IVF Dec 2020-Jan 2021-anyone joining me?

[Kiza]

Hi,
After 2 years TTC #1 we are now eventually on the IVF bus! Should have started in June but Covid put a stop to that and after lots of back/forth with our NHS clinic we've got our treatment planning appointment on Friday and will be on the long protocol so probably starting mid- end of December!
Would love to have some ladies join me!
I've been creeping on other IVF threads but haven't been able to fully take part.

hello all, I've just come across your thread. been reading your comments with a lot of interest. so good to hear others experiences, its all really helpful-I hope you don't mind me coming in.
i'm very anxious to get started but not at your stage yet. We're still waiting to be put on the waiting list for our 1st nurse appt.and treatment plan. In central london-so could be a while. Considering going private because of all the waiting, i'm 37 and he is 49. We had our tests and results back in july and were recommended ICSI. So it's been particularly good to read about your experiences of partners improving sperm count/quality etc. my husband is seeing a urologist who is looking into a possible cyst on his pituitary gland and is taking lots of supplements. but there seems to be so little info on male factor!

Wishing you all lots of luck!

@Lindyloolou thank you , it does only take one you’re right 🤞. I’m down to 3 now with egg collection on Wednesday , feeling anxious now!

@abbi83 welcome! Hope your appointment goes well and you get started soon, I found the nurse session mostly about consent / form signing. We have Severe MFI, it’s crazy that there’s so little investigation into it or trials of treatment it just seems to be accepted and you’re left to get on with it :-(

Good luck @MrsMeow2019 I know it always feels more reassuring to have higher numbers but I've known so many people have success with smaller numbers. Me, in fact - we only had 2 and one became our daughter.

@abbi83 welcome. We're due to see a urologist on 20th also for severe MFI. Any tips? He's already had a Sperm DNA frag test but wondering if we should get him an updated regular sperm test? Keen to do as much as possible in advance

Hope everyone else is doing ok! Xxx

@MrsMeow2019 thank you. it's so crazy, feels like wading through treacle to find anything, this has been the most helpful place! Good luck for wednesday

@Janefx40 thank you. it was all a bit random after he mentioned an ongoing, undiagnosed eye condition to a consultant & he has slightly low testosterone-which can all be linked with the pituitary & affect sperm production. It's not through the clinic though as they don't seem to investigate anything. He's been referred back to our GP for blood tests and an endocrinologist. He's producing very low amounts of everything and less than 1ml volume. Went to the urologist in Nov. & they just went on his July SA.. I'm not sure I have the best advice though as I'm still pretty unclear myself what's going on! He's not had DNA frag test yet & I'm wondering if it would be worth getting a scan for any blockages ...I feel the same, we want to be in best possible position but I find it tricky knowing how to get there! I hope it goes well on the 20th and they can give you some good info. & help

We got a call from the clinic today, our PGS testing results are in and out of the 13 embryos we got two that tested normal for both genetics and chromosones.

7 of them tested positive for the genetic mutation
2 were chromosonally abnormal and there was one mosaic.

Will know in a few days time what the plan is for FET

Feel a bit sad that we only got two out of 13, but reminding myself how lucky we are to be in this situation.

Hi @onlyhereforthefood congrats on your two great embryos. It's totally natural to feel disappointed about the others - you're entitled to feel that. But your body has done an amazing job - it has produced the amount of embryos you needed to find 2 great ones. When are you likely to start FET? Xxx

@Janefx40 I don't know when we're likely to start, the nurse team are calling this week to get things set up so hopefully soon! Thanks for your kind words x

@onlyhereforthefood Congratulations, i'm sure you will have a great chance with these two, at least you know you have put yourself in the best possible position for success.

I've been following a lot of PGS threads/forums, as i'm testing too soon and what i've found is that the vast majority of women only find 1-2 normal out of their batch. It's really tough to eliminate so many embryos, but i think you just have to have faith that you have done it for the right reasons. All the best with your FET.

@IslandStars thank you so much :)

@onlyhereforthefood I also want to say congrats, I've got no experience in IVF at all but having 2 healthy ones compared to 10 uncertain ones would make me feel more reassured.

@MrsMeow2019 when's your next scan to see how they're growing?

@starkid how are you getting on with stims?

I'm currently day 5 of stims and apart from the occasional (but stinkingly bad) headache not experiencing any side effects yet. Is this normal? I was expecting this rush of side effects from both Buserelin and Menopur and now I'm wondering if it's even working??

@Kiza thank you, I definitely feel reassured, and happier today!

