IVF/ICSI May/June

[Cauliflower82]

Hi everyone

I’m creating a new thread with the hope of finding people with similar dates to me. I am due to start medication on May 13th with the hope egg collection will be June 19th. I’m 34, female factor fertility.

Anyone else out there with similar dates?

@LittleOne3 congrats on pulling the trigger -hope you manage to have a calm as possible day before tomo. I had to do a freeze all-how do you feel about it? I did feel frustrated but also felt pretty ill after EC and now feel much healthier and I was also surprised it will only be two months between egg collection and transfer so moved quicker than I expected!

@Ginandtonic31 I just had another thought re your worries and was thinking I also think sometimes I tell myself I want to give it all up as a form of self preservation as it’s all so bloody endless and hard and I miss not having to worry about this.

@jemimafuddleduck sorry to hear the injection is grim -hoping you get used to it after a few days. I will also be on those blood thinning injections and two other progesterones a day too after transfer -not excited about that!

Day tree after stopping norethisterone -last time my period came on this day -so really hoping it does. I’m also on buserelin tho so I’m not sure if that means it will take any longer to arrive. Any FET ladies have any experience?? Enjoy the sun everyone.

@mouse1234567 ah someone else on blood thinners - I've never heard of it before?! I'm also on a low dose of steroid with it too.

Re the bleed - I think I bled on around day 4 after coming off the noresthisterone.

Thanks @RRoonilWazlib - hope your head feels a bit better. Be kind to yourself.

@Mrbay - absolutely, look at the positives in the situation. You now know how to do the injections etc!

@Ginandtonic31 any tips appreciated! Going to try ice on it tonight.

@LittleOne3 wishing you all the very best for your EC tomorrow. How exciting! I can imagine your disappointment if it is a freeze all, but if you get OHSS you will feel awful and won't have as good a chance of it working, so it's for the best all round.

@TwistofFate how are you feeling so far?

As for me, I'm now 2dlp5dt. Got an email yesterday to say our remaining embryo was no good to freeze, so we have one frozen at 5BB but that's it. I'm happy with that as it's much better than it was looking last week!

We are in sunny benidorm until we fly home Saturday so am just trying to take it easy. I know I'm going to sound like an absolute snob but OMG this place!!!! I've never been anywhere like it! Definitely not somewhere I would choose to come if it weren't for the IVF. Has anyone else been?!

@LittleOne3 I'm on 300 menopur. I hope your eggs are ready soon! I've got a scan today at 8.30 to see how I'm getting on.

I'm not sure if this has been asked before but does anyone know if it's ok to use a hot water bottle while on stimms? I have been because I'm in so much pain but now I've read conflicting stuff about whether heat helps follicles or damages them so I'm worried! Will ask today.

@LittleOne3 sorry I've just read you're having egg collection tomorrow- that's exciting! Let us know how it goes.

@Mrbay that's good you're feeling like it was a test run, best way to see it! And the clinic will see stuff like that all the time I'm sure- no need to feel embarrassed! It's lovely that you have your riding to focus on and you're enjoying it again

@jemimafuddleduck it's dreadful isn't it?! I've only driven through it (very quickly!)

Could you move down the road to Alicante? It's beautiful there!!

@KittyKatSmile I agree, Alicante is lovely and is actually where our clinic is. But we just felt for ease this cycle we wanted to do all inclusive so we didn't have to worry about food or anything and there was nowhere in Alicante that did AI. Benidorm on the other hand....!
It's fine, we're just staying out of it and having a bit of a laugh about it all.
If this doesn't work it'll be a FET next time, which just means one or two nights so we will be in Alicante then.

@Mrbay Nice to hear from you again! I thought of you yesterday. My nurse was showing me how to do the trigger injection (it's a pen thing) and she said someone had once managed to stab themselves but not inject. And the whole cycle was ruined. I thought at least you didn't have your cycle stopped after a month of injections and side effects. Every cloud...

@weenumpty How was your scan? Any big follicles yet?

