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.

Ah we hope to be starting ivf hopefully next Sun. Seems my cycles are finally syncing as my opks said I was ovulating last Friday. In the run husband and I wee dtd every other day just in case (doc gave us about a 5% chance of ever conceiving naturally so chances are low). Had some pain in my side last night. Is it terrible to hold out hope we might do this naturally. I shouldn't hope like that. Out chances are so so low. We are just greatful we have a good chance with ivf as two years ago we weren't sure that would be possible either (he's gone from. 10 immobile sperm to 2million with 70%.motility in that time). We were told we'd be lucky to get few hundred thousand so he's exceeded expectations.

Just wishing.

@MrsMeow2019 the waiting is awful and there's a lot of waiting around in this process. Too much. Esp with covid can't even go out to distract yourself.

What is everyone doing to help distract them

@MrsMeow2019 fingers crossed for eggbert!! 🤞🏻
The waiting in between stages is awful and once you're over one hurdle you start worrying about the other

I am due on my period and it's typically late! I'm waiting for day 1 to start the meds for my FET 🙄🙄

I've just caught up! Congrats to everyone who's had some lovely little eggs collected 🥚 I've got everything crossed for them.

I had a scan yesterday at 6weeks and we saw a heartbeat so im still petrified but starting to feel like this might actually work out!

@Mseddy congratulations. That is such a special moment - I know that the anxiety doesn't go but it is a wonderful thing to see.

@elsaesmeralda periods always play games when about to start treatment! They are mischievous. Mine is usually early before treatment. Good luck.

@Bells3032 totally normal to hope you'll get pregnant! Fingers crossed you do. I always hope even tho 5% of my eggs are viable and 5% of DPs sperm are viable PLUS they can't penetrate an egg without ICSI! But I still hope every month!! That's amazing work on his sperm too.

@starkid good luck with the scan

@MrsMeow2019 come on Eggbert! Have everything crossed for your transfer tomorrow. So exciting but yes also horrendously stressful.

Xxx

Hi all, more questions from me before I jump on this bus!! As our situation is that I have high AMH 46.1 so high egg reserve and my partners sample revealed antibodies and a 1% morphology issue both of which can be overcome with sperm washing, I am looking at IUI instead of ICSI to avoid the Mormons, anyone have experience or knowledge of IUI? I know results can be less but not so invasive. Any advice appreciated

Hormones I meant 🙈

'To avoid the mormones' love it

oh now i'm misstyping too

@Bells3032 I hope you don’t mind me asking but how did your partners sperm change so much mine is taking Impril to help with anti spending antibodies but wondering if there’s anything else we can do?

@Kev1984 happy to tell you but just to warn you think the treatment is very specific to his condition and from my understanding was a little experimental. Dh had brain cancer at 11 in the area that controls all the hormones. So he has no natural testosterone, fsh or lh. He'd been taking a synthetic testoerone since he was 16.

So because the synthetic testoerone prevents sperm production we had to wean him off than and replaced it with gonasi. His levels actually went through the roof and that can be dangerous as it thickens your blood so we spent about a year getting that to the right level.

About six months ago as he wasn't producing any fsh so still no sperm we introduced menopur (yes the same drug used a lot in ivf) and its bounced so much in that time.

They said there's a cap on how high we can get it and we are probably at that cap now. As when you hit puberty you start developing the cells that produce sperm but cos he was so young he'd only have produced a few before his natural puberty was cut short. If it had been even a year later he probably could have frozen some and/or would have had more sperm producing cells created. But were are feeling very fortunate to get where we are. He really has exceeded the expectations of all the doctors so we are super pleased and the doctors seem to think we have an excellent chance if we use icsi.

Although if anyone else does go down this route I warn you it is exceptionally expensive. I think we are paying £1k a month just for the medication and then doctors appts and blood tests on top of that. We are very very lucky my in laws got very lucky on an investment and have basically paid for everything out of pocket. I don't know how much you'd get on the nhs

@Bells3032 thank you for sharing. That is a pretty specific issue and so glad for you both you’ve got the results you want that have exceeded your expectations.

@Mseddy I was wondering how you were getting on, so happy to see your update!

