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!

Hi @HWF4 - hope you had a good weekend too? I've been trying to keep busy and distracted from thinking that I still have another work week ahead until OTD this Friday 16th. I had some cramping overnight that felt very much like AF wanting to make an appearance. So far nothing, and I keep praying. You must be excited to have baseline scan on Wednesday and getting started with the Menopur on Thursday. Keep us posted how you get on?

Looking forward to hearing good update from @hopeful4ivf from Fridays scan? Has the nausea hopefully subsided?

And waves to @geeup hopefully having good start to holiday!

So lovely for you to check in @flamingo! Ha ha! You remember the 2WW well then, and I don't need much encouragement to test early, naughty .

Hope you are going well too? Are you enjoying some new maternity clothes and some baby shopping too? Know you were planning not finding out babies gender, is that still the case?

@BeePositive I don't want to feed your hope but I had some quite strong cramps and a little spotting a couple of days before I tested. I was sure that meant I was out but obviously they were actually good signs!

Thanks for asking...I'm feeling pretty good at the moment and can feel the baby moving most days which is lovely. Have bought quite a few maternity clothes but only a few bits for the baby so far! I don't want to go mad and we're also renovating our house so I don't really have anywhere to put stuff without it getting covered in dust at the moment! We've still kept the gender as a surprise! Hopefully this will all be you soon!

Oh @Flamingo, any positive associations at the moment are a glimmer of hope and keep me staying positive. So thank you. I am totally realistic too, but I don't want to be a worry wart of doom and gloom, so thanks for sharing that.

So pleased you are welling well and enjoying the baba making some moves - how wonderful. Plus the fun of getting yourself some nice maternity clothes too, probably a few pregnancy essentials and treats too, I imagine. Well deserved.

How funny, we are also doing renovations at the moment and I truly cannot believe just how much DUST is EVERYWHERE. It's crazy. But I'm so excited as the builders completed the kitchen extension a week or so ago (besides some final things on our snag list) and they actually started the main bathroom this morning. Good luck with all your renovations coming together and keeping on top of that dust !!

feeling* well

Unfortunately it was sad news for us. The scan showed the heart had stopped beating some days before, we were and still in absolute shock and devastation, with all my symptoms I honestly (seems stupid now) believed this pregnancy was real and happening but obviously I was wrong. The hardest part is not only having to accept our dreams have been shattered but my symptoms are still very much here which I didn't mind when there was a very good reason but now I just want them gone, only thing I have noticed is my little bump is disappearing . I found vw not very sympathetic or supportive, in fact I feel very much left on my own. They just said stop meds and you'll bleed it out, geez thanks for such tact words, like no emotion is attached, like we didn't already have love for this now dead baby (because to us it was our baby, not fetus or embryo, it was a baby to us) My last miscarriage the epu sat with us, explaining what will happen, and gave us options, which I chose to have surgically removed purely for personal reasons at that time, but vw have just said Stop meds and wait to bleed...4days off the meds and nothing...I'm to call in a week if nothing happens. But I can't get my head around the fact that now I'm just stuck in limbo waiting for the worst period of my life with our dead baby inside me still making my body believe its pregnant.
Sorry to go on but I feel so lost right now, Friday morning I was on such a high! I'd met with the midwife for the first time, received those pink notes that you see everyone carrying, something I'd dreamed of and he had booked my dating scan, 1st Dec, now instead of this being a special day it's going to be a reminder of what isn't happening and now I've got to call and cancel this appointment as well as my 16 week midwife check up, again having the dates for all these appointments just break my heart.

@BeePositive Wishing you lots of luck for Friday, it'll soon come around. I had cramping a few days before and brown spotting about 6 days after transfer. Fingers crossed xxx

Sorry again for such a down response, I'm gutted I can't share any happy news

Hi Ladies,

Lovely to hear how you are all getting on. We’ve been doing lots of form filling in tonight, my other half is off to do his sample in the morning and we have our consultant apt on the 5th December, looking forward to finally getting started!

Can I ask ladies if you changed your diet to improve egg quality and then to support implantation? I keep hearing things about increasing your protein etc?