@jemimafuddleduck We did an all inclusive cheap thing in Tunisia before it became so politically bad. The worst thing about it was all the enforced activities. Don't know if they have them in Benidorm but aaargh I hated it. Someone with a megaphone pulling you off your sun lounger to do the hokey pokey and win a watered down pitcher of sex on the beach.

@mouse1234567 I think I'm coming round to the idea of an FET. It's weird, having tried for so long now I'm all apprehensive about actually maybe getting pregnant. Sort of wish I'd had a last big drinking session/gone to vegas/had an evening smoking cigars (NB not sure how enjoyable this is but anything I can't do has become more desirable to me since IVF...) So if I get an extra 2 months I might use the time for that!

@LittleOne3 that holiday sounds like my idea of hell! Hope you're having an easy day.

@Jemimafuddleduck Fine, apart from an outbreak of spots on my chin, which I presume is a side effect of the progesterone. Tbh I've spent 2 years symptom spotting and it's been PMS every single time so I'm trying not to get my hopes up. One fresh and one frozen is a good outcome, and better than you were expecting. Hope you're enjoying the weather, even if the local "entertainment" is not your taste.

@LittleOne3; that is such a good plan! I really don't want a freeze all as I'm desperate to just get on with it (and this bloody clock is ticking so loudly!) but that's a great way of looking at things. It's my best friend's birthday today and she's just messaged asking if she should save me some champagne before dinner. It would probably be fine at this stage but I'm not going to because the guilt would probably consume me.

Scan was ok, pretty sore for me but that's standard with the evil endometriosis! Only got 5 follicles so far and not very big, scam again on Friday and they'll decide whether to up my dosages

@Jemimafuddleduck are you on clexane/fragmin? I was injecting that for my previous cycle,and will be again this time, and yes it makes you bruise so bad by the end of my 2 week stint (sadly was a bfn that time) my stomach was black and blue. Let me know if you find a way to stop it happening. But totally worth it if you get a bfp!

@Littleone3 that’s fabulous news! I can’t wait to hear how you get on. Best of luck. I’ll be thinking of you.

@Mrbay good to see you back on the boards :). I’m glad you’re feeling more positive and optimistic.

@jemimafuddleduck your post about bedindorm made me laugh 😂. I’m just catching up with everything that has been going on. How things have changed! You have one in and one in the freezer - what a great result.

@Littleone3 now I must admit I’m kind of worried that’s the kind of thing I would do. Is the trigger shot complicated at all? We went to Vegas last year for a bit of a mental holiday and I want to go back!! So much fun.

I feel like I’ve missed so much so I apologise if I’ve forgotten to respond to anyone. I’m feeling tonnes better today - I’ve started having a lot more fibre and my stomach doesn’t feel as bloated. Not great but not bad either.

What’s it like injecting the menopor? I’ve probably spelt that wrong.

Hello everyone, so I am getting myself a bit worked up about egg collection. Mainly the actual procedure, I don't mind some post procedure pain. Can anyone recall there's from a previous cycle? Or has anyone gone through it this cycle? Was it terrible? Or mild pain? Or middling pain?

Please help me calm down...

Eurgh. I'm very anxious. But still should not have used the wrong 'there's'. Theirs. Not Theres.

I’m probably a bit premature in joining here. I have a DD already conceived on a medicated but not IVF cycle 9 years ago. I’m now 40 and we decided to cut the bullshit and go IVF. We’ve had our initial consultation and are going for an information meeting next week following which we will be doing IVF.

It’s a long time since I was concerned with cycle stuff and I have forgotten more than I remember. We have to decide on whether to transfer 1 or 2 embryos but that will be a decision for down the line. I definitely don’t want twins and was wondering if anyone else has made such a decision and any advice you would give?

@Littleone3 I’m sorry I can’t help as I’ve never been through it but I just didn’t want to read and not respond. My clinic does say it hurts but that they give you as much pain medication as you need and that it typically takes 15 to 20 minutes for both sides. They did tell me the HSG is worse - have you had one? I didn’t find mine too bad and I’m not great with pain at all. We’ll all be thinking of you tomorrow and sending you our best wishes and prayers. It’ll be the most daunting part but you can do it - if we can get to egg collection and go through all the shit beforehand, we’ve definitely got this. I just know you’re going to be absolutely fine.

