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

Heli we were at OFU. I think at 41 you're even allowed three. I'm sure they will advise you on the day, but I think our thinking was that if we got a top quality blast we'd have one, otherwise we wanted two.

So OFU have had a pretty successful year so far on this board......! Fx

Shell This cycle is NHS funded so will only do sET. We do get 3 years freezing on our funding too. Embryologist said our grade B blasto had an 80% chance if surving the thawing process.

Karou test date does seem ages away so applying lots of distraction techniques! I'm off the rest of the week then back to work next Tuesday.

Blue So sorry you had none to freeze and hope you feel better soon with your cold. Just what you don't need in your 2ww. Is your test date the day before mine?

Heli oddly enough my bloated tummy was so much worse in the afternoon and evening too. Weird how our tummies looke so much flatter in the morning. It will get better slowly.

Waves to everyone else!

Thanks for the advice heli . Twins do sound lovely but there are so many more risks. My mum had twins and one of them died when he was four due to a heart defect that he was born with. I know this can happen with single babies too but the other twin has also had some health problems.

Thanks for all the good wishes everyone...this is absolutely my last cycle (with my own eggs anyway) so we're desperately hoping it will work. OTD is 31 July - next Friday.

Purple did your hear back from Serum yet about your test results? Just wondering how you got on.

Shell- that is such good new congratulation, yes 6 weeks seem to be quite quick and I spoke to the clinic yesterday who thing it might be sooner than that so that made me

Good luck bluemoonday.

Anyone suffer with cyclogest pessaries ???
Have been feeling rough today and thinking now it's trapped wind ... Rang my clinic as was feeling a bit nauseous too and a bit sicky so waiting for doc to call me back. From Dr Google I can see this is pretty common but wondered if anyone had any tips. DH has kindly brought me a bucket and peppermint tea but up for any other ideas to

ET booked in for Saturday morning - all still going apparently but of varying degrees.

Hi Heli - sounds very familiar. Fybogel is good (1-2 sachets a day) plus at least 2 litres of water a day. It will pass....eventually.

Hello

Fantastic news shell !!!! I'm so thrilled for you !

Hope everyone else is ok

I've decided to really try and up my game now. Weekly acupuncture and twice weekly reflexology. More protein and x2 iron tablets a day as I've got anaemic again, I've had some great diet advice from my acupuncturist so will be following that and I've been trying to find time for meditation/relaxation each day. So excited that I'm nearly there, I know nothing is guaranteed but it all feels positive

Pip, how frustrating to not know the reason for why it's not happening. Whatever the reason, here's hoping IVF is the answer.

Boo to the 3 embryos not making it to the freezer blue. Your clinic sounds like it has really tough standards as I have read other stories of women having embryos frozen on day 5 even when they haven't reached blast. I guess the upside is that your two transferred must really be top quality to be acceptable by your clinics tough standards. I'm just hoping that all those medications you are taking are allowing your uterine lining to be just perfect when those embryos are trying to implant.

heli, I just got a booklet in the mail from my clinic that says progesterone relaxed the bowel muscles, so they are less able to contract and push things out! It was referring to my naturally increased progesterone levels with my early pregnancy, but I assume the same would apply for medicated progesterone as well.

So non, it's the NHS that sets the rules for number of embryos to transfer then rather than the individual clinics?

With all this talk about twins, I am waiting until my 7 week scan on 10th August to see if one or two of my embryos took. I realise there are more risks with twins but after all this saga and knowing this is the final time, I kinda want it. Friend gave me a good suggestion of getting blood test 48 hours apart to test for twins instead of waiting for scan, since HCG is supposed to double in 48 hours per embryo, so it will give me some idea. The clinic wants me to do a blood test Monday, so I will organise a test this Saturday with my local GP to compare the two.

Those long time lurkers on here might recall my previous rants about my IVF nurse. Last week my nurse was away and the replacement nurse was happy to mail me a HCG referral so I could go locally and not travel into the clinic. Back to my nurse today who would not allow it so now I need to take Monday off work to drive an hour to the clinic just for a blood test! Glad I'll be rid of her soon.

Hi, I'm a new poster but long time lurker while deciding whether to start IVF. Day 1 today of first ICSI cycle so feeling pretty apprehensive, but thought this thread might help keep me sane!

Thanks shell - that all makes sense. I started rubbing my tummy yesterday like I used to rub DDs when she was constipated and I think that helped as I was the most unpleasant company for DH last night Hot water bottle also really helpful and my pharmacist friend has also recommended Rennie Deflatine so just waiting for the local chemist to open now! It's definitely eased off a lot and realised that I was doing the worst thing possible by lying on the sofa watching boxsets and letting DH wait on me hand and foot. I did a few cycle legs, walked around the house and rubbed my tummy and that started working. I feel like such a hypochondriac as I HATE being ill - thanks all for listening and advising!!

Feeling much much better today though - my tum is definitely going down so hopefully I can get back to work next week without the stares from colleague as looking 5 months pregnant!!!

