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

[lucieloos]

Thanks purple do you mean day 3 and not day 8? We had to ring between 1-2pm so not in morning but then they may have checked them in the morning I guess but yes I am feeling a little more reassured about them.

[Blackandwhitecat3]

I get so confused when the thread goes onto a new page....

Lucie I get a phone call from the clinic tomorrow morning, they will give me an update on the embryos and will also tell me whether to come in that morning or on Saturday. It makes juggling work a nightmare, I wish I had the type of job where I could have taken one or two weeks' holiday.

I've stopped spotting post EC so hope that means the lining is tickety-boo.

So from now until approx 9.30 tomorrow morning I shall be going out of my mind with impatience calmly and mindfully relaxing and awaiting my Day 3 egg-update

Going to water my seeds , at least I can check on them every 20 seconds, no problem.

[lucieloos]

Good luck for tomorrow then black, I know how hard that phone call is! Will keep an eye out for your update x

[purplemeggie]

Ha! Lucie - yes, I did mean "day 3". Numbers confuse my poor little brain and I tangled up the number of days with the number of cells .

Cat - you can set it so all the messages are on the same page. I got fed up with pages and did away with them.

Hope the seeds are germinating, the embryos are dividing and all is well all round

[purplemeggie]

Oooh, and for the first time EVER, a thread I'm on went into my "most active" list. Get us!

[Blackandwhitecat3]

top tip about the pages Purple that has made my day!

[Shellster52]

Waiting, I'm so glad for you that you're feeling better. Bizarre when nothing has changed!

Lucie, I would not be upset by those numbers at all. In fact, it is an amazing feat that all 6 fertilised and all 6 are still going strong at day 3. That really is a very rare thing. They do say that there is a higher 'dying off' rate between day 3 to 5, so please don't feel too disheartened if you don't have all 6 alive when you go in for your transfer. That's especially why they wait till day 5, so that only the strongest survive and you have the best possible chance of a positive outcome.

Black, I've been where you are and I know time really drags while you wait to get an update. Imagine how long the last few days of the 2ww drag out! Yes DH is frustrating. He does actually think he's eating healthy when he bought a sandwich on white bread filled with pork because it had some carrot in it. So I just have to try to make time to make him his lunches so they are healthy according to my standards and not hold resentment as it doesn't help. Okay, will be waiting for you update.

How are you getting on blue? Not heard from you in a bit? When's your next scan to see how things are progressing and get an idea of when the FET might take place?

[lucieloos]

Thank shell guess I'm just a worrier! I can't believe transfer is tomorrow! In so nervous and excited all in one!!

[bluemoonday]

Hello Shellster - I'm here - just skulking in the background. This frozen cycle is rather boring. I feel like I've been doing the sniffs and estrogen forever (well, 3.5 weeks, which is forever in IVF terms). I'm used to the crazy excitement of injections, hot flushes and bloating - this is too relaxing for me!

Anyway I have another scan next week to see how my lining is doing. If it looks ok, I'll have the embryo transfer on 5th or 6th May. I think I'll start progesterone and clexane next week too. I just hope my one little embryo survives the defrost - apparently there's a 1 in 10 chance it won't make it - and I've not exactly been lucky this year have I? Positive thinking....

Regarding your DH, is he taking his vitamins/supplements? If not maybe you could crush the pills and hide them inside his healthy lunch, stealth bomber style /

Purple have you decided when you'll do your FET yet?

[Shellster52]

Interesting that you start progesterone before the actual transfer in an FET cycle. I thought that a 1 in 10 chance sounded pretty good odds for it surviving the defrost, but I totally understand you feeling like you will be the 1 of 10. The study i read says if we increase our protein intake to >25%, the IVF success rate goes up to 60%, and if we further also reduce our carbs to < 40%, the success goes up to 80%. So statistically I've got a 8 out of 10 chance that my next cycle will work. But I did this IVF diet before my last EC too and still ended with an early miscarriage and don't feel like I've got anywhere near an 80% chance this next cycle. So I totally understand feeling doom and gloom even though the odds don't suggest it.

