Can someone talk to me about FET timelines?

[Highlove]

We're due to start our first FET cycle shortly, using a blast leftover from a successful cycle a coue of years ago. I'm seeing the clinic later this week but trying to get my head round how long it will take. I'll be down-regging first - will that start on day 21? And roughly how long before I start the oestrogen? And then roughly how long after that till transfer?

Thanks very much.

[bananafish81]

Good luck Highlove when are you due to start? My stims cycle was short protocol with no down regging so it was less than 2 weeks from starting meds to EC day. Short is very short! I haven't seen my consultant yet, but based on our brief chat after we had to freeze-all after EC, it sounds exactly like what he's recommending.

Mine will be slightly different, as we had to freeze eggs rather than embryos, due to issues with getting a fresh sample on the day So they'll have to thaw slightly earlier, as they'll need to fertilise and transfer will depend on how the embryos are looking - just as in a fresh cycle.

Wishing you all the very best with yours xx

[Highlove]

*so quick. Fat fingers on phone!

[Highlove]

Sorry haven't been back for a few days. Turns out I won't be down-regging although will be a medicated cycle - apparently my clinic don't think down-reg necessary if your cycles are reasonably frequent..? So will start estrogen on CD1, scan on CD12 and take a view from there on timing of ET and when to start progesterone. Will be at least another five days as our embryos are blastocysts.

bananafish does that sound like your protocol?

Eek it all seems to quick.... I've only ever done full fresh cycles with down-reg so this just seems so incredibly quick.

[bananafish81]

Thanks Sammy-lou. Very same to you xxx

[loopylou1984]

Yeah maybe, I'm sorry I can't offer more advice. Wishing you luck though :). Xx

[bananafish81]

Sorry, I wasn't very clear at all! Apologies. I was interested in the timings - I can see that there seem to be long and short medicated protocols, as purple has described taking buserelin in the luteal phase of the prev cycle, as well as the protocol you both describe whereby you've started the buserelin alongside the progynova off a natural AF.

My consultant said he didn't want to suppress me, but wasn't sure if there were FET protocols that didn't involve down regging drugs up front - guess the timings would be the same as your short protocol (only may not involve taking any buserelin?)

Obv these are questions I will ask him, but next appointment is a little way away, so just trying to find out as much as possible in the mean time.

Thanks for your patience, wishing everyone good luck with their FETs xx

[loopylou1984]

My previous (abandoned FET) was a short medicated. Had my bleed and started suprecur and progynova a few days later. What did you want to know? X

[bananafish81]

Sorry, I should say it's a short cycle medicated FET, not a natural FET - we had to freeze all in part due to my lining issues, so we need to do a medicated FET to try and build my lining up. So a medicated FET just starting off a natural cycle, with no down regging. Realise I wasn't very clear! xx

[bananafish81]

Hi ladies

Has anyone done a short cycle FET? I have severely diminished reserves, so my consultant doesn't want to down reg me as he doesn't want to suppress my ovaries in case they don't bounce back afterwards, and create problems for any future stims cycle. Just trying to get my head around the implications of this for the actual FET cycle, of going into the FET straight off a natural cycle (just like I did for my stims cycle this month)

Thanks in advance

xx

[CatnipMouse]

Hello!

Day 21 buserelin 0.5 ml till bleed on day 30.(new day 1)
Buserelin day 1 to day 10.
Day 11 reduce buserelin to 0.2 and start progynova, build up progynova gradually over about 10 days while staying on Iow dose buserelin. Lining scan day 23. Can't see from my diary when I started the progesterone crinone gel. From memory I think the buserelin stopped the day before ET.
ET of five day defrosted blastocyst on day 31. Ongoing progynova and revolting crinone after that. I didn't have any problems with any of the drugs other than remembering to take progynova 3x day.

Interesting to read the different timings that others have had.

Good luck!!

[purplemeggie]

Hi Highlove
I've got rather more FET experience than I like to think about, having done one with my own eggs and now 3 donor egg transfers (two fresh, one frozen, but the process is the same as for a FET because you obviously don't have to stim and you need to prepare your lining as you didn't cook your own eggs). It's all a lot less invasive than a full fresh cycle.

Do you know what you'll down-reg with? I have done FETs with buserelin D21 - 28 Buserelin
D1-9 Buserelin
D10-13 buserelin and progynova (= oestradial to build up lining)
D14 progynova
D15 onwards progynova and cyclogest
D20 - FET (day 5 blastocysts)

also down-reg with synarel, which was like this:

D21-28 Synarel
D1-13 Synarel and Estrimax (Czech eq of progynova)
D14 onwards Estrimax and Utrogestan (progesterone)
D18 ET

Hello again, Sammylou. Sorry to hear you had to cancel - but was prob the right decision (my lining was only 5.5mm last time, but they decided to go ahead anyway. Needless to say, it didn't work and I've been what-iffing ever since. We've got another 4 in the freezer from this donor cycle, so hopefully one of those will be "the one" - otherwise, we're going to call it a day.

[Waitingimpatient]

I just had a FET but did not down reg as had a triggered natural cycle (against advice-I was told I should have a medicated cycle due to pcos)

Day 1 called clinic to book day 7/8 scan
Day 8 scan
Day 11 scan
Day 13 start doing opk every morning and evening
Day 18 scan again where they saw a huge follicle and as opk was still not positive I had an ovitrelle injection that night to trigger ovulation
Day 20 started progesterone and aspirin
Day 23 ET

My OTD is 21st October

[loopylou1984]

Hi high, I started a FET cycle last month, it was cancelled due to my bad reaction to the estrogen but the timeline was looking as follows:

Scan cd4 and begun estrogen and burselin that night.

Scan cd8 - lining not ready and transfer provisionally booked for cd16

Scan cd10 - lining still not ready, spoke about increasing estrogen and transfer provisionally booked for cd23

This is where the cycle ended for me but I think had my lining been thick enough on cd10 my transfer would have been cd16, so from day one of period it was just over 2 weeks.

I didn't down reg though so can't help you with that part unfortunately.

Good luck though, hope it all goes well! Xx