Starting IVF/ICSI this month - anyone want to join the journey?

[Rumplestrumpet]

After over 2.5 years TTC, we're FINALLY about to start our fertility treatment this month (ICSI). My nurse and husband forbade me from chats and forums, but after following MN threads over recent years I think it would be a great help to share the experience with those going through the same thing.

Anyone else want to share the joys/terrors of belly injections, hormonal madness and a series of medical professionals poking around your nether regions?! And, of course, hopefully a BFP at the end of it all

Good luck Whittle - fingers crossed they're both top quality.

allchat hope you're feeling somewhat better today and have nice plans for the weekend. Even if it's just a quite one. We're all thinking of you.

GCerron - what happened with your ET in the end? Hope all's ok.

Hen - how many POAS have you done today?!

God damn it! Only 1 left remaining! Still looks good apparently but was hoping for better numbers from a collection of 5! Grrr really annoyed I know it only takes one but this is cutting it a bit fine. Really wanted to be able to have some frozen so don't have to do the whole thing again if this doesn't work.
Not feeling very positive about our chances now

aww whittle one is still not none. its beyond your control and I know its hard but staying positive is the best thing you can do now.

shell is right, I will be worse than u lot when I get to it and you'll all be telling me to eat my words

Aww whittle not sure if you'll get this in time, but wishing you all the luck in the world. Will be thinking of you this afternoon x

Allchat Completely understand if you don't feel like posting today, but if you are there and reading this, I hope you are doing ok?

Shellster How frustrating, I hope your next scan is a more informative one. I have to say though, the thought of someone scanning me and not saying a word to me absolutely horrifies me, how rude of her! Can you change to a different sonographer?

Well, it is still very, very early days for me, and I am not calling in a BFP as such, but it is fair to say that today's 'Inconclusive and Possibly Imaginary Line' (IPIL) is significantly pinker, darker and more pronounced than yesterday's IPIL .

It was only visible once the test had pretty much dried, so well outwith the timeframe, but taken together with the fact that for the last few days, I have been feeling really, really nauseous (to the point that I had to come home early from work yesterday and couldn't even contemplate a glass of wine with my dinner) it's definitely a good sign

...and I'm only doing one test a day! It's not as if I have holed up in the bathroom with emergency rations and a billion HPTs for the duration of the TWW!

Ah, Hen , I rather like the idea of you peeing on a hundred sticks a day, comparing IPILs along the way . I'm staying positive for you - there's absolutely no reason why it shouldn't work for you, and positivity is the best way to get through this godforsaken process. Keep us posted on IPIL progress over the weekend!

Whittle - look at it this way - hopefully you won't need any frosties because this one is THE one. And in any case having a frostie doesn't impact on your success this time round anyway. Good luck with the ET this afternoon and settle in for the very long 2ww. Then you can compete with Hen and see who can POAS more times!!

(Hope it's ok for me to joke like this, just trying to keep spirits high during a stressful time!).

I had EC today and even though it was slightly painful and am bleeding a little now I got 18 eggs so I'm chuffed to bits, Hubby only needed to supple one sample in the end so hopefully there's enough goods ones for all the eggs. Can't wait to get the phone call tomorrow and should hear Monday morning whether we are going in for a 3 day transfer or waiting till wed for 5 day.

Just taking each step at a time.

frazoz 18 eggs that amazingly good haul!

hen I two love the image of you wholed up in the bathroom peeing on a million sticks so funny.

So it's all done and I'm now in the dreaded 2ww. They said although we only had one left it was looking good and was a grade b so fx we only need the one little fella to settle in nicely

Thanks whittle they said it was going by to be 12 at our scan wed but was really lucky to get 18 union the end.

My stomach is very very sore though as a consequence.

Good Luck for your 2ww it only takes one at the end of the day!!

