Anyone starting IVF soon? Join me.

[Shellster52]

After 3 full failed IVF's last year, I am about to embark on my second last attempt. I started an IVF thread during my last IVF, and everyone got pregnant but me. So I swore I wouldn't do that again this time. But I find myself wanting to chat with people going through what I am, so I am starting the thread again. Join me as I seem to be a BFP magnet!

Well, licorice, usually during the last week or so of your cycle, your body is realizing that a pregnancy hasn't taken place and your body starts growing antrals for the next cycle. I am supposed to take estrogen as these antrals are growing. When my cycle is wacky, it could be 37 days or it could be 14 days, so I would have no idea when my body is producing antrals to take the estrogen... or if my body is going through this process at all when I have a whacky cycle? Just have to be patient I guess. But after 3 years, I am sick of being patient! I am continuing to age and running out of time.

Last time I started a thread when doing IVF and everyone got a BFP but me. So I felt like it was bad karma starting a new thread but I wanted like minded people to chat to, so I dared to start this one. And now things have gone south again. I think next time, I will just keep my mouth shut!

Will continue to follow all your stories as I impatiently wait for my body to co-operate.

I'm so sorry shellster, what a horrible waiting game. Surely other people have this issue, does everyone just have to wait? It seems cruel.

Really sorry to hear that Shellster. What happens though if (fingers crossed it doesnt) the same thing happens next month? Surely they should be doing something to help you regulate. Its a really rubbish situation and my heart goes out to you.

Shellster - I'm really grateful that you DID start this thread...all this would have been so much harder without the support of you and the other ladies who are going through this at the same time. I just wish there was something I could say to make you feel better.

I had my scan today. Five follicles developing, which is fewer than I'd hoped for. On the upside, they are quite nice and fat - the smallest was 12mm and the biggest was 17mm, so my egg collection is likely to be brought forward. I'll know for sure on Monday. It means my childcare plans are all over the shop and I'll miss my best friend's 40th, but for this reason, I have a feeling she'll forgive me.

Hi Purple, congrats on the 5 juicy follies, just remember that it only takes one. Know what you mean about childcare with the school holidays upon us I am frantically working out who can have my son and when!

Thanks Carrie. How are you getting on with down-reg?

Easter holidays are a mixed blessing: it made it easier to take time off work, because everyone just assumed I wanted to take time of with ds. I've not helped myself by not telling people we're doing this...my mother was questioning me today about my plans for the next week....actually I've taken the fortnight off work, but if I tell her that, then she'll be full of questions, so I had to fudge it a bit. The thing is, that once your fertility ceases to be about something that you get up to in the bedroom, there are already so many people involved, aren't there? If it works, we just want to be able to announce it at the time of our choosing, and if it doesn't work, then we want it to be up to us whether we discuss it and with whom.
Is Walter still around?

Sounds like a good idea purple. I stopped telling people too. They are just being concerned in asking questions, but it feels like it's extra pressure that things have to go well as it's extra people you have to report back to with the result.

Okay.. this is my fingers crossed symbol for you for Friday - XX. I should start std on 12th April if this cycle is textbook 28 days. I will start estrogen this Wednesday on prep for IVF next cycle so at least soon it will feel like I am doing something productive. Hubby hates the idea of IVF AMD interfering with hormones and blew me away last night ny saying if the baby is disabled he is going to resent me! It's his poor eating and weight and 100% abnormal sperm that means we can't get pregnant naturally!

Okay.. this is my fingers crossed symbol for you for Friday - XX. I should start std on 12th April if this cycle is textbook 28 days. I will start estrogen this Wednesday on prep for IVF next cycle so at least soon it will feel like I am doing something productive. Hubby hates the idea of IVF AMD interfering with hormones and blew me away last night ny saying if the baby is disabled he is going to resent me! It's his poor eating and weight and 100% abnormal sperm that means we can't get pregnant naturally!

Hello Ladies,

I felt like I'd joined the party a bit late, so disappeared for a while.

Shellster So sorry to hear you're not having the best of times!
I can't begin to imagine how you're feeling, you must be very strong.