So while you're sniffing and pill popping in the background, I am protein chowing and sulking along with you waiting for things to finally get started too, wishing I was in lucky Lucie's position of having 6 fantastic day 3 embryos (and hopefully one back on board tomorrow!). Looking forward to hearing how you get on Lucie*.

[Blackandwhitecat3]

Blue I love the idea of stealth vitamins. Like Jamie Oliver did with the veggies in school dinners-chop them up so small no-one notices them in the spag bol.

Shell sounds like you're putting a lot of effort into that diet. I just don't think I could eat 25% protein (though I'm trying hard with the ice cream).

So...all four of our embryos are still going. 3x7 cells and one has 8. I like to think that they're a few hours short of their 3 days (we had a late morning transfer) so by lunchtime maybe they'll have divided a bit more. So like you, Lucie, we're aiming for blastocyst transfer on day 5, which for me is Saturday.

Shellster thanks for the tip about day 3 to 5, we didn't know and so that will help prepare us for the weekend. DH is getting quite excited and forewarned is forearmed.

For some reason I had to push the embryologist to tell me how many cells they had. Weird. Why wouldn't they tell me?

[lucieloos]

Aww that's brilliant news black, glad they are all still going strong for you too, sounds like you have some good ones there. We can share our 2ww together

Shell I have still been trying to keep up my protein but have cut back a little since egg collection. I generally eat quite a bit of meat anyway though and trying to still have some milk each day although not as much as I was having. Hope my lining is still looking good tomorrow.

[purplemeggie]

Hey Blue - we're going for it next natural cycle. AF is due around the end of this month and I'll start taking the oestrodial to thicken up lining ready for a transfer on day 18.

Shellster - the progesterone is timed to be the same as with a fresh cycle. With a fresh cycle, you start on the day of EC, so you've been taking it for 3-5 days by the time you have ET. With FET, you start 5 days before because they only freeze blastocysts these days.

I'm interested in the 25% protein, less than 40% carbs...although I've bumped up the proteins and cut back on the carbs a lot, I've never made any effort to quantify them. I'm fine re the carbs, because I've reduced them to very little (stopped eating pasta or rice with my supper, except as a very occasional treat , hardly eat any bread these days) (let's gloss over the four squares of chocolate I had with my lunch today, shall we? It's not a common occurrence!) - is it by weight or as a percentage of total calories?

Good news for both of you, Lucie and Cat - and great that your timings are so close together. I cycled with Blue once and AnnieHoo another time and it really seems to help to have a buddy going through all the same kind of symptom spotting/ shall-I-shan't-I-test madness etc., !

Hope you're okay, Waiting...

[Edenviolet]

Fingers crossed for you both lucie and cat sounds very promising for you both!

Iam ok today, still bloated but only minimal discomfort except for a few sharp twinges every now and then. Will find out for def tomorrow if ec will be sun or mon. I'm really tired but otherwise ok, think nearly two weeks of stimms has knackered me out completely!

[Roxy456]

Hi everyone.??
I'm new to this, just joined. I'm after a bit of guidance and advice really.
We are in very early stages, our consultant told us last week that he will be writing us a referral letter to IVF wales, its taken us since early 2013 to get to this stage so we were really excited. Has anybody been recently referred to ivf wales who can share Some light on what happens next? How long til we get the first appointment etc, the waiting list times etc and what to expect. Thanks in advance ?? xx

[lucieloos]

Hi roxy, I don't want to dishearten you but I have been referred to ivf Wales and we were looking at around 18 months for the first appointment and even longer for treatment. We decided to go privately whilst waiting and are out in Prague as its a lot cheaper and we are waiting for our first embryo transfer tomorrow! Sorry I don't have better news but ivf Wales are in a mess at the moment

[Roxy456]

Awww that's ridiculous! I think we might have to think about going Private, I'm 34 this year so worried about our age, thank u lucieloos. Hope it all goes well for you xx

[lucieloos]

Yes i am 35 so we decided we couldn't wait that long either. Good luck to you whichever path you take.

[Blackandwhitecat3]

Welcome roxy. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

waiting glad you've had another good day. Not too long now...

