Nervous about IVF

[Osirus]

Hi all,

We went for our NHS funding check yesterday and the clinic believes we will be ok for funding. They said we will hear in around four weeks and then they'll get us back in for SA for my DP and a scan for me. They also said we could start treatment straight away, which shocked me a bit as I thought they'd be a wait of at least six months due to doing this under the NHS.

I'm very nervous now though! Can anyone give me any idea of how the drugs will affect me? Do they give you mood swings and what are the physical effects you have experienced? I know everyone is different but the pill made me very grumpy so didn't take it for long, so I'm a little worried about taking hormones. I guess this is different though, as it will be worth it if it works!

They have taken a blood test to test AMH levels - will this tell them if I am likely to suffer from over-stimulated ovaries?

I've not had many medical procedures in my life and have never been under anesthetic. I think this might be why I'm so worried! I've only ever had a few blood tests, one scan and the usual smears.

Also, did anyone tell their employer? My clinic is 30 miles away and I will be taking days off for appointments. How much time did you take off?

Thank you for reading.

Iam starting my cycle in the next week or so and am nervous too!

My amh is high (63.5) so they've put me on a low dose and will reassess if things look like they are going down the ohss route. I think clinics are very careful about minimising the risks and will reduce meds/freeze all embryos/cancel a cycle rather than risk ohss

OHSS is one of my biggest fears. I worry about everything though, but I'm sure it will be fine! Good luck with your treatment waitingimpatient. I hope it works for you.

Iam terrified about ohss too! My clinic have reassured me iam on a low dose of stimms and they will reduce it if needed but have said if at egg collection they think I'm likely to develop ohss they will freeze all embryos to do a frozen transfer when I have recovered.
Hopefully with careful management and frequent monitoring I will manage a fresh transfer.

The process is daunting, the injections, tests, procedures etc but I read on another forum its best to take it quite literally one day at a time which is what I'm planning to do as I think I will be a nervous wreck otherwise!

It's not nearly as bad as you think. Drink lots and lots of water (and then some more!) as this pretty much gets rid of any side effects. The only time I thought I had any side effects was at the end when it was a BFN and I was so very, very upset - thought the progesterone might have had a part in that. But in hindsight, I think I was just genuinely devasted as it was the first time it had occurred to me that IVF might not actually ever work.

I'd also never been under anaesthetic prior to IVF but have to say it was fine - you just fall asleep and have no idea - then wake up when it's all over. Probably the easiest part of the process!

Don't google stuff. It will drive you insane and give you too many things to worry about that are not relevant.

Drink lots of water throughout the whole process and eat a good varied diet. Ask your consultant if there are any additional vitamins you should be taking. (E.g. Vit d)

Look for some IVF meditations to get you on the right frame of mood.

First injection is the difficult one - I had to get OH to do it. The needles are so fine though, you hardly feel it.

I was first timer ivf and I'm really glad I didn't google stuff til after I was pregnant!

Also get yourself a 2ww project - tidy up all your photos on your computer, do knitting (it's like meditation if you have to keep focus on the pattern!), go for walks and be mindful of your external surroundings rather than dwelling on what's happening inside

For me ivf was like a really cool science experiment and I was the vessel. It's all taken out of your hands in that you can't actually influence the outcome so it's like you're just there for the ride

Egg collection anaesthetic was amusing for OH. So much so that he filmed me coming round. I was a total space cadet.

Check your work HR dept to see if they have a fertility policy as you may get extra days to cover your additional absences. I did chat to my boss about it and he was great. I took the whole week off once I knew (roughly) when EC and ET would be.

You'll need quite a few hours/ half days for the scanning (depending on appt time and time it takes you to get back to work) whilst you are stimming in lead up to egg collection and the transfer could be any where between 2 and 5 days post collection.

Good luck - and please resist the urge to google stuff!!

It is really not that bad. I had headaches from the buresilin (to down reg) if you have to take that... and I put on lots of weight! But other than that it was fine. The hardest bit is the emotional strain it puts on you so try and stay zen:) injections are fine once you get used to doing them and it is really not for too long. Then main thing is that your clinic keep monitoring you and your response throughout so they can adjust your dose if need be to prevent OHSS. I had very low AMH so I was on a high dose and it still wasn't too bad... Good luck! Xx

That's so reassuring, thanks all. Unfortunately, I have already googled stuff - I couldn't help myself! Chatting to people (like on here) who have actually been through it really helps though.

Pinky, I can't believe he filmed you coming round! Though that sounds like something my DP would do too! I am considering talking to HR, I haven't had a day off sick in 12 years so I think they might suspect something if I tried that!

Thanks for the tips and advice.