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

@Icsi2021 when do you reckon you egg collection will be have they told you yet?

So sweet that you and your partner are doing injections together. I plan to get my husband to do all of mine, can't imagine injecting myself to be honest. A lot of people had said it comes to be good bonding time as well

@Hoping4baby21, glad your consult went well. I had a call the same day from the patient coordinator, to book a treatment consultation and pay the £500 deposit. She went through all the costs in detail and then followed up with an email saying the same. I think if you’re keen to start on May 17th it might be easier to get your TSH through the clinic rather than GP. Needing a letter for it seems a little excessive to me?

@Aimes2021 oh good! I am really hoping she calls today just want it all booked in and sorted.

Yes I will most likely ask them to do that and pay for it. It isn't worth the stress or the potential delay!

It really is, like do they often get people calling up requesting random blood test for no reason!

@Hoping4baby21 im thinking Monday/Tuesday going from the chart they show you of follicles growing, as long as they are still growing steady tomorrow! I had my TSH done through clinic same tome as my treatment bloods and paid extra £30 thats all x

@icsi2021 oh ok well all the best and hope your follicles grow nicely between now and then and that you have a good amount collected.

Soooo your telling me the GP wants a letter for a blood test that costs 30 pounds! I will go through the clinic for sure then.

@Hoping4baby21 thank you 🙂 as long as we have 1 egg thats all that matters, ah iknow some GPs can be funny, mine were great but i didnt wanna bother them and just booked through clinic as you get the results same day & if meds are needed they prescribe them there & then x

@Aimes2021 Thanks for sharing! Our DH's counts seem to be similar. His morphology was 4% which isn't too far off your DH's so I think we may be put forward for ICSI. So that's a financial commitment we'll have to prepare for too. You're so lucky you got a cancellation spot! How did manage it? Did you have to call in? It's good to know that they moved really quickly with you. I'll have 16 days between my initial consultation and the start of my next cycle so I hope that's enough time. When is your AF due for?

@Icsi2021 I've had a look at your DH's SA. You said previously that you have some frozen and he'll give a fresh sample on the day? You only need one sperm and I'm sure there are some super sperm in there ready to make you your baby! I'm really rooting for you!

@HopingForRainbow2021 Amazing!! Glad you've been accepted onto it! And thanks for the info. Because of what you said, I've just gone and literally called my GP to see how I can get my medical and vaccination records. I've sent in a request for them so I should hopefully have them ready for my consultation. Thank you!! Also, I've never had a TSH test. Should I pay for a postal test kit or do you think I can get the bloods done at ABC on the same day as my scan? I think I'll have to call them about my smear because I'm HPV+ but it's non-cancerous. 17th May is still a while away so hopefully you can get everything done by then! You must be so excited!

@unCliche thank you! It seems the test is quite inexpensive so I am just going to do it with the clinic. Didn't know there were postal tests. I know another clinic mentioned to me that the lab needs to be UK based for them to accept it, so I would just check that to make sure that it will be valid.

I am not sure about HPV + but I imagine they just want the details as I am sure not all results have the same impact or meaning. Best to check with them to be sure though.

@Icsi2021 very true it just takes one

@unCliche 1st SA was only 1 live sperm & 1 dead, 2nd was a freeze SA nd he had 20/50 live sperms nd 3rd was another freeze but 0 sperm found sooo we are hoping the frozen will be enough they did say 50% dont make thaw soo 🤞🏼 We are hoping some fresh but not holding out much hope for the fresh x

@unCliche, I think I had almost exactly the same timeline, 16 days between baseline scan and AF. I called straight after my baseline scan to see about cancellations. Had to just have the initial and treatment consultations at work but being virtual definitely helps with squeezing things in! I hope you manage to get one in time. The lab for bloods is just behind the clinic so you should be fine to get your TSH there when you go for your scan. My AF is due on Thurs/Fri next week.

Can I ask how you are all planning on arranging work, have you told them, are you taking time off at all? I’ve booked leave for after EC but am planning on working normally during stims @Icsi2021 have you managed ok with work during stims?

@Aimes2021 ive taken 2weeks off x

@Hoping4baby21 yeah, there are a few companies that offer postal tests. You get sent the kit, prick your finger with a lancet (horrible things), collect blood in a tiny pot and then post it back to the lab and you get your results back in a few days. But it would probably be better for me to just do it at ABC if it's inexpensive to do so. I called them about the HPV and they said I'd have to discuss it during my consultation so I'm starting to collate all my medical test results and letters so I have everything ready.

