3rd or more time lucky - IVF cycle buddies October

[Hobbes39]

Hi Just wondering of there are folks on here who are about to go through their 3rd + time of IVF who want a cycle buddy? I dont mean it badly towards anyone who is starting their IVF journey for the first time, (i was there just this time last year after all) but I feel a bit like I cant be as optomistic about it as I was, so dont want to drag any first timers down? Hope that makes sense!
Anyway, just to explain about me:
TTC #2 for over 2.5 years now
Unexplained Secondary Infertility (have 4 year old DS)
Age 40.5
AMH: 15.4
2 failed fresh and 1 falied FET (with single frozen 3BB embryo we got from 2nd fresh round)
about to start 3rd fresh round when my period starts in approx 7-10 days, so will probably be late october EC.
anyone else a bit jaded, but still vaguely hopeful want to join me?
xx

hobbes glad you can start. So frustrating to have admin mix up stuff! Last thing you need is more stress.
lulah hope your tests are done soon, and you can start. Its so much waiting with ivf. When i was on nhs it took more than year for the one funded cycle between tests & wait lists. If i had realised i would have bit the bullet and gone private earlier...
I am another one for whom a pee test means period immediately after. its a major reason i havent tested early this cycle - irrationally feel testing will cause AF! And in life outside infertility i am a rational scientist 😏
coco how are you doing?

hobbes so glad to see you posting to say your period is here, one of the few times your glad of its appearance! Sorry to hear about all the messing around you've had with you clinic today, that was unfair of them to put you through that extra stress. Hopefully it will be more plain sailing from here!
lulah sorry to hear your still waiting for your tests, it must be so frustrating waiting for someone to do the paperwork.
I feel your pain with the weight gain, ive put on weight since starting ivf, mainly round my middle and it just wont shift, im blaming all the drugs, hormones and stress but i do wish i could get rid of my belly!

I had a run in with a pregnancy test this evening and had to talk myself off the edge! Got home from work and had the house to myself for an hour and just so desperately wanted to know, i had the test in my hand then thought if its negative i'm not ready to face it and my DH would of been gutted if i did it without him, we always wait for the result together. So i put it away. I dont know why but im finding this wait so much harder than my previous ones, the days seem so long and despite keeping busy i just cant fully distract myself.........2 more days, 3 more sleeps to go!
My DH is out tomorrow evening that will be a test of strength for me!!!

Hi Coco - are you 7dp5dt? Depending on how you feel, I think you could test tomorrow am... it may too early still, but if you can't wait any longer it has a reasonable chance of being right... but I say this as someone who basically went into a cloud of despair after testing at 8dp5dt last time and getting the BFN.... while I think I knew it hadn't worked I think I wish I'd had one more day kidding myself..! I'm praying for a BFP for you (and I'm not religious!) xx

Thanks for thinking of me Hobbes and lulah and hi to everyone. Nothing to report except I am still obsessively reading the infertility threads despite being stuck in limbo land. Am on CD3 of AF after the classic get a bfn on a £10 FRER and then get your period within the hour. Like you say Hobbes no idea why I even bothered - hasn't happened in over two years and so why would it happen now!! Got a countdown running on my phone - less than 5 weeks now till my implications appointment for the FET. Trying to focus on losing some of the 10 kg I've gained since we started ttc. Signed up for a 5k to make me start running again but can't run more than 5 mins without stopping. Shocking as I've previously done several marathons before I got married. I'm embarrassed I've let myself go so much but my focus has been elsewhere.
Good luck coco. Probably entirely unhelpful but I had a bfp at 5dp5dt. It turned into a chemical but it was clearly positive at that point on a FRER and I also got a 1-2 weeks pregnant on a CB digital on the same day.

