Cycle buddies Oct/Nov 16

[Hope2409]

Hello,

Is anyone else about to start a cycle?
I start down regulating on Sunday, estimated embryo transfer week beginning 21st Nov, this will be my first round of IVF/ICSI after 3.5 years trying to concieve.

Mixture of emotions, excited to be starting after waiting so long to get here, nervous about side effects of drugs and injecting and terrified it wont work! The joys of infertility!

Xxx

Hobbes what a small world and I've taken away the same bag of goodies that you have! Are you also wondering how you'll find peace from your DC to do these injections!?

Blue and Kez thanks for the welcome. I almost have too many questions now to know where to begin, it's just all so overwhelming!

Ekam fingers crossed for you.

Glass that's great thank you, I may also take my old slippers, just in case the hospital is grubby
How did you find being sedated? I hear you can talk a load of drivel?

Ekam you weren't there long at all then?!

Here's me asking questions about EC and I haven't even started menopur yet!

Fluffy feel free to ask any questions you may have, I'm sure one of us could help!! X

fluffy - yes! Carting home a bag full of needles did make me wonder where the hell im going to stash them all so there is no way he can get hold of them by mistake!
Are you on the same schedule as me then? My next appointment is due on the 17th Nov when they should start me on the stimms.

I'm nervous about the injections - my DP is lovely, but useless when it comes to needles, so I will def have to do them myself and I'm dreading it, but I'm sure I'll be ok once I've done the first one - how did those of you who have done it manage? Was it easier than you expected? I've started doing acupuncture partly just to help with keeping calm and I figured ever little will help, but also to get me used to needles a bit more - so far it's been good x

Kez I was in hospital gown and compression stockings (v attractive!) so didn't need to take my own. Good luck tomorrow x

Glass great news about EC.

Hobbes the injections need to be the same time every day so you'll need to find a time that you can jab I disturbed by DC (get up early? after bedtime?). They are tricky to begin with but you get used to it after a few days. There are YouTube videos to help as it's unlikely that anyone remembers the demo at the clinic!

Blue oh poor you, I can only imagine how sexy you looked! . I've got a lovely dark blue dressing gown with stars all over it, which I'll admit I haven't taken off since I got home!

Hobbes I'm also major terrified about the injections, not the actual stab part, just the mixing part. Me and my OH have arranged to have a 'video night' after dinner, and not the kinky kind!!! Got lots of YouTube vids on hand and also the online nurse website to watch the demos over and over again about mixing and administrating.

Hi guys!
Wow loads of messages to catch up on. Sorry I wasn't being rude, I assumed because I didnt get any emails from MN that there wasn't any messages.
Thought I would check today and there was 3 pages I hadn't read!
Hope everyone is ok - welcome to the newbies :)
I am currently still waiting for AF to arrive which i suspect will be at some point at the end of next week. Once AF arrives I will start my injections - forgotten what ones already lol.
Kez yes my drugs came - felt like a drug dealer when they came!
Ekam & Blue - re asian families - tell me about it. I want to kill mine half the time. I am not a fan of the asian culture that if you don't have a child you have not succeeded in like. Pfft.

Love to all xx

Life* not like

hobbes I'm on microgynon until 17th then start injections on 18th and in for an appointment on 24th.

I really need to switch on to what each of these dates and injections are actually for!

For those asking about injections, don't over think it (if that's not too bossy an instruction).

I had two types - one with needle, and one with pen.

The first morning I was up 20 min before my jab time; reading instructions, laying it all out and psyching myself up. Piece of cake.

For the next 3 weeks, it took about 90 seconds each day.

Remember your teach, and don't over think. Grab some skin and jab! Has anyone read Get A Life? The tips in that helped me.

I'd recommend doing on your own too - just in. Case your partner isn't there one day. (I mean at work etc, not gone forever).

My brother is diabetic type 1 for last 20 years and he told me not to rub the area with a medi-swan first, only after. However that may just be his preference!

The only injection that took effort was my pregnyl as I had To mix it. Thankfully my parents were visiting and Dad is a retired nurse, so got him involved

Glass. The actual injection part I'm not bothered about (9 piercings and 5 tattoos needles don't scare me lol). It's just the mixing.
I've been prescribed menopur which is little ampoules of solution and powder to mix together in a syringe and then administer. Just want to get that part right!
I'm sure after practice I will be fine ha

kez - I mixed my last one - it only took a few minutes and was pretty straight forward - just read the page, laid out the equipment then worked down the steps. Sure you'll be an old pro in no time.

