Dec/ Jan IVF support

[Chooklass]

Hi all,

I can't see a thread for Dec/ Jan yet - maybe because a lot of clinics shut over the holidays - but mine doesn't! Anyone else out there starting in December and want to support each other? This will be my first round so I'm pretty nervous! X

Yes, I did thanks @41trying! When I was at the clinic last time I asked is there anything we should or shouldn't do? And the nurse said only to have a healthy lifestyle, but didn't go in details. I guess it means no alcohol, taking folic acid and eat healthy, but wasn't sure about coffee.

@Lily999 that is exactly what we have to do. Not sure what the injections will be...they may have said but there is so much information to take in!! We could be going in as soon as Monday if my period arrives tomorrow. Just gotta wait and see!

Well I’ve defo not eaten healthily 🐷 Oops. I have stopped drinking, don’t smoke and don’t drink tea or coffee. I must eat some more fruit and veg... it’s hard over Christmas when it’s all cheese and choc 😬

Hi guys I hope you all had a fab Christmas. I've overindulged far too much but hey ho it is Christmas after all lol

So am on day 4 of buserilin injections today. Was very pleased to find that I actually find the injections painLESS 😁 happy about that.

I've been feeling quite down however over the last week or so - maybe just the time of year I guess 🤷‍♀️ I can't even blame the buserilin as have been feeling low since a few days before I started it 🤔 lol

Roll on the new year! This will be OUR YEAR ladies ❤️

@BambiOnIce80 I started buserilin injections on Xmas Eve. The nurse told me to expect AF on Christmas Day or Boxing Day but all I've had is period pains and very slight spotting for the last 4 days, no actual bleed, which is starting to frustrate me a little bit. I plan on ringing the clinic on Monday if still no show to see what they think. Xx

I dont think anyone eats healthy over xmas.
They did give me a leaflet on esting and it did say about caffeine, I suppose everything in moderation.

Where is everyone from and what clinic's are being used?

@41trying I am at the Queen Elizabeth in Gateshead and live fairly close-ish by

We are having treatment at the Ocean Suite situated within Derriford Hospital, Plymouth. I live approx 30 min drive from the clinic.

I'm I'm west midlands and going to Care Fertility

We're at the Simpsons Centre in Edinburgh, which is pretty close by (handy for scans 👌) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Thanks for the AF ETA info @BaileyBadger4 😊 I started getting the slightest hint of spotting on day 17 of the pill and a little bit of the same now, so hoping AF might arrive at the weekend 🤞🏻 I'm kind of worrying it's going to be crazy heavy with our bodies going into temporary menopause and would really like to avoid a Carrie-esque wardrobe malfunction at work! 😳

@Lily999 my clinic told us to avoid caffeine, but I think it's more important for the guys (sperm quality and what not). DP was pretty mortified by this (he main lines coffee ☕), but the nurses said he could have one esspesso a day without having to worry 👍 I've swapped to decaf green tea and coke to do my bit too 😉

I'm at victoria wing in woking. About half an hour from home and work. They have just moved over christmas so right next to town centre which means traffic is going to be horrible!

I’m at hull in East Yorkshire so a northern lady!

And I’m definitely not following the same strict lifestyles you ladies do I’m afraid

I am up in Polmont, Scotland and going to Ninewells that is more than 2,5hours from us as a round trip for each scan, not thrilled about it, but I guess can't really be picky when it comes to NHS...
Signed up for yoga starting on the 8th of January, do you think it's a good idea? Was hoping it could help with the stress, but then read it can twist the ovaries??? What the..? Crazytown.

@Minster2012 actually quite reassuring to hear you say that 😂 my diet is not the best tbh and I've been so bloody stressed out lately I've even had a couple of fags! (Feel awful saying that) 😬

I have cut alcohol and coffee out of my diet completely, but I was never a big drinker of either tbh.

The smoking is my main guilt at the mo. My partner and I had given up smoking but sometimes this whole process gets really overwhelming and we tend to use cigarettes as a crutch 😓

I know this is really not acceptable and I'm in no denial that I should have properly curbed this a long time ago. I've had a couple of cigarettes over Christmas and I'm also down regging injecting buserilin (smh)

I can go days without a single puff then il have a particularly upsetting or emotional day and il have a cigarette to calm down and then feel awful about it - it's like a vicious circle.

I hope nobody judges me too harshly as I already feel awful enough about this 😢 xx

@Lily999 I asked my fertility nurse about yoga and she said to avoid twisting or straining core during stims - actually said I'd probably be too tender to want to do anything like that! There's a risk of twisting ovary.

@BambiOnIce80 I'm at Simpson's too!

@BaileyBadger4 don’t feel bad, I haven’t been great either - with the odd drink here and feed And I’m sure being stressed won’t help so you have to weigh that against the hen an odd fag would do (I live in London, so air pollution probably just as bad!)
@BaileyBadger4 I didn’t get any dietary advice, other than to take folic acid. I still have a coffee each day and the odd drink over Christmas

I had my baseline scan on Friday and they found a cyst in one of my ovaries. She thinks it’s probably a blood cyst caused by ovulation, but they want to scan me again Mon or Tues and if it hasn’t gone down they will delay me a month. I’m so frustrated that I got this close and it might be delayed 😩 we have a family wedding today and I know I’m going to spend all day worrying about it.