@LittleOne3 are you being sedated for egg collection? I was and it was fine, though had a sore tummy the next day but just took paracetamol and had a hot water bottle. The worst part was getting the canula put in my hand (ouch!) and not getting breakfast until afterwards. I thought the hycosy was more painful, but I was awake for that, though the doctor had to try 3 different catheters.

I tend to view all the IVF steps like a trip to the dentist, a bit unpleasant but necessary and usually over quickly. You've gotten this far, you can do this.

Yes I'm being sedated. But a few people I've spoken to have said about being awake for all of it and some seem to have been in a bit of pain. My Hycosy was terrible because one of my tubes spasmed but if its no worse than that then I can cope. I will calm down. Probably just need to stop thinking about it. Will try and read a book!

@LittleOne3 I was also sedated for EC and essentially that means I slept for the whole procedure and didn’t know anything about it -I just woke up with a nice fuzzy feeling.i was worried but honestly it was absolutely fine! Good luck! It will all be over very soon. Also know what you mean re having a good time post EC if you do do frozen-mine times perfectly for Easter so I got straight on the phone to mum to order a larrrrge Easter egg and champagne when I went home!

@jemimafuddleduck I think my clinic puts everyone on blood thinners -I’m not looking forward to them but if it helps!

@Dlpdep welcome-sorry I have no advice re whether to transfer 1 or 2 but it seems ladies over forty do sometimes transfer two. Hopefully your consultant helps you decide.

@cauliflower82 I found menupur fine to inject-little stingy but not terrible. Good luck!

@Weenumpty I hope the follicles look good at your scan on Friday. Im a fellow endo sufferer so feelyour pain -especially now as I came on today!

Happy to report my period started today -called the clinic and have my baseline scan on Friday morning and then hopefully will be good to go with the estrogen!

@littleone3 I was sedated but asleep maybe you could ask the clinic think some do it differently! I was in a lot of pain on waking up but they give you pain relief so was up and about pretty quick you’ll be sore so a sofa day is best or bed I was back at wor the next day just took some paracetamol when needed!

@LittleOne3. You have made me smile with that last message. Very good self correction lovely lady.

I haven't done in this cycle but I've done it before. It was absolutely fine. I think it's usually conscious sedation so although you can speak to them (I think), you'll feel like you were asleep. It was a lovely sleep. I woke up feeling slightly drunk, in a lovely way.

Hycosy far far worse. You've got this.

@Dlpdep welcome. Stats seem to differ. I went to ARGC who told me my 'risk' of twins with two embryos was 25% (too high for me). The clinic I've gone with (Zita West) has told me 10% (manageable). That said, apparently there is not a higher chance of getting one if you put two in. So I have been of no help at all but something to mull over.

@KittyKatSmile - no, that is helpful. There isn’t a clear answer so I’m looking for statistics and anecdotal advice just like you have given me so thank you for that.

I think a lot will depend on the quality of the embryos. I like to be informed about these things because it helps me to have a sense of control. At our consultation I was jabbering away to the dr about my retroverted uterus, luteal phase defect, needing Eltroxin for low TSH levels, my AMH levels etc, my DH just sat there and asked me afterwards what the hell I was talking about and how the hell I could speak that language.

Thanks for the welcome @mouse1234567

@LittleOne3 I recently had a HSG and while it was uncomfortable it was fine, not much worse than a smear. Best of luck with it.

@LittleOne3 good luck today. Thinking of you and sending good vibes your way.

Good luck with EC today @LittleOne3.

@Mouse and @Jemima - I've been on blood thinners for a week now - 'baby' aspirin. Apparently they improve blood flow which helps with the transfer.

Finally stopped feeling queasy on the metformin. Just in time for FET tomorrow. Then I start the progesterone injections. And carry on with the pessaries (6 a day!!)