Welcome newbies

Glass glad to hear EC went well

My clinic doesn't ask us to bring slippers/gowns, but the ward is tiny only 2 bays and as soon as you've had a cup of tea, some food and a pee you can go home so probably not necessary!

For those of you worried about the injections, I found the first one quite stressful until the needle was in and I realised it didn't actually hurt that much! For ones that need mixing there is definitely a knack to it but with a bit of trial and error you will get it just don't panic.

Hi custard
Well I was surprised when it said bring gown and slippers. It says 'please bring your own gown and slippers to change into for theatre. Whilst you are asleep in recovery a nurse will monitor you. As you start to recover one of the nursing team with a water, tea or coffee and biscuits. As soon as you are feeling well enough you will be discharged'
I read that & thought 'how long am I going to be in there?! '

Have you taken menopur before?
Where do you inject? Belly or top of thigh?

Where are you in your journey now? X

Glass yes I've read Get a Life - wished I'd read it before my first cycle, it's such a good source of info. I meet the couple at the fertility show last year, they're lovely.

Mixing drugs is ok once you get the hang of it. I messed it up the first time as the hospital gave me a pen device to put syringe into which should have made it easier to inject. It didn't and all the contents spilled out - 3 vials of Menopur wasted 😳

Blue so you were on menopur too?
Im on 6 ampoules for 6 days then 4 ampoules for the rest.
Did you keep yours in the fridge or just in a dark room under 25 degrees? I've seen people store it in both X

Welcome Fluffy and Hobbes

Glass glad to hear that your EC went well!

Kez all the best for your scan, bloods and first injection tomorrow! What r they looking for at a baseline scan and bloods? Is it that everything has shut down properly?

I've read Get a Life too, its a great book!

Xx

Hi Kez, I know they make it sound like you'll be in ages, I took a book last time but didn't really get time to look at it.

I've not been on Menopur, I was on cetrotide last time which was a powder and liquid to mix together. I inject in my belly and I'm currently on day 12 of down reg, I've got a blood test on Wednesday to see how down regged I am. Hope the blood test and scan go ok for you tomorrow.

Custard - ah fab maybe I won't be in there that long then. I have a whole day planned of pjs, chocolate and Netflix which I can't wait to start!
I started slimming world in January and I've lost almost 2 stone so far so to have a day of lounging around doing nothing but eating crap - I can't bloody wait!!!
Ah ok - menopur is like that, little ampoules of powder and solution to mix together. Just about to watch the video again for the millionth time ha. X

Hope so sorry I've just seen your message.
I'm not entirely sure what they're looking for at a baseline scan. I imagine that everything looks as it should be and they can take measurements before I start the injections so they can see how I'm getting on?
As for the shutting down, I haven't down regged as I haven't had a period for 13 years due to pituarity Failure & lack of female sex hormones hence why I have a very low FSH but a good AMH!! Ovaries are very very small but full apparently so there's hope!!

Sigh, I gave in and tested. BFN. 6dp transfer. Still hope, but with so many symptoms i thought and early result might be possible. But not a great sign.

kmmr I know it's hard but try not to worry about it yet. U r only 6dpt, my clinic says to test after two weeks! Try and stay positive until you know for sure x

kmmr stay positive! Thinking good thoughts for you x

Kmmr stay positive and just wait . Easier said then done I know and the temptation to do a home test gets way to much sometimes..... Keeping everything X for you

fluffy - you are a week after me then, so i will keep you posted on appointments so you know what's coming next! kmmr - I can't imagine how long the days must feel for you at the moment as I know every bloody month the TWW is excruciating, and must be doubly so after IVF but it's still early days so don't lose hope... thinking positive vibes for you xxx

Kmmr it's 6dp5dt right? That's equivalent to 11dpo which is just too early, don't torture yourself, the symptoms are a good sign.

Kez the scan before stims is to make sure that the ovaries are quiet and your estrodiol is low. On a standard menstal cycle, one follicle in a ovary will start to grow and the purpose of down regging is to stop this happening. They'll be looking for the same thing even though you didn't down reg first. I was on 3 ampoules of Menopur on my first cycle so you're on a heavy duty dose!

Liberte I don't know how the MN emails work, I get hundreds everyday!

Hi to everyone else!