Anyone else doing donor IVF imminently?

[EL8888]

We are doing donor egg / own sperm imminently. Anyone else in the same boat?

Thanks @EL8888
We some frozen embryos which is a positive but I’m going to take a bit of a break and request some more tests (re implantation etc) as this was my eight transfer. Don’t think my progesterone levels were right so need to discuss this with the clinic and see what next steps they recommend. It’s all such a guessing game though!

Hope you are well and @PinkGoldkeep too, me updated on your progress.

@GreyGoose1980 have been thinking of you. Good luck with your discussions with the clinic, perhaps they will include other checks on your progesterone levels.

@EL8888 I've only been to Prague in winter but hope you can get a bit of April sunshine.
I would like a bit of sun but hope I can get to Spain before proper hot summer! Not expecting any further announcements on travel restrictions for a week or so.

@GreyGoose1980 a break is sometimes helpful. How are you feeling? Like you said, at least you have some embryos in the freeze. Does the clinic think your progesterone levels should be higher?

@PinkGold fingers crossed the next travel announcement is favourable. There are so many factors to consider

Still no meds or protocol. I was promised on the 5th that this would be sorted by the 12th but it’s now the 17th. l have said l will stop taking the pill on Friday if it isn’t sorted by then. I think they’re working up to deferring yet again. I also feel like we are being strung along and haven’t got anything from our money yet. Part of me is tempted to quit altogether

Hi both

@EL8888
Sorry you are having a tough time of it. What are they saying are the reasons behind the delays? This is such a difficult process!

The clinic said my progesterone (blood test) levels were low on the day of transfer but prescribed injections after ET.

@PinkGold
Fingers crossed the next announcement gives more clarity too. Thinking of you too - it’s all such a waiting game!

All okay here, not great but just trying to deal with the outcome. Feel tired out after stopping the meds. Ordered a take away to cheer myself up this evening. Will know more after my consultation.

Xx

Hi both,

Hoping you've had some news about your protocol @EL8888.
Do you feel like the clinic are purposely trying to delay you or short staffed or something? Or is Easter a big deal there and they close for a few days?
Either way hope you end the week with some clarity.

@GreyGoose1980 I think the end of a cycle brings such a crushing tiredness because no matter how relaxed you're trying to be there's so much going on in your head . I know the sadness is a big factor too and I really do get wiped out by it. DH to some extent too. It's also hard for him to see me so down and not be able to help.
Hope you're both talking if it helps or whatever works for you.

I might have said I've been having counselling, but I just want a moan about how shitty our situation is, it's an expensive way to do that!
I read a lot of Donor Conception Network stories earlier in the week and think I overdid it a bit but very hard to switch off from it just now. Expecting a few birth announcements any day so gearing up for typing my gushing congratulations messages and crying. Again. It's been a long time since we started TTC. I'm half thinking of storing a generic message I can reuse for all the birth announcements, sometimes if it's a mutual friend DH and I take turns, whoever is feeling stronger does it.

To end on a happier note tomorrow is Friday and I'm determined to finish work on time and have a chilled evening, maybe a few drinks and copy Grey and have a takeaway.

Hi both
@PinkGold - I hope you managed to finish work on time on Friday and are having a relaxing weekend. I definitely know what you mean about birth announcements. I’ve had a couple of family and a close friend have babies over the last year and it’s been very hard. For me the announcements and baby shower type events are the worst. I find once the babies are here I begin to enjoy them and don’t really associate them with my own situation, it’s just the announcements that are so hard as I feel like it will never be me. Saying that, I think I do distance myself from social situations where lots of friends with kids are meeting.

Had counselling once but don’t think I quite clicked with my counsellor and didn’t really open up. My current clinic have now offered me a fertility coach, so I’m going along to see what that’s about!

@EL8888
Are you okay? Have been thinking of you.....we are here if you need to chat or rant!

I had my consultation and the clinic have referred me on to their implantation clinic. Hopefully this will help as we’ve never had clarity on whether we had a egg , sperm or endometrium / implantation issue as we had some MF issues and my age was against us in recent cycles, but did produce seemingly good grade blastocysts.

Feeling a bit stressed about it all so may also look into acupuncture. Don’t really believe it will assist me to get pregnant but may help with relaxation etc. Meanwhile off for a glass of post ivf wine now!

