ABC IVF thread continued

[StarryHannah]

Our other thread is now full so thought I would start this one to continue the chat.

@Beaglemum91 I'm waiting for my period so I can start meds for FET so that is really helpful information about the embryo transfer process. Thank you. Did you have your partner on Facetime or anything for it?

@Icsi2021 so excited for you xxx

@Hoping4baby21 oh right, yeah that makes sense 🙈. My last FET was Day 22, it felt late but I think that was down to my lining I had three scans before transfer.

Thankyou for the info I am going to try that! 😃

@Hoping4baby21 No I haven’t had my first scan yet as waiting for my period to show up.

@Hoping4baby21 yeah, it's a bit disconcerting to go so long without another scan but I'm sure they know what they're doing! They told me on Friday to start pessaries this Thursday for transfer next Tuesday. I'll get a phone call to tell me what time the transfer will be the day before, so I've just booked the whole day off work so I don't have to stress about meetings etc. I'm glad the nurse you spoke to was reassuring.

@Hopeful1234567 thanks! Hope your period shows up soon so you can get started!

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend!

Also, meant to add:

@Clapham4 hope you have good progress at your scan today!

Thanks @kittyfantastico21 today went okay-ish. I feel a bit flat though. I’ve gone from 14 to 10 follicles. Lost 4 from one ovary. So I’ve another scan on wed and EC on Friday or Saturday, depending on Wednesdays scan. I didnt know how you lose follicles? Like they were all over the 6mm mark on Friday, can they just disappear??. Anyways I’m now practically wishing PCOS on myself🙈. They did say I’m in the normal range which was reassuring to hear. But I’m overthinking now, that what if they only get a few eggs and then none make it to embryo stage etc.

Anyways how is everyone else doing?

I’m excited for all the FET to get going! Going by timings a few of us could be testing around the same time potentially? Or within a few days of eachother 🤞🏼
@Kitty good idea booking the day off, you can just relax and no worry about work or anything 🤗 xx

Hey all, I'm feeling a bit stressed today. My period was due yesterday but no sign and still nothing as yet today. I have PCOS so I've been tracking my periods and I'll have loads that are on a 30 day cycle then I'll have a random 47 day one. So I'm panicking that this might be another 47 day cycle so I can't get started for ages. Fingers crossed that won't be the case but the uncertainty is stressing me out.

@Clapham4 10 follicles is great! They expect with the low doses to get 6-8 eggs so you are over that which is a good sign. Try to take it one step at a time although I know that is easier said than done. I found that helped me just put one foot in front of the other and just focus on passing that hurdle instead of anticipating all the upcoming ones.

@kittyfantastico21 yes that is right mine was the same, transfer is the 7th day of pessaries. It actually worked out for the best that my transfer is this week as next week i have a project and juggling everything would have been hard and likely stressed me out. I don't work Thursday or Fridays so I'll have 4 full days to just chill out and do what I want which is exactly what I will be doing! Taking the day off is the right call for sure!

@Becky105 oh I hope it shows up soon for you, that must be frustrating.

@Hoping4baby21 oh that’s great to hear that you think so!! I only have one friend in real life whose done IVF and she had far more follicles but you’re right abc do it differently. I had a nap and am feeling much better about it. Thank you for the reassurance!

Again saw more women in the Wimbledon clinic this morning and was wondering if I was sat next to someone in this group! I looked like I’d been dragged through a bush 😂🙈

And @Becky105 sorry to hear AF hasn’t arrived!! Hopefully she shows up over the next few days🤞🏼

@Clapham4 glad you're feeling a bit better about it - 10 follicles is still a good number! I think it's really important to remember that we shouldn't compare mild ivf follicle/egg numbers to conventional ivf numbers at this stage. Hopefully due to the milder stims your eggs will be good quality and a good number of them will make it to day 5. (Three quarters of mine survived to day 5 and were good enough for freezing).

@Becky105 sorry your period is being frustrating. I hope it shows up soon! It's much more likely that it will come along in the next few days than being 47 days again.

@Hoping4baby21 glad your ET timing has worked out well for you, work-wise! Four days to relax sounds ideal!

7 days to go for me. I'm really counting down now, especially as I'm so worried I'll get covid between now and then and it'll have to be delayed. We're basically isolating now until ET day apart from a daily walk or two but still, every day that gets ticked off without me encountering other people is a relief.

@kittyfantastico21 yes same for us! I don't know why but I'm all of a sudden more paranoid about getting covid than I was before even in my fresh cycle! Perhaps because things are more open now. But same I had acupuncture this morning but I don't plan to go anywhere between now and then. I might not even do my acupuncture on day of transfer because it means I have to get the train and I don't really feel comfortable!

@Clapham4 like kitty said milder IVF numbers are different. 80% of my embryos made it to day 5/6 blast which is really rare so in my mind the quality over quantity is right on the money.

