Cycled/cycling with Victoria Wing Nuffield Woking for IVF - come join us!

[geeup]

Hello. Looking for other ladies (or men!) who are IVF cycling with the Victoria Wing at Nuffield Woking either privately or NHS to share what happens, how it's going, any tips (what's the car parking like?!), to support one another and success stories of course. My stats:
Geeup
Aged 34
Ttc #1 for 22 cycles so far (4 with Clomid)
OH has low morphology MFI (but it's varied)
NHS cycle - first appt 31st Jan with Dr Riddle
One question to get us going, anyone know what the policy is about having 2 embryos put in on first cycle? Thanks!

And so my 2WW begins My ET went very smoothly this morning performed by Mr Brook. He & the nurse we’re lovely & caring. So I’ve been home on the sofa all day having my other half bringing me chicken & veg soup and pineapple! Now to try avoid the 2WW symptoms googling & the madness in my mind of the “what if?!”...

@HWF4 sorry to hear your struggling with headaches & feeling low. These side effects can be experienced. Are you drinking enough water? Recommend having a bottle of water with u at all times. I think I drink around 3l per day to keep system regulated & flushed nicely.

@hopeful4ivf can’t blame you for not enjoying the nausea, not nice. You found anything to ease it? Know there’s loads of old wives takes that might just do the trick. And sorry you’re tightly strewing over the thoughtless comment by the nurse. Really not what u needed. Think they would be more sensitive. Scan date is nearly here and I’m sure all will be perfect. We’ll all be counting down the days. Take care in meantime.

Congrats @BeePositive really lovely to hear you're PUPO. What's your OTD?

Thank you @geeup, my OTD is next Friday 17th.

Are you off on holiday soon?

Congrats on a successful ET @BeePositive!! I hope it goes really quickly and stress free! How are you feeling today? Have you got much planned for this week to take your mind off it or are you planning on resting?

The side effects come and go. I wasn't feeling great yesterday but a little better today... this also might be because my period is due on Thursday so could all be related! I have a HydrateM8 water bottle with me at all times (and have done for a while now)... I must drink about 3 of them a day at the moment - just feeling so parched!

@HWF4 sounds like you’re great at getting plenty of water. You can take Paracetamol for headaches otherwise. Hope they pass. And hope you not still feeling too low? Of course the meds and hormones are all having effects on you right now. Be strong & keep at it!

I’ve taken yesterday & today off work (as feel I rushed back to work too soon after EC) & want to give this best shot. But I’m going a little crazy waiting. Already. Plus as I think about being pregnant or not, my tummy flips with nerves & feel like I’m major ng myself way too anxious. These kind of chemicals I’ll be producing in my body, can’t be good for any implantation?!

Also got call from embryologist this morning to say the other embies weren’t developing as hoped, so they are only freezing one. Having 16 collected, I’m feeling disappointed. I have one still frozen from first cycle. And only have another round on NHS if this one fails, but I was hoping to do more FET cycles privately if an option.

I'm similar to you @BeePositive in that I don't have many in the freezer but you just have to hope it only takes one and that might very well be the one inside you!
Yep am off on hols next week. Won't say where as a bit outing but hopefully nice and chilled. Panicking my period will be early which will screw with my downregging dates but will cross that bridge when I come to it. Just trying to focus on today and be more present. Good intentions anyway!!

Thanks for the positive thoughts @geeup. I really need that right now. And I will also try take your mantra in my mind around living in the now.

Wishing you a most relaxing holiday & enjoy every day there trying not to ponder if AF arrives too soon. Easier said but if you’re away from home, hoping you can forget the intense process IVF is.

Thanks lovely @BeePositive! I just have the end goal in focus the whole time which helps

Try and relax as much as possible. I watched a video diary of a couple who were at Victoria Wing and only had 1 embryo transferred and nothing to freeze... they now have 5 month little girl. As @geeup says, it only takes 1 little embie :-)

xx

Was that the Ella videos @HWF4 ? I watched me too. I was a bit envious of them - so pretty and lucky first time and bloggers so got loads of free stuff! A very fortunate couple (who also seemed soooo nice!).

Yes @geeup from My Baba blog?! I know what you mean - they were very lucky! I have a little blog too and have actually filmed a few bits to eventually make a video when the process is over as I feel that unless you are going through infertility or IVF there isn't much knowledge about it... I've had a very mixed reaction from the people who I've told. Mostly supportive but I find people don't ask me anything about it which I really want them to! I think most feel it's a very taboo subject and don't feel like they can ask questions, whereas in reality I really enjoy talking about it and 'educating' people

I haven't seen that video you both mention, but I'm keen to find and check it out too.

@HWF4 I think it's great you are happy to talk about your IVF experiences and planning on making a video. Definitely do it! I think it's amazing the support I've gotten from this online chat, as I feel the ladies on here are very 'real'. I've struggled, as we all have, finding information online that you feel you can trust. Good luck with the videos and keep us posted how you get on.

Hi @BeePositive they are done like a video diary... there's quite a lot of them but link to the first one is here:

I echo what you said about finding this forum invaluable. I have loved chatting to you all and getting real life experiences rather than ones that you find online that all seem to conflicted!

How are you doing today? How are you getting on with the suppositories? Progesterone is the one thing I am dreading!

So I went and found Ellie on youtube and have binge watched a bunch of their videos. And agree with you @geeup, am kinda envious of their journey and first time result, but they are just so lovely, you can't help but being so happy for them. I hope the rest of their videos will be relevant to all of us at some point, with her pregnancy vlogging.

@HWF4 I'm not gonna lie, the Progesterone suppositories are not nice. Hint #1 - you cannot have long nails! Hint #2 - you cannot have gas. Things can get a bit messy (sorry WAY TMI, but as we all agreed, this forum is good for the real truth here). But I'm hoping they will do what they're supposed to do in supporting the lining and I'm just getting on with taking them as directed.

