Starting IVF December 2022- looking for a tribe!

[mrsmw132]

Hello fellow IVF buddies (hopefully),

My wife and I will be starting our first round of IVF in December/ January. I will be carrying.

We lost a baby this time last year with a missed miscarriage at 9 weeks. So this is a charged time of year for us.
We are excited and nervous.

We have had our initial consultation- AMH and egg reserve looked good.

We have our nurses appointment this week.

I am always terrified of being weighed- I’m always sitting in the 29 category- I would love to be lower but struggle with weight loss.
How many times and when were you weighed during your cycles?

Looking for others who are going through IVF at this time to swap anxieties and stories with a keep each other going.

I confide in my wife also, but sometimes it’s nice to talk to the stranger friends you make here to keep you going!!

thanks
Mrs M-w

@mrsmw132 January will be here any minute though! Lots of walks with the doggies sounds good. I’ve just come back from a dog walk myself!

My period stated, I had down regulation scan for 29th December (yesterday). Down regulation has not worked, my lining was too thick and I had a follicule on my left ovary that was borderline too big.

I’ve had to take my trigger injection yesterday to basically make that follicule ovulate and then I’ve got to wait until my next period (Jan period). Then I’ll call them to arrange another baseline scan. I’ve got to keep taking the buserelin throughout so my down regulation is taking weeks. I’ve guessed this adds another 3 weeks onto the cycle.

I’m with you on the zero patience.

Gosh that's hard. But good they have a plan.
They didn't want to do down reg with me as I think with the Christmas and new year closures and scans etc it wasn't worth it. I think mine was put back a week by waiting on my period. But all pre transfer stuff done for the cycle
So looking forward to it! need it to start NOW!!!

Hey everyone, I'm on day 3 of meriofert evening Injections. Add in the cetriotide on Monday for 5 days then fingers crossed egg collection and embryo transfer a few days later! This is my first cycle and totally overwhelmed with the whole process! The ups and downs are so hard to deal with!
How are you guys getting on, is this your first cycle or been through this before?
X

@mrsmw132 it will be here before you know it! Although I agree the waiting sucks, it’s hard.

@MRSLMF Hello! Good luck with it all. How are you feeling?

It’s my first cycle, it’s taken a long time to get to this stage but I’m happy something is happening even if I have to down regulate for longer than usual.

To help anyone out going through this process. bone broth helps to build a robust uterine lining to support menstrual cycles and embryo implantation. I know random like to help people 😊

Thank you for the tip! *orders bone broth 😂

Are you both doing long cycles?
I'm on a short cycle supposedly but it feels so long! I had provera for 10 days to delay period then baseline scan then started meriofert injections at night I'm on day 5 today of those but wow I'm incredibly lightheaded/dizzy and nauseous! I'm just praying they get some eggs on egg collection day so this has all been worth it. They really didn't prepare me at all for the process its completely exhausting.
When do you both start the stimulation drugs? It would be nice if we all had our 2 week wait at similar times!

@MRSLMF I’m long protocol, which has been extended as I didn’t down regulate.

Hopefully start stims 2/3 weeks time. I took trigger on Thursday which should bring another bleed, I’m guessing in about 2 weeks after a quick google, then I have to call them when I start AF again to arrange another baseline scan about a week after my bleed. Hopefully this time around I down regulate as it’ll be about 6/7 weeks on buserelin!

Gosh that's a long time but fingers crossed it will all be worth it. Its such an emotional process ontop of all the hormones we have to inject ourselves with. Sending lots of positive vibes your way xx

I'm hoping to star stims around 9/10th! They didn't do down reg with me, happy to go straight to stims.

Short protocol for us. Not sure which meds yet.
I'm sorry to hear they are making you feel sick and dizzy. I'm worried about this. I'm a teacher and worried about the drug side effects when I'm teaching.

I am hoping sooooo many eggs for you both x

Hello hope I can join. I had my first short protocol cycle in December and unfortunately a failed day 3 transfer we found out just before Christmas when my period came. Now looking at a frozen transfer at the end of January with our one remaining Day 6 embryo but it is only rated a 5CB which isn’t apparently great! We also found out DH has a varicocele so thinking it might be the reason for us only ending up with 2 viable embryos although the fresh transfer didn’t take at all sadly. What we thought would be a smooth journey with me passing all the tests with flying colours is not that easy after all! Definitely helps coming to these forums as you do just feel so alone when you see new mums everywhere. Hoping for a positive 2023 for everyone x

Of course you can join.
I'm sorry to hear about your failed transfer. And Christmas is a tough time without that heartbreak.

