October IVF

[Dinky06]

Hi ladies, I’ve been through all of my fertility screening tests etc and am due to start my first and hopefully only round of IVF (positive vibes ) soon. I’m looking to share my hopes, experiences and tips and provide support to anyone else expecting to start a cycle soon. The more the merrier!

Well done @mayihavesomecakeplease! Look after yourself now, that’s got to be a bit sore.

Ahhh great news @mayihavesomecakeplease ☺ Take it easy now!

@mayihavesomecakeplease super result!! Definitely rest up and as everyone has said, stay on top of the pain relief! Today is the first day I feel less achy which is great. I think possibly helped by sleeping for nine hours overnight!!!

@Sunbird24 thanks for checking in re the injection. I did the second daily shot last night and it was much better. I had done some good old google research and picked up a few tips. Just need to follow the same pattern this evening. I have another intramuscular shot tomorrow morning as well... Joy!

@ThePurpleFairy glad to hear you're feeling better. I'm with you on the countdown to Thursday!

I had my day 3 call today and was told that of the 13 fertilised, 12 are looking really good and 1 is slightly lagging so I'm provisionally set for ET on Thursday. I'm kinda shocked by the news. I think I've forgotten what it feels like to be optimistic after this year! I've been told I'll get a call on Thursday telling me at what time to come in that day. Sounds a bit random as I thought I would have to prepare and take some stuff ahead of ET. I guess they just want to be prepared for all eventualities. Am I missing anything?!

Fab news @Dinky06! Good luck for a Thursday transfer!

Wow @Dinky06 that's great to have 12 on track! You defo deserve to be optimistic after your year. I don't think there's too much to prepare for your ET other than make sure you have a full bladder for it. I went an bit OTT with mine and they were laughing and showing me on the scan, my bladder was this huge black space and I honestly thought I might wet myself! 😅 My husband was allowed to come in with me for it and he had to strip down and get into green scrubs which actually really suited him 😊 Have you got progesterone pessaries?

@mayihavesomecakeplease wow that's some number!!rest up!

I'm transferring today.

@Dinky06 good luck with your EC.

I've just been throwing myself into work as I totally use it as a distraction lol. Anyway hope everyone has a good day😁

Ohhh just had another thought...do I need to take anything with me for et?like housecoat slippers?i know I need a comfortably full bladder. Also where do they do the transfer?in one of the wee rooms or back in the theatre but??thanks

@Mrsmch123 (from my experience...) they’ll provide you with a robe, same as for EC, but you keep your top half dressed underneath it so don’t go for a thick jumper. You should get a chat with the embryologist first to confirm all your details, get your signature and explain the process.

They’ll do the ET in one of the rooms with a hatch into the lab, so that the embryologist is in there and the nurse is in the room with you. It’s almost exactly like a smear - speculum, bit of a wipe round your cervix with cotton wool, outer catheter fed in, then inner catheter containing embryo goes in through that. Both catheters will be taken out and handed back to the embryologist to check the embryo isn’t still in there, if it is they’ll try again with a clean catheter, if it’s not then it went in first time and you’re good to go. Nothing painful, but if you’ve got a strong pelvic floor you may be asked to pop a hand down under the privacy sheet to hold the speculum in place!

Good luck, you’ll be grand!

@Tara8 awwww thanks! Lovely to hear that your husband was allowed in. I don't think my partner will be but he's going to wait nearby. We've been told that I might be there for 90 mins! I'm on twice daily progesterone pessaries, twice weekly progesterone in oil shots, three times a day oestrogen replacement tablets and daily blood thinning shots. I understand I have to stick with all of this until (fingers very much crossed) week 12.

@Mrsmch123 good luck today! Thinking of you. Let us know how you get on x

Good luck @Mrsmch123 excited for you! You shouldn't need to take anything with you but sounds like everywhere is different. I had to strip down and wear and gown and plastic slipper things, the same as for my ET, and it was done in the same theatre room too.

@Dinky06 that is quite the concoction! I was going to have a moan about the pessaries but I won't now! 😅

Of the 25 eggs we had 17 mature. We froze 7 of the eggs, and fertilised 10. We've ended up with 7 embryos today :)

Feeling quite emotional about each of them!

That’s fantastic @mayihavesomecakeplease!

