Infertility investigations/IVF in Scotland - thread 2

[Kitekat81]

A thread for those who are undergoing infertility investigations / IVF in Scotland 🙂

@pixelflower I wish he was going to be there when I do get to speak to the gyno, then she'd be able to tell him but I'll just need to have a stern chat with him about it tonight. He does know nothing will be able to go until he stops since we've discussed this previously but I'll try with him again. Fingers crossed he'll just up and quit 🤞🏻

Congratulations! I bet you feel so much relief right now and I can't wait for the updates to see how it's going for you 🥰

@conall I would tell him definetely to stop now as when you get there they will delay it even further by 3 months.
They wouldn't put us on the waiting list until it had been 3 months. My partner admitted to being a social smoker (so only when out drinking) which was rare at the time and even with that they made us wait the 3 months. He got the exact same result as I did (and I have never smoked in my life) on the smoking test but we were still held back :(

Yeah, fingers crossed it's a looong time before I can investigate the day 3 bloods!
@pixelflower another in the freezer that's amazing! Did they tell you any grades? I haven't been told grades for any of mine but I think maybe that's a good thing as I would just be focussing on those right one rather than relaxing like I am. Doing as much overtime at work right now in the next 3.5 weeks as I can and then will take it easy at the start of my next cycle as that's when it will all start up again!

@LabradorMum time for me to obsess over your journey now! Ha

Thanks @willithappen I'll definitely talk to him about it tonight and say you need to stop now, I heard from someone I know that the waitlist is backdated for Edinburgh so it could be 6+ months before I see anyone so when I speak to the gyno at the end of the month I'm just going to say he's stopped and he definitely will have to do that because if he holds us up, I might throttle him 😂 what clinic do you go too?

@conall Right now I'm relieved that I'm not waiting for the phone to ring and this cycle has gone well so far, but be prepared for watching my nervous breakdown unfold over the next two weeks while waiting to test 🤣

@willithappen I was told the grade of the one that was transferred. I think I was so relieved on the phone that it was going ahead I've confused myself and can't remember if she told me two grades or just that one, and now second guessing what she told me. Seen so much here about grades and doesn't seem to be an indication of whether it'll stick around or not so not paying much attention to it.

@pixelflower it's an exciting and nervous time so if you have a breakdown that's fine, it's understandable! We're all hoping for the best for you! 🥰

I'd love to find out what grades mean...I haven't got to that stage yet and I'm trying to learn as much as what I possibly can about all this before I go so I'm not sitting listening to the Dr just nodding my head but having no clue!

There’s a so much going on in here today 😂

@pixelflower you’ve come so far on here you who’d have been stressing like mad not long ago good for you!! It’s so still positive news 😄

@willithappen how are you feeling? Lol another 4 days of pills for me and first base scan in just over a week!

@conall they didn't even say 🤣 Just said what the grade was.

@LabradorMum it's funny isn't it, it goes quiet then there's so much to catch up on! Honestly, I feel like there's a weight been lifted and I'm hopeful. Maybe it's all the hormones 🤣 Excited for you to get started and follow along ☺️

@pixelflower I think that 2 blasts from 5 eggs sounds like a good outcome! Fingers crossed you will have some good news in a couple of weeks 🤞🤞🤞

Do you mind if I ask what your follicle count was before you started treatment? Mine was 6 in January, 7 in February, and just got my AMH result this week - 2.2. It looks like I would be expected to get a low number of eggs from ivf treatment. I was just curious to know where you started, there seems to be so much variation, just seen @Rosie189 with her 96 follicles! 😯 I know egg quality will also be a big factor in ivf success as well - at 39 I'm guessing my eggs probably aren't going to be of ideal quality.

@Kitekat81 Thank you 😊
Last year at our first appointment I had 24, then 27 at baseline. I have no idea about my AMH. I'm 35 now. @willithappen and I were on the same dose, not that much of a difference in follicles at baseline but quite different outcomes. It's just so hard to predict.

@conall I'm at Aberdeen so same as @pixelflower
They had on their website not long ago that their wait times at actually reduced! I was put in the list in April last year and Feb this year was when we started to was a total 9 month wait for me to get started!

My folicile count was 34 at baseline and it went to 40 something by collection but at least half of those were small/didn't grow. 20 follicles were looked at for egg collection and 17 eggs from that but 6 of those were immature so technically got 11 eggs overall.
I panicked so much about the numbers game to start but now I am passed that I'm more relaxed about it and wouldn't focus so much on larger numbers

@pixelflower I'm actually really glad I don't know the grades because I'd be googling it right now lol. Right now I have been able to avoid frantically googling for ages 😂

@LabradorMum how have you been getting on with the tablets? Were you on 3 a day also?

Thanks very much @pixelflower and @willithappen. Looks like I'll be starting at a bit of disadvantage from both the numbers and age point of view 😕

Hi @willithappen yeah three a day take them in the morning with my pregnacare, totally fine haven’t felt any different at all.

