Anyone Starting IVF? Join Me (4)

[bessie84]

The other thread reached 1000 comments, so having to start a new one.

A puff of Babydust to all

x

[Shellster52]

Wishing you well Kay!

[bananafish81]

kay hope you're bearing up amidst the epic weather conditions! Wishing you all the very very best of luck with your retrieval 

bessie thanks so much! Hope you're well?

waiting AF never sodding turns up when you want her to!! I tried to invoke sod's law by wearing white knickers with no liner although with limited success...hope she shows soon 

shell yes the drop off does make you think how does anyone ever get pregnant at all  - I remember reading in Professor Winston's latest book that humans were one of the most inefficient species when it came to reproduction as up to 75% of fertilised eggs don't go on to become babies!

Interestingly the fresh eggs went on to do loads better than the frozen eggs from the last round, after doing so well up to day 3

Cycle 1: 7 eggs, 6 mature, 4 fertilised and good quality at day 3 but none made it to blastocyst 

Cycle 2: 17 eggs, all mature, 12 fertilised, 7 made it to blastocyst - of which 1 is inside me, 4 are frozen and the remaining two weren't sufficiently good quality to freeze

I have no idea if there is any correlation or causation but the first round I had only been taking the egg quality supplements for about 6 weeks vs the second round, which seems to have had better egg and embryo quality - where I had done over 3 months of the supplements (the duration of the egg maturation process).  I am sceptical but who knows!!

[waitingimpatient]

Still no AF......wondering if it's because I didn't ovulate this month and that's why it's a long cycle ?? Absolutely desperate for AF to arrive and I think my anxiety levels may also be playing a part as stress can affect things too.
I just want to get started on my FET cycle.

I don't even feel pre menstrual at all. At the weekend I had AF like cramps but nothing came of it. Really disappointed as cycles have been on average every 30 days for the last three months.

Reflexology tomorrow so maybe that will help?! Might go for a long walk again I've been going every day to try and get some fresh air but I was sort of hoping that a long brisk walk may have helped !

[Shellster52]

That's interesting banana that not one of the 4 embryos from IVF 1 progressed to blast. Lucky you did a fresh cycle rather than just an FET! Yes, just maybe the supplements helped. Then again, your ovaries seemed to have jumped into action and increased in quantity, so maybe the quality just naturally increased as well as your body recovered from the supressive effects of the pill. As will all things IVF, who knows!

I had a few cycles where I didn't ovulate waiting and some of them were as long as over 40 days while another two where short at around 18 days. You are probably right that stress doesn't help as you want your body/hormones to be in optimal condition so that you ovulate next cycle when AF finally does arrive. My 3 cycles of not ovulating were right after I discovered hubby's sperm was 100% abnormal and the realisation that IVF was our only hope. I don't have PCOS and had regular cycles up to that point, so I can only put my suddenly 3 in a row non ovulating cycles down to the stress of that diagnosis. But it's all very easy to think and say and next to impossible to put into practice!

[waitingimpatient]

Had a scan today as kept getting really bad period type pains and yet still no AF. The sonographer said I appear to have adenomyosis (this had been mentioned a year or so ago but she seemed shocked?) and I also have a corpus Luteum cyst on left ovary and lining is 15.4mm so no idea what's going on
She said to wait a few more days and if no AF go to see the gp

I want to just get on and do my FET :(

[bananafish81]

Yes indeed shellster no way of knowing! The protocols were broadly similar - antagonist protocol of Gonal-F and Cetrotide, just with the second cycle I had an abortive attempt at down regging to try and make it a long protocol, that clearly my body wasn't having! Doses of stims were broadly the same, stimmed for the same length of time pretty much. Who knows??!!

If this one doesn't stick we plan to go straight into a FET cycle and try with one of our frosties. So as soon as AF is over it would be right back on the Progynova to prep for a transfer before end of Feb. Although obvs v much hoping not to have to defrost anything for a couple of years !!

waiting Oh lovely, so so frustrating. Can the Dr give you some provera to bring on a bleed if AF doesn't show (which I hope it does)? So hope you can get on with your FET asap xx

[waitingimpatient]

Nobody has mentioned provera yet, I'm day 39 now I think and still nothing. I'm really confused about this corpus luteum cyst as I was told I hadn't ovulated this month and nobody mentioned it then? Surely they'd have seen it? And I thought you can only get one when you ovulate unless it has suddenly grown in the last couple of weeks ??? It's all so frustrating.
It's also bothering me that lining so thick and is just 'stuck' there and it worries me that it may cause issues.

I think I will give it till Monday and if still no AF I will ask for provera

When is test day banana ? Must be soon after a day5 blast transfer?! Keeping my fingers crossed for you !