Scan this morning seemed to show everything was fine, think was 2 follicles on one ovary and 6 on another and lining starting to thicken - but because I've got a fibroid which creates shadows, and a tilted uterus which makes finding my ovaries hard, they were in there spinning round the wand thing for ages trying to get the correct angles to see everything properly. Was quite painful and i bled :(

Although they did just call to up my dosage of gonal-f, so I guess it's not working quite as well as they'd like!

@MrsMeow2019 how did transfer go? Did Eggbert grow some?

@starkid glad the scan went well, does that mean you've potentially got 8 follicles?

I've come away from the scan quote devastated and we both had a good cry in the car. My scan showed I've got 6 follicles, however the 2 on my right ovary are pretty much dead. On my left I've got 2 that responded well and are 14&15 mm. the other 2 follies on the right are 3mm and she said it's unlikely they will grow much.
It makes sense now we have struggled so much to conceive and being 40 I've now got to come to terms with this. She said the chances of us conceiving naturally are very slim and she said even with IVF the chances are slim and perhaps we need to consider egg donar. Devastated beyond belief and so glad I'd booked today off work.
We are trying to go with the mindset of 'it only takes 1' and of the 2 follies responding well we could still get a child from it. I'm grateful that they are still proceeding as our CCG stated that you need at least 4 follies for ivf.

Anyone know of any success stories with older women who only have 2 working follies producing babies to try and cheer me up?? 😢

@Kiza - oh no I'm so sorry you got those kind of comments from your scan. Keep clinging to the knowledge that it really does only take one, and two of yours are doing well!

They didn't really talk me through my follicles to be honest, was just from me overhearing that I think I counted 8, and I don't know how big there are or anything (oops maybe I should have pressed for more information, but I was just glad to have the jabbing wand out of me!). But yeah they've got me upping my dosage now anyway so obviously not amazing.

@Kiza that's utterly devastating and I don't really know if anyone of us could say anything to make you feel any better atm. But it is so true that it only takes one, you hear all the time of women with one egg and it sticks! So please dont count yourself out just yet your body can do amazing things and one of them two might be a Fighter !

@Mseddy that must be so lovely 😊 congratulations 🎉 wishing you a happy healthy pregnancy

@elsaesmeralda hope you’re period starts to behave itself ! My last one pre cycle was late ans more spotting , they just know you want them to show up on time.

@starkid yay 8 follicles ! Those scans are quite horrible sometimes :-(

@Kiza embryo transfer was okay, lovely staff at our clinic, eggbert was 5 cells from 1 yesterday. The embryolgoist says they see that and it usually corrects itself (should be 4 or 6 really 🤔), but they classed it as good so happy to transfer. I was very stressed about wetting myself at the transfer with my very full bladder but luckily managed to hold it in.

I’m sorry about your scan results, it’s just utterly crap there’s nothing anyone can say to make you feel better. I only had 3, and they went ahead and got 2 eggs. Its worth a shot you never know , hope the rest of cycle goes well for you xx

@MrsMeow2019 - full bladders at scans are the worst right! Glad transfer went ok though. And good to hear about how you got 2 eggs from the 3 follicles you had, so more hope for you @kiza xxx

I rang the clinic and they said I had 4 good follicles on one ovary and 8 small ones on the other which they wanted to boost to hopefully grow, hence the extra dosage of gonal-f over the weekend before the next scan Monday.

@Kiza hang on in there and don’t give up hope, it does only take one, I hang on to that thought all the time before we take the plunge and have ICSI, totally overwhelmed that we need help to get pregnant. You will get there I’m sure, stay positive xx

Thanks ladies, all afternoon I've been Googling for success of only 2 working follies. @starkid I had to push for answers and took a photo of my chart and images so that if I have a second round privately I've got the info to show with them.
I've found the experience with nhs to be quite pants (other than our injection lesson). They never ask how I am or tell me any info and I've had to push the whole way.

@Kiza no words that will bring any comfort to you, but I shall be keeping you in my thoughts xx

@Kiza I’ve had similar experience with the NHS clinic until egg collection and embryo transfer. I’ve had one 20 minute phone consultation with my consultant ans she popped her head Wednesday while I was half asleep from the drugs to say I had egos. But I wonder if a lot of it is covid related? It’s much harder to show empathy etc with masks and social distancing ?

Ditto with googling , I spent yesterday googling it just makes you feel worse but impossible to stop isn’t it . I hope it all goes well for you 🤞, the it ‘only takes one’ annoys me hugely but it is true !