TTC for 18 months or more. Moving onto iui/ivf/icsi.

[lucieloos]

We have relocated from the conception board where we were previously chatting under the thread 'ttc for 10 months or more'. A lot of us are now long term ttc-ers and are going through infertility treatment or looking to take steps in this direction so we feel this might be a more suitable home for us!

Feel free to stop by and say hi and hopefully we can share the journey together and make it a little easier along the way!

I'm still here too following your journeys! Wishing you lots of luck trixie, not long to go now! Good luck to raeside, bean, hope and everyone else stimming or about to begin. Hoping for lots of bfps in time for Christmas x

Waving to boris and trixie.
Had my first stims scan today. Everything seems ok. Back on Tuesday for the next and starting cetriotide tonight.

Hi everyone! I talked to some of you on the previous thread but stopped as it was a bit overwhelming... so sorry! So to resume a bit, I'm 36 and DH 39 now, TTC since 1.5 year. Last year I had a scan that came back with a weird diagnostic, a subseptate uterus (membrane in the middle of uterus). Since I last came here, I had my referral and they asked me to do a laparotomy and hesteroscopy to have a better understanding of what's going on. That was last week. As it turn out, I don't have a subseptate uterus (yeah!) but they found endometriosis on the pouch of Douglas (who? ... I know.... ridiculus name) and one of my tube is blocked. The other one is fine so that's my silverlining. I have now to do a tuboscopy before having my second appointment with the specialist and I was wondering if anyone ever had to do this?? The surgeon who did my laparotomy said that I was a good candidate for IVF and that the endometriosis was mild and doesn't need any treatment or removal. The road is still very long but I'm trying my best to keep the spirit up.
I hope everyone is doing ok! I saw lots of bfp that made me very very happy!

Trixie - only 3 weeks to go for me. I'm Going to continue stalking you all though if that's ok? X

Also still here stalking with everything crossed for you all!

Street, I remember when you were here last. I was intrigued and googled your subseptate uterus, and from what I learned then, its good news that they're now saying you dont have one. Glad to hear you have plans in action :-)

Hi all - forgive me for being crappy with personals but am on phone...I'd really like your thoughts/advice about moving from IVF to ICSI....you are all so knowledgable!

I had my first stimms scan this morning. Only three over 10mm seen on right side (14.8, 13.4 and 10.1) and a measly 1 on the left side (9.1) - c'mon left! Lord. I am a bit disappointed as I've managed to evade the effects of my chronological age on many fronts but I guess not this time. I start Cetrotide tonight (nurse warned it hurts - is that true? What helps?!?) and stay on my 400 Menopur. Another scan Friday, then Monday, then potential egg collection on Wednesday next week. I've literally no idea whether follicles the size they are today is good or bad, but I do know that I don't have many. They obviously saw more but weren't keen on saying they'd maybe join in with the larger ones till after Friday's scan. Boo. I know it's quality over quantity, etc, but it'd be nice to have a few more to start with when the chances of them all fertilizing is so low. Considering whether to cough up for ICSI to give each egg best chance of fertilising. What do you reckon?

Hi Raeside. I think I'm a few days ahead of you. Firstly cetriotide stings a bit but isn't too bad.

I had nothing over 9mm on my first scan. By second (two days later) I have 3 over 11mm but a load that are less than 8. I've therefore had my dose upped to try to get them to catch up as I'm not responding well. So I think you should wait and see what happens at the next scan as there's no mention in your list of what else is there in terms of any smaller?

As for IVF vs icsi my naive understanding is that if you don't have mf issues then fertilisation rates for icsi and IVF are v similar. Can you discuss with your embryologist?

Thanks bean - I shall wait!! Will talk to the Dr bout ICSI. It was really just the though of offering each collected nature egg the chance of actual fertilisation ... we shall see.

Rae we did icsi due to male factor issues to help with fertilisation.

Thanks Boris - DH's sperm is low in volume and what there is isn't the, well, liveliest (!!) but he's been off booze and caffeine and hot baths and on the supplements so hoping for a miracle recovery.

Hi all, sorry for being AWOL - been keeping my head down and plodding along.

Rae sorry you are disappointed - as bean says hopefully you will have a spurt by the next scan - good luck!

Trixie are you onto your next cycle now?

Star hope you are doing ok - do you know when you will be starting?

Hi street! Sorry to hear about the endo - did they manage to get rid of it? When will you start cycling?

Waves to everyone else!

AFM, AF arrived 11dpiui - had my scan today to check all quiet and lining thin before moving onto my 3rd and final IUI! Will be on menopur as they don't use Merional anymore apparently.

