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.

Hi all, I’m the op ok this thread - I ended up deleting my mumsnet for a while so can’t get the same username back.

Congrats @IslandStars on your two normal! It really shows you how worth doing PGS is. You could have spent the next two years putting back the 11 abnormal and having miscarriages, lack of implantation etc. Hopefully now your road to pregnancy will be so much quicker!

I am still having a disaster of a time. My second round of embryo banking was cancelled the day before egg collection due to lack of response. So I will try again in a month or so. My 2 previously blasts that they could neither confirm nor deny as normal are still frozen. I don’t want to rebiopsy them. If I can’t get any normals I’ll just put them back as is as I’d worry if they did turn out normal the second biopsy would damage them too much so I’ll do them the old fashioned way!

What is your plan now @islandstars when are you hoping for a FET?

@Sophfr17 is there a reason why you need to do downregulation? If you did short protocol you don’t need that step which might be better for you if you can’t take the required amount?

Wow 12 embryos to get 2 normal!! Nightmare. The most I’ve ever gotten on a round is 3 and that was my best round! Can I ask what age you are?

Hi @IslandStars that’s great news that you have two normal. How do you feel about it? Did any come back as undetermined? It makes me feel sick with worry tbh I only have 4 atm with one round left and they could all be abnormal :( it’s so worrying. Did they say what the implantation rate would be of your normals? X

@ForeverAintEnough2
My Dr wanted me to have a break between cycle 1 and 2. I am not sure whether it could have an impact on the number of eggs collected eventually. Can it?
I dont know if my protocol is short, but last time it lasted for 15 days (i was on 225 menopur + 225 bemfola, followed by cetrotide).

I will honestly say that i don't understand the point of downreguation: does it allow you to get a high number of follicles to grow during the stims? Or it is just used to delay periods in order for the clinic to synchronize treatments between all patients?

I hope 5 mg will be enough

@Sophfr17 Thanks for the reassurance, 12/13 blasts & 2 normal is a very good outcome, I am definitely happy, I think I should just pay less attention the average statistics, as they can be quite meaningless when IVF is so individual.

Sorry the down reg isn’t going well, I’ve never done this protocol, but definitely sounds tougher. Think you’re right to look after your health though if you’ve had trouble on them before. I’m sure the clinic would have said if reducing the dose isn’t suitable.

@ForeverAintEnough2 Lovely to hear from you, was wondering how you were getting on. You’re so right, losing all that time and money on abnormal FETs would probably have been game over for me. My period should start next week. I’m doing medicated FET but without down reg, so just estrogen tablets and pessaries. My transfer should be around 14-18 days later if my lining is ok.

Really hope you can start stims again soon, so frustrating to have a cancelled cycle. For what it’s worth, I wouldn’t rebiopsy your 2 blasts either, no point risking it, let nature take its course if you need to use them.

Hello @Sara279 thanks, I’m very happy with it, although feel a mixture of stress and relief, it’s been such a big build up to this. Dr said I have 50-60% chance, which was a little underwhelming as I was told at my first consultation that PGS would give me a 60-70% chance, but I think this Dr is just a bit more cautious, which is fine, I need to keep my hopes in check!

I also got 3 high level mosaic, so unlikely I’ll consider those. My 2 normal actually came from my second round, so it proves that things can change each time. Also means I wasted rounds 1 and 3, so thanks a lot little embryos!

You’ve got 4 already, so it’s a good platform to build on. Dr told me he’s seen all kinds of results for women in their 30s and 40s, it’s such a gamble, all we can do is stay positive and try.

You are flying it @IslandStars fingers crossed it’s a positive for you - with a normal embryo you’ve a great chance. Is this your first transfer?

Yes very frustrating to be cancelled and such a bad response when it was the exact same protocol as last time when I got 13 eggs. Hopefully the next round will be better.

@Sophfr17 usually long protocol is down regulation followed by Stims and no need for Cetrotide as your ovaries are already suppressed. Whereas short protocol is no down reg, Stims and cetrotide

I think downreg can be used to time patients better which annoys me!. I’d be asking after this cycle of down reg is necessary for you if you shouldn’t really be on those meds!

@IslandStars I’d be really happy with 2 normal as you say, fingers crossed for you that they stick! It must have been so nerve racking waiting. What did the dr say in terms of predicated rates of normal blastocysts if you don’t mind me asking? I can never get a firm answer from my consultant which is fair because we are all different but I’d like to know approximately how many they would expect to be normal for a 41.5 year old x

@ForeverAintEnough2 Yep it’s my first ever transfer so all new from here. It’s really infuriating how things can change from one round to the next, makes us all feel more helpless I think, but just have to roll with it, you had a great number first time around.

@Sara279 I’ve read lots of times that 40-42 year olds can expect 25% of blasts to be normal. I asked the consultant today and he said he’d expect 20%, so would have been 3 normal in my case, but he said with stats, there’s always people who fall lower or higher than expected, so it’s just a guide.

Thanks @IslandStars that’s helpful to know. Fingers crossed I get more in my next round then x

Hello,

I hope you are all alright! How have you been lately?