Otherwise, I've been a bit bloated and I don't think it's the fact I was constipated for a few days post EC anaesthetic, I think as I had mild OHSS my ovaries are just calming down slowly. Also had minor period like pains and sore lower back. But I'm not reading anything into those symptoms, good or bad, and just trying to distract myself with work (and those new videos you ladies have got me onto, ha ha!)

When do you start your stims meds, @HWF4? Will you be on Menopur also?

Haha I remember the cyclogest bloating well. My CM has gone a bit brown tinged so AF on her way. Expect I'll start my bleed tomorrow which is annoying as I really need to hold out till Friday or my dates are a bit complicated over xmas etc. Will cross my fingers till it starts and deal with it when it happens.

Oh no @geeup, that is annoying. Typical AF not playing along. But here's hoping you can hold her off till end of week. Sux you'll have it when on holiday, hopefully won't impact you. But good you get your Day 1, and then can start getting ready to kick-off your next cycle. A very well-behaved Christmas ahead for you !

Well luckily (perhaps) my FET won't actually happen till early Jan so I can drink over xmas! Third timer means I won't bother giving up drink - it doesn't change things in my limited experience!! Bring on the choccy!

@BeePositive, thanks for the tips on the suppositories! Do they make you feel uncomfortable in any way? I read somewhere that it's best to lie down for 5 minutes after putting them 'in'?! Is there truth in that?

I really hope your pains and belatedness goes quickly. Those videos are a good distraction and gives hope too!

At the moment I am bang on 4 weeks behind you! I have my baseline scan next Wednesday and start Menopur on Thursday (do they take you through the mixing of it again or give you instructions?). I am then scheduled in for EC on 29th and transfer on 4th December all being well! Period due tomorrow... definitely feel like it's on it's way!

@geeup i really hope AF holds on for Friday! It's so annoying how when you don't want it it appears and when you do it doesn't play ball!

That means I must be exactly a month behind you @HWF4 as my af will come tomorrow (ideally Friday) and then FET will happen hopefully early Jan!!

@geeup ah that's so funny! How weird that there is exact weeks between the three of us... hopefully a good sign :-) I'm still hoping it holds out for you for tomorrow!

AF has arrived for me! Hoping it's not a bad one

Hi all

Hope af is behaving @geeup and shows tomorrow when you want her too, always the way isn't with with her, never does as she's told!

@HWF4 best of luck starting the meds, the nurses will run through it all again with you and answer any questions you have so don't worry, they are all so lovely.

@BeePositive I hate the cyclogest!! I don't get on with them at all, I find the front better for me as I suffer with constipation and piles but I know for most the back is better. But they do bloat you out and that fun doesn't stop til 12 weeks after your bfp! I find putting one in just before bed and laying straight down helps and making sure I put it in again the next morning about 30mins before I need to actually get up and function! But boy they are messy!!! When is your otd? Got my fingers crossed for you

Got my scan again tomorrow, nervous as hell because my symptoms over the past 2 days have completely gone so I'm in a right state panicking over that Really hope we get to see our nugget flickering away again!

Hopefully one day early isn't too much of a pain with your plans @geeup. May AF be gentle on you this month. Exciting you can have a festive boozy Christmas before 'getting in the zone' with your FET in January.

Yes, very funny how we are all spaced out evenly between 3 of us, and all looking towards @hopeful4ivf who is successfully leading this pack! @hopeful4ivf, I'm sure the nerves must be getting to you and you just want to see happy movements from you little nugget again. Wonder if they will be doing lots of posing for you again this time !

@HWF4 I don't find issue putting the suppositories in (back door!) personally and don't feel need to lie down. I just try relax as much as possible when inserting, take a moment, and away I go. But perhaps as @hopeful4ivf says, they are messy and bloating, but they must be worth it!? Regarding the mixing of the stims meds, the first time you do it, you really concentrate, and then you will definitely get the hang of it. Ask the nurse at VW to run through the process with you again, they will be happy to, to make sure you are comfortable with the different needles and steps.

My bloating seems to have eased again slightly today. Still trying to keep positive and not read into fact I've not had any 'implantation bleeding'. But I'm sure if I saw any blood or spotting down there, I'd be feeling concerned anyway.

My OTD is next Friday 17th. Over a week away, gah! And my other half has decided to go off on a boys weekend, so I'll be spending time with my parents (who have no idea I'm on 3rd round of IVF) and my younger sister (who's baby boy just turned 1 year). I won't be able to check out any My Baba/Jellie Diaries videos with them around, ha ha!

Time literally stops in the 2ww after ivf. I swear the hands in the clock go backwards!!

Too true @geeup way too true!!

Hey guys, just checking in. How is everyone?

@Hopeful4ivf how did your scan go on Friday?

@BeePositive how are you feeling?

Hi everyone, sorry I haven't been on in a while so have had lots of catching up to do!

@geeup hope AF arrived when you wanted and that you have a lovely holiday. Hopefully it'll put you in a great relaxed state for starting your next hopefully successful cycle!

@Hopeful4ivf let us know how your scan went! Don't worry too much about your symptoms, I think it's quite common for them to come and go. Mine weren't consistent until after my viability scan so probably from around 7 weeks pregnant.

@BeePositive congratulations on being PUPO! Sounds like you had a successful collection and transfer. The 2WW is the worse part, everything is crossed for you! I caved 2 days before my OTD and got my first BFP (not that I should encourage bad behaviour!!)

@HWF4 Good luck with your scan and getting started this week.

Anyway just wanted to check in and let you know I'm still thinking of you all!