Embryo Banking Support Thread / PGS wait

[ForeverAintEnough]

Hi all, I’ve just name changed but I’ve been on here loads and chatting to many of you under different user names ( irrational fear of being outed!). I wondered if there was interest in a ‘no transfer happening’ group? So those doing embryo banking or PGS or whatever.

I’ve just done one round of embryo banking and found the normal threads difficult with discussion of hoping for a Christmas pregnancies etc.

We are unfortunately taking the long way round with 3 rounds and no transfer. It looks like my first transfer might not be until June 2021.

If anyone wants to jump on feel free!

About us: Me 34, DH 36, TTC 3 years. Both male and female issues. x3 rounds of IVF all failed. Moved clinic to Lister for 3 rounds of embryo banking and PGS. One round of embryo banking just finished with x3 blasts sent off for PGS testing.

@Ivfhoper
Hi. I’m pleased you have a plan. IVF is very stressful. Your fsh does not sound that bad. Mine is 6.7.

I really recommend the wheatgrass. It can help balance hormones and be beneficial to egg quality as well as the ovaries. It can lower fsh. I told my friend about wheatgrass. Her fsh was really high. She did wheatgrass as well as other things and had her best cycle!

I must say that with wheatgrass you need 30g a day before on an empty stomach and 30 minutes before food. It’s best to avoid when stimming, so you can take it up to cycle day 2, then stop.

I wish you all the best. Good luck

@InvisibleDreamer I did back to back because I am extremely time limited (aged 44) but it probably would be better to wait and let the body recover. Some people do duo-stim where you go straight back to stims after egg collection but my clinic don't offer that and don't think I'd have gone for it anyway. My best collection was the second. We got 6 eggs, 12 eggs then 6 eggs again from our 3 back-to-back with euploids from 2 and 3.

I understand how frustrating the delays are though. We've just done our first transfer which is 7 months after we did our first banking cycle. It feels like a life time. I don't think it has worked (although can't be sure) so that means going again which is even longer! It's been hellish having this hanging over us for so long.

@Everhopeful41 hope you're feeling ok. The 2WW is awful but you must be nearly there or already done! Hope you get a better result than you were expecting.

@Ivfhoper estrogen priming helped me a bit I think - I did it before my second and third collections and they were better (in number or quality). I've never been convinced by the Human Growth hormone - I didn't like taking it but I suppose I can't ever really know what helped and what didn't. When is your next cycle starting?

Hi everyone, thank you all for your kind messages. As you could probably tell I was (and still am really struggling). The FET was negative today, I knew it was :( so frustrating that I got pregnant naturally two cycle ago but lost it at 6 weeks only a few days after I found out I was pregnant. It's all so unfair. I don't know what to say to my partner to fix it. Honestly my mind is all over the place. We've got one day 6 untested blastocyst left that we will test... and I'll definitely do either one (or three more rounds) of mild IVF but probably back to back and test the embryos.

I also read about pronuclear transfer last night. which two clinics in the Ukraine offer and have started to think about donor eggs and we would probably go to Denmark to do this as they do open donation... but I just can't get my head around it and it feels so unfair, like why should my partner be genetically related but I'm not, yet I have to have the pregnancy. I realise this is a bit silly but I'm just so angry that I can't have what I want. When I work so hard and do a decent job and have everything ready to have a family, why can't my broken body just sort it out :( I do have additional medical issues which I know won't be helping but I was really hopeful after the miscarriage that at least I could implant. I'm just kicking myself that I didn't PGS test the embryos. My partner always says we should have tried harder earlier, but my dad got cancer at that time and I was consumed with managing that after he deteriorated so suddenly and then managing my new job. A year later I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease no doubt from the stress! what a shit ride the last few years have been. Can someone make it stop please?! :)

Thanks for being there and listening, you all know how hard it is xx

@InvisibleDreamer my consultant also wanted me to have withdrawal bleeds in between my egg collection rounds. Each time on day 14-25 after my withdrawal bleed I had Northisterone and then started when a period came. It took me from November 2020 to May 2021 to complete the egg collections and rounds 2 and 3 had day 5 blastocysts. there were none in round 1 and 4.
@Janefx40 fingers crossed it has worked this time for you. I have my transfer tomorrow morning and not feeling positive at all about it working out but am grateful to get closer to the end with only one remaining euploid after this. Like you, this has been long hanging over us since my first consultation in September 2020 and I would like to try and get back to normal life and move on with a child free life.