I finished my 16 days norethisterone treatment, it was truly awful, my brain almost switched to the dark side of the psychosis, and the last days i had to cut to 5 mg. Dr will give me another downregulation drug for the 3rd cycle. I dont know if i was stupid or brave to take it despite the risks and my history of psychosis, but i did, and i wont do it again.
Had my baseline scan this morning, only 9 follicles this time, hope they will all grow well.

Take care,

S.

Hello @Sophfr17 Glad you're over the worst of it, sounds horrific to be honest! Have you asked your Dr about avoiding down reg completely for your next cycle? I had 9 follicles on my first baseline and always got a good number of eggs/blasts with mild 150 bemfola and no down reg.

I've moved onto FET stage now...transfer booked for Tuesday!! Been taking estrogen tablets twice a day and have just started the dreaded pessaries three times a day. I'm feeling a bit light headed on them.
Mainly just worried about my 2 embryos now, i really need the first one to survive the thaw, so i at least have one more chance if it fails.

Hey :)

Yeah he prefers i do downreg before stimulations, my reserve is not the best (although not so bad for a 39 year old^^) and i am already on 225 bemfola + 225 menopur. He thinks it will give me better chances of success. There are other drugs i can have, less mentally aggressive! So i will change for my 3rd and last cycle!

Oh that must be exciting, and also stresseful, to have a transfer soon! I can't wait to have my first. Those 2 embryos were tested? I totally understand your worries, i actually never though about the thawing issue... it that common?
Anyway, I will be thinking about you, I won't say "try to be positive", cause it won't change anything, and when people tell me that I tell them, in the nicest way possible, to f... off haha

Take good care of you and dont forget those pessaries haha! They are not super nice, but i recommend using washable organic cotton pads, to avoid irritation.

S.

@Sophfr17 Oh i see, well i hope the alternative drugs are better than...surely they must be better than suffering those episodes!

Thanks for the tip on the pads, i'll look into those. I had thrush a few times last year, unrelated to IVF, so really don't want it back again.

My two embryos are my only PGS normal ones, so everything rests on them. Generally around 95% of embryos survive the thaw and i'm hoping the fact mine are day 5 and normal will help, but of course, if there's something to worry about in this process, i will!

I am the same, thinking about the worst, but to be honest we can't be blamed, really. It is only normal to worry about everything because there are so many parameters that can interfere with success or failure!
Only the worst has happened to us with all these pg losses, and I am already convinced that i am doing these rounds of ivf for nothing haha but i am in it, so I am going do it until the end. However i already know that 3 rounds will be my limit. If no success after 3 rounds, we will revise our options, not so many though, ony egg donation really. But we will see.
I hope everything will go well for you :)

Hi everyone @Sophfr17 sorry to hear of the issues you’ve been having with the meds. I hope you are feeling better now. I would be really careful for your future rounds. It sounds as if this drug regime wasn’t good re: the psychosis. Please take care of yourself and get as much advice for your doctors as possible x

@IslandStarshow did the transfer go? I hope it went smoothly. Good luck for the two week wait. Keeping my fingers crossed for you x

I’m just waiting to start my third cycle of the batching. Should start one day this week... I have to be honest I’m struggling with my mood and expectations right now. My sister in law is due her baby next month and I just want to be pregnant too.... I want to believe it will happen for me but I have other health issues autoimmune and worry that my body is past it’s sell by date. I don’t want this to be all for nothing :((((( I know we all feel this way, I just feel like I need some virtual hugs.

I’ve also been thinking... I’ve got 4 embryos so far:

2 5-day 4AB and 3CC
2 6 day 4BB and 3BC

I hope I get more in this next round but who knows... I don’t want to transfer one and if it fails wait a month and then transfer another. It would take me nearly a year and my fertility would be declining rapidly. 42 in Sept. I’m not PGS testing my embryos so I’m thinking of asking for two to be put back at a time. Chances are that they won’t be normal etc so I can’t imagine I would have a very high chance of a twin pregnancy but I just can’t do nearly a year of transfers by which point I really won’t have a chance at a good IVF outcome if starting from scratch.

Have any of you had these conversations with your specialist... sorry for being a bit :( I’ve got a load of other stress going on which is unrelated to the IVF but is really stressing me out. Wish I could just concentrate on IVF and sod everything else x

@Sara279 I am with you.... I feel the same, this second cycle looks like it won't be that good, I just feel it, but we will see next week after the procedure. And the 3rd and last cycle will come after that. And the PGS.
Like you, I have additional medical issues, like autoimmune thyroid disease and blood clotting disease. Because i lost my first baby to a termination and had 5 mc after that, they are discussing right now whether to give me very high dose of enoxaparin, 80mg, despite my low weight, with extra risk of bleeding. They also want to add steroids and hydrochloroquine. Are we turning into an experiment or what? But I get it, I'm am a Researcher after all... it is ups and downs, but mainly downs in my case. But we have to do it :)

And babies all around us, friends, family... I am happy I live in London and our families are in France :( I feel bad. And with lockdown here we don't see friends with babies. That's perfect for me.