Just re-read my message - so many errors. Blame my big thumbs!

@BaileyBadger4 don’t feel bad. Just try to be good but it’s stressful.
I eat a generally healthy diet but I drink both coffee & alcohol and I haven’t stopped drinking either during either my previous egg collection/embryo making or now for transfer preparation (where previously for embryos they kept telling me my fertility was screwed & it was likely not to get any viable eggs so not to get hopes up & they got 4)

My clinic support us doing this & I go by knowledge that my journey is slightly different & most ppl IRL keep acting normal until “pregnant” so in essence I will stop at transfer until we know

@BaileyBadger4 try not to be too harsh on yourself. I gave up smoking a couple of years ago because of TTC and now taking the buserelin I have had some big cravings! No one is going to say keep doing it but everyone has a crutch. I have drunk far too much wine over christmas and feel guilty!
Do you know what the trigger is on the day you have a cigarette?

Thankyou all so much for your non-judgemental comments ❤️ ILY 😘

@UnicornPuff I've noticed that the trigger is when I feel sad or upset. I really get myself worked up to a point where (I feel) nothing will take the edge off other than the puff of a cig 😩

I tend to find Christmas a difficult time of year in general (as I'm sure we all do) and over the last week I have been so stressed out with certain family members of mine, also having to spend time with my partners relatives who don't really understand this process we're going through, missing loved ones no longer with us, the whole concept of the imminent ICSI treatment that's coming up in Jan.. I've just suddenly felt a bit overwhelmed this week and have turned to the fags on a couple of occasions ☹️

Today is a new day however. I'm trying my best and my DP keeps reminding me that's all I can do (bless him) ❤️

Hope you all have a lovely weekend 😊😊

@BambiOnIce80 @BaileyBadger4 just started day one of buserelin injections- it's stinging and took me a while to get the angle right but managed it in the end- just glad to be starting finally! They told me to expect AF after 7-10 days, hope it's not too heavy🤞

Welcome to the buserelin club @rainbow178 👋💉😄 Have you been on the pill for a couple of weeks or more first? I think AF is supposed to come more quickly if you have - my nurse said I should get AF after stopping the pill and before our first scan (so, 7 days)... I'm just a frustrated control freak who's struggling with such a big window of possibility! 😬 On the needle angle front, my nurse said to keep it as vertical as possible and it shouldn't hurt. Managed to do that this morning and literally couldn't feel it at all - cue me freaking out a bit that I'd messed it up and doubting my sanity that I'd actually drawn up the buserelin in the first place! 🤦‍♀️It didn't even bleed a teeny bit like yesterday, so literally have no evidence I'd jabbed myself at all! 🤷‍♀️ My nurse said that the stims drug sting because their pH is different, so thinking I should stop stressing and enjoy the buserelin whilst it lasts! 😄

Hugs to you @BaileyBadger4 🤗 Please don't beat yourself up over a couple of cigs - you're not pregnant yet and it's bloody tough giving up smoking! It took me about 10 years and going to see an autopsy to make me stop, but I got there in the end 🚭 You'll get there too 🙂 Gin/wine are my Achilles heels 🍸🍾🥂👠🤦‍♀️ I'm managing so far to go without (3 weeks on Monday! 😳), but I think I'm doing it more to prove to myself that I can, iyswim? I think I might join @Minster2012 in having a couple of drinks the week between EC and ET though - your approach sounds totally rational to me 👍 Like you say, everyone else manages to get pregnant whilst putting all manner of things in their bodies, but we're made to feel guilty because we're under a microscope 🙄

Sorry to hear about the frustrating scan @LottSE20 💐 Keeping everything crossed that the cyst will be gone by the time of your next scan 🤞🏻

Oooh, I'm going to be looking around the waiting room now thinking "I wonder if they're...?" @Chooklass! 😂 What do you think of the place so far? I've was pretty impressed with the doc who saw us last time 🙂 Technically speaking, IVF clinics are supposed to offer something called a haemoglobinopathy screen to couples where one or both of them aren't ethnically northern European, but they very rarely do. This doc offered it to us as soon as she started chatting to my DP (he's Italian), so she gets a big gold star in my book! 🌟

I was told to just avoid exercise completely @Lily999... and I didn't take much convincing! 😂 It's medical advice, right?! 😄

... That was supposed to be as vertical as possible in relation to the injection site @rainbow178 - read that back and it makes no sense🤦‍♀️ Difficult to describe without a diagram! Basically keep it as straight as possible and try not go in at an angle 👍

@BambiOnIce80 I think that's where I went wrong- vertical is the way forward! It's been about 18 months since we last went through this so was a bit rusty- but I do remember the aroma drugs do sting, so yes, enjoy buserelin for now! Hopefully now I've got the one done I'll be fine tomorrow!

No not been on the pill, today is day 23 of my natural cycle- why did you have to go on the pill? Not heard of that before. Fingers crossed all goes smoothly for us all🤞

I hadn't heard of it either @rainbow178 😄 If I understand it correctly, it's instead of being on buserelin for an extra 2-3 weeks if you're on long protocol in order to keep the injection stress down. I'm sure the injection technique will come flooding back to you soon 🍀