She also booked me an IVF appointment! It's in 2 weeks so good to get the ball rolling on that - It was one of my questions I wanted to ask her anyway but surprised it's so soon I thought I would be waiting months! She said the waiting until actual treatment is 7 months but it is coming down a bit. I get one fresh and one frozen on NHS.

Sorry to hear your second iui didn't work Maple. Good luck with number 3. Great to get the ball rolling with IVF.
I am expecting AF between Sunday and Tuesday and then start my FET.

Boris, keep us posted! and stalk away, like knowing that you pregnant ladies are still there. I sometimes stalk the pregnancy thread to see how you are all doing.
Thanks Lucie

Raeside, my experience re ICSI for what it worth (our main issue is my NK cells but we have mild MF)

first fresh cycle IVF 50% fertilisation, the clinic said we may want to think about ICSI if we were to do another fresh cycle to improve fertilisation rates.

second fresh cycle (NHS funded cycle) we spoke to the embryologist on EC day after she had looked at our eggs and sample and we did an IVF/ICSI split. We had better fertilisation but then fewer made it to transfer/day 5 than the first time. Our IVF fertilisation rates were 6/9 and 3 made it to day 5. ICSI 4/5 fertilised and 2 made it to day 5 so on those numbers ICSI comes out a bit better.

Bean, I hope the increased dose does the trick, best of luck for your next scan.

Good luck for the next round Maple!

Trixie thank you so much for all of that info! Very grateful for it.... I raised ICSI at the clinic visit today and they said it's definitely worth considering.

AFM second scan showed good growth on three follicles on the right (18, 15 & 15mm) but a measly 12mm on the left. Stupid left. Lining is fine. Then there was a lot of to-ing and fro-ing bout whether to trigger this weekend - !! - but eventually trigger likely to be Monday and EC Wednesday. Bit disappointed with numbers but hey ho. I can't help thinking that it's so likely only 1 will fertilise at best then not make it but it's out of my hands....wish I could have a booze!

Hi everyone!!!! Glad to see everyone is going forward in their quest!
Raeside I keep all my fingers cross for you today! And I agree with you about the booze... wish I could have some too if they were not taking so any blood from me all the time!
MPP81 Oh! So nice of you to remember! Yes, that was quite a bad diagnostic so I feel like a dodge a bullet here. Still not the ideal case with the new one but I'll make it work somehow! (determination as its finest! haha)
maplebaby the surgeon said she choose not to take it out as it was quite mild. But she thinks it could the reason of my problem. I'm still waiting for the tuboscopy to be done and them I will have my appointment with the gynaecology team of my hospital. So no cycling yet for me...... Hopefully soon! I'm still feeling a bit down at every AF but now I know what to do so it helps al lot.
Sending everyone here lots of happy thoughts!

Hello ladies,

Maple, I'm so sorry your second iui didn't work. I didn't realise this was number two, I thought the first got cancelled due to over stimulation? Also, I thought I'd been checking in for your news as I remembered you'd had iui around the time I ov'd this cycle and cd1 was last Wednesday for me. Somehow I missed your update, not sure how. Sorry! Good luck with round 3 and I guess an IVF appointment in 2 weeks is no bad thing. Really hope it doesn't get to that for you. You have iui and a few months of trying for a miracle before then!

Trixie, good luck for your fet! Are you doing medicated or not? I guess you will be having immunes treatment (suppression?). Really, really hope this is it for you and you get to join the grads before Christmas.

Raeside, good luck with trigger and ec this week! Keep us posted with how you go.

As for me, I start on the pill on my December period and do what I guess is a long protocol. It's my first IVF and there's no waiting list at Kings so I could've gone in October but my holiday got in the way. Just plodding along until then.

I bought a good book by Robert Winston last week called The Essential Fertility Guide. In it, and on his website the Genesis Research Trust, he says some things about icsi vs IVF and basically concludes that uncles there's a strong medical reason to do icsi, the chances of success are better with IVF. I'll try and dig out the link. We're being encouraged to do icsi, but I think I'd prefer a combination like Trixie as if the sample is halfway decent. My concern at the moment is whether to go ahead with the cycle before removing my pesky fibroids... appointment this Thursday to see if the dr will finally put me on the list for fibroid surgery (after asking over 2 months ago )

Thanks all - still not hopeful for this IUI but hey ho, let's see how it goes!

Trixie good luck with the FET - what happens for it if you aren't stimming? Do you prepare the lining with jabs?

Rae did you trigger in the end today? Hope EC goes well on Wednesday!

Street sorry to sound dumb but if it's the reason why don't they remove it?! when do you expect the tuboscopy to be done?