Clinic phoned earlier, depending on when my period starts we should start prepping for FET around the end of Jan. I am ridiculously excited, but very nervous!

@Kiza - I'm on day 3 of stims and had a stonking headache yesterday and felt sick when I was in bed for about half an hour. On the plus side, my hot flushes seem to have stopped :) I also was expecting lots of dramatic side effects this whole time on the various injections but no, just occasional headaches, hot flushes and possibly acne.

@Kiza I've never had side effects from stims (although I did once get a bit "high" and giggly!). I think it's one of the common misconceptions that it causes mood swings or similar. Of course people CAN get side effects and it can also be an emotional rollercoaster for other reasons too but lots of us don't get side effects from the hormones especially stims.

If you think about it though, in a normal month you get down before a period then generally feel alright again a day or two after it has started. I'd always thought it was because I'd accepted not being pregnant and was ready to start the next cycle. Since doing IVF I actually think that the hormones that stimulate follicle growth are uppers if anything rather than downers so it brings your mood up Just a theory anyway x

@onlyhereforthefood congratulations , 2 to transfer is great news !

@Janefx40 thanks for the positive story it’s nice to know it works for some 😊

@Kiza I’ve got egg collection tomorrow at 7 am (cries!) , I’m really not feeling hopeful about any of it now. Looking into donor eggs as I think will be our next step but maybe a bit of time out to save and drink wine 😆. I hope your injections are going well, I had a couple of headaches with menopur but that was all. Felt very tearful since the trigger shot 😆 but I don’t know if that’s the stress or the HCG

@MrsMeow2019 oh sorry must've missed that! Good luck for tomorrow, we've discussed sonar eggs as I have a sneaky feeling I don't have many follicles... shall find out on Fridays scan.

Thanks for the replies ladies, it seems stinking bad beaches are the most common! I've had 3 so far and man alive they were nasty! Paracetamol wouldn't even touch them!
@starkid when's your next scan?

@Kiza good luck with your scan :-), come on follicles !! X

@MrsMeow2019 good luck tomorrow! I shall be keeping everything crossed!

@Kiza I was convinced I had no follicles and ended up with 28 eggs!

@MrsMeow2019 good luck for tomorrow!

@Kiza My next scan is Friday too fingers crossed for us both we see something positive happening. The hospital rang to schedule me in for a covid test next wednesday too before egg collection next Friday

@Kiza @starkid thank you, am keeping everything crossed! I hadn’t expected many eggs as an a low AMH-er (5.1) at 35 😔. But we’ll see ! I hope both your scans go well and the follies are growing nicely ! X

@MrsMeow2019 good luck for tomorrow!! Enjoy the sedation - call me strange but I absolutely love the drugs they give you for EC (and other procedures!) xxx

@MrsMeow2019 how did EC go?

@Kiza it was as good as it can be I guess. I was a bit anxious about the drugs , had a nice sleep 😴 . We got 3 eggs 🥚 🥚 🥚. Just had a call from the embryologist this morning to say 1 was immature but they ICSI’d the other 2 and 1 seems to have fertilised ans is currently 1 cell but is behaving as expected. We paid for the embryoscope so it’s being looked after by an expensive babysitter until tomorrow when we go for a day 2 transfer 🤞

It’s only our first cycle so I’m not expecting much but I’m thrilled we’ve got as far as we have at
The moment. Worried all night about them fertilising and now I’ll worry all day until we know if little Eggbert has made it through the night 😆.

Hope you’re all doing well. How are you feeling about your scan on Friday @kiza and @starkid

@MrsMeow2019 - great news and keeping fingers crossed for Eggbert haha! Glad the procedure seemed to be ok.

I'm feeling ok about the scan (except the early start!) - pretty sure the stims are doing something. The hot flushes from down regging have gone and my skin cleared up, and tmi but getting a lot of ewcm?? Looking forward to hopefully things looking positive in the scan, early days yet though of course.

@starkid that sounds positive ! I had a lot of EWCM a couple of days ago, but my EC was the day I would normally ovulate (if I ovulate 🤷🏻‍♀️) according to Clue. I guess you should still have the normal changes in line with hormone profiles.

Fingers crossed for you. It’s the wait with everything that’s the worst thing isn’t it. I’d stab myself anytime over the anxiety between phases .... will the follicles grow, will there be eggs in them, will they be mature, will they fertilise , will we make it to transfer.... that as as far as I think right now but I’m sure it won’t get any better after that 😆

@MrsMeow2019 - yes would always much rather be doing (even if uncomfortable) than waiting around!