I've had a crap week. The Buserelin has taken its toll on me, plus I've been told no coffee, no aspartame, no fizzy drinks & 2-3 litres of water a day!

Fortunately AF finally decided to turn up, 4 days late. Feeling very sorry for myself today.

Enough self pity from me!

Not late at all! Sorry to hear you've had a hard time of it Walter. I found the buserelin made me tired, but I've been lucky in avoiding any worse other side effects. I think the water helps, once you've got used to drinking it. I found I was hopelessly underestimating the amount I was drinking, so I made myself a sticker chart. Helps when you get to the stims stage, because my clinic recommended a litre of milk a day. Doesn't really leave room for much else in the way of liquids, does it?! I'm lucky that I never really was a coffee or coke drinker, but I do miss my tea .
How are you doing, Shellster, you okay? And what's happening with your updates that keep re-posting themselves?!

Thanks Purple

How have the stims been? What have you been on? I'll be on 300 Gonal F, probably starting next Friday. I'm hoping the side effects ease up.

Totally agree on what I thought I was drinking & what I actually was. I now measure it by filling two 1.5 litre bottles. It's a struggle and I feel so bloated!

I've read mixed info on drinking milk. I have upped my daily amount of milk, but I'm not a big fan!

Stims have been fine. I'm on 450 of menopur. Started last week and had my first scan yesterday, but I've responded well and they're expecting to bring my egg collection forward two days.

My clinic said that more work was needed on the milk before they would adopt it as a hard and fast rule, but that they believed it was beneficial for egg quality, so it was a recommendation.
Do you like vanilla? My way of getting through all that milk has been to measure it out into a litre jug the night before and stick two vanilla pods in it. By the next day it tastes like vanilla ice-cream. Needs to be full cream or semi, apparently. You can keep using the same vanilla pods until they don't flavour the milk anymore. I'm about to change mine for the first time after a week. And sometimes I warm it and have it instead of a cup of tea. Or with a little cocoa and some honey....

Thank you so much for your words of comfort while I continue to wait until my body gets back in rhythm so I can do IVF. Not sure if I am that strong Walter. I feel at breaking point, but I am just forced in this situation so I have no choice.

You are right Licorice and carriebella. I think they can still go ahead with IVF despite my dodgy cycle. The doctor says that they control things anyway during IVF so it doesn't matter what my previous cycles are like. It's me calling the shot to wait. Having done IVF before, I know my body and that I will have more follicles and they will grow at a similar rate if I wait for my body to have a normal cycle before starting IVF.

Nice to still be on here and chat to others who understand, as that's all I can do while I wait.

Not sure why the updates kept re-posting themselves Purple. I used my phone last post which I am not good at so maybe I pressed something? Waiting to hear how egg retrieval goes for you... just days away now!

sending you a hug, Shellster. It's so hard when things are beyond your control and you just have to sit it out x

I wish I hadn't told people, everyone keeps asking for updates constantly and I know its going to be so difficult for them to know what to say to me if it doesnt work, not to mention me actually having to tell people... everyone has been so supportive though.

Sorry you are still having bad side effects Walter, ive been lucky except feeling incredibly hot all night, not long til your scan now, times going so quick. I also really struggle with the water and have a 2 l bottle I use to measure, I can only just manage the 2l, no way I could do 3!

Good luck tomorrow purple! Your vanilla milk sounds lush , shame I cant drink milk.

Ah Shellster, that makes sense, when your spending this amount of money you need to get it right and you know your own body better than any doctor just hope it can sort itself out quickly for you.

Good luck tomorrow Purple Got everything crossed!

Like the sound of vanilla milk, may have to give it a go. Today I've been drinking infused ginger, lemon & a veggie sweetener, as an alternative, really refreshing.

Shellster you're stronger than I am. I'm struggling with round 1!! I'm not sure I'm emotionally and mentally strong enough for this. Think I buried my head a bit.

Carrie are you on Buserelin?

Has anyone researched Ebryoscope?