Thanks hobbes and gee i will be 9dp5dt tomorrow, i have a pack of 2 FRERS, a pack of 2 CB digi's and a whole stash of cheapies plus the one the clinic has given me and a stack of plastic cups as i hate trying to pee on the actual stick!
I think i will wait and see how i feel in the morning, i'm torn between wanting to get it over with and holding on to my last few days of hope incase its not worked!
DH really wants to wait till saturday to test, he said the clinic have told us that day for a reason and if its not the news we are hoping for we can just hide in bed all day!

Well done for signing up for the 5k gee i wish i was motivated to do something like that although i'm not sure i could run much further than my driveway without getting out of puff
What happens at your implications appointment, does it mean you can get going then or is it to discuss things first? X

So pleased you got things sorted with the clinic hobbes - you certainly don't need the additional stress of them pushing you back another month!

If you're 9dp5dt today coco, I think you'd be safe testing - 9dp5dt is the official test date at my clinic. (Although helpfully if you get a BFN and aren't bleeding they then tell you to carry on with the progesterone and test again in 2 days )

How are you feeling decaf? Are you going to test early? Your clinic's official test date is really late!

So impressed you've signed up for a 5k gee - if it makes you feel better, I think being able to run for 5 mins is incredible - I can only manage about 20 seconds before I'm out of breath

Glad I'm not the only one who's found they've gained weight thanks to the joys of IVF - it's things like this that make me so glad to have forums like this as I don't know anyone in "real life" who's done IVF and I don't think people who haven't done IVF get how completely it affects your life, even when you're not actually cycling. Thanks for the My Fitness Pal suggestion hobbes - will try that.

Yes lulah i was planning on testing Saturday, 5 days earlier than my clinic’s OTD. But i woke up last night at 3am completely convinced that it hasnt worked. Dont know why. Almost woke DH up to tell him i want to test there & then and get it over with. Managed to go get a drink and calm down instead. But still cant shake this feeling. If the same thing happens tonight, might just be testing at 3am.
coco are you still holding out for saturday? Its just getting harder day by day isnt it?
gee well done for signing up for a 5k! In between cycles i had started the couch to 5k program, but i felt so rough at the end of stims & told no strenuous excercise in 2ww, so only got as far as week 5. If this cycle fails, i will try to start it up yet again, as i’m another one with extra kilos piling on each cycle.

Thank you lulah clinics are all so different arent they, mine says 11dp5dt to test but then like you if its negative wait 2 days then test again! Just to rub salt right in the wounds!

I don't know anyone in real life who has done ivf either and without boards like this i'm not sure how i would of gotten through, like you said it isnt just going through cycles its how it affects all aspects of your life even when your not, its all consuming.
Thank you to hobbes for creating this one!

decaf how are you doing? I know how you feel about the urge to test, although mine wasnt at 3am bless you! I still have no signs at all and starting to panic.
It is indeed getting harder and harder with each day! But we are nearly there, one more day, two more sleeps!
I have decided to wait and test saturday as planned, i know its the right thing to do and want the weekend to process things.

Hi All - hope everyone is ok?
Hugs to Coco & Decaf on the nervous countdown...!
Gee - bloody hell, the word 'several' in front of 'marathons' makes me feel very inadequate! Doing one is amazing - several: slightly insane, but awesome! I'm sure you will get back in shape pretty quickly when given a chance... i was quite shocked how easily I had gained weight without really noticing - as you say, focus is elsewhere, but also when you are going thru a cycle you are alway told not to over do it etc which makes it hard to do some exercises, plus I binged when it all failed....
Had my start appointment today and stupidly mentioned I'd had a couple of headaches last time when on the pill to start down reg... so they've decided this time not to prime me with the pill... however it means I have about 12 days extra of buserelin injections instead! I'd rather the headaches! Ffs. 🙄 . I know it's daft, as the injections aren't that bad really, but by the end each time I've been v glad to finish them, so almost 2 weeks extra instead of just taking a pill is a right pain in the arse! Rrrrg. Serves me right for complaining!
Anyway, injections start on day 21 of my cycle, so 10th oct... then 26th oct I'm due to probably start stims... 🤞
This bit is going to drag..........
x

Morning everyone - hope you're all well and looking forward to the weekend. Only one more day to go until you can test coco and decaf - so excited for you both!

