Anyone starting IVF? Join me (5)

[waitingimpatient]

I don't think anyone has started the new thread yet? Apologies if so and ignore this one if its already been done

I'm hoping by the end of this thread I'll be waiting and impatient for a new arrival fingers crossed

That sounds like a great plan!

The two letters grading is for blastocysts

The number is how advanced the blastocyst is

The first letter is the quality of the inner cell mass (the bit that will hopefully become baby) and the second letter is the quality of the trophectoderm (the bit that will hopefully become placenta)

So the blastocyst we transferred was a 4AA - 4 meaning it's an expanded blastocyst, the AA meaning both bits are good quality

The ones on ice are not quite as good - mix of 3AB, 3BB and 2AB.

It's just a different grading system for a day 5 embryo than for a cleavage stage embryo

Thankyou ! I kept looking things up online and wondering why they had only said grade 1/2 !

The dr also said to only have clexame and steroids till positive test (if I'm that lucky!) but I explained how much I've read and that it's really necessary up to 12 weeks and she said if I get pregnant they can prolong the treatment but that it's not proven but if I'm sure and it will reassure me then it's fine.

Everyone I know who's taken clexane and steroids has done so until 10 weeks - never heard of them being stopped if you get a BFP!!

I think the horrified look on my face said it all! The Dr was lovely though and said although nothing is proven with immune issues they can prescribe for longer if that's what I want. I just want to throw everything at this attempt as we only have the two embryos left and I'm feeling quite desperate !
I was very relieved that they will scan me so often then trigger rather than making me rely on opks! She said my lining was fine bit the follicle just needs to grow.

I'll ask about oral medication and have a read about of it can help avoid the vasovagal reaction/cervical shock I had last time as it was really quite horrendous. No pain at all from transfer but I felt so sick, dizzy, faint and nauseous and went temporarily deaf and my arms and legs were completely stiff with cramp it was really unpleasant and my concern is if it happens again they will stop the transfer

Damn right!!

Nothing is proven re immunes but there is generally accepted practice - so deffo right to push it.

Does sound like sedation would make a lot of sense, as a difficult transfer is less than ideal for correctly siting the embryos. I'm sure given what happened last time they can accommodate this? It's in their interests to have a smooth transfer xx

It's frustrating as the transfer itself wasn't painful at all. All I could feel was a tiny bit of 'rummaging' and it seemed to go well the doctor got the catheter in with no issues etc. slightly uncomfy being scanned as I was so desperate for a wee! Nothing else though and I felt relaxed then suddenly my face was dripping with sweat then I thought I was going to be sick and it got bad v quickly it was horrible. Def want to avoid it this time

You must be excited for your scan soon!

You poor thing, sounds horrible Hopefully now you've been through it once things can be modified so you don't have a repeat this time!

Very nervous about scan - DH is too, he's up cleaning the house at 3am as a distraction mechanism (as they go I'm happy to encourage this one as our living room is getting a mega deep clean!!)

Also got NHS antenatal appointment dates and very very nervous about being in the system, in case we don't make it that far and have to cancel.

Oh banana, I recall sending in my hospital booking form early after 2nd last IVF success, only to have to advise of m/c when they phoned. So I totally understand the nerves... although I was very early along and you seem to be traveling very well so far.

Must be very stressful waiting with all these additional things to worry about. At least it sounds like things are on track for natural ovulation this cycle with a growing follicle and thickening lining. Hope your next scan shows more follicle growth and that things are progressing in the right direction.

Lead follicle was 18.9mm !! Huge growth since Friday and as today opk was still negative they've decided just to trigger tonight so ET will be Friday !
I'm having the whole ovitrelle dose this time as a trigger (had half last time) not sure why but I'm just doing as I'm told. I'm feeling positive and hoping all goes well and that on Friday both embies thaw ok

Going to try and relax as much as I can this week and dh has booked Friday and Monday off so I can rest. That should be enough shouldn't it as Tuesday I have to be out and about so I'm hoping by then if things are going to work they will have as tues will be day 6. I don't want to dislodge either of them !

Woop woop waiting - couldn't be happier for you. So very exciting! Xx

I do feel quite excited now, but I know that things need to go well on Friday when they thaw both. Fingers crossed though!

Iam just so desperate for it to work this time. Emotionally and financially it has been such a strain. The process has taken so long too with stops and starts due to thyroid levels etc so fingers crossed I'll be lucky this cycle

Everything crossed for you waiting!

Saw and heard a little heartbeat today, which was just incredible. Measuring bang on for 7+1

Consultant said he'd been a fertility Dr since 1992 and apparently I am one of the most surprising (aka diplomacy speak for 'I have no idea WTF is going on with your) cases he's ever seen. Well nothing like keeping these Harley St types on their toes!!

