Fertility Appointments and Beyond: Electric Boogaloo

[thislittlebird]

Hit capacity on the old thread, will tag you in!

Tentative congrats to you! @JeanieJ

@Kay00 Hopefully you get the date soon.

DH got all his test results back which are good, but I'm so over all this. We just go round in circles. So everything was good, his DNA frag was "incredibly good", his karyotyping, sexual health, reactive oxygen species tests were all good, my NK cell test was normal so back to square one we go. I emailed my doc on friday asking what now, waiting to hear back from him

In other news, we blew some money on holidays so we're going to the Lakes for a week in July and Portugal for a few days for my [censored] birthday. Looking forward to the trips, not so much the yet more IVF.

@thislittlebird thanks x

Urgh... It's annoying when you don't get answers, but it is good news there is nothing wrong in those departments.

It sounds like you need and fully deserve some decent holidays to look forward to ❤️

We have booked a remote week in Wales in Oct/Nov to escape to the fireworks (our dogs have issues), and I need to book somewhere over our birthdays in the summer, but I'm not sure we can afford an abroad holiday. IVF + new kitchen = zero money.

@thislittlebird arghgh that's so annoying that you don't have answers, but it's also good news that your parameters are ok 👍

The lakes & Portugal both sound like lovely trips! 🙂

@Kay00 I'm with you on the money front, we spent so much on DHs embolization & my laprascopy last year that even a new kitchen isn't a goer. It's still the kitchen we had when we moved in in 2020 and still has missing tiles from our rewire🤷🏻🫠
We're just gonna go to Ireland (where I'm from) this summer & borrow my sisters camper to drive up the west coast. Cheap & cheerful! Xx

That sounds lovely too @JeanieJ I have always wanted to travel around Ireland. It looks so beautiful ❤️

@JeanieJ yeah, we’d love a new bathroom but it’s not to be. We’d really like to move but that’s also all on hold until we’re done with ivf.

@Kay00 We keep talking about travelling around Ireland. We’ll do it eventually. I want a camper van lol

So ivf cycle number 3 looks like it’s starting. Had a nurse assessment yesterday, period started today and brought a gonal F pen home with me yesterday. Need to get the rest of my meds, and will email the clinic today to say what I’ve got left.

Will be on 225 Gonal f (was supposed to be menopur but there’s a shortage), with clexane, injectable Lubion every other day, Cyclogest daily, and will be having a double trigger of suprecur and ovitrelle to try to mature the eggs. I don’t feel positive, will just have to see how it goes this time.

@thislittlebird best of luck with it 🤞🏻I'm sorry that it feels like Groundhog Day.
I was on gonal f (300) & didn't find I had many symptoms from it, so hopefully you're the same 🙏🏻
xx

@thislittlebird how is your IVF cycle going? You have a really interesting protocol and I hope it does the trick for you xx

It's CD1 for me (meh...). Double meh actually, because now its highly unlikely (even more unlikely that it already was) that I will have a 2023 baby.

@JeanieJ you are you feeling?

@Kay00 oh, I'm sorry about CD1 - it's bloody Groundhog Day ☹️. I'm assuming still no news on the surgery?

Tbh, I'm quite anxious about having another loss. I stopped testing last week because I was getting obsessed with line progression & it wasn't doing me any good. (Googling line progression is the worst idea ever).
I do have symptoms this time round though 🤷🏻 I have my first scan on Tuesday, so praying it goes well 🙏🏻.

@thislittlebird how are you doing? You must have started now?

Where do both of your clinics stand on exercise at different stages of your treatment?

xx

@JeanieJ yeah it's a lot like groundhog day, with added unfortunate surprises thrown in. I haven't had many symptoms before, this is the highest dose I've had now (225 every day, rather than alternate days last time). The only thing I get is a blurry head briefly when the injection happens and then a tiny bit headachey briefly a couple of times in the day, worried that will get worse as the days go on, we'll see.

My clinic asked me what i was doing exercise wise and told me to carry on as I am. I feel a bit nervous, I could feel my ovary area when working out and don't want a twisted ovary or anything, so i've tried to do things that weren't so high impact yesterday and will again tomorrow. Trying to do lots of walking, I'm technically in pre-holiday weight loss phase lmao, don't know how to juggle that with stims. The excessive protein is already annoying me 3 days in, I'm usually mostly veggie. Graham's 25g protein yogurts are helping me out!

I think stopping testing is a good idea. It either works or it doesn't I guess, for me it didn't and testing wouldn't have helped iykwim.

@Kay00 Thanks! It's ok, just done day 3 of stims, then a scan in the morning which I do not want to do. There's always fewer follicles growing than I'd like so I guess I should be used to it at this stage and accept it.

I hate when it gets to April, I always knew this year wouldn't be it for us, if any ever will.

@JeanieJ I'm glad you have stopped testing. When my SIL got pregnant, she tested once, and without any doubt in her mind, told about 20 people she was pregnant within 24 hours. I wish, if I ever get pregnant, that I can be this confident and care free, but I know I wont. Obsessive worry seems to be the curse of those who struggle to conceive 😟

Good luck for Tuesday xx I will keep everything crossed for you xx

@thislittlebird wow, that sounds like a strong protocol! You need to make sure you are looking after yourself x I hate the high protein diet too, I always feel full but unsatisfied. Nothing is quite as satisfying as a big bowl of pasta 😅

@Kay00 oh god, yeah I can never be that woman, not even told anyone about ivf this time and that’s unlike me. Tbh even more so after we had that chemical. Now if anything works I’ll think it’s a chemical or miscarriage until we’re way down the line. But I just can’t even imagine ever getting there. Luckily for the fertile people have no experience of this shitty world.