That's so annoying hobbes - when I was downregging on my fresh cycle, I had a buserelin nasal spray. Would they prescribe you that rather than the injections do you think? It may be too late if you've already bought all the injections, but if not it might be worth asking?

Thanks hobbes , coco, lulah. Not sure now if to test tomorrow. We are going to have a family (in-laws) dinner tomorrow & DH is concerned that i will be in bits the whole time if it’s negative. He is pushing for Sunday. I think the family party will be crap for me anyway as all the SILs have kids. And i really want to know now! On the other hand, if it’s negative, i will want to hide in bed all day.
coco good luck to you

That's a tough call decaf, i see what your DH is saying as if its negative the last thing your going to want to do is sit having a meal with family and children. But on the other hand the waiting is a killer and although another day doesnt sound like much, i'm not sure i could wait any longer!
I think you might just have to see how you feel in the morning, you might be more distracted at the meal by not knowing, i guess it depends how you feel.

I already have my tests and plastic pot in the bathroom ready for the morning, last time i made it till 4am then that was it i was up and had to test.

That's annoying about your injections hobbes although you get used to them, its a long time to be doing them. Hopefully you might be able to get the spray as lulah suggested.

Hi all - as Coco says - that's a tough call Decaf - tbh I think I wouldn't last, but I can see why it might be a good idea to wait until they are gone. How much time do you have before you see them tomorrow? I hope that it's good news for you, but if it's not if you have decent amount time in order to go through the sob/rage/sob cycle (or is that just me?) then it could be a distraction and something to force yourself to pull together.... or it could also be v painful. I too have inlaws with oodles of children and was staying that theirs when my period came indicating failure for our last fresh cycle - and it was f@&&ing hard, but did mean I had to pick myself up and carry on. Hopefully tomorrow will be a great day for both you and Coco. Xxx
AFM - called hosp this am, nurse called me back after discussing with doc and said they'd like me to stick to the plan, but after speak to her she said she would get doc to call me again tomorrow to discuss further as tbh I'm fairly sure I had headaches from the buserelin too, so I'm loathe to do add more injections in when I'll prob still get them. Plus mentally - while the injections aren't bad, I just find taking a wee pill is easier to pretend you aren't doing it, but injections are hard to ignore, so my strategy for dealing with this shit (pretending it's not happening!) is harder to follow! fingers crossed I can convince doc tomorrow. So wish I hadn't said anything about the damn headaches! I still find it mad how many ways there are to do IVF! X

Morning everyone,
I made it till 4.10am then just had to test and it's a BFP, i can't believe it!
It's a nice strong line and my CB digi reads 2-3 weeks. I'm over the moon yet so nervous/scared after last time.

decaf good luck whatever you decide to do, i'm keeping my fingers crossed xx

That's amazing news hope/coco. You must be thrilled with such strong positives. Any tips? Remind us what hanged this time.
Good luck decaf whatever you decide. You have amazing patience!!

What happened* this time!!

Eeek - Coco! I'm so so pleased for you - and nice strong line is brilliant! Sending you hugs and positive vibes for all progressing perfectly from now as you deserve it! Xxxx
Decaf - hope you have good news too when you decide to test, good luck xx

Oh coco! So happy for you! Thats great! xxx
AFM I’m going to test tomorrow. 🤞

Yay coco - so so pleased for you! Wishing you all the best for the next 9 months! Let's hope you're the start of BFPs all round!

Good luck decaf whether you test today or tomorrow.

Hope you can persuade your doctor to give you the pill or the spray today hobbes.

Hope all's ok with you gee.

