IVF Cycle buddies March/April

[Hobbes39]

I know we are only partway through February, but I'm down to start our 2nd round of IVF once my period starts at the end of this month, so thought I'd start a cycle buddies thread now as I gear up..!
Our history is that we have a 3.5yo DS, naturally conceived, but have been trying for a sibling for 2 years now... we had an ectopic pregnancy just over a year ago, but after that nothing... so as I'll be 40 next month, we decided there wasn't time to waste anymore and had all the tests last year but we are 'unexplained'... so we had a cycle of IVF in November/December but sadly was unsuccessful as ended in a chemical pregnancy. So here we go again - fingers crossed it's 2nd time lucky...! If anyone else is starting soon then would be great to have the support! Xx

Hi everyone, hope you are all doing well? I was away for a spa weekend this weekend as a birthday treat, was so lovely! Anyway, Blackcherries, hope your injections have gone ok?
Musha - that sounds so frustrating! Have they not told you any more info? My clinic use the pill to start the down regulation process but I know others don't, so while I started the pill on day 2 of my period, im taking that til the 16th, with the 17th being when I start my buserelin injections - so it's possible that if you are due to start your down reg drugs when you get them, then you might actually be a similar timescale to me? I'd call them back and ask for my info if I were you as it's crap to feel in the dark about it all! Fingers crossed they clarify things for you and time goes quickly!
Hope everyone else is ok? X

Hi everyone, hope all is well.

hobbes sounds like a lovely birthday treat , glad u had a good time.

I am 8 days in to downregging and waiting for my withdrawal bleed. Trying to drink loads, feel a bit stressy at times buy otherwise doing ok. Eager to move on with the next stage now!

Hi everyone, we had baseline scans yesterday. DP had 7 follicles on one side and 4 on the other. Not sure if that is good, bad or average? The nurse said that there could be more follicles, but that it is hard to see them all at a baseline scan as they can be so small, and that not every follicle will mature. So no real indication of how many eggs we might get. Does that sound right?

Hi Wanda - sounds about right. I remember that last time they said to me that they like to see 10 or more in total, so your DP is above that, so think that's good. It also does seem to depend on who scans you, as I got all despondent when the first doc who scanned me said I had a total of 7... but then the next time I was scanned I had 13 or 14! So I think at this early stage, it gives you a bit of an idea, but can totally change... they first scan once you've been on stims for a while will give a better indication I think. You don't to have loads either as can indicate PCOS so I think anything between 10-20 is good! Someone else can correct me though if I'm wrong! X

Thanks Hobbes39. She has another scan on Friday so hopefully we will have a better idea then. Did her first Gonal-F injection last night. Is it common to have side effects from Gonal-F? I've started the Progynova and the nurse explained the delights of the Cyclogest pessaries I'll be starting next week - can't wait!

Hi all. Just checking in. Musha - that is well annoying and Wanda the numbers sound about right - not too many, not too few.

Think I should be starting next week once AF shows up. Am I the only one on short cycle here? (Any ideas why I am short cycle?). Also does anyone know anything about the endo scratch?

Hello everyone. I think I can join this thread now (slightly nervous of being told off!) we have been ttc for 2 years now. (Unexplained fertility thought I swear it's to do with me being on the depo shot for a long time)The NHS turned us down for ivf so we have self funded.
I started the pill on sat and buserilin injections on yesterday. I'm on a long cycle.

Welcome Jones (is that your nn?!). Good luck starting - I find the injections fine actually. No real pain. I'm 6 days into the buserlin and was actually coming on to ask if anyone started to feel quite depressed around this point of downregging. Just feeling very low in my mood and a bit weepy. Maybe it's just me but wondered if it might be that I'm going. To be a very depressed menopausal woman...

Hi geeup IT was my nickname to myself before I met my other half 4 years ago! Haven't noticed anything yet with the buserlin but I have been constipated since starting the proverb, anyone else had this? Think I might phone the clinic tomorrow as not sure what I can take for it.

Provera not proverb! Stupid auto correct. You may be able to tell I'm new to all this

Welcome jones all the best with your cycle, everyone on here is lovely so you're in the right place!

geeup im not on buserlin, im using synarel but im 9 days in to downregging and feeling on edge too, miserable, stressy and teary, cried over a sandwich earlier up till now i have been doing ok but past few days havent been feeling myself, wish i could climb in a hole and come out when its over!

I think its hard to tell if its an indication of what u will be like as a menopausal women as there are other feelings and emotions that your going through right now which dont help on top of the hormones!