Nice for you to have a feeling of excitement waiting, as opposed to the stress it has been for much of the time prior. So supportive of your husband to be on this ride with you and taking time off to look after you. I was always a facts and figures person and tried to find studies about whether bed rest after transfer was actually helpful or not, but there seemed no evidence or studies either way. At the end of the day, you have to do what you think is right and going to put your mind at ease.

banana, must have been lovely (and surreal) to see that heartbeat. I assume that was the same consultant who was referring to your ovaries proliferating with more and more follicles as your cycles went on, rather than the other way around that usually happens as we age. I guess better to be in that unsolved mystery category with a live baby on board than to remain consistently in the DOR category at each scan with a failed IVF under your belt!

Lovely news banana! So so pleased it all went well, must have been amazing to see a little heart beat

waiting I found this video incredibly helpful during the 2ww - I knew rationally that NOTHING I did or didn’t do would make any difference whatsoever to whether it stuck or not, and that the guidance about do’s and don’ts is mainly to do with the after effects of retrieval than to do with exercise or sex or swimming affecting the outcome - but I nevertheless found this video immensely reassuring

Shellster yes it’s the same consultant - I went to see him for pre TTC counselling about epilepsy and pain meds, and to understand the pathway for TTC with PCOS, and then we discovered all my eggs had gone, and then he took me through two IVF cycles, and then on Tuesday our viability scan. It’s been quite the rollercoaster! He’s said repeatedly ‘I’m stumped - and I’m not usually stumped’ about my journey, and said to DH on EC day ‘I wish I knew what was going on with her AMH as it’s throwing everything off!’ But he also said there was so much about the human body we don’t understand. Certainly refreshing not to have a god complex!

At least he was stumped by your bodies ability to improve dramatically over your two IVF cycles and to result in a BFP, rather than being stumped by a sudden drop in AMH/egg yield and no quality embryos to transfer with a BFN! I would have taken that over my 11 IVF attempts with repeatedly low ovarian reserve and only 1 or 2 embryos that often didn't make it to transfer. Funny, I still get jealous when I hear of women producing 10-15 eggs while I would be lucky to get 4 - even though I am now 36 weeks pregnant! I think the journey affects us permanently. I went to my sisters last night who has a 16 month old and she was complaining things and needing a break. I am just so grateful to have a baby and think it will make the difficult moments of getting up at 2am so much more treasurable than someone who just expected to conceive and has no idea of the emotions of what we went through and facing the possibility of never having this baby dream.

Good luck with transfer waiting!

Back from transfer, only one embryo survived the thaw (5 cell grade2) so fingers crossed !
Sedation was fine and the Dr was pleased. OTD 9 March. I'm feeling very positive and calm

Congrats on being PUPO! Hope you have a restful weekend xx

Thankyou banana and thankyou for that video recommendation it made so much sense and really helped x feeling very positive and that can only be a good thing!

just had quite a bit of pinky red bleeding. So worried now, this didn't happen last time and googling hasn't thrown any answers up only about implantation bleeding which obviously it can't be

The Dr apparently told dh (while I was still asleep!) that my cervix was long and I'm wondering if that's where the bleeding is from? Especially as I'm on clexane and aspirin? (Feeling a bit bewildered as didn't expect anything like this right after transfer). Has anyone else experienced this?

Yes I'm sure that would def account for it! Blood thinners would definitely make a small irritation worse xx

I hope that's all it is. I rushed downstairs all upset to dh and he said "well the Dr did say your cervix was long and it was difficult getting the catheter in but then it was fine and went well. I said "why have you only told me now?!!"

Turns out he thought I 'looked half awake' so assumed I'd heard. I think I must have been out of it still (the sedation knocked me out completely )

Oh waiting, that sounds stressful. Bananas theory definitely makes sense that the thinners would make a small irritation worse. I wouldn't hesitate to get reassurance from the clinic if it will put your mind at ease. Hopefully it has settled down now. XOX.

Things seemed to have settled this morning so fingers crossed

I def don't think I'll be able to cheat and test early as the trigger shot is still well and truly in my system. I had it in mind to test early maybe 6/7 March but I'll have to keep testing out this trigger (it's very stubborn the line is so dark on tests) last time I had half the dose it was out of my system in 3 days so I thought by now it would at least be fading !

I just know I can't hold out till OTD I need some indication of how it's gone before that phone call!
I was talking to dh last night saying how worried I am that out of 16 eggs we only ended up with three frozen out of which one was a failed FET, one didn't thaw and I have the last one now and I'm praying it is the one that is ok.