November/December IVF/ICSI/FET

[StoneMe]

Hi everyone, just had my first down regulation injection this morning with a scan booked for next Thursday. This will be the transfer of my remaining embryo. I had a little boy last year via ICSI so I know I've been very lucky already.

Anyone else starting now?

[Beetroot01]

@LillyLeaf good luck with your scan x
@Redfluffypanda everything will be ok x
Hope other ladies doing ok x

[RedPandaFluff]

Hi everyone! Thanks for the well-wishes - returned to you all. @LillyLeaf I have a rotten cold too - I'm getting stressed out by the thought of white blood cells attacking embryos, although I've been assured it's fine . . . I know what you mean though, you want to be in prime physical condition!

@AmyK18 have you heard from your clinic this morning? I'm crossing my fingers you got a good result.

Mixed news from the clinic - we have two embryos at morula stage (good) but they’re grade 2 (less good). We have two twelve-cell embryos (i.e. less advanced) at grade 1. And the two wee slow-burners have caught up a little - one is a 7-cell and the other a 10-cell; they’re both grade 1-2 but I'm thinking they're probably not viable as they’re so slow developing?

I can't believe how obsessed I am with these little clusters of cells!

[AmyK18]

Just got call..
Day 3
3 very good embryos, cell numbers 8,8&6
3 ok embryos, cell numbers 8,7,6

I think if we get 4 or more (unlikely) we will go ahead with pgs testing but I’m so scared they will all come back abnormal I wish I’d never been told about it, i can’t believe how high the abnormal % is it’s really thrown me id almost rather not know!!

@LillyLeaf how was your scan??

[AmyK18]

@RedPandaFluff so you haven’t lost any since yesterday is that right? That’s really good!?

[RedPandaFluff]

@AmyK18 it just feels like one set of obstacles after another, doesn't it? So stressful. I've never considered PGS or PGD but perhaps it's something for us to consider next cycle.

I think I can probably discount the two that are lagging behind - it seems unlikely that they would suddenly catch up overnight. But if we end up with one embryo to transfer and one embryo to freeze, I'll be really happy.

I'm now driving myself nuts researching embryo grades :-(

[AmyK18]

@RedPandaFluff haha we sound very similar I spend so much time obsessing and googling I genuinely feel like I could open a fertility clinic I have more knowledge on this than anything else.
Did you say before you are using donor eggs or sperm I might be totally making that up?

[LillyLeaf]

Just had my baseline scan, so frustrating! This time my ovaries and follicles were fine but my lining is too thick. They have taken blood and will ring me later about what to do. They might do a freeze all cycle. God why can't I get past the first hurdle! I want to scream!

[RedPandaFluff]

Oh @LillyLeaf that's frustrating. You will get there but I know that a day feels like a week with infertility, and a week seems like a month, a month a year. We're told to be patient but it's so hard.

@AmyK18 I know; sometimes I rattle off things to DH and I just get a blank stare back, I forget that he's not utterly obsessed with it all like I am! We're using donor eggs as I have premature ovarian failure (I'm 38).

[AmyK18]

@LillyLeaf I’m so sorry that’s infuriating, what is a freeze all cycle?

@RefPandaFluff does that mean that a donor woman donated her eggs and they were merged with your partners sperm? Sorry if that’s too personal you don’t have to answer I’m curious about all the options and ways you can go about this!

[RedPandaFluff]

Oh please, nothing is too personal for me anymore, @AmyK18 😄 Yes, basically the deal is, the donor gives half her eggs to the clinic in exchange for free or drastically reduced price IVF. It's not an option for everyone as certain criteria have to be met. Women who can't produce any eggs of their own, like me, or who produce poor quality eggs, then pay for donor egg IVF, which is a lot more expensive than normal IVF because we're basically supplementing the donor's cycle. It's not always about money though and I see it as a very generous thing for the donor to do - it must be extremely difficult for her to give up half her eggs and I am so, so grateful to whoever my donor was. And yes, my husband's sperm was used to fertilise the eggs.