Welcome blink! I too am on my 1st ICSI cycle and can tell you it's really flown by as I'm having transfer tomorrow! Are you doing long or short protocol? I've said it before and I'll say it again, this thread has been so helpful. I've been keeping a diary and telling family and a couple of people what's been going on but they really have no clue bless them when I talk about embryo grading, eostrogen and progesterone levels, transfer dilemmas !!!

Remember that even one embryos could take shell and split into identicals :-) I think that's almost our hope too (like you pip). Found out yesterday that there are twins on both my parents sides (my dad's youngest brother was one but his twin died in the womb) and my mum has twin cousins I never knew about. SUCH a dilemma!!!

Thanks Heli! I'm doing long protocol, did you? and did you have many side effects? Hope tomorrow goes well for you.

I can't read back as at work, but Wanted to say, Heli try not to lay flat. If you have any free fluid this causes it all to move up putting pressure on your diaphragm and other organs and making you feel worse - try to sleep propped up a bit Xx

Ah yes, Heli and Shellster, the delights of progesterone - yes, it relaxes the muscles of the intestine and slows digestion down so you get more nutrients out of the food. Result - lots of bloating and log jams. I agree Heli, moving around helps, as does massaging your belly, lying on your front and eating plenty of fibre. Don't forget to keep the fluids up.

And Shellster the risk of identical twins is apparently elevated in IVF...

Such good advice on this thread!

My DH is going in for SA on Monday (they need this before they can start treatment) and then we have nurse appointment on Thursday. I guess the results of SA, combined with my ovarian tests, will determine what sort of protocol we are out on? Has anyone done natural IVF? I'm wary about messing around with my hormone levels too much: after DS was born I suffered horrific postpartum psychosis, which doctors think is hormone related...

Hi Pip. I was considering natural IVF but the success rates are lower. I get only one cycle on the NHS, so want to give myself the best chance I can. I will admit that disrupting my cycle and throwing loads of hormones into me does concern me slightly! It's reassuring to know that I can ring the clinic when I need to and they have someone on all until 11pm every day.

*on call

Those of you who have had FET can I ask a few questions, couldn't get through to my clinic and I suddenly have questions in my head!

I will be starting progynova x2 a day from day 2 of my cycle and will have a scan on day7, when is it normal to start progesterone?

Also, I was told before that I'd need baby aspirin but I don't know if that applies to a FET transfer too has anyone else had it ?

How long do I have to continue taking the progynova and progesterone after transfer ? Or does it just vary person to person ?

Back from transfer. Absolutely gutted as it didn't happen. Turns out I did have OHSS after all and seeing as I'd already been given everything to prevent it I've got a really high risk of it worsening. It was ultimately my decision and I haven't stopped crying either during or since that time. The doctor said it was the right decision and that FET rates are almost the same as Fresh there now. We've got 5 in the freezer now - there was one Expanding blasto who was the top dog and 4 other suitable for freezing but I can't remember what they were called now.
I'm hoping that FET will leave me less stressed as won't have worry of OHSS and won't have to do stimming again. I feel awful as DH is just as gutted. I feel awful that I've ruined his chances now and it'll be all my fault for not manning up and getting on with it.

Apologies for depressing the tone on here. Fingers crossed for all you lovely ladies out there xx

So sorry heli but you have really made the right decision. I had a similar situation back in April and am having my fet in August and o feel so much more positive now than I did in April when I was so upset and felt really unwell

Success rate are very similar for fet with some clinics actually having more success with fet x

5 is a great number to work with!

Oh Heli, I 100% know how you feel. That is exactly what happened to me. We also have 5 in the freezer.

It is so disappointing, but you can't take OHSS lightly, people die from it when it gets bad. My husband said to me 'yes it's disappointing as I really want a baby, but I want to keep my wife' - I'm sure your dh feels the same.

It's not your fault, and you'll be okay. Look after yourself. Xx

Big hugs Heli, sounds like you made the right call, though obv very disappointing for you both. Am sure FET will go really smoothly xxx

I hadn't heard that the risk of identical twins is increased in IVF cat! To me, it just feels like a bloomin miracle that one has made it all the way to day 5 and implanted with my IVF history! Also didn't know progesterone slows digestion for more nutrition - guess it makes sense so your baby gets max nutrition during pregnancy - depending on what you're eating of course!

I've never done natural IVF Pip so I can't comment. Nor have I done FET waiting, so I can't answer your questions either.

Oh heli, you are quite welcome to be depressed on here. That's what this is for. Makes others not feel so alone when they are experiencing the same thing. But truly lovely, it's not your fault that you're ruined DH's chances; in fact, you are the ones with the ovaries that produced all those eggs so you've got a whopping 5 frozen and have more chances. I've got the opposite problem of not making many eggs and I had 3 cycles where I had nothing to transfer after EC, and I know how gut wrenching it was. Take some time to grieve and as the new cycle draws closer, you'll feel yourself pick up as you move toward your FET xox

Well, no news from blue on here so I hope that means you are keeping sane, or keeping distracted.