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.

@Sarahk20000 @Janefx40
How are you both doing?

I’m on my second cycle of stimming and it’s not going well. I’m thinking my last cycle in November was my best, but I don’t know what to do now. I can’t talk to my consultant unless I book a consultation which is expensive. I’ve had to drop some of my work today as I’m feeling very stressed about it all.

Hope you are doing well.

@Rosemarypots thanks for the kind wishes. I hope March comes round quickly for you! The waiting is a pain.
@Everhopeful41 I am so sorry you are feeling the way you are. Totally understandable. If you did have it in you to face more egg collection rounds then highly medicated long protocol ones with PGS testing at the end seemed to work best for me personally (though I know everyone is different). Shorter protocol didn’t get enough eggs/blastocysts to make testing. I have done 4 egg collection rounds which led to 3 euploids (I am 41 and was mainly 40 at the time of egg collection rounds), I have had 1 failed transfer and done 2 ERA/ALICE etc mock cycles.
@2021ivfagain sorry to hear about your current cycle. Do you have consultants monitoring it and recommending next steps as you go? The paid consultations just add to an already high bill of ivf.

For my part for my current transfer last week I tested early at 6 and 7DP5DT and got a faint line on the first response test. Now have the stressful watch to see if the line darkens this week and isn’t a chemical etc (my friend with crgh had this so am very cautious of the early positive). i tested pregnant on a clear blue 6 days early today as well. I will see how I get on. I have never had a flickr on a pregnancy test in 15 years of marriage so feel like atleast this may have a chance of meaning something but am still feeling deeply anxious and nervous about it all. Let’s see how it goes, am trying to treat it a week at a time.

I wish everyone on this board the best as usual. I think ivf is the most stressful thing I have ever done in my life. I have a very difficult job but nothing else compares. IVF plays with your mind with its highs and extreme lows and the accompanying despair/disappointment. My sleep, my peace of mind and general feeling of living and enjoying life all seems to have turned up side down since I have been on this journey so can really understand how you all feel. Sending you lots of 💕.

@Sarahk20000 congrats on having a first line!

I agree with IVF being the most stressful/hard thing done in life. And I don't think people that haven't gone through it can fathom, they (like me before starting all this) seem to usually think IVF always or usually 'just works' and underestimate the physical and mental tole like crazy

Hi everyone. Sorry for radio silence.

@Sarahk20000 yayyyy!!! Tentatively excited for you. It's such an amazing feeling seeing that second line for the first time. I was a nervous wreck through my first (and successful) pregnancy but do let yourself enjoy seeing those lines too...none of us know what the future holds but right now, that's the best possible result there can be.

@tulipsandsnow sorry about the inconclusive result. Sounds sensible to find out more but totally agree that it's the same as having an untested.

@2021ivfagain can you email your consultants secretary? I email her constantly with questions and she always gets back to me quickly with an answer! Don't worry about pestering, they don't mind (and even if they do, they're being paid for it!).

@Everhopeful41 I'm sorry you're feeling hopeless. IVF can be miserable! I'd also be interested to hear whether you have tried conventional IVF. But mostly just sending my you lots of hugs.

I'm afraid I had a chemical. I've been round the houses a fair bit so it was what I was expecting. I had some pregnancy symptoms but not consistent. Bit of a bummer after all the tests and an euploid embryo. It will also delay me a couple of months as my body usually takes a long time to reset after a chemical/' miscarriage. It's been a rough few days but I'll be ok.

Xxx

@Janefx40 so sorry you have had a chemical, do you have any more embryos you can use?

@SarahK20000
Congratulations. I remember when I first became pregnant for the first time ever with my son who is now 14 months old. I could not believe it. At 14dpt I used 4 tests! It’s such a special time. Enjoy every moment.

@Janefx40

I’m really sorry. You need to take some time out for yourself. Every part of IVF is hard.

Xx

@Janefx40

I had a scan and blood test today and things are looking a lot better. Last time I stimmed for 9 days but might need to stim for an extra day this cycle.

I’ve tried contacting the secretary but they are on annual leave at present! I might contact the nurses and ask them to message my consultant. It would be easier if I could just email them directly!

@2021ivfagain glad things are looking better. Surely someone must cover for her when she's on annual leave? That would be a crazy system otherwise!! I think I demanded to see another consultant when mine was on leave so maybe you could be demand another secretary!!! Keep us posted

@InvisibleDreamer thanks. Yes we have another euploid but if this didn't work, why should that?

Xxx

Thanks so much @tulipsandsnow, @Janefx40 and @2021ivfagain. @Janefx40** am so very sorry to hear about your chemical and the rough days you have had. I can imagine the disappointment you are facing after all the efforts to get here. I hope you get some time to reset and recharge. I will keep everything crossed for your next transfer.
@2021ivfagain I am so glad to hear your scans are improving. The lack of consultant access is very frustrating.
My FRER test lines haven’t particularly got darker between yesterday (7DP5DT) and today (8DP5DT). let’s see how it progresses, I am still worried about a chemical. Testing constantly is the lamest thing and actually so unhelpful but I feel I am horribly caught in it now. Anxious days ahead (if not months ahead as you say @Janefx40). In my failed transfer I only tested from 11DP5DT which was simpler.

