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

I guess the waiting only stops when that elusive bfp is a baby in your arms - then you want time to stand still and i bet it bloody won't!

Hi girls

Welcome Laura to our thread I am sure you will find it as helpful as I have so far x plus it is a nice place to come to when you are having one of those days surrounded by pregnancies!

Well done with your first injection lildottie, it's not that bad is it? My husband did them for me but the last two I have done and it's been fine, a quick update I went for my scan this morning and the suprecur has done what it should, lining is thin and ovaries have shutdown so tonight I start 150 iu a day of gonal f so fingers crossed that will be ok. I then have another scan on Monday as I have pcos so they want to keep an eye on me because of the dreaded hyperstimulation.

Have you any side effects lildottie? I have just had headaches so far and a few hot flushes x

Sorry to read you post nutty it must be a mixture of emotions for you at the moment x

That's great Anroga , you're all ready to go! I didn't have to do the downregging, must make the whole process even more drawn-out, but you're here now and it's great that you can start. Great too that they'll watch you closely, hopefully you'll be able to see the follicles grow and really feel like you're getting somewhere. Best of luck!

hi anroga, no symptoms yet but only day2. this mornings hurt a little more as I was pushing the fluid in but no bruises! definitely doing something as I'm getting tiny bits of spotting but no AF yet. how many scans are you having? I'm booked for 3.

Yes purple I finally feel like I am getting started! Feel really groggy this morning after my first injection of gonal f last night but suppose that's to be expected x injection was fine x how are you doing?

Glad your feeling ok so far lildottie I had a scan yesterday then I have one on Monday and one that Friday then hopefully egg collection on the Monday 12th as I type this it now seems to be flying by!

If I have any advice keep on drinking the water it helps with the headaches and even though I have been drinking 2 litres of wart a day plus other drinks the nurse yesterday said I need to drink more!

X

Yes, I remember being told to drink plenty, which is difficult when it's cold because you don't get as thirsty. I tried having a water bottle on my desk and making sure I had at least two of those a day (so 1litre) and then had a couple of herbal teas too. That gets you to nearly 2 litres, and then more water with dinner should do it. But I think it doesn't just help with symptoms, it also helps improve egg quality, so def worth doing.

Good luck ladies, keep us posted on your scans!

Sorry rumple I called you purple! Been chatting to someone on another thread!

Yes I can get there with the 3 litres it's just the constantly needing to spend a penny!

Interested to read abt it improving egg quality no one at the clinic has mentioned that to me anything that helps! X

Well maybe I imagined it... (where's shell when you need her?!) but I seemed to think it helped the process, not just headache symptoms. certainly it's good for general health, and telling myself it was helping made the toilet trips more bearable !

And don't worry about the name slip - better with me than with hubby .

Well I always drink a lot of wart every day at work anyway so hopefully that has helped, your right it will certInly help with the toilet trips x

Ha ha yeah your right hubby wouldn't be too impressed ;) x

How are you feeling with you pregnancy rumple? X

Hi guys, hope I can join in! I've done three injections now and just started to get some side effects,bit of a headache yesterday and horrendous dreams last night, also just clicked on how much I've been eating the last couple of days! Is that normal! Think my other half is having more side effects from watching it, his moods are shocking! Hope you all had a lovely Christmas xx

Hi verkey

Glad you have joined us! Have you just done 3 injections of downregging or stimms?

I have done 2 weeks of suprecur for downregging and did my first injection of gonal f for slimming last night.

I have had just the same on the down rigging headaches most days, mad dreams and yes I have noticed that I have not stopped eating the last week! Just fancy everything!

Apart from that it has been fine x just now waiting to see what side effects I egg with this gonal f !

So basically you are not alone!

This is my first ivf and we are having icsi been ttc for nearly 4 years now have got to pay for is as my husband has kids from a previous marriage how about you? X

hu verkey I did my 3rd down regging injection today so maybe we are on the sane sort of path? I'm long protocol icsi.

anroga I'm also trying to improve my water intake. I was up to 2l a day earlier in the year so I know I can do it. I got a great new water bottle for Xmas that holds about 750ml. had 2 if those today and just finishing a mug of hot water so 1.7l ish today. I also read somewhere that water consumption was good for egg quality. make sense when we are all made up so much if water and reproduction is the first thing to suffer when the body lacks anything.

rumples how are you doing? how far on are you now. are you still under fc or are you in the "normal" system now?

starting bleeding a little today Si drugs must be starting to work their magic. never thought I'd be so happy to see AF!

Hello all. Back from my holiday. Didn't really feel like going and faking a smile after my failed IVF. But having a few drinks and a vent with my sister interstate really did refresh me. Not even sure I feel like getting back on the IVF rollercoaster, the tension getting my husband to down tablets and the diet that must be perfect otherwise I feel guilty. But I have an apt with my IVF Dr on the 30th Jan so we shall see what happens from there.

Welcome back Shell. I can imagine a drink and catch up with your sister was theraputic - I miss living near my sister for that, although she doesn't always say what I want to hear, it's still great to have her support. I can imagine putting yourself through another round of IVF must seem like self harm at the moment, I admire your tenacity this far. I suppose it's a decision only you and your DH can make, as only you will know what's right for you. Offering some handholding from across the globe.