[bananafish81]

Yes a corpus luteum cyst sounds like you ovulated! Could it have been a late ov? I'm also a fully paid up member of the 'wtf is my body doing this rimd' club, I hope AF comes soon to clear everything out so you can get on with your FET. Forgive me, I don't know too much about adenoymosis, what are the implications of that for your cycle?

OTD is bloody ages away! My Dr told me to test 12dp5dt (!!!) which isn't till Thu bloody 4th Feb. 

DH is rationally completely right that we shouldn't test early, as there is a reason for waiting - minimise the risk of a false positive (chemical) or a false negative (late implanter) - but obv by the time I get to Mon (9dp5dt) I am obviously going to be itching to test 

I will be seriously conflicted as obv I want to do this together and whatever the outcome I don't really want to do it alone. If I test early and it's BFN then I'll be still hoping I've just tested too early, whereas if I wait and it's BFN - whilst I might not like the result, at least I'll know I can trust it's pretty definitive. 

But obv I am desperately hoping it'll be a BFP and I'll be able to find out sooner. I expect to go round the houses on 'do I secretly test early or not' quite a bit!!

The big issue for me is my pain management, as I have chronic pain from a spinal injury (smashed my back up), which is usually controlled with a whacking great dose of morphine strength drugs  . Except of course I’m now off all my pain meds (except amitriptyline which does fuck all, and OTC cocodamol which doesn’t even touch the sides) and I’m in agony 

Work is not even happening right now as I’m essentially on semi bed rest, which of course is not ideal for keeping me distracted and off Google!

Hoping our little duracell blasto (as we have called our AA embryo!) is making itself comfy, not expecting anything but obv very much hoping…

[bananafish81]

Rimd??!! Time!!!!

[Shellster52]

Oh waiting, I really hope you can find something lovely to do over the weekend to give you a few moments of happiness. Like banana says, the follicle turns into a corpus lutem after you ovulate and one lady who did one of my many scans said to me that they turn a different shade as we ovulate and they change from a follicle to a corpus luteum. So I assume your sonographer knew what she was talking about and that you have indeed ovulated if she has correctly diagnosed it as a corpus luteum.

My personal non professional opinion is that it would be better to wait for your body to naturally bleed so that your hormones are in synch with your period. If you falsely bring on a bleed with medication, but your body is not at that stage hormone wise, then you are not going to start your FET cycle with normal low FSH/LH hormones which could in turn affect your lining for your all important FET cycle. That's just my personal theory anyway, but of course you have to do what is right for you.

banana - 12DP5DT sounds a long time! How many days would your period normally arrive after ovulation? Although I assume you are taking progesterone which may delay things by a day or two. I was madly symptom spotting by the stage you are at now, so either you are managing to keep more sane than I did, or you are keeping the lid on your obsessive symptom spotting!

[bananafish81]

Yes hopefully waiting if you have indeed ovulated then AF should arrive of its own volition in due course - would have thought provera was only indicated if it had been an anovulatory cycle? Fingers crossed everything resets itself v soon 

shellster yes 12dp5dt is 17dpo which is very cautious indeed!! My luteal phase is normally a stable 14 days but obv that doesn't really matter in IVF as the progesterone will keep a natural period away. I rationally know why the Dr is being cautious, it's just it feels like an eternity obvs!

Symptom spotting - well obv my mind is running riot, although I'm assuming that anything I think I feel is guaranteed to be the progesterone - as much as I'd love the crampy feeling to be mythical implantation cramping, I know rationally it's all just the progesterone playing tricks on me!!

[bessie84]

ooohh banana, i would have caved (& did at 9dp5dt) when we were in the same position) your very good for holding out. xxx

[bananafish81]

Haha I'm only 7dp5dt today so not exactly held out YET

3 for 2 in Boots on pregnancy tests (plus triple points) so stocked up on FRER. Whichever way it goes there will be much POAS - if it's BFP there will be serial POAS (obvs), if it's BFN then I'll need em for test day for the FET we will go straight into after AF arrives. So next ET would be before end of Feb - although obv I v much hope not to be defrosting anything for a couple of years!!

[waitingimpatient]

That's the thing....apparently it was an anovulatory cycle .....hence why I couldn't do FET
So now I'm wondering did something happen after the cycle was cancelled and I had very late ovulation or was the sonographer mistaken and what she saw is just a cyst rather than a corpus luteum? Either way I'm confused!

No sign at all of AF and I feel that my stress is just holding things up even more so trying to relax and keep busy and just wait I suppose

banana I would cave and test early if I was you !

[Shellster52]

Another day past banana! Another day closer to test day... if you make it that far!

