Trying IVF again for baby #2

[FingersXssd83]

Took 4 years to have my first baby, including 4 rounds of IVF. She arrived last summer and hoping to get two rounds in this year. I'm breastfeeding atm so will be stopping that next month, trying naturally for a few months to appease DH (it'll never work), and cracking on with a round in before my birthday as I'll be turning 38 this year.

I found IVF a very tortuous slog the first time around. Kind of feels different now that we are a family and trying for a sibling. Have suffered with a bit of PND over be last few months so hoping IVF doesn't set me back but I feel super excited to get going tbh!

Going to contact Access Fertility soon to find out what packages they can offer us.

Be great to hear from ladies in a similar position! x

Just catching up with this thread!

I'm a child of 1983 too 🤣

My AMH when I had it tested age 36 was 12.9 and my clinic didn't say anything about impending menopause abs my periods are still like clockwork so i wouldn't worry too much about it

I changed to natural modified IVF and that was what gave me my twins so I actually had the best quality eggs (and blastocysts) when I only got 2 follicles (compared to my failed short protocol IVF where I was getting 14 eggs each time but rubbish quality)

And my DD who is 5 has only just started sleeping through the night (except last night - her and the twins were Up and in my bed at 1am last night 😬)

This morning's update: we have two embryos 😬

On AMH, mine is 14 and is good for age 37 and nowhere near early menopause.

@FingersXssd83

That's good you've got them fertilised overnight - did they give you a grade or anything?
I recall up thread you said you'd love twins so do you think you'd put both back in?

I've done three double transfers in the past (plus one single) and had one baby so I'd definitely do double as I think our chance of twins are low. If I did get pregnant with twins I think I'd be a bit terrified as I've since heard a few scary stories...

They don't grade on day 1. Should hopefully get a clearer picture about that tomorrow and Monday x

@FingersXssd83 wishing you all the luck with your two! Keep us posted with how they are doing.

I caved and took a test this morning at 6dp and it was a faint but clear positive. 12 days post trigger. I think definitely something is happening but I don’t want to get excited yet as it could very well just be a false start. Just needed to tell someone (albeit anonymously!)

Wow that's amazing @whatcangowrong So excited for you. When do you think you'll test again? ❤️

I don’t know!! 2 more tests just arrived from amazon () I think I might try and limit myself to one on Monday and one on Wednesday (OTD) but that will take some willpower that I am generally lacking in!

@whatcangowrong

Ooh tentative congratulations! This is your day 6 lower grade isn't it? Just goes to show that grading isn't that important!

Hi all - I've stumbled across this thread and read with interest. I am currently going through IVF for no.2 but DD was conceived naturally and is now 7 years old.

Had two cycles:

Cycle 1 (antagonist) - 11 eggs, 100% fertilized. Ended up with 1 day 5 (fresh trf) and two FETs - 2 x BFN and 1 x miscarriage identified at viability scan.

Cycle 2 (long protocol) - 9 eggs 100% fertilized. 1 days 5 (fresh trf) which again ended in miscarriage identified at viability scan. None frozen.

It would seem egg quality and therefore embryo quality is the issue (I'm 38).

@andivfmakes3 - I see that you changed your approach to natural modified, which clinic did you use? What was the reason for the better quality? Any info would be gratefully received. I have mentioned it my clinic and they have said fully medicated is the best approach to get as many eggs as poss to find a good one. It's so hard to know what to do from here! x

Congrats to all with positive results to date and good luck to those in the dreaded 2WW! 🍀

@LJM83

I was with Create.
My first 2 cycles of short protocol IVF with ICSI i got a total of 28 eggs but less than 30% fertilised- 4 average blastocysts- PGS tested 2 and neither came back normal. I did 3 transfers which failed

I then changed to natural modified IVF with ICSI - in 2 cycles I got 9 eggs, 100% fertilised and 4 top quality blastocysts - I transferred my lowest graded ones (didn't bother with PGS) and they are my baby twins and I have 2 more top quality frozen

Creates whole ethos is the opposite to other clinics which is why it can be confusing when deciding on a clinic - for me less was definitely more. My doctor explained it in terms of cars....why force my body to behave like a Ferrari when it's more like a Ford Focus (luckily I have a good relationship with my doctor so wasn't offended! 🤣) - why force your body to produce eggs it would never have chosen itself. Our body's are miracles of evolution (mostly!) and it is best placed to have a say in what follicles to grow that cycle. Other clinics ethos is get as many eggs as possible and hope in there is a good one? Which is why most people on high dose stim cycles don't actually get any more blastocysts to transfer than someone on very low dose (ie one to transfer one to freeze)

Thanks for your quick response @andivfmakes3 - I'm so pleased you had such a positive outcome. There seems to be so many benefits and my body certainly performs more like a Ford than Ferrari 😂

I find the side-effects really hard and it certainly makes the BFNs / miscarriages feel worse. The weight gain and bloating really gets me down - looking pregnant when you're clearly not is a cruel side effect!

Our fertilization rate is excellent - we just have a big drop off from day 1 to day 5.