Hi @Kitekat81 I have my first baseline scan in just over a week at 40 I’m scared that I have very few or even none 🤦🏼‍♀️ Don’t feel my age but that doesn’t matter internally 🤷🏼‍♀️

One shinning light is I heard a lady at work is pregnant in her mid 40’s first attempt IVF at AFC

@LabradorMum wishing you the best of luck, I'll be rooting for you! That's great news about your colleague, gives hope to us all 😊

Thanks @Kitekat81 same to you 😁

@Kitekat81 sorry I didn't mean to put you off with the count numbers, what I tried to put across was that even though I had such a high AFC I have actually come away with less in the freezer than a lot of people who had a smaller AFC and I ended up with more immature eggs from that
So don't get too disheartened if it's a lower number because the quality will likely be better.
Because I had more, I had to be put on smaller dose of stims which I think meant I ended up getting less than I expected
It's so hard not to get caught with the numbers though, everyone always says it only takes one but I know how hard it is to feel that way.

@kitekat81 I definitely think my level is abnormal and probably due to poly cystic ovaries. Also amh doesn’t check egg quality as far as I’m aware and I’m sure that’s probably more important than numbers.

@willithappen @Rosie189 thanks ladies yeah I know that the numbers aren't the whole story. I'm just clutching at straws trying to find some kind of certainties which I know isn't possible, it's so frustrating how so much in this seems so random and unpredictable!

Great news to have one in the freezer @pixelflower!

Reading your journey with interest @willithappen. I had an AFC of 26 or something at my last scan and I’ve always pushed them as to whether I have PCOS and they always say no, because I have regular periods. I suspect I have a level of it though as I’ve got a few other symptoms too, I’m currently taking myo insitol as heard it can help. We conceived my daughter after taking gonal-f for an IUI so I believe it helped develop follicles which my body isn’t quite able of doing itself. Although the consultants dispute this so I’m probably havering.

We got texts through yesterday to access a portal to do the IVF consent forms, Aberdeen ladies - does this mean I’m moving up the waiting list or does it mean nothing at all?!

@florafoxtrot ooo texts? Mine was a letter! When is your appointment?
What happened with me was I had my consent appointment via video link, then a couple days later got a nurses appointment who then went over dates and the nurses appointment is where we knew more about when starting. This was in Nov if I remember right. Dec wasn't suitable for starting for them so I was told to call them on my January period. Then that period I started norethisterone on day 21.
I believe if you have consent signing that's you having made your way to the top! Fingers crossed!

What are your other PCOS symptoms? Mine is only having short/light periods and then the higher folicile count of course.
My bleed from after egg collection lasted three days, more heavy than normal but still not something I'd say that was super heavy so no idea! I had a triple layer lining though so maybe I just bleed less 🤷🏻‍♀️

You were spot on! Got a letter through the post today for appointment on the 20th of April, pretty impressed as he said a 2 month wait and it’s almost to the day so feel quite chuffed with that. They’ve said the nurses appointment will be after that so I’m maybe being overly hopeful but would be good to get that before end of April.

Somewhat embarrassingly my main symptom is probably excess hair! And maybe my periods are a bit short now you’ve mentioned it too.

Roll on April for us both eh? I’m sure you said that’ll be your FET but so sorry if that’s me misremembering!

@florafoxtrot yay! Having a date to focus on makes things easier for sure! I found the unknown so hard
If your nurses appointment is April I imagine they may say to call them when you get your May period. If you are on a short protocol like we were then they have you take northisterone from day 21 of that cycle, bleed, then baseline scan and start stims after that scan

I'm April for FET yeah :) 17th provisionally depending on when my next period comes

I fessed up to my mum today and told her we did IVF! I haven't told her I'm am doing a transfer next month though, because I don't want that pressure but I did want to discuss with her what I had been through so I feel good now I have told her!

I was going to ask what protocol you were on and how it worked. That’s actually so helpful so thank you! It definitely seems to help to have a something to focus on.

Well done for sharing with your Mum, it’s hard to open up to those around you but it is good to have the support too. Definitely on each and every one of these threads but wish it spoken about more! I’m quite open about how DD was conceived and people are always quite interested and supportive but it does take a big deep breath to get those words out!
Hope AF plays ball for 17th April. Less than 6 weeks away now.

@florafoxtrot that's exciting! Feel like you go from just waiting, waiting, waiting to suddenly it's waiting mixed.in with so many appointments.

@willithappen that's great that you've told your mum and feeling good about it. Did she know anything about you trying? I ended up telling my mum when discussing me thinking I had depression. I wasn't sure it counted if there was a reason I was depressed and ended up telling her why and a little while later she encouraged me to go to the doctor. She actually took me to my transfer appointment ( not really allowed but my husband couldn't get off work) and it was lovely. As much as I don't want her hurt if we're unsuccessful this time I know I'll need her so she may as well share the hope first.

Hi all! Just now joining.

I have my initial consult at Aberdeen on April 20th as well