IVF Nov/Dec cycle buddies - part 2

[BrandyM]

@ivfhope3
@MF1981
@81Poppy
@Jane1284
@lucymills1234
@Roo45
@dragonfly1978
@EasterBunny7
@Emmalouise11
@Gensola
@IslandStars
@Luludarty

Thanks @MrsF1989 - it would only be one day early so i feel like it would give a correct result but I am going to take your advice and wait until OTD on Wednesday. Thanks for giving me a small glimmer of hope. I don't feel fatigued at all so would be very surprised if it has worked but I will hold our hope for 2 more days. xx

@Jane1284 It’s so hard isn’t it, but if you ask a room full of 1000 women if they felt pregnant at all during their TWW, whether they had conceived naturally or not, you’d probably only get a handful say yes. The problem with IVF is it absolutely messes you up both physically and mentally so we are hyper alert to what our bodies are doing, when most other women who have conceived without any problems only find out they are pregnant around the 5/6 mark at the earliest anyway.

I have everything crossed for you xx

@BrandyM re thé clinic, once I was on my cycle they were great but I had to basically fight them every step of the way to actually get on my cycle - otherwise it would never have happened. And now it’s the same with the FET - they constantly forget who I am or what tests etc I have had and then say oh you can’t have your cycle until you’ve done X and then I have to tell them I have done it.

Thanks @ShiMo - very wise words! IVF most definitely messes us up both physically and mentally. I really appreciate your kind words and support. I have such a strong feeling inside that it hasn't worked. I hope I am wrong.

How are you feeling in your TWW? xx

@Jane1284 I'm so sorry you had a rough weekend. The 2WW is one of the hardest parts of this whole journey.

I snapped massively last Tuesday over something so minor. It's so hard to keep calm with all the stress that comes with this process. You're not alone.

On the symptom front, please trust me, you don't need to have any symptoms for it to have worked. Like @MrsF1989, I also had zero symptoms except fatigue the last couple of days (which to be honest may have been caused by lack of sleep as I was waking up at ridiculous clock to test and then struggling to go back to sleep after the positive outcome).

I have a slightly different view on testing early. My OTD is today (12dp) but I tested 2 days early (10dp) and I'm glad I did as otherwise I'd have spent the whole weekend continuing to feel low and thinking it hasn't worked. I was so convinced (like almost everyone on the 2WW) that it hasn't worked as I had no symptoms. I was prepared to spend the weekend planning next steps if it hadn't worked or to really enjoy the weekend if it had worked. So I think if you're only testing a day early, you should be good if it'll make you feel better knowing the outcome early (whether good or bad).

Best of luck. I've got everything crossed for you. Let us know how you get on xx

@Jane1284 @BrandyM that is a very good point, I did test 4 days early, also didn't use my FMU, which was bloody stupid of me reflecting back!! Xx

Thanks @BrandyM - It is encouraging to hear you had no symptoms either. i think i felt so low because my bobs stopped hurting and I had a strong feeling that it didn't work. I feel you on the snapping over something minor. A friend cancelled on me yesterday and I had a complete breakdown. Went for a walk to clear my head and I was crying while walking down the street. I think I hit rock bottom yesterday...

I will have a think today about whether to test early or not. I am going into the office on Wednesday so part of me wants to test tomorrow morning so I have a day to process it before having to see people and put on a brave face. I always wake up in the night to wee so i am not sure how I am going to get FMU...

Thanks for all the support ladies. It really has helped having other women to go through this hard time with. You're all so strong! xx

@MrsF1989 @Jane1284 yes I think anything before 10dp might be a bit too early. Starting 10dp if you use FMU, then it should be fairly reliable. Ive heard that some people don't get their positives until much later (like 14dp or something like that) but in that case, it'd be past their OTD anyway.

I held mine for 4 hours before testing (the longest I can as I'm drinking a lot of water these days).

Good luck @Jane1284 whatever you decide to do. The best thing to do is to wait till OTD if you're relaxed about it. If you're anxious though, I'd test. Xxx

@Jane1284 the night before I tested, I reduced my water intake so as not to dilute my FMU and also to be able to hold it longer. If you reduce water intake and hold it for 4 hours, you should be good. For example, as my OTD is today, last night I went to the loo at 12:30am so I can sleep comfortably and woke up at 4:30am to test.

I feel like my boobs are nowhere near as full and sore as they were soon after transfer. As the soreness started to disappear, my anxiousness went through the roof (all for nothing). I'm pretty convinced the ridiculously sore boobs is more of a trigger/stims thing than a progesterone thing. Progesterone still gives you sore boobs but no where near the soreness of trigger/stims.

I really hope you get your BFP soon. Fingers and toes crossed xxx

AF came today, 6 days early so I think my FET cycle will be cancelled as the transfer date will fall in the closure period of the clinic just waiting for them to call me back to confirm what is happening.

Thanks @BrandyM - I should be fine to manage 4 hours held urine. Hopefully I can sleep tonight and potentially test tomorrow morning. Will see how I feel tonight before bed but I am leaning towards testing tomorrow so i can have one day to process before I have to see colleagues and put on a happy face!

Thank you xx

@Jane1284 definitely keep the faith - sending lots of love and strength

@Gensola sorry to hear that! When's the closure period of the clinic? I thought I saw somewhere that they were open except Xmas day but could be wrong. I hope they try and fit you in so you can get started xxx

Hi everyone, hope you're all doing ok.