I was up through the night last night with anxiety about starting. Which is funny, because I hadn't really given it much thought other than positives .
I was taken back to our first iui when that failed how devastated I was. There is soooo much more in this that iui.

My sister, who has been through it before told me to only think about it one step at a time. The next step only. And the rest is in the hands of the doctors. It's their job. You just have 1 job at a time.
@Nk11 are they changing your protocol for the frozen transfer?

Hi @Yolo23

Stick with me on the timeline here
For context - we are a same sex married couple in Scotland. In Scotland all couples are entitled to fertility support (ensuring that they meet certain NHS criteria).

We were first referred in Jun 2020, we had our initial appointment May 2021, we then had to go through assessment and an impact councillor.
Our first Iui was Sept 2021
Iui - sept 21
Iui 2- Oct 2021
Iui 3 - Nov 2021
We became pregnant on this round but it ended in a MmC when we went for our 7 week scan.

Iui 4- Feb 2022
Iui 5- March 2022
Iui 6- April 2022

We were then referred for IVF. We were 7 months on the waiting list.
Initial appointment Nov 2022. Had to re jump through all the hoops and criteria of course.
I have had my pre treatment during my December period and now waiting to start stims in January.

I'm sorry that your relationship broke down that is so difficult, but so pleased you found the love of your life xx

The nausea and light-headedness tends to come in waves, I have my evening injection at 7pm and tend to feel okay again around 3pm the next day!
I am an advanced clinical practitioner in the NHS and fortunately my work have been very supportive so I'm currently in a non patient facing role for 4 weeks while doing the ivf so I can stay in work, I've a few friends who have previously done ivf and couldn't work due to side effects so their GP signed them off for the duration so that's an option!
Wishing everyone tonnes of luck!
Your sisters advice is great, one step at a time, I keep hearing "it's a marathon not a sprint" xx

I've spoken to my work and know they'll be supportive. As my boss said, baby first, we'll get by! She is the best.
I have stage 4 endo, and can feel one egg growing and being released.

I'm going in hopeful, and patient (yeah right) and trusting the process x

I can feel my body stray to prep for my period! I think it will be the weekend at the latest. Which means stims start next week 😆😘

I was wrong...still waiting 😂

@Yolo23 @SH998 @Lauralozzle

I'm Cycle day 1! I came on this evening. So I've phoned an left a message on the answer phone of the nurses. My wife was like, wait to phone them in the morning, but eh...no!!! I've been waiting very impatiently for this day.
She is the patient one of us!

So I will update you on the outcome of tomorrow. Hoping to see them before Wednesday and start those injections soon!!

@mrsmw132 Yay!

Things can get moving now for you!

Im still waiting for my period. Hopefully it shows up end of this week!

The wait is the worst 😩

Keep calling the clinic. But they must be busy 😩

Well guys I havnt responded very well to stims! Only 2 follicles meeting the threshold! Absolutely gutted. They are going ahead with egg collection this Thursday and hope a few others have come up by then, although they don't seem very optimistic. Looks like will be a failed cycle, fortunately we have funding for 3 cycles so 2 more chances! I don't feel I was prepared for this outcome at all. I was told my egg count is great etc no fertility problems as such! Just unexplained infertility so feel completely floored and blindsided by this outcome. I just never expected not to respond to stimulation!
Fingers crossed Thursday isn't a complete right off! Xx

Gosh that is so hard.
What stims did they have you on?
I'm glad they are still going ahead, you never know what will happen. Remember, it only takes one.
Good luck for Thursday. Keep us updated.
I have my appointment at 8.30 tomorrow. Hopefully I'll come home with all my medication ready for action.

I had meriofert 3 powders 1 water for 10 days then an extra 4 days.
Yep fingers crossed for quality eggs over quantity :) it's brutal this process isn't it.
Ahhh Good luck for your drug appt tomorrow! It's all very exciting for you fingers toes and eyes crossed you get lots of follicles stimulated and lots of lovely little embryos xxx

@MRSLMF I’m so sorry you haven’t responded as expected to Stims. Hopefully some others will catch up. Fingers crossed for you. This is such an exhausting journey.

@mrsmw132 Good luck with your drugs appointment tomorrow.

Im still waiting for AF. Nurse said it could take a couple of weeks so just wait and see.

@Lauralozzle @MRSLMF @SH998

We started!!!!!
Went in this morning, scan went fine, nothing of note. Had a small panic as lining was 7.1mm and he was going to check my oestrogen level before we started, but then he changed his mind,

So we have started on Gonal 175 iu and then we add Fyremadel on Saturday. Back for a scan on Monday to see how we are growing ❤️❤️