So far I’ve been on 150 Gonal F and got 15 eggs, 12 mature, and then 150/225 gonal F alternate days and got 12 eggs, only 6 mature. I’m really not convinced a higher dose is going to activate the ones that don’t want to grow but I’ll find out soon enough. I had to try to trust the doctor, but if this cycle is an even worse outcome on higher doses then I might have to consider a cycle with Create for low dose ivf.

Omg yeah give me pasta or rice or bread. Instead I’m trying to keep active and eat all this boring protein. I’ve tried to plan some high protein meals I’ll enjoy for the week, because I’m a bit bored of chicken. I have a beef bourguignon pie from Lidl to look forward to in the freezer for next weekend, and there’s an amazing salt beef, cheese, gherkin and sauerkraut toastie from Pret that will be on the menu for lunch one day this week. The other days will definitely involve protein shakes, and those high protein yogurts, although already getting bored of yogurts lol

I keep forgetting eggs are a good source of protein and have lots of them in my fridge so that solves a few lunches!

I feel like screaming. The best response I had was a year ago on the lowest dose of stims. Private clinic increased stims and got fewer eggs in November. I said to them I’m concerned higher isn’t better for me but I had to trust their knowledge and now today on day 3 of stims on the highest dose I’ve had, I have ONE follicle growing lol. I had 13 growing on day 4 in my last cycle. To say I’m fed up is an understatement. Feel like this cycle is already over before it’s started and seriously don’t know whether to pull the plug and try again another month.

I know it’s early, but this is the third time I’ve done this and my eggs don’t magically start to grow at the end of stims in my experience, they stay at a similar number throughout stims, give or take a few.

I’m mentally already back on my fitness and exercise regime for holiday and saving for a cycle with Create.

@thislittlebird arghgh! That's so frustrating 😵‍💫😣😖
I think you're right. You might get one or two more, but not loads. For ref, I had about the same amount of follicles on each side at each scan in my cycle & they told me not to expect any more quite early on (day 4 of stims)
Are the clinic advising you on what to do?

xx

Also, what's this about protein & low carb during a cycle?
I didn't change anything about my diet, I just drank more water because that's the only advice I was given & it helped with the headaches.
Does it help with something? xx

@JeanieJ yeah, I tend to have lots of follicles but only a percentage of them seem to grow. They said need to go to Wednesday and Friday scans and then can abandon if it's not looking good. I'm just very fucked off, we can never catch a break.

Protein thing is there's research that says 60g of protein a day can produce better eggs and obviously some of us need the help! Low carb thing is optional, I guess, for me it's about keeping weight off right now. Still eating carbs but smaller portions.

@thislittlebird oh my... Hopefully the others are just too small to count, and they start catching up by the end of the week 😬

@thislittlebird fingers crossed it goes well.
I'm sorry you can't catch a break, it's bullshit ☹️
xx

@Kay00 tbh I just want to can it now. I’ll go to the scan tomorrow, but if it’s still very small numbers I feel like I want to cut my losses and abandon. If I go to a scan on Friday that’s another scan fee to pay and maybe bloods. My body is very ready to ovulate that one egg out, I had to start fyremadel yesterday. I can only assume that because I respond quickly, that lower dose somehow works better for me. At least in hope so.

@JeanieJ it’s such bullshit. Feels like the universe is once again telling me not to have kids. It’s not for me 🫠

@thislittlebird I'm sorry, it's an absolute shitter. You're not out yet, but I think you're right to be practical about this.

I've only done NHS IVF, but my sis just did a private round in Ireland and her whole experience makes me a bit suspicious of private clinics. I'm sorry that you have to think about scan fees on top of all this stress

xx

@thislittlebird I honestly don't think the universe is trying to tell you that, although I 100% feel like it's telling me the same thing sometimes 🙃, we need to remember that the universe doesn't give a flying fuck whether we reproduce or not. And if we want to have kids, then it's our business to try everything we can... Or not, if that's how we feel. Fuck you universe!

@JeanieJ theyve both been pretty similar for me with a few weird exceptions, but I’m generally annoyed by the attitude of all the doctors I’ve encountered throughout the last 4 years. I just want one that listens and is sympathetic at what is a very hard time.

@Kay00 its just so hard to get your head around how it works for [waves hands] all of them! I know going into this everyone was very optimistic for us but here we are still, slowly losing the will to live. It’s incredibly unfair bs.

I really do not want this scan tomorrow. If the doctor wants me to go on Friday even though there’s nothing growing I’m going to lose it.

@thislittlebird if you want to end this cycle after tomorrow's scan, then that's totally up to you. If you did, would you be lining up an IVF Lite with Create?

@Kay00 no, it’s a pre-paid Access cycle. I’m hoping if I cancel after a (presumably) bad scan tomorrow, I can just be invoiced for the scans and bloods and then transfer the package over to next month with a new protocol? I don’t want to pay for another scan and trigger injection meds just to cancel on Friday after that scan + travel into SW London costs iykwim.

@thislittlebird I think that's smart & saves you any unnecessary costs, but I really hope your scan goes better than you expect 🙏🏻🤞🏻
Best of luck today xx