@GreyGoose1980 sorry to jump in but we were talking on another thread and I wanted to see how you were getting on. So sorry to see the BFN, so frustrating and upsetting 😥

Thanks @greendress789
Good to hear from you. How are your investigations going? Hope you are also okay?

Sorry for the super slow reply. Work is busy and we are trying to move house. Yeah l know we are mental In our defence we have been trying to move for 13 months and it still might not happen

@PinkGold lm not really sure if the reasons for the delay, l don’t ever get any explanations. Easter isn’t that big there l don’t think and we are flying out a few weeks after Easter. How are you finding the counselling? You are less churlish and immature than me, all l can muster to birth announcements is “congratulations x”

@GreyGoose1980 I hope the takeaway hit the spot and you feel less tired -Eugh l remember how nasty the stopping meds feeling was. I had acupuncture a while back, before 1st ivf and l did notice a difference in a positive way

@GreyGoose1980

Thanks *@greendress789* Good to hear from you. How are your investigations going? Hope you are also okay?

I am having the immunes treatment and keeping my fingers crossed 🤞

Hi @EL8888, this is a bit of a late reply to your initial post but I am also doing donor egg IVF imminently, and also in Czech Republic! We will be there in April for 1 week so sounds very similar to you. Hope you are getting on ok with the preparations - I have found the clinic protocol fairly straightforward so far, but planning travel with all the COVID restrictions is a bit stressful!

Hi - I'm not having DE IVF right now but I did have four rounds, two here in the UK and two in Prague. I now have my beautiful toddler DD as a result. I was reading through the thread and remembering how hard it is, what an emotional rollercoaster, and how stressful it is, so I just wanted to wish you all well and I hope you don't mind if I'm lurking in the background, quietly cheerleading and sending positive vibes

@Foxy84 no worries, the more the merrier! This evening and yesterday evening was sorting flights and accommodation. My meds are allegedly arriving on Thursday this week, after a lot of back and forth. How is your travel planning going? Yep COVID is making it way more complex and stressful!

@RedPandaFluff we all welcome the cheerleading and positive vibes! Which clinic did you use? How old is your daughter? Yep the emotional rollercoaster is intense!

@GreyGoose1980 oh I hate baby showers and decided a while ago not to put myself through them any more.
So many babies born to friends and family members, I find it hard to spend time with any small children really, I've been TTC for a long time so can't help but think 'we'd have had a child that age by now if things had been different'.
I think @EL8888 was giving me too much credit for being mature when I send congratulations messages, it's like a perverse form of mental self-harm. I have to send a nice message to look like I'm not bitter, but I am!
Counselling is a bit annoying at the moment because she keeps putting a positive slant on things and I just want to moan and wallow. Sorry I'm a bit of a misery guts right now! I think it's just a build up and a reasonable person will emerge eventually, but I have changed a lot.

Hope that wine tasted good Grey!

A house move is exciting @EL8888 I hope it gets back on track. Glad that your meds should be arriving soon and your flights and accommodation are sorted.
Spain will ease restrictions next month so wil need to see when I can travel.

Hello @greendress789 sounds like you've had a tough time, good luck with the immunes treatment.

Hi @Foxy84 good luck with your travel and treatment too!

I used a company called Battleface for my travel insurance during lockdown - they're more expensive because they cover when travel restrictions are in place. Or if any of you have a recommendation happy to hear it.

Hi @RedPandaFluff I was around back when you got pregnant, congratulations on your little girl! Thank you for the positive vibes, we definitely need them. It's good to hear from people who've had children via donor treatment as it took me a while to get my head around it. DH never had an issue with it but I wanted to keep trying a while longer with own egg treatment before we took this next step, hopefully a step closer to being parents.

@EL8888 in Prague we went to GEST clinic (Praga Medica). I had good experiences there, they were always very helpful, accommodating and efficient. I still have a frozen embryo there that we're considering transferring, although we'd transfer our embryo in the UK first as that would be DD's genetic sibling . . . I can't imagine that we'd be so lucky to have a second baby, though; one was beyond our wildest dreams at one point! DD is 15 months old now so maybe it's time to think about giving it another go.