@Hoping4baby21 I think for me it's because the case numbers are so high at the moment. It's all very well for people to say high case numbers don't matter as long as hospitalisation and deaths are low but those aren't the only negative outcomes of getting covid! ET would be just as cancelled for asymptomatic/mild symptoms as it would be if I was in hospital with covid. It's hard because most family and friends (and everyone at work) don't know we're doing IVF so we just come across as really paranoid about covid, but we have very real and legitimate reasons for being worried when there's so much at stake. Anyway, nearly there. Then I guess I'll have to decide what I'm comfortable doing during the TWW and potential early pregnancy...

@kittyfantastico21 exactly I relate to everything your saying. And people are out so much now and not wearing masks it feels too risky.

I had that same conversation with my husband if we are successful I'd likely lock myself away like Rapunzel. Im meant to be bridesmaid in a wedding in Aug and I'm not really sure what to do about that if we are pregnant. I just don't think it's worth the risk but don't want to disappoint my friend 🤦🏽‍♀️ Another abroad wedding in Sept that I'm fairly certain successful or not I won't be going to.

Totally with you on the Covid point! This weekend I have had friends and work colleagues test positive or be in direct contact. I’ve been keeping a low profile anyways due to IVF but worried I’ll get pinged through DH and have to cancel my EC or ET, so I’ll be living the hermit lifestyle even more for the next few weeks. It’s never ending 😅

@Hoping4baby21 weddings are so difficult. We have a couple this summer too. I would love nothing more than to go to them and have a great time but it feels like exactly the best way to get covid!

I'm feeling really anxious this morning because I have hypothyroidism and I've just read that high oestrogen levels can cause TSH to increase so now I'm really worried because although my TSH was good before starting treatment my E2 level was super high before EC at the beginning of June and my TSH hasn't been tested since because I didn't know it could be affected. Hopefully my hormones went back to normal after EC anyway but now I'm obviously taking oestrogen again for the FET so I'm worrying that my TSH will be too high for the embryo to implant and I feel so stupid for not getting my levels tested again after the fresh cycle. I usually only have them tested every six months. I'm waiting for a call back from the clinic so I can ask them about it (hoping they'll just reassure me that it should be fine). I'm worried they'll say it needs to be tested and then it'll be too high and we'll have to cancel because a week probably isn't long enough to get it down again, and I know it would be better to cancel than to waste our best embryo if the level is too high but I feel so upset at the thought of having to delay AGAIN. I realise I have jumped a number of steps and assumed the worst here, I hate anxiety :-(

@kittyfantastico21 I would have the exact same thought process as you, I don't think anyone could say that would be unusual. Hopefully the clinic will provide the reassurance and I'm crossing my fingers hard that it's not a problem. I've also been catastrophising this morning as I had a bit of random bleeding and my chest thought was that my period would come early and that would be weird and would it affect whether or not treatment would be successful. I think we all do it! I agree with everyone here too about covid anxiety, it's next level at the moment! I've decided I will isolate from now on, but it's going to be a long few weeks as I won't even start meds until probably the middle of next week!

@lawandgin @kittyfantastico21 haha well aren't we all a bunch of overthinkiners! I've been in a deep hole debating whether to get acupuncture day of transfer vs not to get it because I've stumbled across a few studies that have linked it with reduced risk of clinical pregnancy. Before this I was only aware of studies say no effect or positive effect! I keep thinking the worse and going back and forth and I can't decide what I want to do. I do feel acupuncture works for me but then I think if I respond to it so well maybe that is the problem! Essentially the science is not there to point it either way or to understand the mechanism through which it improves outcomes. Then I worry what regrets I'll have if I do it and it doesn't work or I don't do it and it doesn't work!

Then I add in all the extra travel we will have to do on day of transfer especially in this heat and I just think perhaps the key difference I make for this transfer is to be as chill as possible and if that means not doing day of acupuncture then so be it.

If it helps I think this so so normal we are heavily invested in this process and a lot of emotional energy goes into preparing etc. But I do think staying off google once you commit to a plan is key leave any extra research at the door as you can drive yourself crazy. I say this even though I've done the exact same so easier said than done. 🤦🏽‍♀️

@kittyfantastico21 I hope the clinic provide you with reassurance I would be under the impression that levels take a while to raise especially if they take a while to go down but I'm not a doctor or super familiar with TSH.

It's so lovely to read everyone's worries and not feel like I'm crazy for having the same ones. We're isolating and my partner doesn't love it but understands my worries, it helped that a huge number of our friends recently tested positive for covid and they are all the people that we would normally be seeing and inviting around... So it's easier to rationalise being sensible when it feels very close to home.