@Everhopeful41 I am so sorry to hear your news. So very upsetting and frustrating and your journey has been so difficult with health and your dad too. Please hang in there. You should do a few cycle and test but don’t berate yourself for not testing the ones you used (I had a failed transfer with a B+B+ euploid a few months back so even with 60 percent plus chance there was no guarantee unfortunately 😞). The step to donor eggs is a very personal and big one. I have thought about it a lot and on balance think I can’t get my head round it as my husband isn’t keen (he doesn’t even want to do ivf with our own genetics) but I know a few people who have used donor eggs and adore their children and feel fully connected to them so it can work. But it’s all very difficult and the feelings of despair, disappointment and failure are so very hard to work through. I wish you the best in your journey and hope your mild IVF gives you the success and luck you need.

@Sarahk20000 good luck for your transfer! Hope it goes well xxx 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼

@Everhopeful41 I'm so sorry. It's bloody shit and you're allowed to feel that and swear a lot. Donors is a big decision - my friend used a donor and it worked for her really well but you have to come to that decision (or not) over time. Sending you lots of love xxx

@SarahK20000
Hi. Good luck with your transfer. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it works for you.

@Janefx40
I hope everything goes well for you too. It’s a long, stressful journey.

I stopped my norethisterone on Saturday and still waiting for my period to turn up.

@Everhopeful41
Hi. I’m sorry that you are going through this. It’s very stressful. I understand how other things in life can cause stress. My Dad had a massive stroke towards the end of my pregnancy September 2020 just after I fought to get my mum home. For 3 months of my pregnancy my mum was hospitalised due to multiple falls, internal bleeding and pneumonia. They said she would never walk again but she did. My Dad, however, has got so much worse.

Christmas time was hard as they have carers around and we can no longer be in the same room. My Dad needs help with everything and he can barely talk.

Life can be so hard but I believe that good things can happen when you least expect them. It might not always feel like that. Every bit of IVF is hard and you are doing so well because a lot of people don’t know how difficult it is.

@Sarahk20000 hope your transfer went well xxx

Thanks so much @Janefx40 yes it went off ok. Relieved to be over with it. Let’s see what happens. It’s going to feel a long 2 weeks, as I am sure you are experiencing too!

@2021ivfagain

I will definitely be adding the Wheatgrass. Thank you.

You said your friend did some other things for a successful cycle, can you please tell me what she did?

I hope things are going well with you. If you are on Instagram you can follow my account, "theeggcollecter" where I set out this terrible journey.

Hi, I've not posted for a while. I'm keeping everything crossed for you both @Sarahk20000 and @Janefx40. @Everhopeful41 I'm so sorry about your transfer.

I'm on cycle day three and due to start stims for my first retrieval after my next bleed. Everything takes so long with IVF. I thought the retrieval would be in February, but my most recent period was delayed by two weeks, which means the time lines have shifted. March feels so long away.

@Ivfhoper

Hi. Wheatgrass is really good but you must stop taking it on cycle day 2 before you begin stimming. I take 30g a day but it must be on an empty stomach half an hour before eating.

My friend did estrogen priming for 7 days but she was also taking a low dose of dhea 25mg for two months prior to stimming. She stopped dhea for 4 days before ovulation and then continued with it up until day 2 before stimming.

She was also on a low carb diet. I advised her of this from doing lots of research and looking into It Starts With the Egg. I swap rice and pasta for spiralised veg or cauliflower rice.

She also took most of the supplements from the book It Starts With the Egg.

When are you planning the next retrieval?

@2021ivfagain

Thank you for your advice. I am on day 1 of my cycle. I have a baseline scan either tomorrow or Saturday morning. I hope to start stimulation right after that. Hopefully egg collection will be around 8/9 February 2022. This will be my FIFTH cycle, 1 round of IVF [ARGC] and four rounds of oocyte accumulation [CRGH].

I will add wheatgrass in preparation for the next cycle. I will also Estrogen prime. I am also planning to have a round of PRP this month.

I don't think DHEA worked for me because I had fewer follicles after taking it and became a bearded woman! The same with human growth hormone - ended up with fewer follicles. HGH is so expensive too.

I am on a truck load of supplements at the moment.

If you dont mind me asking, what were your friend's stats and did she get a euploid embryo at the end?

@Ivfhoper
She’s 41 years old, had mfi. Did 4 rounds of IVF icsi and had losses. Her amh is good but her fsh was 13.2 at 38.

I was worried about dhea as it gave me headaches but I lessened the dose. I’m also stimming this month. I’m cd3 today so just come home from baseline scan. It took several hours due to heavy traffic, road works! I hope you have a better cycle. It’s a shame you can’t start wheatgrass until next month but estrogen priming will also be good.