Good luck everyone

Xx

Oh @Hopeful4ivf I am so, so sorry for your devastating news. I've been sitting here for a while trying to find the right words to say to comfort you... I can't find many. I was really rooting for you and thought of you a lot on Friday and over the weekend. I just hope you start to bleed soon so you can properly begin the healing process. I am truly sorry you have to go through this. xxx

So, what is the next stage for you? Will VW assess you? Did they give you any advice as to why this may have happened again?

How you holding up @BeePositive? Not long now.

Nice to hear from you @Flamingo44 and glad to hear all is going well.

Hi @Lizjulie1234 5th December will come in no time! In terms of diet, I completely changed mine at the beginning of the year after seeing a nutritionist and have stuck to it ever since. I cut down on dairy, sugar and white carbs. I've upped my protein since starting the meds. I know VW have advised to cut out snacking but my nutritionist advised against it... i think it's aimed at sugary snacks (like chocolate bars etc) which I don't have and so have been eating 3 main meals with small snacks in between (homemade protein balls, handful of nuts, figs etc)

x

@Hopeful4ivf I am so so sorry. Like @HWF4 says I'm not really sure there's anything I can say that will offer you any comfort. You must just be devastated. I would have thought the VW would have been more sympathetic and supportive. Are you able to book in to see their counsellor if that's something that you might benefit from? (I know it's not for everyone) Otherwise take care of yourself and let your family and friends who are in the know rally round you.

@Lizjulie1234 I didn't really change my diet. I did cut out sweet snacks as @HWF4 is correct...the VW advise against snacking that effects your blood sugar levels as the aim is to try and keep these as level as possible so I just snacked on nuts if I was hungry! I think I've mentioned on here before but I also started the Coq10 supplement a couple of months before we started treatment...although I think I stopped taking it once I started the meds. It's meant to help with egg quality as it kind of slows down the ageing process (or at least that's how I understood it!)

Such devastating news @Hopeful4ivf and so disappointing you don't feel you're getting the right support from VW. This is awful and I'm so sorry. As @Flamingo suggests, perhaps you might find some comfort from speaking to a counsellor? You deserve the best attention and support. Sending much thoughts and sympathies to you and your partner, take care of each other Please keep checking in with us here too x

@Lizjulie1234 it's exciting you have 5th December to look forward to getting started. Besides taking the 'usual suspects' of folate and DHA I took CoQ10 for a couple of months in run up to egg collection. I didn't have more follies collected compared to my first cycle when I didn't know about CoQ10 but the embryo quality has been higher for me this time round. So I would definitely suggest.

I already eat a lot of good protein, and just increased having more leafy green veg, avo's, eggs and drinking organic whole milk. I'm not sure the 'perfect diet' so definitely suggest speaking to a nutritionist or listening to the other wise ladies on her for suggestions. All the very best!

@Hopeful4ivf I am so so sorry to hear your devastating news, life really isn’t fair sometimes. Please take care of yourself and surround yourself with people who will look after you xx

Thank you everyone for all the food advice, I’ve just made myself a protein packed healthy lunch for tomorrow! Xx

@Hopeful4ivf I'm so sorry to hear your news. I can't imagine how devastated you are and my condolences go to you and DP. I hope you can find some light at the end of the tunnel - we'll be here for you.

Thanks ladies for our kind words of support. I made the decision today to go to my local epu, I couldn't just sit around and keep waiting. As expected it's a missed miscarriage but sac is growing which is why I'm suffering my symptoms still. Anyway another scan next Tuesday to reconfirm, NHS protocol because they cannot take another scan from elsewhere and I'm booked to have our nugget surgically removed next Friday. I'm broken, I just can't believe this has actually happened and typically I got my letters today confirming our dating scan and appointment with the maternity consultant which I now have to cancel.

@BeePositive Good luck for Friday, do let us know how you get on, how are you feeling?

*Your! Grrrr

I've been thinking about you a lot @hopeful4ivf. Pleased to see you are taking things into your own hands and going to local EPU today. I'm just so sorry you are feeling so broken and how cruel to have this happen to you with the added pain/confusion of the continued symptoms. Plus the timing of the maternity consultant letter. Hope it goes smoothly today and do keep us posted.

I can't believe I have held out and will do test tomorrow on the actual OTD. I kinda feel like I don't want to know honestly, as I'm feeling so hopeful at the moment...