Yes waiting, must be frustrating getting contradicting information. First being told ovulation wasn't happening and to cancel and now being told you have a corpus luteum! I can't recalll exactly - what led them to believe it was an anovulatory cycle? Did you have follilces that were growing slowly and could have ovulated late? I guess a progesterone blood test would give you a definite answer. Not sure how easy that is to organise over there.

[waitingimpatient]

I always have loads of follicles due to pcos. Interestingly on my FET cycle in October they said at the first two scans (day 7 and 10 I think) that there was no lead follicle I then had issues with opk as kept getting negative and they did see a big follicle and gave me a trigger jab that cycle but I'm wondering if my follicles all trundle along then one suddenly has a growth spurt as this month there was just no lead/bigger follicle at all although lining has been thick. Scans all seemed to look the same to me and it was cancelled

I'm thinking it's not a corpus luteum cyst though and In fact just an 'ordinary' cyst. I dont think I ovulated as had no ewcm this month. I have twinges too on one side and am uncomfortable so I think I have something going on that shouldn't be.
I've had so many scans the last few years but have never seen my ovary look like it did. They usually look like they have loads of black circles on them due to the pcos but l ovary looked to have a big grey 'blob' (apparently the corpus luteum) but this has never been pointed out to me ever before. Maybe I'm over thinking. I really didn't feel like i ovulated though and the waiting for AF is so annoying!

I could ask for a progesterone test but I have no idea what level would indicate ovulation or not ?

[bananafish81]

Omg. Caved and tested early - today is 8dp5dt and OTD isn't till Thu (12dp5dt)

But a very solid BFP line on a FRER!!!

Cautious as it is early and it could fade. But cautiously optimistic!

[waitingimpatient]

Wow banana !!! Sounds very very promising so happy for you x

[Shellster52]

Congratulations banana! After all your 'when it fails' comments, you currently have a little embryo burrowing into you!!!! And siblings in the freezer so you don't have to worry about aging while you enjoy your first until you are ready. A textbook perfect IVF cycle with a very happy ending!!

Yes, does sound like lots of over thinking going on waiting... but I understand it's impossible not to when there is nothing practical you can do but wait and think until your period shows up. I know that here in Australia, we use a different unit of measurement for progesterone than in USA, so not sure if we use the same as you guys and don't want to give you misleading info. But it definitely sounds worthwhile for you to get the test if it is not going to cost you any money(?) just for the sake of giving you an answer and stopping you feeling as stressed as you seem now.

[bessie84]

CONGRATULATIONS BANANA eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeekkkkkkkkkkkk xxxxx

[bananafish81]

Thanks ladies - my gob is truly smacked. Got another very strong BFP line this morning, so fessed up to the consultant’s secretary about testing early, and hopefully going in for a beta & progesterone blood test. Hope that little embryo has got its spidey suckers out and is holding on tight!!

Even to get this far is mindblowing. 7 months ago when I was told I was in borderline premature ovarian failure (which ALL the tests at the time indicated) the chances of success at any point seemed so very remote. Really hoping this one sticks, and all our dreams will come true

waiting if you can get a progesterone blood test, then that would presumably at least confirm if ov happened, albeit not necessarily exactly when. I would have thought whoever does the blood test should be able to help you interpret the results? Keeping everything crossed for you

[bessie84]

waiting can you request Norethisterone to set ya period off? sooo frustrating for you. ((()))

banana how exciting! eeekk x

[waitingimpatient]

I thought norethisterone was to delay periods? Or have I got it the wrong way round?

I do agree with shellster though that it may be better to wait it out so my hormones are where they should be. I tried to call the clinic today about the possibility of a progesterone test but they were busy and I was on hold for ages so gave up in the end. Will try and call them tomorrow.

I've tried to distract myself from it all today (not very successfully) but I did manage a nice long walk and baked some banana, blueberry and oat muffins which kept my mind off it temporarily. I just don't know what to do with myself at the moment and I feel like I'm fighting a losing battle against feeling low.

[bessie84]

norethisterone and provera are same thing.

ive had norethisterone many times and had it before starting our cycle, cos they were either none existent or turned up when they wanted. you take it for upto 10 days (each doc varies, i always did the full 10 days) and then a few days after finishing it, you started to bleed. i thought same about waiting, so that hormones were as they should be, but how long do you leave it?

hope things start happening soon waiting x

[bananafish81]

Norethisterone and provera are slightly different kinds of progestins - both can be used to bring on a bleed but provera is the more usually prescribed one, and norethisterone is indeed the one that can be taken to delay periods. Same but different!

Just had my first beta and progesterone bloods taken, squeaky bum time as we wait for the results! X