Thank you hobbes and gee!
It's a strange feeling this time, make no mistake i am thrilled but in a more quiet and reserved way. No dancing about like before just relief i guess that ive got the chance to see another positive and that hopefully this will be the one.
We havent told anyone in real life that we have done our FET, decided to keep it just us and wont be telling them anything until i know that all is well at least so you guys are the only people i can share with which also feels weird, to everyone else its buisiness as usual!!!

gee i dont really have any tips im afraid, this was my first frozen cycle and all seemed to happen quite quick compared to my fresh ones (except the 11 day wait!) I did a week of cetrorelix injections at the start as well as progynova tablets which i still take now, one scan at day 13 to check lining then add in pessaries and then transfer.
We transferred a grade A blast that had thawed nicely, i think it was originally frozen on day 6.
As far as my input i took the same little cocktail of vitamins, zinc, vit c, vit d, vit e, folic acid, omega 3, ubiquinol, and pregnacare conception and thats about it.
I dont really do much exercise anyway, i tried to eat a good diet but i was a bit hit and miss and have eaten a lot of chocolate lately! Went bck to work and carried on as normal. Last time i didnt lift a thing in my 2ww as i was so paranoid but this time i just carried on as normal, obviously i wasnt silly but i still cleaned the windows and conservatory roof, picked up children at work, went for a walk and lunch after the transfer and ate junk food when i felt like it! Last time not doing those things made no difference in the end so i just tried to accept once you've had transfer there's very little you can do but wait.
I have always been lucky with my lining being nice and thick and it seems to have been since taking my vitamins as its been better the past 2 times, at my scan they said anything over 8mm and mine was 12mm with a trilaminar appreance which is apparently good, the sonographer said lovely textbook lining!

Thank you lulah and decaf!!!

decaf good on you for waiting till tomorrow you have the patience of a saint! I have everything crossed for you!

I really hope this is a lucky board for us all!

Coco - I'm so so pleased for you but really understand your reluctance to be dancing around - I'm sure we all do here... I still remember that lovely excited feeling I had when we got a positive test back 2 years ago now, which turned out to be be ectopic, and feel so naive now... the way I see it though, surely after everything you've been through, your luck has to change, so hopefully this will be the sticky one. *
Decaf* thinking of you for tomorrow, good luck!
Good news for me is that while it ate into my Saturday, I had a trip in to the hospital to have my blood pressure taken before they'd let me change to doing pill again - slightly mad as one look at my file would show my blood pressure is regularly too low rather than too high (it was today too), so that's me started on the pill to prime, and so avoided the extra 10days of injections and shortened my protocol by a week, so all good. So start buserelin on the 12th, and hopefully stims on the 19th, all going well.
Out of curiosity does anyone else have low BP? I have this niggling feeling that it might be indicating something, but docs have never really said anything about it. I think I'm suspicious as I am A. Clutching at straws and also B. It started when I was pregnant with my DS, I wasn't aware of it being low previously (although it might have been, who knows!) I also practically hibernate when asleep it seems - my resting heart rate can be as low as 37 bpm.
Anyway, sorry - all probably totally irrelevant, but I do wonder!
Gee & Lulah do keep us posted on how you are getting on xx

Its a BFP! I cant believe it! My first ever 2nd line in 3 years of TTC!!!

Hurray!!! congratulations Decaf! Right, this has to be the lucky board... good luck to you for a happy healthy 9 months too! Xx

Congratulations decaf, that's such lovely news - you must be over the moon. It's so weird isn't it to get that first ever second line after years of trying!

Great news that they've moved you back onto the pill hobbes! I don't know about BP - mine is naturally quite low but I've never had it measured by my IVF clinic (I don't think!) other than after the general anaesthetics for EC and the D&C when I had to stay in a bit longer till it got back up to where they wanted it - but they said that wasn't unusual and they weren't concerned.

All ok with me - so frustrated with my GP surgery as I've been chasing reception all week for my blood test authorisation and only on Friday afternoon did they tell me I should have been chasing my GP's secretary who's only available between 1pm and 2pm each day I was told to call back on Monday but I'm fed up of waiting so am going to work from home on Monday so I can go in in person and hopefully get the authorisation there and then and go to the hospital blood test clinic afterwards.