@PinkGold hello! I know exactly what you mean about donor eggs being difficult to get your head round. I felt exactly the same, and initially struggled. But if it reassures you, when I look at DD, I feel overwhelming love for her. She's my baby, my heart and soul, genetics don't come into it. She's a mini version of DH, which is really cute. The only time it pops up in my mind is if someone says "oh she looks like you in that photo" or "oh it runs in the family" - I wonder if I should mention it or not say anything! It's obviously not a secret and we'll tell DD that a kind lady gave mummy an egg etc. but it doesn't seem worth correcting well-meaning people!

I wondered if any of you are trying prednisone, low-dose aspirin, inhixa or anything like that? The only cycles that worked for me (I also had a chemical pregnancy) are the ones where I took prednisone (to control any autoimmune response) and Inhixa/clexane (stops blood clots forming in the developing embryo/placenta)? It might have just been coincidence, obviously, but I believe they helped. Prednisone especially is so cheap and easy, it's often prescribed on the basis that it won't do any harm, but it might help.

Oh, the other thing that really helped my state of mind was listening to a Zita West relaxation CD before and the two weeks after embryo transfer. It helped me in two ways - positive visualisation of the embryo burrowing in and starting to grow (I had a very negative mindset so this helped me be more open to it working) and it helped me to relax - I'd listen to it in bed last thing at night and I'd often drift off to sleep.

Sorry if this is unwanted advice, I don't mean to preach or say I know best or anything, I just remember that I was desperate to try anything that would improve my chances - even things like making sure you keep your feet warm after embryo transfer, bizarrely

Hi everyone, I’m going to lurk on this thread. We have just started the donor egg process in the UK. We have just started counselling as well which is helpful, I just want to get on with it, we’ve been ttc for six years and 7 miscarriages and at nearly 45 it’s not going to happen unless we change tactic. I’m ok with the idea of donor eggs, DH struggling a bit. Hoping to start treatment end of the summer. It’s all so emotionally draining and covid making it all worse. It’s good to connect with others going through the same thing. Hugs to you all..it’s so hard.

@RedPandaFluff I remember you (name changer here). Glad to hear all is going well with you and your baby girl ☺️

Thank you, @greendress789 - I honestly didn't believe it could happen at so many points along the way. Were you on the IVF boards?

I was - been on here many years 😢

Hi all
@Foxy84 and @Apple04 - hello and best wishes for your DE cycles, good to connect and hear how you are getting on.

@RedPandaFluff - thanks for the good wishes and for recommending the Zita West relaxation CD I will look into that. Whilst a dose of realism isn’t a bad thing, I think I’ve got myself into an unhelpful mindset in that I really can’t even contemplate ivf working so anything that can tackle that is worth a shot.

@PinkGold -Hope your week is going okay. I think it’s fine to moan in counselling and whilst there’s a place for positivity, it’s also important to allow yourself to feel genuine negative emotions / not bottle them up. I don’t think I’ll do more counselling at the moment as I find talking things through quite draining and prefer to write to people here who are in the same boat or a friend in RL in a similar ivf situation.

EL8888 -Hope all is good with you. Good to hear your meds are arriving. I think you are right to move forward with your house move. At the beginning of our ivf we delayed loads of things like moving, taking on new roles at work, then we realised we were constantly being disappointed and didn’t have the new house or trip away to show for it either so we moved house and are planning an extension!

@greendress789 - sending you good wishes for the immune treatments!

@EL8888 glad you’re making good progress! We’ve got flights and accommodation booked now, just a bit nervous about getting all the Covid requirements right! We’ve got our PCR tests booked for 3 days before we fly, fingers crossed they’ll be ok.

@RedPandaFluff thanks for the positive vibes and it’s lovely to hear that things have turned out so well for you after going through the same process. You’re right it is such a stressful time, I still feel anxious whether we are doing the right thing so it really helps to hear about your experience :)

@PinkGold but seriously does anyone like baby showers? Even before all this then l wouldn’t go to them, my job used to involve a lot shift work so l would mysteriously be working!

Thanks for the battle face tip. I sorted my travel insurance through them this weekend

@RedPandaFluff oh yes, l have heard of them

My understanding is prednisone isn’t used much at the moment due to the pandemic, as it lowers the immune system. I have been taking aspirin since our first cycle