2 transfer that'll hopefully help as well because we won't have the same excruciating wait for embryo progress results...

hope you're enjoying a chilled weekend before your test tomorrow!! will have all fingers crossed for you :)

met up with my friend who's going to do ivf and it just reminded me of how fresh faced and innocent we were before our first ivf round. even though she knew the statistics, i could see that she really thought it would just take one round and i didn't want to burst her bubble...i really hope she is one of the lucky ones who gets pregnant first time, but it reminded me of how much i thought ivf would be a magic bullet. it's difficult because i think until you have done it, you have no idea what kind of outcome you will get!

Glad things are progressing well @99pctpractice and everything crossed for you for Thursday. Great that ye might be able to do the early transfer.
God you're poor friend. Really hope that she is a one and done round girl. Remember my own naïveté going in too.... glad she has you to chat to. Is it helpful for you to speak with her on it or a challenge for you?

Congrats @Gracie2021 !

my letrozole turned into a disaster. CD41 and still no period. Guess I didn’t ovulate after all. I’ve got some medication to take to induce my period. Feeling so frustrated because I ovulate naturally so feels like a completely wasted month. Don’t know if we have done the right thing trying it. Also, I can’t take the period inducing medication yet because we kept DTD until day 34 of my cycle so I have to make sure in another week that I’m deffo not pregnant. Feel in total limbo and really annoyed 😭

I know, I'm just so nervous for her. Her husband is a smoker and a very big drinker, so I told her to make sure they get a dna fragmentation test before starting but she already said that he is unlikely to respond well to being told he has to cut down his booze / stop smoking so I really hope that doesn't end up being their issue. It's actually quite nice to have someone to talk to about it who is going through it at the same time (most of my friends have finished having kids years ago) and I'm really happy to share anything I might have learned but I think it was just a bit of an eye opener in terms of where we started and where we're at now. She's very matter of fact though, so perhaps she won't find the process as emotional as I have!!

@Gracie2021 good luck for the test today! All fingers crossed for you X

AF arrived over the weekend and I rang the clinic this morning to schedule in a scan to start stims (short protocol). The receptionist said she will speak to the nurse and call back. Not sure if that means "we don't have space for you, but let me double check". Really hope I can start this cycle/

@Hoping43 how strange about the letrozole! I'm not really sure how that can happen. Would you still go ahead with it next cycle (tweak the dose)? Hope you get some answers soon X

@Tinkerbell098 i think I just thought it would boost my ovulation and didn’t really consider that it would take over the process completely and yes as far as I can see, the dose is want high enough. They don’t seem keen on increasing my dose though but I’m speaking to the consultant on weds. I don’t really see the point of doing another cycle on the same dose but I’ve heard your body can respond differently on different months on the same dose so I’m not sure. I’ve just ended up wasting loads of time now. I haven’t had a period since early July and I have to wait another week to start the norethisterone and then another 8 days for my period to start so I’m going to have gone 2 months without a period which is like 2 missed opportunities to become pregnant so it is frustrating x

I've been told I won't be having treatment this cycle as my day 1 was on Saturday, which meant I should have had the scan and started stims today. They also said my collection would have fallen on the bank holiday Monday, which they can't do. I'm so annoyed with them it's unreal. How do they manage to get any cycles in with conditions like that? What if it was someone with a regular 28 day cycle who'd always get their AF on a weekend? Would they be denied treatment everytime? I have so many questions, but I just went blank the moment they said "unfortunately we can't have you this cycle". I've just rung back now to ask for the nurse to ring me as I want to clarify a few things regarding AF falling on a weekend as I may have this again next time.

Oh @Tinkerbell098 that really sucks. I'm sorry they messed you around like that. Definitely follow up with them again because they must have some kind of work around if af starts at the weekend - also worth checking what happens if egg retrieval falls at the weekend. I honestly don't know how these clinics juggle not being open at the weekend - it must happen all the time (or at least 2/7ths!) that egg retrieval would be best at the weekend. Maybe they just try to push it forward to the Friday or back to the Monday and potentially sacrifice some eggs in the process?

@Hoping43 that's so frustrating. Cycles can be quite variable so hopefully this one was atypical and next cycle will work better? Hopefully the consultant has some wisdom for you...

Yeah, like I dont know if mine do collections at the weekend but I know they do everything else (I've had weekend scans, and my transfer was on Sat and a consultant did it, and I know they normally do EC in the AM and transfers in the PM...) they do control your cycle in the run up though so I stayed on downreg for an extra 3/4 days and I'm doing progesterone for 12 days this time to help them plan 🤷‍♀️ the consultants also do 'hot weeks' where they do 7 days in a row and do all the EC and transfers, which would indicate they do them all the time. I hope you get some answers! There are definitely ways and means that they can try and make it not the weekend! X

@99pctpractice thank you. Hoping they do actually ring me about it!!