I think I'll give Create a call and arrange a consultation x

@andivfmakes3 thank you but too early to pop the bubbly yet, let’s see in a few days. But yeah it’s my day 6 c/b. Actually the embryologist was quite complimentary about her at the transfer despite the poor grade!

Managed to accidentally order the rapid frer instead of the early ones from amazon. Doh. Not accurate until day after missed period. So that will put the brakes on me testing the rest of the weekend. Thank god I noticed though or would have been bumming out so much with no lines!

Wow it's been busy on here the last couple of days!

@whatcangowrong that's definitely a good sign! My positive last time was much fainter than this time, so just indicative of being nearer the lower end of the HCG ranges rather than the top. So every reason to be optimistic!

@FingersXssd83 it must have been disappointing after your follicle count but to get a high fertilisation rate is great. I only had 2 in the running the first time round the day after EC and I know how nerve wracking it is!

Anyone else thinking the government put something in the water in 1983 to make us all poor baby makers?!! 😂😂

Thanks @Herewegoagain83. I wasn’t expecting to see more than a faint line as it was only 6dp, I tested 7dp last time and got a good line so would hope to see equivalent today but don’t have any of the same tests! So I’ll go and procure another frer later and test tomorrow am which should settle it either way :-)

Thanks for sharing that with me @Herewegoagain83 You have given me some much needed hope!

It's creeping closer to OTD and that BFP @whatcangowrong Do you have any symptoms at all

Our clinic called this morning and we have 1x grade 1x grade 2 so two great quality embryos. Still feel like I'm in with a shot. Need to decide whether to transfer 1 or 2 on day 3 or 5 😬

Sorry about the typo. that mean to say a top quality and a good quality embryo...

@FingersXssd83 that's good news, have the clinic advised on their preferred route?

@Herewegoagain83 the embryologist says to let them go to day 5 if they are still great quality tomorrow which they expect, and transfer singles if we can.

The doctor may have a different opinion. Ours went against the embryologists last time and got them to freeze on day 3 (much to their horror!).

It's so confusing!

@FingersXssd83 great news!! Let us know what you decide. First time round I did freeze all as my doctor prefers it but if doing it again I think I’ll request a fresh if I have a few embryos. No idea really but don’t they say earlier transfers are kind of better? I thought the 5 day thing was to allow a sort of natural selection process to find the best ones but where there are fewer it’s good to just get them in there? I personally haven’t reached the stage of double transfers and now I’ve got one already I think twins might be a lot to cope with on top!

I got another bfp this morning, on a frer. It’s still not as dark a line as I would ideally like but it’s very clearly there and comes up in the 3 minutes. My husband the ultimate cynic thinks it’s a clear positive result so it must be! I feel it could be a chemical but we also know this embryo is a day 6 slowcoach so maybe she is just taking her sweet time. I feel like they say the slow ones are girls?! Anyone got any anecdata on that? 😆

I’ve never attached a photo before. What do we think of this? It’s still 2 days until OTD but it doesn’t look anywhere near what @Herewegoagain83 uploaded the other day :-/

Actually silly me that was on Saturday, this is actually today’s so it does look a bit better now I suppose!

I always preferred a day 5 transfer mainly because if you think about it on day 3 in a natural setting the embryo would still be in your tube so the uterus might be out of sync?

@whatcangowrong I had a daughter first and then IVF twins and honestly I'm finding it much easier this time round! Maybe because I'm more confidant now of my mothering abilities and I'm
More chilled out? I'd even have another set of twins if I could! 🤣🙈

On your day 6 anecdote.......my girl twin is likely my day 6 blastocyst. I transferred a day 3 which was thawed and cultured to day 5 and was a 5BA and very active and considered "fresh" when it went back in and a frozen day 6 4bb thawed only a couple of hours before transfer. My girl twin consistently measured several days behind her brother right from 6 weeks when I had my first scan which fits with the timeline of a frozen embryo also being a stage behind taking a little longer to implant. Because she implanted really low it's always been really obvious on the scans which was she was even before we knew she was a girl

I think your test lines look great! X

@whatcangowrong that looks very clear to me, I would be happy with that!
What dpo are you now?

My HCG numbers last time were on the low end of the range, and I had a girl!
The one I have onboard now was a hatching blast so perhaps a bit quicker, boy?!!

@andivfmakes3 I take my hat off to you managing even better with twins!! And wanting another set!!! I really saw a few friends struggle but to be fair with their first babies and that’s all a crazy learning curve anyway I guess! So interesting to hear you think your day 6 is the slower girl! Hope I get to find out with this one if sticky enough.

@Herewegoagain83 yes I think the lines do look a bit better than I thought at first. They’re definitely not as strong as my last pregnancy but he was also measuring ahead on scans I guess. Hope you are still feeling well and getting ready for that scan albeit not quite yet.

Tiny bit of bleeding today, tiny though. Trying to channel calm thoughts. I’ve never had bleeding come through pre test day but I’m on different progesterone this time. Hoping it’s implantation but have messaged the doctor anyway :-/