Frazoz that is such fabulous news! You must be chuffed to bits . Did the Clinic give you any painkillers to take home with you? I found over the counter Co-Codamol to be really effective when the lovely, lovely Tramadol they gave me in the recovery room wore off.

Also fab news re the sample - well, looks like everything has gone perfectly to plan so far, fingers crossed for you when you get The Call in the morning.

Hi Guys,

I'm still here! Over the worst of it now and feeling stronger emotionally and physically. Found it hard to get out of bed this morning and did the school run without even having shower. Gross. Came home and had another massive sob whilst drying the dishes and I think I've let it all out now!

Went for acupuncture. Scared I was going to lie there with my own thoughts and ball my eyes out, but I'm glad I went. Felt so much better coming out and I've been so much more energised this afternoon (not that I've put it to any use!).

I've all but finished bleeding now as well which has really surprised me. I'm down to just a pantyliner with brown spotting. That means the heavy bleeding only lasted just over a day. Haven't had clots either which I thought was. Acupuncture lady asks if I'd tested again. I said no. She said maybe I should because it was so different to my normal period and bleeding was actually pretty short. I just said that I know that I'm not pregnant anymore. It was just too much blood and at the height of cramping it just felt like my body was rejecting something and trying to expel it. In a way though I'm pissed off she even said that. There's always that bloody niggle isn't there…I know my own body though and I'm not entertaining thought.

This is positive though. I'm still explained but we can actually do it! Acupuncturist said that most woman would just love to even get to that stage, so I am actually really lucky.

Sorry long post….quickly
Hen - when are you meant to test. Haven't read back far enough, but are you getting faint bfp's then or evaps?
Shell - I know you've been here before….I'm hoping you are going to have a sprouting/growing session over the weekend. I only had 1 the right size on scan before ET then they all grew/caught up over the weekend. Less is more anyway (in terms of quality I was told) (within reason obviously). Keep going. x
I saw gcceron on a different thread. very short message that basically said she'd had bleeding after Ec and they'd cancelled ET. It was on the 'starting in Jan' thread. i replied and told her to come to this thread but it was in the midst of MC so my brain was very helpful.
whittle - I can imagine you are feeling a bit shit. Take resolve it so many ladies don't even get this far. Always try and remember that there was someone in a worse position and it turned good for them. I know it's a massive relief to have frozen embryos and that in itself will make you sad, but you need to move on now and just be hopeful about the one being put back in. You can do it!!!
Frazoz You will be a little sore. Go to the loo all the time. I found even the tiniest bit of wee in my bladder pushed against sore follicles. I got worse before I got better. I had 11 btw. I went back on day 5 and by then I was completely dandy again. Good luck.

waves to everyone else. Sorry if I missed you or a question or a post. And sorry if I bored you. Making up for lost time! xx

God I made loads of mistakes then. You get the gist! x

allchat i really glad that you are feeling better, it will take time to recover from such a blow but you will be stronger for it in the long run.

Hen - yes they gave me codydramol but I want to keep those for tomorrow as they said it would feel worse then and my Hubby isn't here.

Allchat - yes I have found that, I'm drinking loads as instructed and any pressure is uncomfortable so also weeing a lot.

Thanks for all the advice

allchat I'm glad you're feeling a bit better. I have to say tho I agree with acupuncturist you should poas, if nothing else just so you know you've got bfn before you start trying again. you're cycle will be all over the place this cycle so I think knowing when the hcg has dropped will help you understand what is going on. maybe test in a week rather than now though.

hen IPIL love it. fx they turn into real bfp lines!

shell how's the PMA coming along?

rumple any new symptoms yet to report?

whittle I've got everything crossed for your little emby.

faroz 18, WOW! its amazing how differently the same treatment can be woman to woman. fx they are good quality and you get a bfp.

In a bit of a hurry, but just popping in to place my flag in the ground and declare a BFP!

Came up in the time it took to boil the kettle, no dismantling of the test required and clearly visible - no squinting needed!