Waves to everyone x

Sorry that you’re having to sort it all out yourselves @Hopeful4ivf I really hope it all goes as well as it can. Life is sometimes so very unfair.

@BeePositive well done for staying so strong! Good luck for OTD tomorrow...be sure to fill us in, hopefully with good news!

Hi everyone! I hope you don’t mind me joining this thread. Have just spent the afternoon reading through your posts - it’s great to find people going through the same thing as you at the same clinic. Congrats to those who have got their BFP - you give us all hope!!

I have literally just finished my first fresh cycle at Nuffield and am in the 2WW. Embryo transfer was on Wednesday (15th Nov). We have unexplained infertility although may have a male factor and my AMH is low for my age (am 33, husband 32). I was on 300 of menopur and had 9 folicles, from which we got 6 eggs. All 6 fertilised (all ICSI) and 6 got to day 5, when they transferred an early blasto. Unfortunately the others slowed down so no frozen embryos this time. So, if it doesn’t work, we’ll just have to start again with another fresh cycle.

I’ll keep everyone posted on my outcome and happy to answer any questions anyone has on the experience at Nuffield. Am sure as the 2WW goes on I’ll have my own questions for you all too!

Welcome @SP33 ...sorry that you find yourself here but it’s great to have people who know what you’re going through. Congratulations on being PUPO and fingers crossed for you.

Hope everyone else is ok and enjoying the weekend?

Hi everyone! Hope you’ve had great weekends!

@BeePositive I’ve been thinking of you and praying you had good news on Friday?

@Hopeful4ivf how are you doing? I have been thinking of you lots too x

Hi @SP33, welcome! How exciting you’re in your 2WW, how are you holding up? What date is your test? Fingers crossed for you!

How you doing @Flamingo44?

I’m well into stims now, it will be my 4th one tonight. Can’t say the first one was as stress free as I’d have liked and i’m still yet to find the ‘nack’ but getting better with each shot! My stomach is starting to bruise and feel quite tender now and I’m finding it hard to find areas to inject that don’t hurt! I had a big stinger the other day! First progress scan on Wednesday.. I’m feeling the odd tinge but nothing else really.. I am still brown spotting from my period though, some days quite heavy.. is this normal? I’ll ask at my scan if it’s still around next week!

Xx

@HWF4 - I think it is normal. I had brown spotting the first few days on stims and actually called the clinic and they said it was fine so don’t worry. Good luck and fingers crossed for your first progress scan. I was a little disappointed at mine as could only see 8 folicles and for some reason expected loads more, but got 6 eggs from that, all of which fertilised so try not to worry.

Holding up ok during 2WW, test date is a week today (26th Nov) so not too far to go.

Thanks @SP33 it's actually subsided quite a bit now which is good! I'll bear that in mind when I go to the scan. I'm only on 150 of Menopur as my AMH was really high so they're worried about overstimulating.... I can feel the odd twinge in my left side but apart from that nothing else and no other side effects at the moment!

Less than a week to go until test day! Fingers crossed this week goes quickly for you x

Thanks for the thoughts ladies, I held out till my OTD on Friday and I'm so pleased to say it's a positive! The first time in years of trying and 3rd round of IVF that I've ever seen a line. It was a very faint line, mind you, so went and got a Clearblue Digital test which confirmed it. I'm so scared to be happy as I know it's such early days. But I wanted to share my tentative good news with you all.

@Flamingo - I do remember you being very cautious in the early days of your BFP too. Hope you're keeping well? Lovely to have you checking in her with us.

@HWF4 - glad you're well into stims phase now and getting better with each injection. Sorry to hear you're sore though, after all the downregging ahead of starting stims, it's natural for your poor tummy to be feeling sensitive. Fingers crossed for your scan on Wednesday.

@Hopeful4ivf - you continue to be in my thoughts as with the ladies on here too.

@SP33 - welcome! Hope 2WW isn't too torturous on you. Less than a week till your OTD now.

Huge congratulations @BeePositive that’s amazing news! I was definitely cautious (still am at nearly 25 weeks) but I’m sure everything will be fine!

@HWF4 Glad the spotting is slowing and stims are going ok...sorry to hear about the bruising though...I can’t remember much now but I’m sure you’ll get better with practice. I think my couple that bruised were when I squeezed the skin too hard? Not sure if that’s what you’re doing though!