Rumples IVF/ICSI thread continued

[lildottie]

Our thread was originally started by Rumples who now has her bfp, as have a few other ladies along the way. Here's hoping the next thread holds a few more bfps!

I truly have everything crossed for you shell.

non I think it's easier having lived through it once already! first ivf i had so many questions and worries but it was nowhere near as bad as I had expected. dh would probably say ec was horrendous though as I seemed to be in so much pain and asked him to hold my hand. then as I was coming around from the sedation I basically told him to fuck off! poor man!

af started this afternoon so we are into the last cycle. dh is optimistic, me not so much. I can't wait for the ivf to be over because whatever the outcome that's the end for me. I can't keep living in this wait. we won't prevent but won't actively try and we can't justify another £4.5k to try a third time. I just need an end now.

Yes, it really does consume your life doesn't it lil. Don't know if I've said but this is also my last cycle, just because I am still in debt from the last IVF and going further into debt for this IVF so I just can't physically afford it any more (which really made my disappointing start to this cycle was all the more upsetting).

My plan is the same to try and forget and not actively try, but not quite sure how to put that into practice when you get a period as a reminder that it didn't happen. It would also be difficult to not think about when ovulation is likely to occur and just try to make sure we have sex, even if not actively temping and peeing on ovulation sticks. How do we forget?

Here's hoping tomorrows scan shows more promising news so I don't have to worry about a plan B.

lil, how is the high protein, low carb diet going now that you are one cycle away from starting things up? My diet is the one thing that gives me hope as I remember it's quality over quantity and despite my low egg numbers, knowing that statistically this diet gets 50% of embryos to blast stage and produces an 80% success rate.

Bad week actually shell so need to get back on it. I'm now at the 3m mark so really need to step it up.

I guess you don't have the same worries as me lildottie, since you did have brief success on your very first IVF. Meanwhile I have had 10 IVF failures so of course I am needing to try to fix what is going wrong and trying everything including the diet.

I was lighter and eating healthier 6 months ago though. have had 4 crunch cream biscuits this morning. so not a good start today!

Shell How was your scan? I have everything crossed for you!

dottie I am glad you have your dates all sorted, that last month before you start again really drags doesn't it? Especially having an optimistic DH, I think if mine was like that I would be REALLY frustrated with him! But then I'm a huge cynic!

The diet is hard lil. The lead up to and during IVF is such an emotional one, and I find this is the time when I really want the comfort food, yet it's also the time when we are supposed to eat healthy! Very difficult.

Hi again Toes - just replied to you on the other thread! Every clinic seems to do FET cycles differently. Some have you medicated while others just follow your natural cycle and implant the embryo at the correct amount of days past ovulation, depending on how many days old your embryo is. Do you know your protocol?

Hi toes, how are things with you.
yes the optimistic dh is difficult. I love him for hoping enough for both of us but it makes seeing his disappointment each month that much harder. and I know he must feel responsible every time I get upset that we don't have a baby yet. it really is a roller coaster of emotions.

shell absolutely! ivf = emotional = needing comfort = comfort food = diet out the window!
yesterday was filled with biscuits, marshmallows chocolate and crisps. trying to start fresh again today. had a cinnamon omelette with Greek yoghurt and raspberries for breakfast. now to hold off on the snacking!

Yes indeed lil. Its day 7 of my IVF cycle here and I am anxious as hec about my scan tomorrow and if it is going to show if at least 4 of my 7 measly follicles are going to grow to maturity so that I can proceed with EC. All evening, I have been checking the pantry just wanting some comforting carbs. Tonight I found a home made fertility vegan ice cream recipe online and have just polished that off instead.

stay strong shell, you are doing so well and you are so close. I really hope tomorrow your scan brings good news and renewed hope for you. x

Li Will definitely pre-warn DH about EC after your story, we can blame the drugs for a lot of things can't we!

Shell Really hope you get a good proportion of mature follicles. Will be thinking of you tomorrow.

My first injection went fine yesterday, felt a bit emotional doing it and let DH hold the vial to get him a bit more involved (he was too scared to plunge the syringe though!). Plus he got brownie points for holding my hand during the endoscratch today. It was pretty uncomfortable due to my naughty cervix but they did a mock transfer before the scratch which I was really pleased with. The softer catheter they normally use for ET wouldn't go round the curvature of the opening of my uterus as there was more 'resistant' tissue. The firmer catheter did so it is now in my notes which size to use. The doctor was relieved we decided this now as he said on the day of ET the catheter with the embryo at the end would've had to go back to the lab to be swapped into the firmer one which they obviously try and avoid. Have any of you has issues this way??

non I think it's standard procedure for then to do a mock transfer, usually at ec. I know my clinic do so I didn't have any issues. they just said all was ok after ec. the et was over in less than a minute! very weird getting up off the table thinking the embryos will fall out!

