Anyone starting IVF soon? Join me (3)

[purplemeggie]

Ha! I was just about to post the last message in the old thread linking to this, but I'm too late, we've already filled it up! I'll do the same as last time and send PMs to everyone who's been on the thread recently, but everyone's welcome

Thank you to all for asking after me. Sorry for keeping you in suspense! So as I last posted, I got 5 eggs. I kept trying to tell myself to just be lucky if I get 1-2 embryos considering my history, but all weekend, I couldn't help but hope for 4. So I was a bit disappointed when I got a phone call on day 2 to say of the 5, only 3 were mature and of those 3, 2 fertilised. I was a bit more anxious when I was told that they were both at 3 cells, as I know they should be at four cells by 48 hours. Anyway, went for day 3 transfer today. The embryologist said 'One is 8 cells...' and all I could think was that the other one must not be looking so good since they were both behind the benchmark on day 2,, and it was going to be something like 4 cells and now I am down to one embryo and things are looking bleak. She continued '... and the other is at 10 cells'. Phew. I asked about fragmentation and she said they have 4 grades for fragmentation. None, a little, and then two worse categories. Mine were both in the 'a little' category. I remember reading that the cell number on day 3 is more indicative of a viable embryo than the fragmentation and since mine both have an optimal number of cells which she said were all nice and even, I am going to refrain from googling and live on that hope for the next two weeks!

blue, when are you next due for a scan? I assume around now. I am really hoping that at least your 5 follicles are growing nice and evenly so that at least these 5 will be mature at the same time. You deserve a bout of luck! Oh, and can I ask you - my yogi master - about yoga during the 2ww? I have compiled my own 10 minute sequence that I can do at work when I'm not busy or at home between jobs. I assume this is okay to continue and if anything, helpful for pregnancy if it is getting the blood flow going?

That's brilliant news shell you couldnt really ask for them to be much better. Looks like all your hard work has paid off and you have 2 really good eggs. Keeping my fingers tightly crossed that they are sticky ones for you.

Wow 10 cells Shellster, they are right little splitters! I have my fingers crossed for sticky beans and hope you manage to stay sane through the 2ww. X

Hi Shellster, great to hear that you have two embryos on board - and they sound like good ones too! Well done. Now you can 'relax' and enjoy the 2ww (ha ha ). You must have had a stressful weekend. 2 out of 5 certainly isn't bad, your effort to improve quality seems to have paid off. I'm pleased for you.

So it seems our 2ww may overlap. I'm going in for another scan on Thursday morning, which will be day 10. I should know then when (if) EC will take place. Most likely early next week I think. I don't seem to be responding very well to stimulation this time around which is rather frustrating. Anyway, I need to think positive - no point in dwelling on the negative and driving myself potty. Thanks for all the ovary well wishes, everyone.

Purple I also sent my sample to Serum via normal airmail. Worked out fine - I just wrapped the pot in plenty of bubble wrap and put it in an envelope. I think it took just over a week to get to Greece and I got my results pretty quickly.

Karou - very, very pleased for you. It must be amazing to see that little heart beat on the screen, you must feel very relieved. I've never been in that position and I truly hope that 2015 is the year of the baby for me.

Oooh Shellster - that's so exciting....I am going to be tied up in yogic knots for the next two weeks, keeping everything crossed for you. xxx

Thanks Blue and Lucie - I think I'll do the same. I was checking out the law on postage (can't help myself) and actually, it isn't QUITE prohibited to send biological samples through the post, although I think they probably meant it to be....they clearly should have asked me to draft their prohibitions .

Shellster that it fantastic news, I also have everything crossed for you.

Karou great to hear that your scan went well, hopefully you can relax a bit now.

I am 6dp5dt and a bit of an emotional wreck. One minute I am fine and then I think about Friday (OTD) and start blubbing. I was really naughty and POAS (IC) yesterday as so many women seem to get BFPs at 5dp5dt, it was a BFN, at least I have got the urge to POAS out of my system though and I now know that the trigger is out of my system too.

Ahhh Trixie, I'm glad you got that one out of the way. Hope you can find some peace in the next few days.

We got our combined Downs test results this morning : risk is 1/29000. Very relieved.

