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Infertility

Our Infertility Support forum is a space to connect with others in the same position, discuss causes, treatment and IVF, and share infertility stories of hope and success.

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Original poster

Advice when thinking about / starting IVF

9 replies

FirstTimerIVF · 09/02/2018 20:41

Hi,

We are just taking the first steps towards IVF and I was wondering whether anyone had any top tips / general advice about how to approach it, psychologically and practically.

We will be paying privately and thinking about going overseas (Czech republic) from the outset for cost reasons. We're braced for several cycles but I'm also trying to prepare for the fact that it might not work at all. I'm about to turn 35, ttc for a couple of years. We have already had a successful pregnancy but also 4 miscarriages.

I've been trying to avoid Dr Google since I got my AMH, CD3 and 21 blood tests back. We don't hear about DH's semen analysis until we see the consultant. I really don't know what our chances are and I'm slightly scared to find out.

Any advice really welcome - there's no-one in real life I can talk to about this.

OP posts:

Mark29 · 09/02/2018 20:50

As someone who started the ivy tests etc the biggest advice I could give is cut the alcohol take folic and vitamins and cut out hit baths fit the man. Me and my wife were in the last ditch efforts before they started treatment and my wife fell a week before so 8f you haven't already done this do it now

Mark29 · 09/02/2018 20:51

Ps I had my seen analysis and doctor said no chance

ShirleyT12 · 10/02/2018 06:26

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

TammySwanson · 10/02/2018 07:45

D'oh! I forgot to stop taking all those lovely drugs! That's where we've all gone wrong. But I love heroin SO MUCH, do I really have to??

To the surprise of nobody, ShirleyT12 is also spamming the Surrogacy boards with her own gibberish miracle story! Another spam from the unethical, unregulated and all over shitty Ukrainian clinic.

Welshlovebicuit · 10/02/2018 07:49

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TammySwanson · 10/02/2018 09:54

Firsttimer> There are a number of long-running IVF threads in this board and I'd suggest dipping your toes in them, i'm sure you'll get a lot of support and advice there. My only tip is that most people (myself included) find the emotional and psychological side of it a lot more difficult to deal with than the physical one, so be prepared as you can for that. The whole process is a huge head-fuck, especially if it's ultimately unsuccessful. I guess this is less of an issue if you are successful.

delilahbucket · 13/02/2018 13:33

After being given my high FSH and low lh and oestradial results, we've kind of ended up going in head first and not thinking about it. We had already trawled through clinics to pick the one for us (consider UK ones as well as abroad as up north there are many that are financially comparable to abroad once you factor in travel costs). I will kind of feel like I'm winging it now and to be honest, that's probably for the best.
You could do with that semen analysis though as you may need icsi and you could do with knowing whether your dh needs to make any lifestyle changes (which take at least three months to have any impact due to the time it takes to make sperm).

IsabelHerna · 04/06/2021 13:28

Firsttimer here! Good luck! I haven't started my proccess yet but I have almost taken the step a few times the past couple of years. When I decided that I would be starting,covid happened so...
Do all the drugs you mentioned make you feel weird?
I feel the same about not being able to talk about what I am going through irl, so I find it weirdly conforting reading (so far) your threads.

MF1981 · 04/06/2021 14:41

@FirstTimerIVF my overarching advice would be to take it a step at a time. I found the whole process really overwhelming to start with but my fiance bought us a wall planner that we stuck on the fridge and we wrote our drug/scan schedule on. Once it was all on the wall planner it was out of my head which helped and then we ticked it off a day at a time. That really helped me to stop my mind from racing ahead. Also I used an app called Mindful IVF and found the meditations really calmed my mind as well. Some of the drugs made me anxious so the meditation worked well for me.

Also consider if you want to tell anyone close to you who can support you both - I was surprised by just how amazing my family and a couple of friends were in terms of supporting us both.

Take care of yourselves as best you can - follow the advice re alcohol, diet, multi vitamins etc so that you can both feel that you have given yourselves the best chance.

Mainly, just try and think of it as a process that you have to go through to get to where you want to be. There will be highs and lows so be prepared for those. But honestly - just take it a day at a time. Good luck!

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