@IslandStars how are you feeling today? I hope all went well, and wish you two peaceful weeks, if that is possible!

@Sara279 Thank you, i had my transfer yesterday, embryo survived thankfully and they said it looked good after the thaw. The transfer itself was apparently smooth/no problems, although i found it more uncomfortable than i was expecting. No symptoms so far other than a headache, but i am prone to them anyway. The FET meds are tough though, i'm finding the side effects worse than the actual stims! I think this is going against the norm though.

Sorry you haven't been feeling great, i've gone through those phases too and getting sick of work stress at the moment, so i can't even use that as a distraction. It's impossible to be positive all the time though.

I didn't discuss putting two back, but if i wasn't doing PGS i might have considered it if my circumstances were different. Being single, as much as i'd love a sibling for my potential baby, i couldn't cope with twins! Clinics generally favour single transfers, but if you're circumstances suit ie age and immune issues, then i'm sure you'd have a good case for a double transfer. Hope your start date comes soon, then maybe you can run some of your ideas past the doctors when you attend your scans. I find getting several opinions sometimes helps x

@Sophfr17 Thank you, I’m not feeling great due to the FET meds, not sure if it’s the estrogen tablets or the progesterone pessaries, but all these hormones are making it difficult to sleep, I feel lethargic. Yesterday was good though, I felt happy to have made the transfer stage at least.

Hope your collection goes well next week and you can work out a good plan with the doctors for your immune issues.

I’m glad I’m doing this in lockdown too, I’m WFH and happy not to have to socialise, just don’t have the energy for it, although the few family members I’ve told have been very supportive x

@Sophfr17 sorry to hear about your miscarriages. This infertility journey is really cruel and hard isn’t it :( I hope this round goes ok for you. Don’t lose hope yet, it still might work out ok. Just try and eat well and get enough sleep and do relaxing things x

@IslandStars glad the transfer went ok. Sorry to hear the meds are making you feel off and giving insomnia. I was up at 4am last night due to stress from an ongoing situation I can’t go into... but it’s really annoying and I wish it would just go away! Tried to detach myself from it today and not give it much attention. We really do need to prioritise ourselves and our treatments this year.

I’m just waiting to come on my period to start the final round. I’m now day 29 and usually 28 days.. I’ve been getting cramps etc and emotional so I’m pretty sure any moment now... you always secretly hope that you may just get pregnant naturally and be ‘that story’ but hey it’s not happened for the last few years, so why would it happen naturally now! Just want to get this final round done so I can do a transfer. I’m feeling so impatient!

Sending positive thoughts to us all xx

And forgot to say. I really wish it wasn’t going to be the end of lockdown. I need to stay in my IVF bubble until this works :( I hope not for too much longer... but I just can’t face seeing people... even my best friends, it’s really strange... all I want to do is focus on this.

I’m now day 33, my longest cycle ever has been 32 days but only a few times over the last years, normally 28/29/30 days. Why is it delayed? :( I got my hopes up and thought maybe I’m pregnant but I’ve done two tests and both were negative. Typical, that we’re waiting to do this last cycle and it’s delayed
:( have any of you found this? Just want to do this final cycle then we can get to FET. The waiting is really getting to me now, especially as my sister in law is due in a few weeks time. How are you all doing? X

Hi all @Sara279 i understand your frustation, but your periods will return eventually, our bodies are going through so much, I suppose It can be normal. Soon you will be able to start your 3rd cycle, it is probably just a matter of days! But I get it, the delay seems like forever, try to relax if you can :)
Tomorrow I am going for my last scan, hopefully, before trigger, at day 13. And like you, I will normally cycle one more time after that, and that will be it! And then the PGS...
How are you @IslandStars? Are you feeling alright after your transfer?
I hope you are all ok, take care xx

Thanks @Sophfr17 yes I’m sure it will start in the next few days.. it’s just all the waiting and not knowing if it’s going to work is really getting to me now. I think if I have to do any of this again I’m not taking months off in between stims, I’m just going to go for it. Good luck with your last scan xx

Morning ladies, hope you all have a good week ahead.

@Sara279 My cycles got delayed by 6 and 5 days after my EC, so 32 days was my longest. I had always been short, regular cycles of 26 days before. I didn’t expect the time delay either, on top of needing a bleed and waiting for next normal period between cycles, it’s such a drag.

@Sophfr17 Best of luck for the scan today, hope you get your EC date set.

I’m not having much luck, tested yesterday and today at 6dp5dt and it’s BFN. I know there’s still a small chance, I have a blood test on Thursday which will be 9 days, but I think it’s over for me. I have one more normal embryo, so will try again on this next period if possible.

Just not feeling lucky anymore, my embryo was normal, albeit not the best grade (6CA) and my lining was good. That should have given me about a 75% chance altogether, yet still I have fallen in the ‘unlucky’ category, just like I did with the lower number of PGS normal embryos I had.

The estrogen and progesterone mimic pregnancy symptoms a lot, so it’s really cruel. I just want Thursday to be here now, so I can move on. Wishing my life away with this process, as usual, it’s really tough xx