Glad the kitten's low-risk, Cat - very reassuring. How are you feeling now? Have you managed to relax or are you full of jitters? Hope you're managing to enjoy being pregnant after the long journey to get there. You too, Karou.

Trixie - I don't dignify early test results with a "bf"....it was negative, it was early...I've said this before, but when I had ds, I only got the faintest of faint lines the day my period is due. The 2ww is very hard, isn't it? One minute you're full of hope and the next you're full of foreboding and convinced it hasn't worked. I'm keeping everything crossed for some happy news....we're having a streak of luck on this thread, so you please, then Shellster, then Blue....

Purple I'm pretty zen. Since 8 weeks I've felt determined that this little bean is going to make it into the world. I was just a little worried about the combined nuchal as I'm no spring chicken. Now I just need to concentrate on putting back the 6 lbs I lost in the last few weeks (ms). I'm on summer hols now so with no work ridiculousness to put up with (there's been a lot) I can finally enjoy......

Putting my knitting aside for a minute to shake some pom-poms for sticky beans for Trixie and Shellster and a big wake up shout for Blue's ovary xxxxxx

Purple, while you're drafting the revised law on postage, would you mind drafting one about the fairness in dishing out BFP's and put yourself, blue and me to the top of the list please!

blue, I know only too well the frustration of us poor responders and our dreaded scan results. Will check in tomorrow and see how you got on with your day 10 scan.

Trixie, those last few days of the 2ww seem to drag on the longest. I'I've only done the first 24 hours of it so I'm not quite as insane as you yet - but give me time! Do you have to go the the clinic for a blood test on Friday or do they just want you to POAS?

That sounds reassuring cat with your scan results. I thought the odds naturally went up with our age regardless of the scan and blood result, but 1:29000 must be a big relief for you. And good to know that I don't necessarily have an increased risk just because I am 37.

I'm a knitter too, Cat - what are you making? So pleased it's all going well and hope the ms has subsided.

Stay zen, lovely Shell. I'm not sure it's a new law that you need there, I think that would involve a little chat with Fate....I don't mind having a go at that .

Sending some zenness for Trixie too.

Trixie - good luck to you. Stay strong and don't be disheartened by your early negative. There are thousands of women out there on the internet who tested early and got a BFP. And....vice versa sadly. If you want to drive yourself truly mental you could read all their stories on Google. Or, you could try and remain calm and avoid the Google Vortex. Either way I have my fingers crossed for you - the last few days are just awful, with or without internet searches.

I have my scan tomorrow morning so I'll update you all on my lazy ovaries. I really hope things are progressing down there.

Shellster I'm happy to be your virtual yoga sensei. You should definitely continue with yoga - great way to relax, calm yourself and get the blood flowing. If you scroll down to the end of this article there are some pose recommendations. Frankly I think any regular yoga asanas are pretty good - you need to stop doing certain poses during the later stages of pregnancy but I anything is game at this stage!

Wave to everyone else!

Shell Good to hear you've got 2 on board. Like what all the others have said, you are more than due some good news and stay away from google! Hope the days go quick for you.

Blue hope things go well tomorrow and your ovaries do what you want them to do. Keep us posted.

Trixie I've no idea how sane I will be when I get to your stage! everything crossed for your official test date.

I'm due my first scan tomorrow on day 8 of stims. I have no idea how many follies they'll be or what size they'll be so very apprehensive. Started feeling a few twinges down there only today and a full feeling so don't know if that's psychosomatic or what??

Thanks for all your lovely supportive messages ladies, feeling more zen and sane today. Managed to get a really good night's sleep last night which has helped. Very pleased to report that I've been nowhere near Google/hpts. I did put Friends on earlier though and it was the one where Phoebe has the embryo transfer and becomes pregnant....of all the episodes!

Back at work for the day tomorrow then off again on Friday aka OTD.

Good luck tomorrow Blue!

Ahhh some very positive thoughts on the board today. I'm going to have a word with the embryo fairy tonight and see if she can fly off on a little trip around the globe to scatter lots of baby dust

Purple I'm knitting a wee jumper, and am trying not to think about all the wool I've ordered on the internet in the last few days. Am planning to knit an heirloom shawl, can't wait to get started on it. I made a little promise to myself that I would make one if I ever got pg.