Star I had a clomid cycle where lining was thin (not sure why they went ahead!), then the one where I over responded and cancelled and then the one just gone which didn't work out! So third and final IUI for me - I'm glad we are moving onto IVF though and I'm nervous but looking forward to what the first appointment will bring!
When in December are you due AF? Not too long now till you can start - how long will you be on the pill for?
I might have to look up that book - sounds like an interesting read!

• just popping on to say hello, cheer you all on and offer or (delete as appropriate depending on where you are in treatment) to all those up against it at the moment.

maple ivf is really nothing to worry about if you're already doing ovulation induction for IUI. It's just more of the same but they then take the eggs out of you and make the embies in a dish. My successful ivf round was literally an iui conversion as I over responded. Fingers crossed you don't need it as you'll be lucky this time round, but don't stress if you do.

👊🏻 to everyone else - I am hoping so much you all have success very soon.

Maple - I didn't do IUI but I had a hella long round of meets and appts and scans and investigations and tbh starting IVF was a bit of a relief as it meant at least I was doing something seriously proactive, hope it feels the same fo ryou.

Good luck with FET Trixie!

Star - good luck with your Drs appt and the fibroids discussion. Hopefully they'll really listen to you and what you want.

How are you getting on, Bean?

Apologies for not mentioning everyone, I'm bloody terrible at scrolling....but am thinking of you all and keeping everything crossed for us.

AFM I had my final stims scan yesterday. Sh*thead left ovary must've heard all the swearing I did at it and came through with a nice round 17mm, which should be perfect for EC tomorrow. Right ovary has now overperformed with a 25mm that, according to my research, is unlikely to be much good by tomorrow. BIG FAT BOO. Also had two x 21mm and 1 x 11mm on that side. So really I'm in the same position as before, with a possible 3 eggs, maybe 4 if Big Old Fat Follicle hasn't already bust. I did some academic research on follicular size pre-trigger and there was a presentation made in 2014 that found larger follicle size better for women under 35 but much, much worse for women over 35. In fact, smaller follicle size was found to be better for the older ladies. I am definitely a heaps older lady. So that's been fun to mull over....gah.

EC tomorrow. Took Cetrotide at 7pm and Ovitrelle at 8pm last night, have to be at the clinic for 8am tomorrow for a planned 9am collection. Everything crossed! I've been on Ubiquinol and the Zita West Awfully Expensive pre-natal wotsits and Vit D and extra Folic and so on all year so I can only hope I've managed to get a bit of a headstart on improving egg quality. We shall see.

Best of luck to the rest of you for today, whether collecting or transferring or stabbing or just waiting waiting waiting.....

Hi Maple it's no dumb at all! I'm a bit lost in this as well to be honest. Just after the surgery, the surgeon just told me about the endo and then said she didn't touch it at all as it wasn't needed. I was on morphine at the time (haha...) but I don't think she said anything else. I hope I will have more information about it during my follow up appointment with the gynaecology team. I'm still in limbo for the tuboscopy. The surgeon asked for it to be done within 6 weeks but the 6 weeks mark is in 2 weeks and I doubt it will be done before that. So I have to wait I guess... Infertility is such a hard road and it's even worse when patience isn't your strongest skill...
When I had my first appointment with the service they didn't even mention IUI and just straight went to IVF talks. I made few research as well as I don't think it's bad news at all. I wish you all all the luck of the world and hope to get there myself very soon! xx

Thanks for all the good luck ladies. AF has arrived, have my first scan on Thursday morning, here we go again.....

Star, I'm doing medicated, preference would be natural but that didn't work out so well last time (didn't have a dominant follicle and lining got thinner rather than thicker....pretty sure it was just bad luck with a dodgy cycle but they want me to do medicated) and yes will have meds to suppress my NK cells so quite a lot going on. Good luck for Thursday!

Maple, yes, will be similar to a fresh IVF cycle but rather than injections to stimm have tablets to prepare my lining. Still have to have scans to check lining but no collection, just transfer.

Good luck for collection tomorrow Raeside, definitely sounds like you've done everything you can - fx!

Hi Street, sorry, I missed your post before. Welcome back. I hope you don't have to wait much longer for your tuboscopy.

Hi. Ec tomorrow for me too. Very anxious.

Good luck Beanhunter! Will check in tomorrow morning to see how you ladies get on.

Just dropping in quickly to say good luck today bean and Rae!!

Hope you got on ok this morning Bean and Raeside

Thanks all. In cab in way home now. 5 eggs collected (very surprising) and a couple of them look good, according to the embryologist. We aren't going for ICSI but will use the embryocam. Feeling drowsy so home to sleep it off. Got utrogestan pessaries, clexane injections and prednisolone tablets to be cracking on with.