All done....now have a 5ab on board. There is 2 that they are looking to freeze but will confirm later total/tomorrow.

Aw brilliant news @Mrsmch123 and @mayihavesomecakeplease.

I've just had my day 14 scan and am now booked in for EC on Friday!

That's great @Lolly2020, I hope it goes well! I was super nervous for the sedation (ugh one more needle) but as others have said it was actually just a really good sleep. The best sleep I've had in ages actually with all the stress of IVF!!

@Lolly2020 good luck for EC.

Clinic have called and I have one in the freezer, not as many as I would have liked but hopefully we don't need it!

What a day of news!

@mayihavesomecakeplease super news! And I totally get what you mean about the sleep ;)

@Lolly2020 best of luck for Friday! Exciting progress!

@Mrsmch123 yay, really pleased for you! Keep us posted

I'm waiting for a day 5 call tomorrow morning and hopefully the news that I can go for in ET in the afternoon. I felt really emotional taking my evening injection earlier. Think 15 days of meds is taking its toll... Fingers very much crossed and hoping for a good night's sleep. Night night all x

I've been told to start taking progesterone pessaries from tonight...it seems early though I thought you normally started progesterone after EC but mine isn't until Friday. Did anyone else have to do this?

Morning all! I slept really badly last night, then after I woke up for my alarm this morning I had the most incredible pain in my lower abdomen. Had to get to the bathroom and sit on the toilet doing proper deep breathing for 5-10 mins! Seems to have all passed over now though, and not had any bleeding. I’m hoping that was implantation rather than anything bad... Anyone else had similar?

@Lolly2020 could it be related to the thickness of your lining? I started the pessaries the day after EC.

Fab news @mrsmch123 and @mayihavesomecakeplease hope you're both doing well today.

@lolly2020 I started taking mine the day after EC as well.

@sunbird24 that doesn't sound like fun at all but atleast it was I over relatively quickly. Lets hope it is implanation! 🤞 I can't comment on implantation pain or bleeding, the one time I managed to get pregnant (ending in miscarriage) I didnt experience any implantation pain or bleeding but so many people do. What day are you on now?

I'm 8 days past egg collection and 5 days past transfer and you know when you just know it hasn't worked...I'm already looking at getting a rescue dog from the RSPCA! 😌

@Tara8 I’m 3dp5dt, so on the same day as you really! I’ve got no feeling either way as to whether it’s worked or not, but hope your intuition is proved wrong - when are you due to test?

To those in the two week wait, I hope you're able to find distractions. It sounds really stressful!

How long did people take to get back to normal post EC? I had to take another day off work today, which I guess isn't that bad since it was only two days ago, but I woke up with awful awful cramps during the night and still feel very tender. I don't work Fridays, so hoping the weekend will be long enough to be back and at it on Monday!

@mayihavesomecakeplease my EC was last Wednesday, I was fine by Monday having spent the entire weekend with a heat pad on my belly. Look after yourself!

@sunbird24 ah yes I thought we were the same day. They want me to test next Wednesday. I haven't bought any tests, I can't bring myself to do it as I just have a feeling my period will begin before then anyway! Are you Wednesday too?

@mayihavesomecakeplease yesterday was the first day I felt "normal" again and that was 7 days after EC. Up until then I almost dreaded going to the toilet or sneezing or coughing as it was still quite painful! Glad you've got the day off today and that will make your weekend nice and long now with no work tomorrow either. Definitely just rest up, you will get there! It can be a bit worrying can't it as you keep thinking there must be something wrong, but everyone is different. The nurses really didn't explain "the after" bit very much to me so I've relied very much on this group and google for advice! Take care x

Hi ladies,

Had a real surprise at ET. They suggested putting two embryos in because of my age although previously had only ever referred to transferring one. So I'm now happily carrying a 5AA and a 5AB+ My partner wasn't allowed in so we had to call him to get his verbal consent which was quite funny! There are possibly a few left for freezing but they'll confirm later today / tomorrow. Am now counting down to the 29th...

@mayihavesomecakeplease they said on the ultrasound that my ovaries were still big and to keep watching out for OHSS. Today is my first day without pain relief but I still feel heavier down below than pre IVF.

Now to crash on the sofa and relax :) Sending lots of love and positive vibes to everyone xxx