OTD is Monday, and I completely get that there is a long way to go (and many, many potentials for disaster) before an actual baby arrives - however, for today at least, I am pg

Fantastic news hen so incredibly happy for you

Brilliant news hen congratulations. I'm so pleased you didn't cancel this cycle!!
Now for the dreaded wait for your first scan. Mine is a week on Monday and time is going more slowly than in the 2ww!!

Hen - that's fab fab fab news I'm really pleased for you ??

Lildottie - I know I do feel extremely lucky to be honest

Just had a call from the clinic and all 18 eggs were mature and 17 fertilised....they said that they will grade them on Monday and if there are four or more good quality then the transfer will be on wed and a day 5.

Am totally in shock I feel like crying (good tears of course).

Frazoz that is amazing! What great news. Sounds as though you'll have a few to freeze for siblings!

And Hen that's fab!! How many days post 5 day transfer were you when you got this true BFP line?

Fraz, 18 is HEEEAAAPPPPS!!!! The maximum number of mature eggs I ever got was 5 and to be honest, I am a little jealous! And then to have 17 fertilise is way above average too! Will be super curious to hear your update Monday.

I keep repeating as you say allchat that it's quality over quantity, but my history shows 8 low quantity cycles and 8 BFNs, so you can understand why I'm not believing this mantra. But after what you are going through, I feel like you are the last person I should be complaining to right now! Think I joined this thread after your IVF cycle. Can you remind me of how many eggs you made to end up with a frostie?

whittle, can totally understand your disappointment. Even though I know I don't produce lots of eggs, each time I am disappointed when I am left with 1-2 embryos. Again this cycle I am hoping for 2 blasts to transfer and you are reminding me in advance that I am falsely getting my hopes up and going to be very disappointed in a few days. I will still hope though! Glad you at least made it to transfer. It will take a few days to adjust to this different outcome and then you will be following Hen and all focused on POAS and rooting for this one.

Hen. You sound very practical with your POAS testing and even now with your BFP. I think I would be unable to type a properly structured sentence if I saw two lines. Maybe that's the difference between this being your first IVF while I go through my 9th! It seems standard procedure here for the sonogropher to report her findings only to the nurse and for the nurse to give me the result. Have my scan tomorrow to find out about these 6 smaller follicles and if they have any chance of catching up with my 3 larger ones. Will definitely be more pushy with the sonogropher tomorrow to get an answer to this!

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Good luck with your scan tomorrow shell

Hi girls!! Back to my again so I couldn't update properly plus I didn't want to talk about me after read Allchat , I am glad you are getting better,after all that is the most important thing to do in order to continue ahead in this not easy road.
In my case every thing was ready for the ET Wednesday, but I had little brownie spots the night before. On Wed the doctor analysed the lining and everything looked fine 11.5mm, so she introduced the catheter when she asked the embriologist for not to bring the embryos because I had some bleeding and probably my progesterone level dropped, and it's not good to go ahead when there is blood!! The doctor explained yesterday that I was bleeding in the neck of the whom, so they freezed the embryos and postponed the ET to d8 of natural cycle in January!! so frustrated, any body who knows more about it? So my uncertainty continue. Anyway good luck to everybody girls!! we need to be positive!!! xxxx

How frustrating gcerron. So close to having the embryo transferred and feeling like you are on the home stretch and then this. Does sound like it's for the best. Sorry I have issues even making it to ET so I have no experience with this.

Thanks for the well wishes nutty! Just got home from working late shift (1.12am here) so I am checking in. Scan first thing in morning and I will know if these other little follicles are growing and if this IVF will go ahead.

hey just checking in, so far so good although only 4 days into the 2ww and already want to know what its happening. When we had transfer I said to my self that I was going to try and forget about it and wait for blood test but am already thinking about when I could POAS. Been having mild cramps most days only lasting about 5 mins max. Did anyone else get this with a BFP?