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

Morning all, been for scan, folicols on right side are 6-8mm right and left with one at 13, so had to have bloods. Need to wait for a call later now to see if they up meds or not. She had hoped they were slightly bigger today means my AFC was for my age 42, but AMH was for 37 year old. Well I suppose I just wait for a call to see if they want to up meds later.
Hope everyone is doing ok today

Theres lots of good news going on it seems! Well done ladies!! I’m LOLing at the thought of taking 2 weeks off though! I work part time and today I’ve walked dogs with toddler then dropped toddlerbeast off, hoovered & mopped house now I’m waiting for my body combat class to start having already been sweating
I treat myself to lunch before food shop dry hair walk dogs again then get toddler!!
You want this right??

Thanks @Minster2012 @BambiOnIce80 it is only day 4 of stims today (day 5 of cycle) they have taken bloods and will let me know if I need to up my meds today. I have another scan on Wednesday so fingers crossed things have moved forward by then. 🤞🏻 In a way I wish I didn't know. 😬
I think we will probably all worry whatever the outcome!

@Lily999. I had a little laugh out loud at regular intercourse. Since taking meds it's the last thing in my mind and with the DR moods I think I may have killed him.
I no its TMI but i make hubby do it himself ha ha, every few days ready for sample.

@Lily999 I am on day 14 of DR injections. Start stims on Wednesday hopefully!
We haven't been told ANYTHING about intercourse 😕 I've not even thought about that! We've just been doing as normal (which isn't a lot, maybe once a week if that these days) 🙈 lol Not sure why it wasn't mentioned to us 🤔 So how often and when are we supposed to be doing it for optimum performance on EC day?? Any more info on this be really appreciated 😂👌

@41trying should OH be 'producing' every few days at this stage? I am on DR atm and not been given any info by the clinic regarding this at all 😕 xx

@BaileyBadger4, clinic told us that no more than 5 days. Then when you know your EC date, no more than 5, no less than 2

Hi @41trying and @BaileyBadger4 yes, it is kind of a grey area as ideally you'd need DH to "keep it refilled" haha every 3-4days, but at the same time once you are in your EC cycle I would think they don't want you to have unprotected sex and mess things up.. But it could be just me. I was laughing at your comment @41trying as I also told hubby to avoid long showers due to the heat issue haha poor guy will be so confused if I tell him now I want you to take suspiciously long showers LOL! :D

@Lily999 and @BaileyBadger4. Once they have done EC and got their sample suppose they can do what they like. I defo know I wouldn't feel like doing anything.
The reason they say no unprotected is that we have more folicols etc I suppose.

Thanks guys. So at the moment OH should be producing every 3 days or so up until EC, and then no intercourse between EC and ET - have I got that right? I wish we'd been told about this sooner as could have been putting this into practice ☹️ I have DR scan tomorrow morning so will be asking for lots more info on this

Obviously not going to feel like doing ANYTHING between EC and ET anyway ❌😂

I’ve been given no advice at all about intercourse! I will ask at my scan later

Feeling rubbish today (day 7 stimms) - really bloated and keep getting twinges in my stomach. Fingers crossed that’s egg growing pain 😂

I would say they only need to keep it going until EC as after that they are not really going to interfere with anything. Pretty much EC day is the only day they need to participate.
My Hubby read the His and Her guide to IVF this weekend and he is freaking out a bit about providing the sample as what he read happened to the guy who wrote the book. I absolutely love this book and think it's a great idea, but had my concerns this was gonna happen. Didn't want to put it in his head something can go wrong... Anyone else read that book? Did you let DH read it too?

@lily999, what did the book day about sample?
Hubby has been through it before and he was nervous about doing it on a time scale, but all good in the end.

I'm keeping the info given to DP to the absolute minimum of what he needs to know and when @Lily999 , just because I don't want the pressure to get to him and affect his, ahem, performance! 😳 He said he was worried he'd be overwhelmed by the science, so it was his decision to make me to be in charge of information governance! 🤓

The main thing I made him sit through was the 'making babies' documentary on iplayer because it was A) following couples with primary unexplained infertility and B) it was the Scottish system, so very relevant to us. The shots of the difference between the day 3 & day 5 blatocysts was invaluable in explaining to him that putting 2 day 3 blasts wasn't necessarily better than putting 1 day 5 back... I had them freeze framed and was pointing out the differences and why they were important with the kittens laser pointer! 😹 He gets it now! 😄

Well @41trying they guy wrote down his own experience and their IVF cycle failed because he was put under so much pressure to perform, but he couldn't. He spent hours and hours there trying to produce the sample, but there was no sufficient level of privacy and he couldn't. So at the end of the day he was sent home and gave them a sample the next day, but as the fertilisation took place a lot later than it was supposed to the embies didn't develop properly subsequently resulting in a failed cycle :(

@Lily999, ih I get it now. I agree there is pressure within an unfamiliar place. Last time hubby did say it was awful.
@BambiOnIce80, I will have to look at "making babies, as I still dont get day 3 or 5 day and whats best or not, no idea and how they choose.

For those doing EC I think you should def check the OH & producing thing Cos I’m sure we were told he shouldn’t produce for 3 days before EC for his sample to be tip top. Up until that point it was whatever we wanted but protected sex

@41trying I can try to explain what our clinic explained to us about day 3 vs 5 which to me makes sense when I get home & get a cuppa

Yes, before EC he has to wait a few days, our info pack says between 2 and 5days for best quality.
I watched making babies and was thinking about making him watch it too, but as it was so sad at the end I decided the book is enough trauma for him for now :) Having the program showing the Scottish process (specifically being filmed at Ninewells) was a huge pro, I think it's just bad timing...
Without the freaking husbands part btw I think His and Her guide to IVF is the best book I have ever read about the topic. Easy and even funny, I love the tone and how you can see the same steps from the woman and from the man's perspective :)

@Minster2012 that would be great if you can

I can't help with the intercourse bit as OH had an op to retrieve his a few months ago! They just told us we were fine to have sex unprotected whilst DR but we HAVE to use barrier methods of contraception whilst on stims - unsure if that helps anyone...

My clinic have just called and they want me to REDUCE my dose?! Why on earth would they want me to reduce my dose when we want the smaller follicles to catch up? I'm sure even my largest one was only like 13, maybe 15m? I missed the call so will call them back to ask but just wondering if anyone had heard of this as I am so confused...

In a nutshell @41trying the blastocyst matures more by day 5 and the embryologist can see if they're still of good quality or not. There's quite a lot of major changes between day 3 & day 5. At day 3 the blastocysts can look good quality, but by day 5 they could have failed and we'd be none the wiser if we've put them back in, iyswim?

@Meganlouise1988 is it because they've had your oestrogen blood test result back and that dictates that they need to lower your dose a bit? Sounds like you're definitely on course for EC Friday if they're trying to slow your follicles down 🤞🏻🙂

@Meganlouise1988

I just had a scan and one of mine is 19 and the others are much lower. She basically said they are going to abandon my biggest one in order to give time for the others to grow big enough. So I guess maybe they are trying to avoid the same happening to you?

She said mine hadn’t reacted quite as they hoped, so feeling a bit disappointed. I guess it’s quality as well as quantity..

Right so, bear with me this will likely be a long one...
Bear in mind my clinic has a one embryo transfer policy for ladies under 40 unless there’s a medical reason for 2 (we could have transferred 2 but chose 1, ours was day 3 frozen & worked)