Lildottie glad the down-regging is going ok, and good girl on the water! I really have to push myself to keep my fluids up, but DH bought me some nice fruit juices and herbal teas to encourage me. It does help if you have something you actually like to drink! I used to have a good water bottle, perhaps I need to get a new one, as I remember that I used to be really good at drinking all day long...

Welcome Verkey, good to have some new faces on here. Sounds like you're either on the same timeline as Anroga or dottie - either way you're very welcome. If you can't be bothered to read back over 32 page of our rantings (and who could blame you), still feel free to ask any questions - there are a few of us who've had BFPs and BFNs who are still hovering around, happy to answer your questions or allay your fears.

As for me, we had our 12 week scan yesterday, all is well and we're announcing this week to friends and family. I confess it still doesn't seem real (when I was telling my gran on the phone I felt like I was fibbing!), but as more people know it's starting to sink in. I really have everything crossed for some more BFPs on here, I know you really deserve it.

Hey all just checking in good to see angora and lil are underway now which is fab and from the sounds of it you're not experiencing too many symptoms so that's good. I found I had headaches till AF arrived and then they eased off also had horrendous night sweats as well. I know what you mean about the drinking thing. I knew I needed to drink lots and I seem to find it easier from a bottle so went onto amazon and ordered an Aladdin bottle. They are brilliant about £7 and hold 0.6 ltrs so tried to drink 3 a day or water/squash as well as tea etc ontop. Till doing it now would recommend the purchase. It's a really easy way to track your fluid intake.

rumples so glad to see your 12 week went well it must e so nice to be able to tell people now must make it more real now.

verkey welcome! As rumples said feel free to ask any questions there are lots at different stages and experiences on here and are a great supportive bunch

my injection drew blood this morning . made me go queasy and had to lie down. very unlike me! seems OK though. I was very good last night and saw in the new year with a glass of schloer.
new years resolutions:
get back onto the ivf friendly diet
continue abstaining from alcohol
continue eating as little refined sugar as possible
get pregnant
have a baby!

think that's it!

happy new year everyone

Happy new year everyone!

Dottie - that sounds scary about the blood, hope you're ok!

Rumple - congrats on the 12 week scan! I can't even begin to imagine what that's like, you must be so happy!

Hope everyone else is doing well x

it was fine toes. tiny bruise again today though. but no blood at least!

how is everyone? hope those of you back to work today had a well deserved rest this evening

Started my suprecur injections today - already in a bit of a grump! Didn't react amazingly to be honest, glad I wasn't going in to work. I felt a bit woozy after and got REALLY bloated for about 3 hours, which then went down. Felt a bit sluggish all day so dragged myself out for a jog which really helped so I think I'm going to keep jogging until I start stimms because it isn't recommended with all the follies.

What is everyone else doing about exercise?

Hope everyone is good today x

Rumple, that is fantastic your scan was all well. You have been very patient waiting 12 weeks to announce it to the world. But after I was convinced I was pregnant last IVF and got excited and told my husband and booked myself into a hospital, I am definitely going to be more cautious and wait next time!

lildotte, I second your resolution to get back on the IVF friendly diet. I ate crap and drank bucket loads on holidays after the misery of my last IVF failing. The study shows that the diet does wonders when followed for two months prior to IVF. So with that in mind, I am going to somehow motivate myself to get back on track before this cycle is out, then do two full cycles of IVF diet before trying again. So mid March sometime I will be back on the IVF rollercoaster.

Hi Toes, don't think we've chatted before. Not sure I am going to be on here obsessively like I was during my IVF cycle, I am going to try and focus on other things so the wait until my next IVF doesn't take forever. But I will still pop in and say hi and see how you are going on your IVF journeys.

shell you are one amazingly brave lady. good luck getting back on the diet. I'm not doing so well, but aiming for monday as my true start date.

toes it's interesting you've noticed such a sudden change. i've had no effects of the suprecur at all, except af of course. But even that seems to be slowing almost to a stop now. I hope it's doing what it's supposed to!

Hi girls

Had my scan this morning and it all looks good after being on gonal f for a week now, lining of the womb is 8.2mm thick and they want a minimum of 7mm so that as fine and got a total of 13 follicles. 1 on the left the rest on the right. Go back on Friday for another scan and then hopefully egg collection on the Monday.

They are pleased with those results so I am guided by them. Would be interested to read what other people got after their first week on stimms.

Sorry to read you are feeling rough on the suprecur toes, all I got was headaches, I know I keep bleating on about it but are you drinking plenty of water, I think it makes the world of difference with how you feel on that suprecur I liteLly could feel myself going down hill if I hadn't drunk enough water! X

Great news Anroga - 13 follicles is plenty! I only had 5 or 6 on my first scan, 7 in the end, with I think 6 eggs. It only took 1 to get my BFP, so you're off to a great start!

Thanks for your positive post Rumples! I am feeling quite excited now!

I bet it has been so lovely for you to announce your pregnancy to all your family and friends, it must feel real now!?! xxx

that's great anroga fx for plenty of eggs.