Hope you start feeling better soon, its all just so shit and unfair

Sorry lopi i dont know anything about why your on a short cycle or about the endo scratch!
Great news that you're getting started tho x

Hi everyone. I'm on day 5 of gonal-F injections. Been on the buserelin spray for ages as well!
Injections are fine, far easier than I expected. Don't think I'm having any real side-effects but am quite tired all the time and bit nervy and down yesterday but that could be a work thing.

Hi everyone. AF finally arrived here after 42 long days, so will stop lurking and join in. Start down regging tomorrow on burserelin injections. Think I'll be on the April/May thread before I get to FET though.

lopi I did short protocol for my fresh cycle. The clinic said it was because I'm small and they were worried about the impact of the drugs. Shorter protocol = fewer drugs and fewer side effects. It sounded reasonable at the time but my medicated FET involves weeks and weeks of drugs so who knows.

Hospital called back this morning, I will be starting progynova on 23rd March. Looks like I'm on a long protocol as opposed to short so I think I might bow out of this thread and join April/May. Good luck everyone xx

Good luck Musha for your long cycle. Stop by anytime.

Thanks for the possible answer Silverlinings. They did say I was suitable for both, and I'm happy with fewer drugs.

So DP just had her second scan - 11 follicles have become 15, but they haven't grown much, only 7mm currently. Today will be day 5 of Gonal-F injections. She's got another scan on Monday and has been told to increase the Gonal-F from 225 to 300. If the rate of growth remains slow, do they just keep you going on the Gonal-F until the follicles are big enough?

Wanda, I think so? But this is my first round. I had my first scan today but today will be day 8 of Gonal-F. Had (I think) 10 follicles at varying sizes, between 10 and 18mm, so going to decrease the dosage and scan again in a few days. Nurse said that was very good though so 15 sounds really good!
Have definitely been feeling it the last few days on the side with the most follicles.

actually just been told I'm staying on the same dose - 225.

Thanks blackcherries. What does it feel like inside? Is it like period-y bloating? Or a tummy ache feeling? Do you know how big they are supposed to be before you do the trigger injection?

So I think you are a bit ahead of me. I finished provera pill today (thank goodness it didn't agree with me!) and have been on buserlin since Monday. Injections have been fine my other half has been boldly doing them for me, we're not going to relish the early alarm tomorrow though!!
Wanda I thought I read somewhere they had to be 18mm for trigger. But I may be wrong. Sometimes I confuse myself with how much I've read!

Hi Wanda - that all sounds really good - fingers crossed! I think 7mm on day 5 is actually not bad... they can grow approx 2mm a day supposedly so could grow to 17mm in 5 days and if she has 15 all about the same size that's great, as then they will just keep her going until at least 3 of them are 18mm +. I only had 5 at a decent size on day 6 last time, with some tiny ones, but basically the 5 I had then, were the 5 I got as the others couldn't catch up... so I think it's great if she's got 15 all around the same 😊. You are way ahead of me, good luck with the next few days! I can't wait to get started on injections.. (mad I know!) just want to get going properly even tho I'm dreading that period when all the feedback could be depressing again... x

It's all quite exciting. DP has taken 2 weeks off but I can't take much time off right now and am just trying to take a day here and there as needed. I am not sure whether I'll need any extra time off after ET other than the day itself? Is it advisable to rest a bit afterwards, or does it not make any difference? I expect DP will need to rest for a day or so after EC but my understanding is that that's much more invasive and uncomfortable. Do people take time off after ET?

wanda I thought they had to be around 18-20mm for triggering but I do have one 18mm already!
The feeling is weird, bit like trapped wind or full bladder if you know what I mean? and more groiny than I thought, so walking/maneouvering myself carefully. But was going to post on here to ask if that was normal, because if my scan's on Mon then I won't have EC until at least Weds which seems an awfully long time away!
It's not exactly painful, just a bit uncomfortable.

I don't think you really need to rest after ET. EC is the main day when it all happens... but people do recommend taking time off after so you can take the calls/be available as you won't know when ET will be. Sadly it seems unlikely I'll be able to take off anything excpt bare minimum.

It's my first round of icsi and I'm really scared it won't work. I'm freaked out by needles but have managed first 3 gonal-f injections OK. Today I can't stop crying and I ache a fair bit. Is that normal? The cetrodide injection looks complicated hope I do it right! Hubby is not the talking type haha x