February / March 2019 IVF / ICSI

[Thund4rcat]

Hi all, starting a new thread for those of us who are starting IVF treatment in February.

This will be my second round of ICSI, I start buserelin injections on 17th February. We have MFI (low sperm count) and after our first cycle ended in a chemical pregnancy, I demanded a laparoscopy because I have always had painful periods. The lap discovered I have mild endometriosis and mild adenomyosis but the surgeon said it was mild enough to not affect my fertility.

I am continuing with the NHS, doing a second fresh cycle. We have 3 frozen embryos from the first round as backup if this one doesn't work...

Would be good to have some cycle buddies to share support over the next couple of months...

@MrsC18 I was never down for a HCG so was never swapped. My protocol is just always Buserelin. They didn't think I was going to get so many eggs so I was never at risk.

@runner31 sorry to hear about your negatives yesterday. How did you get on today?

@MrsC18 how did your EC go today?

I had my day 10 scan today and had 9 follicles over 10mm, 1 of which was 20mm, and an 18mm endometrial lining. I am so pleased after Wednesdays scan when I only had 4 follicles. They are going to call me tonight but should be having EC Monday or Tuesday.

@Thund4rcat back on the ward, got 14 eggs this time! Just waiting to hear if I'm having a freeze all or if they'll do a fresh. Not sure how many of the 14 are mature yet, but my husbands count has gone up to 27 million (borderline before treatment) so they might not do ICSI so may not need them all mature anyway?

Anyway, pain is now getting less as codeine is doing it's magic so gonna chill this afternoon and wait for the call tomorrow to tell me how many have fertilised 🤞

@Thund4rcat so pleased that your results are better today, and you can relax into the weekend before the EC next week

@Ginandtonic31 re Buserelin trigger, the surgeon this time has prescribed the Gonasi (HGC) trigger for me to take now with Oestrogen tablets as the Buserelin trigger doesn't have the same hormones in it to prepare the uterus. Didn't have this last time, but they seem to be taking extra precautions, did you have any of this?

@MrsC18 no it didn't affect me as I was doing PGD so it was a freeze all at day 5 for testing so I just stopped all medication and waited for a period. Sorry I can't help more but I imagine he knows what's he's doing

@Thund4rcat brilliant results today. Good luck for EC next week

@MrsC18 Take it easy this afternoon. I have to say my recovery has been absolutely fine since Monday. No sign of OHSS either so I'm very pleased. When will you find out if fresh or freeze this cycle?

@Ginandtonic31 ahh I understand, thanks for clarifying. I've asked the nurse why it's different, but she was a preceptor so newly qualified and didn't know. Never mind, like you say I just need to relax and trust that they know what they're doing!

@Twiglet2353 just come back and confirmed they're going for a fresh transfer so Day 3 will be Monday and day 5 Wednesday.

The embryologist said their usual protocol for previous failures is to start putting back 2 but he's not sure they will due to the previous c - section scar. But we'll be waiting to see how many make it over the next few days anyway

Hi ladies great to see everyone getting on well on their journeys! I've been taking time out after a failed cycle. Had a bit of a fright today 14days after AF with a load of black discharge rang thr clinic but they said it's nothing to worry about.

The doctor qlao rang me the other day and discussed things that we may change in the next round so that was good. There eas no concern over my eggs either which was great but hubbys sperm count had dropped from 11mill to 4 mill on the day which is mad. Anyway thought I'd drop in and dsay hello, have a lovely weekend all x

@MrsC18 14 eggs is great. That is so fantastic your husbands sperm count went up. So was it close to 15m previously? What treatment was he on to increase it? My partner had a count of 8m which is why we were advised to do ICSI. They didn't even consider giving him any treatment or advice on how to increase his count. Are you doing standard IVF now your husband's count has gone up?

@MrsC18 I just re read that you already said they might not need to do ICSI... Let us know what they do as I am interested

@Thund4rcat it was 7million at the Gp test last Jan, 5 million at the initial gynae apt in March last year, then 14 million at the last EC sept last year now 27 million today. Bizarre.
No treatment from the hospital. I've just had him on proceive max sachets last year and he had a month of the Zita West supplements in Oct last year. He's not been on anything since January as I had a temper tantrum for the last 3 transfers failing inspite of how much effort we were making! Just discussing in the car home, and he'll prob go back on the proceive max as the cost isn't prohibitive like the Zita ones and he's commented that he didn't catch as many winter colds this year maybe from the vitamins. Does your husband take anything?

@MrsC18 that is great improvement! Any lifestyle changes? I have been very annoyed that my partner does zero exercise and that is meant to help, but the doctor gave no suggestions to him so he thinks he doesn't need to do anything and that I am just reading nonsense online. That said he has been taking pregnacare preconception vitamins. I can't remember when he started them though. We were not told his count after his first result of 8million from the GP, despite him doing a second test at the IVF clinic and obviously providing a sample for our last ICSI cycle. Must have still been low though since they never told us about any change.

@Thund4rcat glad the scan went better today and good luck for EC next week.
@MrsC18 great number! Funny enough my clinic only does with ICSI regardless of DH's sperm count which is in great numbers
Clinic told me to do beta on Monday and Wednesday next week but will do HPT first thing on Monday morning and take it from there. Haven't heard from PGS testing yet

Forgot to add, I'm now 9dp5dt. I'm sure it's "safe" to test now but I have no desire as never been an early tester

@Thund4rcat no lifestyle changes, there was more stress in our lives last year so maybe that was significant? This year I've nagged him a lot about wearing thinner pyjama bottoms because he normally wears fleecy ones and I'm sure keeping that area so warm doesn't help. Otherwise he's healthy, eats the same as me, doesn't exercise as frequently as I do but has an active job. I'm not sure what makes the difference to be honest and the embryologist couldn't explain it either. I always ask everything, I manage my anxiety by researching and manage my expectations by knowing if it's going to bad news. I hate surprises!

@Russkispy they'll do ICSI as they'd planned unless my eggs aren't as mature as they'd like as they have to be more mature for ICSI than standard IVF apparently. I'm with you re early testing. No desire to see a negative test so never do one!

@Twiglet2353 good luck today for the transfer

@MrsC18 thank you, will update on here afterwards.
Will it be Monday you get the call?x

@Twiglet2353 get your warm socks ready for when you get home! I'll get a call this morning to say how many were mature enough to use and how many fertilised overnight. Do you know if you've got any to freeze yet?

These few days are stressful as the next call will be Monday on day 3 to either call us in for transfer or tell us how many have survived. On that call the embryologist should also tell me how many they plan to transfer either day 3 or day 5. Because I've had multiple day 5 failures, they should transfer 2 embryos if I let them, but they want to discuss whether it will be ok due to a previous c-section scar. Husband and I are also going to think this weekend about that too as I'm worried about that scar and don't want to waste more embryos if I should be having surgery to correct it (they're saying it's fine, but I need to think about getting a second opinion)

Reading along, wishing everyone luck xx

MRI scan today at 18.00! 24 hour NHS.

Rollercoaster's crashed again. Of the 14 only 11 were mature but they were all fragile and only 3 have fertilised normally. Devastated again.

@MrsC18 sorry to hear that! So what's the next move will be then?!

@AliceAbsolum good luck with MRI scan today. Hope it goes well!