My AF is still MIA so I'm going a bit loopy and worrying that we're going to start having to cancel things like our trip to Ireland to see family, because I'll need to still be having scans / blood test.

@kittyfantastico21 i have an underactive thyroid too. If I were you I'd contact your gp to get a TSH blood test carried out asap so that you can work on the facts once you know your current TSH level. From my experience of ABC I'll think I need to get it checked, ask them, wait to hear back and then they confirm what I thought. At least if you know your levels they can let you know if it need addressing or if you're fine to go ahead.

Thanks @Hoping4baby21 @lawandgin and @Becky105 for your responses. I'm sorry you're all struggling with overthinking and anxiety too!

@Becky105 the problem is that my transfer is only a week away and it will take about that long to get a blood test at the GP and then get results back. So there's not much point me booking it until ABC say it's needed (and then they can do it for same-day results). Sorry your period is still a no-show - fingers crossed for you that it will come soon! This whole process is nothing but stress from start to finish.

I've been told I can't have a call back until tomorrow afternoon as it needs to be a consultant rather than a nurse to answer questions about TSH, so now I'm stuck in this anxiety until then. I'll try to do some mindfulness and watch some good TV later to take my mind off it. Now I'm starting to wish I hadn't called at all because if I hadn't brought this up, they weren't going to, and I could go ahead with the transfer. (Really I know it would be silly to waste the best embryo if the level is too high though). But that does give me a bit of hope that the fact they haven't mentioned it at all even though hypothyroidism must be in my notes maybe means that it isn't a problem and the level of oestrogen for a FET cycle is unlikely to affect it. I'll try to cling on to that hope until I can talk to them tomorrow!

@Hoping4baby2021 your staying off google advice is so wise. I really need to try not to google every tiny thing to do with this process but it's so hard! I like to know as much information as I can about everything (you should see me plan a holiday!). I think if you find acupuncture helpful for relaxation then that's probably a good thing but equally, if the heat and covid makes it a stressful experience then it wouldn't be the ideal acupuncture experience anyway. I think that's probably not going to be the thing that makes the embryo implant or not, either way, so don't put too much pressure on yourself to make the 'right' choice on that and just decide what would be preferable for you.

@lawandgin I'm not an expert by any means but I don't think your period coming early would necessarily mean anything negative for your cycle anyway. I think hormones sort of reset themselves at the beginning of each menstrual cycle. But I hope it arrives at the correct time so that you don't have to worry about it!

@kittyfantastico21 I am EXACTLY the same military precision with my planning. And like you I want to know as much info because we do if needed need to advocate for ourselves and understand the process. Dr's make mistakes sometimes. But I do think we need to limit it up to a point otherwise we drive ourselves mad. So I completely understand where you are coming from and have the same struggle.

I'm leaning towards not doing the acupuncture. IF my normal acupuncturist is in at the time of my transfer (they would need to give me afternoon time slot) then MAYBE and just get my husband to drive us around everywhere lol. But typically they will fit u in with whoever due to the flexibility needed.

I hope the consultant gives you reassuring info and if the test is needed then results come back fine and you can proceed as planned.

@Becky105 the more people I hear doing the same the better I feel. It just feels like something has ramped up, energy has shifted and I just feel it's best to stay hole and limit contact as much as possible. That's just in my gut. I feel better knowing other people are having the same instinct. Did you track ovulation by any have? I know if I'm stressed I can delay ovulation by up to 4 days 🤦🏽‍♀️

@Hoping4baby21 no I didn't track ovulation. I do think stress isn't helping my situation but I can't think about anything else. I'm a teacher and I've broken up for the summer holidays, so I've had no work to distract me and just counting seconds it feels like not good

Hi guys, I’m just out of my scan and found out they only take follicles over 17mm as viable. So even though I’ve 14 varying from 9mm - 19mm I only have 3 over 17mm. I remember someone sharing their progression sheet a few weeks back and it looked similar to mine now (didn’t take a pic as was a bit taken by surprise) I think it was @kittyfantastico21 but could be wrong? How many did you guys get who have been through it? Xx

Sorry if that doesn’t make sense! My first thought for info was you guys!! X

@Clapham4 it wasn't me I'm afraid, I also never took any photos of my follicle tracking. Might have been @Hoping4baby21?

Sorry to hear some of yours are growing a bit slowly. Did they say when your EC would be? Mine were a bit slow so I did an additional day of stims on a lower dose. But maybe none of mine were ready whereas it seems like you have a few that are. I never really knew what sizes mine were. They will grow more between now and EC, especially once you take the trigger, so hopefully you'll have a few catch up. I had 19 follicles and at my last scan they said I should get around 10 eggs, but I got 14.

Thanks!! EC either Friday or Sat, they’ll confirm later but have given me extra bemfola as I’m out. We’re all your 19 over the 17mm mark?