OK so not a bad food day

cinnamon omelette with raspberries and Greek yoghurt
chicken salad
chicken and Mediterranean veg
mini meringue nest with Greek yoghurt, strawberries and raspberries
1 custard cream biscuit

so OK the biscuit was bad but still, better than yesterday!

non, I''ve never had any issues with getting through my cervix, although I am suffering secondary infertility and so obviously I am already all stretched down their from DS's head coming through it. The clinic sounds very thorough, doing a mock transfer. You would have been in panic on transfer day if they had your precious little embie on the end of that catheter and couldn't get it in.

That sounds VERY healthy lil I think you should be allowed one biscuit! And surely with all that protein in the eggs, greek yoghurt and chicken, you would still be well within the protein carb ratios as per the IVF diet study.

Alright, so back from day 8 scan. All I want is to get a definite idea of how many mature follicles I will get, but still no clue! The report said:
Left ovary 3 follicles equal to or less than 8mm
Right ovary 5 follicles equal to or less than 8mm.
So all I know for sure is that there is at least one 8mm follicle on each ovary. My baseline scan on day 3 already measured a whopped follicle at 9mm when they should only be 2-3mm at that stage, so because it was still 9mm on day 6 and now today it is 8mm on day 8, I don't even think it is a normal follicle as it is not growing. I have to wait for a phone call from the clinic with details about my next scan. I hope that finally gives me an answer so I can put my anxious mind to rest! Also she noticed today that my corpus luteum from my last cycle has not fully disolved and has now become a cyst this cycle. Because I've done so many IVF cycles, I've done way to much research and I now know that studies show cysts absorb lots of the FSH meds so it causes less follicles to be produced. Grr.

Okay, rant over.

shell that's so frustrating! will you go ahead whatever now or are you considering cancelling? can they increase the FSH meds to compensate for the cyst?

my percentages are actually looking OK even despite my binge day on Monday because I really cut the carbs yesterday. must keep it up today.

saw this and thought of you lot

oops, wrong thread. still a little laugh for you though!

I really want to go ahead lil - but of course, I really want to have a enough eggs to make my chances of success worth the cost as well. I have a repeat scan tomorrow so hopefully that gives a clearer answer as to exactly how many follicles are growing.

good luck for your tomorrows scan shel xxx

Thanks so much aussie. Well my scan showed a 10mm, 9mm, 7mm, 5mm and four other small follicles that were not measured. I have set myself a minimum of needing four eggs to make me feel like I have a chance and to go ahead with the huge cost of EC. So it seems like I am fighting an uphill battle since my fourth largest is only 5mm and this is very very small for where it should be at day 10. Even the 10mm that sounds promising is the follicle that was already 9mm at day 3, so even though it is the biggest, it has actually only grown 1mm and doesn't seem like it's doing much. I have a repeat scan on Tuesday - I wish I could just be knocked out until then!

shell just remember you only need one good egg and you've been doing all the right things

Shell Hope your potential four have had a good growth spurt over the weekend, as Lil said, you only need one good one! Tuesday must seem forever away.

Lil Your diet looks great, I'm struggling to think of high protein, low carb snacks. Cheese seems to be the winner but can't eat that all the time!

I'm into a week of down regging now. Everything fine so far except 4 days in I've started having hot flushes, nausea and tiredness late afternoon. I've even had to take my engagement and wedding band off as my fingers keep swelling causing a rash! Dreading the heatwave next week, knew there would be one when I'm put into a temporary menopause, joy! I've heard the symptoms will go a bit once I start stims. Also, going to the acupuncturist tomorrow so hope she can work on it a bit. AF due tomorrow so hope it's not too late.

I don't do the down regging thing Non, but that sounds like some serious side effects. I don't have any symptoms while stimming so hopefully yours will disappear then too - although to be honest I wish I was having symptoms to tell me that something is going on and my four follicles are growing! In reality, I know that my third and fourth follicle were only 7 & 5mm at my day 10 scan when in all my past cycles, follicles that have grown to maturity are 12-14mm at day 10. So logically I know these are out of the race and it won't happen, but that desperate part of me still hopes. So I just want tomorrows scan over with so I can process and move forward.

how's it going shell?

I had egg collection yesterday lil. They got 5 eggs, although the last scan the day before my trigger revealed that my 5th largest follicle was only 10mm, so I won't be surprised if that egg is immature, leaving me 4. I've had some of my mature eggs break apart with the ICSI process in the past, some not fertilise and some fertilise abnormally. So with only 4 mature eggs, I won't be surprised (but still devastated) if there is not much left when I get an update on day 2 tomorrow. I usually get a call the very next day but because EC was on a Saturday and there are no nurses at the clinic on Sunday, I have to wait until tomorrow. About to go for a walk to a waterfall so hopefully time goes quick.