Typo, sorry Embryoscope!

carriebella, thanks for your confirmation. I know I did what I thought was best by waiting, but somehow just to hear it back to me that I am spending a forturne and need to get it right, makes me feel like I have made the right decision.

Purple, when do you get your egg retrieval date confirmed? While I can't do my own IVF just yet, I can hopefully just be some support to you guys.

Never heard of Embryoscope Walter. Just went and looked it up. Don't think my clinic has that technology. Up until now, I have wanted to know every detail of my past IVF's and would have loved embryoscope. I have even taken my own blood to have it tested so I can obsess over my hormones levels and plot it in my chart. For my next IVF, I am thinking of doing opposite and asking not to be told number or size of follicles and even the number of eggs retrieved. Maybe it will stop me stressing and obsessing and help make the difference.

Shellster where abouts in the UK are you? I think most Care Clinics offer Embryoscope & CareMaps. We opted to pay the extra, hoping it'll help, with embryo glue! Who knows.

Our consultant has been a bit tight with blood test results, maybe because it's NHS, but I only seem to remember being told my FSH results.

I'm glad I've found you ladies. We've told both mums & my partners best mate and a couple of girls I met off here three years ago, but no one quite understands unless they've been through it.

Its lovely of you to hang around Shellster, its really difficult watching and waiting, I appreciate your support as i'm sure do the other ladies. I will definitely hang around whatever the outcome of my cycle too for when you are ready to start.

Yes Walter, I am on Buserelin, been calling it suprecur but its one and the same thing, how are you feeling on it now? Funny how side effects vary so much with everyone. I've heard that the side effects can ease up once you start stims, i hope thats the case for you, hang in there.
The Embryoscope has just been rolled out to everyone for 'free' at our clinic, in fact they have put the cycle packages up a few hundred pounds so not free at all! It does look promising from what i've been told but I haven't done my own research.

Purple -Hope you got on ok today and now know when egg collection is. So exciting.

Hi to Liquorice too, hope times moving quickly for you!

Shellster - it is so kind and generous of you to be looking out for all of us when you're going through such a tough time. Thank you so much x
I'm sure you've done this already because you seem to have covered all bases (I can relate to that - I'm a lawyer in "real life" and obsessive researching is either the thing that keeps me sane (my view) or the thing that pushes me over the edge (dh's view) but have you had your vitamin D levels tested? I remembered recently that I was recommended to take it when I had my AMH levels tested for the first time. That was about 18 months ago and my level then was 7, but it was 14 when I was tested at the outset of my IVF. Of course, it could be that it was tested in a different lab, or any number of factors, but I had been taking the vit D, so I carried on. You need calcium to absorb it (something I wasn't told, but luckily I tend to take my vitamins in yoghurt).

I had a rubbish night's sleep because I couldn't feel my ovaries at all, after having a fair bit of discomfort last week and I convinced myself in that 4am witching hour that I had ovulated and the follicles were gone. Grrr! When things are going really well, I have to invent things to worry about!

So, I had my scan today and surprise surprise, the follicles are all still there! The smallest one is now 16mm and there are 2 at 20mm, so they're all a good size, which is really exciting. I had a bloodtest to see what my oestradiol levels are and, providing they're okay, we're on for egg collection on Wednesday. I'll get the call to confirm everything this afternoon. It all seems very real all of a sudden....

Walter - embryoscope sounds good...I'd never heard of this either. And Carrie - that's shocking! - the ASA strictly prohibits stating that things are "free" and then inflating the price of the other bits of the package to cover the cost! All pales into insignificance when you're shelling out the kinds of sums involved in IVF though, doesn't it?

Update - just had the call to say I'm on for Wednesday, so trigger shot tonight....

Fantastic purple. Are you feeling nervous? Good luck!
Interesting to know about the asa, I wonder how they are getting around that, must be a loop hole somewhere.

My af has arrived full on with much more cramping than usual, is that normal? hoping and praying its the last one for a long time.

Great news Purple

Carrie AF showed up 4 days late for me but when she showed up it was heavier than I've ever experienced! I assumed it was the drugs!! When is your next scan?

Hope you're ok Shellster?