Good luck tomorrow Lucie, Fx for you. Yes, it's good to be cycling together. Glad to have a pal. I'm sure I shall be a terrible waiter.

Anyone know why carbs seems to have a detrimental effect?

Seems really weird to not be going to the clinic/waiting for a phone call. At what point do I ditch my many boxes of gonal f/ovitrelle and how do I get rid of them? Can they go in the bin (once I've taken the sharps out)?

[purplemeggie]

Welcome Roxy. I can't offer any insights into IVF Wales, but good luck. I can completely understand you wanting to get on with things, but 34 is pretty young in IVF terms. Hoping it all works out for you.

Cat - good question. I found this. I had my insulin resistance tested as part of my fertility investigations and was told to cut back on carbs because at that time I was "pre-diabetic". There is diabetes in my family, so it made sense to do something urgent to reverse it while I still could, for my general health as well as my fertility.

[Shellster52]

Black I reckon ice cream would be just as good for emotional health as my protein diet is for egg health - both essential in this journey! I know our embryologist was hesitant to give me any grading details at my last transfer either - they think it just makes people more stressed being obsessed with numbers and going away and Dr Googling.

The study didn't give the science behind why carbs were detrimental. They had women record their diet. The women who had embryos being poor quality and not making it to blast were all eating carb loaded diets, even though their BMI's were in the normal range. They had these women change to a high protein diet for two months and repeat IVF. The result, better quality embryos and 50% making it to blastocyst. But at day 3 it sounds like yours are all strong anyway and you need not worry!

Purple, I enter all my food into a website called Calorie King and it gives me my food percentages. Seems to go by calories rather than weight as if I have eaten equal grams of fat and protein, it will say my fat intake by % is higher than my protein %. My understanding is it's for egg quality so not something you need to worry about if yours is safely stored in the freezer. I'm looking forward to this being over with as it's really limited my diet. Even healthy foods like my brown rice risotto are off the menu because rice is all carbs. Oh, and yes - that makes sense you'd start the prog before transfer. With blue saying she was starting it next week then embryo transfer next month, I was thinking she was starting it weeks in advance... but May is just around the corner.

I start my IVF cycle late May so I'm looking forward to May starting and it feels like one step closer. This waiting is doing my head in!

[Shellster52]

Oh and blue, I just hand hubby his nightly supplements despite his whinging about them!

[purplemeggie]

Yes for egg quality, but it is also going to help me avoid the family tendency towards diabetes, and (if I'm lucky enough to get pregnant) the elevated risk of gestational diabetes. I've made it a permanent change to my diet as I believe it's better for me in the long run. And I feel more energetic, happier and less at the whim of food cravings and hunger pangs, so it's a virtuous circle.

Website sounds good...

[lucieloos]

Well I am back from the clinic! We had 2 blastocysts transferred! One fully hatched and one hatching she said they looked of good quality. Unfortunately none of the other 4 were suitable for freezing so we are relying on these two. We had our report on dhs sperm sample and after almost 9 months of vitamins and supplements they had got no better at all which I think he was a little disappointed about. She told him we had really good fertilisation rates with the Icsi though which made him feel a little better I think. So this is it the 2ww begins! Praying it works!

[BlueKarou]

Hope transfer went ok for you lucie - not sure what the time difference is between here and Prague, so please adjust my well wishes to fit your timezone!

Good luck for tomorrow blackandwhite hope it all goes well.

Glad things seem to be easing up for you waiting - you've almost made it to the end of the week. Are you getting your EC confirmation today?

Hi Roxy. I'm afraid I can't add to the advice you've been given - I had to go private as that was the only option for my situation. Best of luck with your IVF journey.

I'm trying to up the protein and lower the carbs without then going on to eat too much fat, but I find I fail in the mornings as the quickest and easiest breakfasts tend to be carb-loaded. Also, have slightly overdosed on peanuts these last couple of days and my tummy did not thank me for it. I've gone back to MFP this morning to get back into the habit of recording what I eat. Will spend the weekend looking into more sensible ways of getting my diet right - the >25% protein,