I think about my donor every day, and say a silent thank-you.

[AmyK18]

My goodness that makes me feel very tearful. We are a very selective group with what we are all going through it’s very tough x

[Guio]

@Wesstywoo I am in day 3 of menopur as well.The first one was painful but yesterday completely fine 😊.no symptoms whatsoever and Monday first scan and blood test.should I start to feel bloated already? Because I don't feel anything.@LillyLeaf why is a problem is the lining is thick?is this before stimulation?good luck @AmyK18 and @RedPandaFluff with your embies.

[Wesstywoo]

Hi @Guio I haven't found the injections painful at all and I'm on a huge 450 dose! Having to do them myself as DH would literally faint. Still not feeling any symptoms, not sure if that's normal or due to my low AMH. I hope it is working. My next scan is not until Wednesday.

Sorry to hear your scan @LillyLeaf so frustrating xx

[LillyLeaf]

So I got the call from the clinic, they still want me to start my injections, so Buserelin tonight and start Ovaleap tomorrow, I'll have another scan on Wednesday, but they still might do a freeze all cycle, @AmyK18 I think it's when you do everything but don't transfer any embyros and freeze them instead, then do a transfer on another cycle. Hopefully this won't happen but it's likely (so I can say goodbye to getting Pg in 2018). I don't understand why my lining is thick, so annoying. @Guio I think they want the lining thin before stims so that when you build up a new lining before transfer it is new, I think.

[AmyK18]

@LillyLeaf ah you mean a differed transfer!! That’s what we are doing! Depending on your situation they say that can be better for You as it gives your body a chance to calm down from all the hormones and again depending, can increase your chances of it sticking. I didn’t want to initially as I just wanted to get on with it and it means an extra month wait but my clinic talked me into it. It might be thick cos they’ve scanned you so early your barely day 1 right? Maybe see when you go for next scan? That’s great you were able to start today though!!

[AmyK18]

Sorry I mean deferred transfer

[LillyLeaf]

@AmyK18 that makes me feel better that something else is doing it. If you don't mind me asking why are you not transferring this cycle?

[AmyK18]

@LillyLeaf because the clinic said to me that if I did a fresh transfer ie transfer the same cycle and it did work, it would be more likely to be a complicated pregnancy as you are just piling hormones on top of hormones and is more likely to take if you do it the next month as your body has had more time to normalise and go back to the state that you would be in without all the invasive treatment. Does that make sense? Again I think it varies person to person they said for me that would be better!

[Beetroot01]

@RedPandaFluff sorry, earlier I called you different name (I am sorry, I am bad at remembering names) x
@LillyLeaf I hope everything will go the way you want x

[RedPandaFluff]

@Beetroot01 I had to scroll back to see what you meant - I quite like RedFluffyPanda 😄

[Guio]

Morning!I know it is early days but today is day 4 of menopur and I am worrying that I was feeling more with buserelin,even my breasts are smaller than ever 🙄 when it should be the opposite.I hope the medicine is doing the job.The only thing I have is a weird sensation in my vagina but I guess is because the hormonal changes.On Monday I will find out how things are going. 🙏

[Wesstywoo]

@Guio I'm the same - thought I was imagining the disappearing BB's but clearly not! Now had 4x 450 doses and still no symptoms. Let us know how you get on on Monday xx

[RedPandaFluff]

Just had two embryos transferred - doesn't look as if we'll have any to freeze, sadly, unless the two little slow-burners pick up the pace overnight. Will find out tomorrow if they're good enough to freeze.

So now the waiting starts again . . . which I'm absolutely terrible at 😏

How is everyone else today?

[Beetroot01]

@Guio, @Westtywoo I am only 2 days on Meriofert and I for me its too early to say about simptoms, I thought I will feel more. My scan is on wednesday.
@RedPandaFluff good luck!

[LillyLeaf]

@RedPandaFluff good luck and hopefully test day will come in no time.

I did my first stims tonight, injections are fine. I still have a cold which is really annoying me now.