@SarahK20000
Are you testing with fmu (first morning urine)? That is when your body has more hcg.

@2021ivfagain I have been using SMU as I find the first one gives me a lighter line strangely. I really wish I hadn’t got myself into this testing anxiety. Oh well it will pass in a few days and it will be what it will be (and beyond if it continues). I am back at work on Monday so hoping things settle by then.

@Sarahk20000 the testing anxiety is real, but for me I'll always test from day 4, for two reasons- firstly because I assume it hasn't worked, so that's actually worse anxiety/depression for me than having actual info of what's going on and b) I want to catch a chemical if i have one, and sometimes things can totally come and go between days 4 and 12 post transfer so would never catch/know if aren't testing all along. My last FET I got a line on day4 that was gone by end of day 8, but I'm so glad I knew as clinically its more helpful to know if implanting or not!

Hang in there! Easier said than done I know

@Janefx40 thank you, from what I'm reading it sounds like most people do re-test rather than transfer blindly after an inconclusive result, but I'll see what my consultant says!

Aww thanks @tulipsandsnow. you have definitely made me feel better about it! And yes from last time I can never know from my failed transfer if the blastocyst may have implanted or not. This time round I actually started testing early to mentally prepare myself ahead of work so didn’t need to face the upset during a working day with important meetings next week (as I was convinced it won’t work again like last time). Let’s see. I will keep going and hopefully keep sane somewhere lol

Just as an update the line got slightly darker today at 09DP5DT. I will keep testing over the next few days, let’s see how it goes. Thank you for tolerating my test anxiety and updates. Really appreciate having a forum to share it in.

@Sarahk20000 I'd say that's more than slightly darker! Great news keep us updated x

@Janefx40 I feel exactly the same way, not convinced even with euploid that I can go to term. My sister in law wants me to be more positive but I think that just leads to more disappointment. For me I find it easier to cope by not getting my hopes up too much.

[quote tulipsandsnow]@Janefx40 thank you, from what I'm reading it sounds like most people do re-test rather than transfer blindly after an inconclusive result, but I'll see what my consultant says![/quote]
@tulipsandsnow we decided not to retest as the embryo goes through another thaw biopsy freeze and thaw before transfer. As I said we were told the no result meant either sample degradation or embryo was incredibly abnormal in which case they said it was unlikely to implant so we decided we would rather chance a failed transfer than retesting, finding out it was normal and it collapsing on the thaw for transfer.

@Dochas1211 you have a few euploids, don’t you? So hopefully you won’t need to transfer this one? It does seem a strain to put through thawing and refreezing.

@InvisibleDreamer @Janefx40 it’s very hard to be positive. I think expecting the worse and if something good happens taking it as a bonus seems to safest way to handle the downs of all this. One thing my consultant did say to me as she felt I was always too negative and not approaching things with the calmness I should was that statistics wise it’s rare for PGS tested blastocysts to all fail in succession. But I have seen it happen to people and I felt the low percentage still justified the lack of hope. I have my fingers crossed for us all that we fall on the right side of this in our respective journeys.

@Sarahk20000 I didn’t get any euploids in testing in the end. My embryo banking first round I got 3 blasts, 1 abnormal , 1 inconclusive and 1 no DNA detected. Next round got cancelled due to poor response. 3rd round got in blast and we decided to just transfer it back given how inconclusive the first round of testing was for us and it worked and the NIPT tests all came back low risk. So that one must’ve been normal.

How is your embryo banking going? From what I remember you have a few euploids?

@Dochas1211 oh I see that’s why you were wondering about the inconclusive result. It’s good your transfer of an untested one worked and was ok at NIPT. I had 3 euploids albeit B-B- in grade. The first transfer failed (think it never implanted), am in the current cycle on 9DP5DT right now and the pregnancy tests are so far positive but let’s see if it continues that way or not. I have a Day 6 blastocysts 6B-B- remaining if this one fails. Just don’t know what will take and what won’t. It feels quite random.

Just checked in as for some reason this thread refuses to appear in my "threads I'm on list".

@Sarahk20000 I know how hard it is to be excited for yourself so I'm going to be excited for you! That is an amazing line!! When is your blood test?

@InvisibleDreamer I was so positive on this recent cycle - I don't know if it made the failure worse or not. The fact is it feels rubbish when it doesn't work, regardless of whether we are prepared or not I think. iVf is crap (except when it works...)

@Sarahk20000 I really hope your line continues to progress. The two week wait is always the toughest bit for me. Looks tentatively exciting though!

@Janefx40 do you have an appointment booked re next steps ahead of your next FET? Appreciate you might not be wanting to think about that right now.

My meds arrived this morning for my first batching cycle. It's starting to feel real that we're spending all this money. Had a convo with DH earlier - if it doesn't work out after all of this then it's going to be very, very hard. Especially as we can probably still conceive naturally, but would choose not to (we're doing ivf for genetic reasons). But that's the ivf rollercoaster.