Big wave to all x

Thank you all again for the well wishes. I've survived 48 hours of the 2ww! After the last transfer, I had definite pregnant feeling from 9 days past EC, and was briefly pregnant before m/c. So I will be wanting that same feeling this Monday or I will be feeling stressed it hasn't happened.

Yes, the wool is much more expensive than just buying the item cat. But if knitting is a therapeutic process for you, then it's worth it. I've knitted a few baby items - hope I get to use them.

Non, the twinges and full feeling sounds like a good sign. Will wait to hear your scan results.

And blue, I am thinking of you in the lead up to your scan. I know how much more anxious each one is for us poor responders. We'll both have the same thoughts and feelings in the 2ww together, knowing this is the last OE IVF for both of us.

Hi all - scan went ok this morning. I've got 4 follicles on the right, 2 on the left. All are growing as they should be, their sizes are comparable to my previous cycles (my doctor is always cagey about giving me millimetres!). I'm having another scan on Saturday morning - day 12. If everything continues to grow as normal I think I might have EC on Mon or Tues.

Nice to know that my left ovary has woken up a bit. Hopefully the next couple of doses of Menopur will help those follicles get to 18mm or thereabouts by Saturday. I'm reducing my dose from 450 to 375 tonight.

Anyway let's see. Shellster, try not to get too stressed about 'symptom spotting' on Monday. I think I made my boobs sore by searching for 'soreness' last cycle....IVF really does turn me into a mad woman. Trixie not long to go for you now! Stressful and exciting, all rolled into one.

Well, had my scan today too (day 8 on stims) but not brilliant news. My left ovary too is not responding to the stims. Nothing measurable on it at all. My right has 5 follicles, leading one 1.4mm, the other four are around 0.8 and 0.9mm. They took bloods, rang back at lunch to say I'm to up my gonal f today and tomorrow from 300 to 375. Another scan Saturday morning.

Pretty gutted, but not suprised as I knew that I always has one dominant follicle each IUI it had. So frustrating when your body does not do as it's meant to ! The nurse was lovely and did say the mantra of it only needs one good egg and one sperm.

Would they cancel the cycle if it looks like only one egg?? Just hope those other four will grow. I think my egg collection will be next Mon/Tues/Wed so very similar to you blue. Just hope it all goes ahead as couldn't cope with it all being cancelled.

I don't think I could eat any more protein or drink any more water so I ate a magnum in the garden after work!

Sorry, measurements are in cm which means my dominant is 14mm, smaller ones 8 and 9 mm x

That's fantastic news blue. 6 follicles growing from 6 on day 2 is fantastic. You may not have many each cycle, but at least they all seem to grow. I had 8 follicles on day 3 this cycle and only got 3 mature eggs from them.

Non, sorry you're not feeling to reassured by your scan. But it definitely does sound like those 5 follicles are growing and it's fantastic that four are around the same size so they will all be mature together with the lead one not to far ahead. I read a study that showed if you were given higher stims in another cycle and produced double the amount of eggs, you would have exactly the same amount of genetically normal eggs in each batch. The first eggs to mature are the ones your body is naturally selecting and the most likely to be genetically normal to produce your baby. I hope you feel better at Saturdays scan when you see all these 5 are growing.

Very good news, Blue - I'm thinking fat-follie thoughts for you .

Non-conformist - there's milk in that magnum , you're doing okay.

Hope you're okay, Shellster - I'm guessing you're still at the enjoying-being-pregnant phase and not yet in the going-mad-and-fighting-the-urge-to-POAS stage?

Hope you're managing to stay sane, Trixie. Thinking of you all.

Shellster, realise I missed your question before, oops. I am off the to clinic this morning for a blood test then they will call me this afternoon. Due to a miscommunication DH hasn't booked the day off work which sucks!
Couldn't sleep last night, think I managed around 5 hours. Feeling surprisingly calm though. Desperately hoping for a BFP but if it's a BFN we have a plan. Will check in later.

Good luck Trixie - the wait for news is awful. Hoping it's fabulous news when it comes x

GOOD LUCK today Trixie! I admire your resolve in staying away from the pee sticks!

Thanks for the good wishes everyone. I have another scan tomorrow morning. Purple, have you posted your blood yet? Gag!!

Good luck Trixie. Keeping my fingers crossed for you today.