@Jane1284 sorry to hear you are feeling so low. Weirdly enough, I was about to post something very similar myself. I had cramps last week and some sharp twinges and that's all disappeared now. It's making me feel that I am going to get a negative result, despite knowing I should try to stay positive. OTD is the end of the week and I'm going to hold out until then.

I think I might have been stupid and overdone it as well. I went for a long walk at the weekend for a distraction and fresh air. It wasn't too strenuous but it was still about 5 miles. I also moved some furniture around yesterday and then afterwards realised lifting heavy stuff was really idiotic. I'd done it without even thinking but really regret it now.

I'm sorry your friend let you down, too. I told just a few friends about IVF and I'm sad to say they've not been there in the way I really hoped they would. I know that's a selfish way to look at it because everyone has their own things to deal with. But I could've really used their support and I've actually not heard a peep from them in weeks. It sucks.

Thank you @Gensola - I really hope the clinic comes back to you with good news. Let us know how you get on.

Sorry you are feeling low too @lucymills1234 - it really is so tough mentally! Especially since you are doing this on your own. I wouldn't worry about the long walks. My clinic actually told me to keep exercising in my TWW as long as it wasn't too intense. Walks are fine and will be good for you. I honestly don't think moving furniture would affect you either. Try not blame yourself.
Friends are really important in these hard times and when they let us down it is extra hard to cope with our emotions. I am sorry they have not been there for you. So disappointing. I think IVF in the time of Covid makes it so hard too since we can't distract ourselves with much and rely on friends to help us through. I am really struggling with the fact I haven't seen most my family in over a year as they are all located in Australia. I don't know when the Aussies will open their borders so I may not see them and meet my new niece for another year or so. Everyone has their problems though so I just need to pick myself back-up and carry on. Sending lots of love xx

Hi guys. I’ve been quiet but keeping up with everyone. Can I ask for some help please? Those of you who have done FET on a medicated cycle, can you please help me to understand the timings and the process please? My clinic are really confusing me and I got upset on the phone with them this morning.

@MF1981 sorry to hear you’re also having problems with your clinic. Mine are being absolutely rubbish and treating me as an inconvenience as opposed to someone who has paid £11,000 for treatment. I’m looking into whether I can swap clinics after this cycle as I’m so unhappy with how I have been treated.
I called them this morning at 1030 to say my period had come a week early and obvs this has massive implications as I’m supposed to be on a medicated FET transfer cycle this month and I don’t have the drugs yet. They have yet to call me back and when I called to ask why there was such a delay I was told basically to be quiet and wait for them to call me. Totally lacking in compassion or understanding for how upsetting this is, given I’ve already had a massive disappointment with my fresh transfer cancelled, been made really unwell by being over stimulated for EC and then only ended up with one decent embryo. I’m so tired and furious and upset.

I've had the same with drugs being sorted out I've had to call the person they get it off and there is a delay with delivering medication so I said well that's not good enough as I'm about to run out so the fast tracked it the delivery wasn't supposed to be until next Monday. The nurses haven't phone me back since I left a message last Thursday they and pervious to that I left another message Monday and Tuesday.
They been useless.. it's enough stress on all of us with out them being rude or ignoring.

Keep ringing until you get answers it's shouldn't matter if your paying or nhs.

I just find atm people are rude and not compassionate at all.

An you top it off the medication side affects are kicking in an I'm ready to blow.. and AF is due to top it all over. 🤣🙈

I hope everyone is ok xx

A question for anyone who's been through the 2WW - were you given progesterone to last you only from the day after collection to the day before OTD, or longer?

I only have enough to last until Thursday night and my OTD is Friday. As I said I'm not feeling confident, but wondering if it was a positive result whether I'd need more supplies. I'm a distance from the clinic so it's not a pop in and collect situation. Thanks.

Hey @lucymills1234 - it looks like i have been given enough to take me 2.5 weeks past OTD. I have 3 full boxes left and OTD is Wed.
I would expect them to give you at least a week past OTD. Definitely query that with them xx

@lucymills1234 they’ve given me enough for 3 weeks post transfer only because of the Xmas break x

Hi all,

My third embryo wasn’t good enough to freeze which I’m not surprised by but obviously disappointed. So I’ve none to freeze.

My OTD is Xmas eve, what utter crap! Hubby and I already had a tiff about that today. We are supposed to be going to his family’s on Xmas day but I’ve said if it’s negative there is absolutely no way I want to go and put on a brave face. He then suggested we ask the clinic if we can test a few days after Xmas so we can try and enjoy ourselves. I flipped! He’s not the one getting jabbed in the bum every day and thinks I could merrily do it unnecessarily for 3 more days and not test! He backed down in the end haha 🙈

Thanks guys. It’s so annoying when the clinics don’t seem to get that you’ve never done this before. They keep taking to me about down reg as if I know because I’ve had a fresh cycle but my fresh was short protocol.

Hi everyone. My clinic just told me that I can't start my second cycle in January because my body won't have enough time to recover from the hormones in the first cycle (November). January would be my first natural period after the miscarriage cycle. I wanted to know how long others who are doing successive cycles had to wait? I am so frustrated that they are making me wait when I feel recovered!

Thanks @ShiMo @Jane1284 I called the clinic and they said they don't give IVF patients progesterone beyond test day, whatever the result.

I may have spoken too soon - getting some odd twinges again this afternoon. Not continuous and not enough to need to take anything. Combined with a few other things, it really feels like a period is coming. Keep telling myself it's actually unusual to get a full period until you've stop taking progesterone. Over it already!