@2021ivfagain thank you for sharing that information.

Good luck with your cycle. I have a baseline scan tomorrow morning.
I hope this cycle is better than the last one.

How should the wheatgrass be taken?

@Ivfhoper
Are you starting the wheatgrass after retrieval? I would start it as soon after your retrieval as possible.

I take 30g of wheatgrass powder on an empty stomach. I also take vitamin c 500mg (no rosehip) and alpha lipoid acid 600mg at the same time. I then wait 30 minutes before eating dinner.

Are you taking ubiquinol, vitamin c or alpha lipoic acid already?

@Ivfhoper
I don’t take wheatgrass during stimming. That is because it can affect the injections.

@Ivfhoper
When you took the dhea did you take it continuously even when stimming?

hi all, just got off phone with PGT-A results. I have some normals but one of my day 5 4BBs(I didn't have anything better graded than 4BB) was 'inconclusive' result. The embryologist just said I'd need genetic counselling if I ever wanted to use it, which I pushed back and said 'but isn't it just essentially a non-tested embryo now, and no one needs genetic counselling to use those- what's the difference?'' and she just repeated herself I'd need counselling/wouldn't explain. I can email them or ask consultant but just wondering in mean time if anyone on here ever had a non-result and if they got to just treat it as any other blast that hadn't been tested in first place? Any insight as to if they are more or less likely to be normal versus one that was never biopsied and attempted to test in first place?

@tulipsandsnow I had this result too. They recommend genetic testing as it could either be no result as the sample was no good / got damaged or contaminated or as the embryo is extremely abnormal so they would want to discuss the implications of transferring a potentially very abnormal embryo with you.

I’ve been taking wheatgrass but not every single day, most days tho and I just take a tablespoon mixed with some water and neck it because it is foul 🤢

So we had our consultation tonight after our failed FET. We’ve now done 4 cycles and 2 transfers and have one untested blastocyst left. I’m 42. Reading between the lines the consultant wasn’t wanting me to do another 3 rounds of mild IVF because it’s been really hard on me… we, my partner and I, agreed on maybe doing one more round and then testing my last embryo and any new ones and seeing how it goes and if no good embryos, spare me the pain of transfer and then I’ll know that either we need to give up or consider donor eggs.

I just feel so tired with it all and hopeless. I hate that I feel so bitter of my brother and sister in law who have two small children and I just feel more and more isolated from family and friends.

Not sure it’s even worth doing any more rounds. Honestly just feeling so 😢 just feel like nothing goes right for me. Sorry for the depressing post. Hope everyone is doing better than me and your transfers are going ok x

@Everhopeful41 it took me 5 rounds (technically 6 one got cancelled day of trigger), 4 years of trying, 3 years doing IVF and 3 transfers to get pregnant.

Would you do standard IVF and high stim protocol to try maximise response instead of mild?

Have you had your testosterone tested/ micro biome checked / implantation window checked?

@Everhopeful41
Hi. Wheatgrass is really good to take before you start stimming. The taste is disgusting but nicer with apple juice!

I’m sorry you are going through this. I know how difficult it is trying for your first. I did IVF for my first and was lucky, but my husband had low morphology.

It’s really hard doing IVF and most people don’t understand. I remember feeling so isolated as well and avoiding Facebook. I know it might not help, but I tried to plan nice treats while doing IVF to take my mind off things such as a meal out, a day out, a walk.

Could I just ask why you are doing mild IVF? It might be better to do a slightly higher dose with PGS testing.

I think that as you have been pregnant in the past you have a chance. I’ve never been pregnant naturally due to mfi, but it’s a good sign that you are able to get pregnant naturally. A friend of mine with low amh and high fsh did IVF in Greece and got pregnant at 44 after having two day 3 embryos transferred. I’m not saying it’s easy, but I would look at all your options and get a lot of advice.

You’ve got nothing to apologise for. IVF is so hard and stressful. I was in tears yesterday coming home from a scan as I’m not doing so well this time. I’ve had to wait a long time between retrievals due to Christmas closure and delayed period.

We are here for you.

@Dochas1211 thank you, I've since read about it and it seems like many of them go on to be euploid/live births, in one study of the re-tested ones 50% led to live birth which was only about 10% less than control groups. I'd have thought I'd want to just treat it like any other non-tested embryo, but that's interesting that your lab thought higher chance of abnormal. I'll find out more about why it was a non-result (whether it was failure to amplify or no dna etc as there are different ways to fail) and talk to consultant about it!