@Icsi2021 are your DH's results due to a medical condition? Mine's just obese 😂😂 I guess we're all fortunate that technology has come far enough where very few sperm is enough to make a baby. I'm sure they'll find a way to make it happen for you. Fingers crossed you can add a few more fresh sperm to your numbers 🤞🤞

@Aimes2021 I'll probably call in to get a sooner consultation then. My scan is on 25th May and initial consultation is 1st June, but if I can get a treatment consultation soon after, it might be fine, although cutting it close!! Virtual definitely makes things easier. I work from home so shouldn't be an issue.

With your AF due next week, you'll probably start your meds next week too! I think while on the meds you need to go into the clinic every few days to check on follicle growth so I'll probably take off the weeks before EC and ET.

@unCliche we really dont know why and neither do Drs he has had all relevant tests and they are all normal! We are very lucky to have the option of ICSI 🙂 x

The patient coordinator called me back and it is all settled and booked in now. Managed to get a treatment consultation for next week , At first she said they were really busy so I was bracing for her to tell me we would need to wait until next cycle!

Gunna do TSH there as it will just be easier and will only cost 35 pounds.

For those of you who have started @Icsi2021, @Prayingforabubba & @HopingForRainbow2021 do you mind sharing what dose of meds you are on for stims? She mentioned that the doses they offer are lower than Create offer (I guess due to costs) I am just wondering by how much lower?

Create suggested Bemfola 150iu, Cetrocide 0.25mg, Ovitrelle 250mcg and Utrogestan 200mg.

Unlike Create they don't give you a full breakdown of what meds and does when you speak to the consultant, which is a shame as I wanted to compare.

@Hoping4baby21, that’s great that you’ve managed to get in next week! I’ve been sent my prescription and it’s pretty similar to that tbh, bemfola 125iu but other than that the same as the Create protocol.

@Aimes2021 ahh good to know it isn't very different then!

@Hoping4baby21 im on 112.5 bemfola but they have been amazin im sure the pen is 75-150 so the rest has been wasted everytime ive used it, so i dont think its a cost thing. They have monitored me perfect and have felt so safe and reassured every treatment scan x

@Icsi2021 ahh ok no so obviously not a cost thing. How interesting im curious to know why the difference in that case.

I was reading a few studies regarding using lower doses of stimulation and the results achieved being in line with higher doses especially in those that are young and considered to likely be "good responders". So I'm not fussed about the doses being lower per se and I know that they work it out based on the individual as well.

Thanks for the reassurance. Honestly reading the thread made me more confident in my decision. I know nothing is a guarantee but people seem to have a good experience with them.

@Hoping4baby21, yes that’s reassuring. I think a lot of the cost difference comes from the fact that abc is nurse led mostly. Cannot fault the clinic so far, so responsive and helpful too.

@Icsi2021 and @unCliche, that sounds like a good amount of time to take, think I will try and do the same.

I am literally sitting here and cannot stop thinking about the next few weeks, anyone else feeling a little obsessed and distracted?

@Hoping4baby21 deffo and my dose has been reviewed each treatment scan so they deffo aren't afraid to increase or decrease whenever it is needed. I havnt got anything bad to say since starting 💓
I was the same after baseline scan everything felt soo real and i could focus on anything besides IVF x

@Aimes2021 yes most likely those consultants must get paid a ton! They seem lovely so far and I will say more personable than the person I spoke with at create - not that they weren't nice or anything but at ABC they just seem more talkative.

100 percent distracted I've spent way to much time researching and watching other people's journeys on YouTube lol! 🙈 Is it odd to feel so excited even though I know this isn't going to be a "fun" experience? I suppose I'm excited about the potential outcome.

So are you guys taking 2 weeks off from EC? I was thinking of doing the same to be honest ideally as medical leave. My work place can be pretty stress and toxic and I don't need that in the middle of the cycle at the most critical time!

How is everyone's partner's feeling about it all?

@HopingForRainbow2021

All they've told me is that I will be on is Bemfola 150iu, Cetrocide Ovitrelle and Utrogestan. I'm not sure of the certitude , ovitelle and uttogestan amounts.

They saw 20 Follicles in my scan and a prior one with the nhs showed 24 follicles. I'm a bit nervous of developing OHSS as I'd like to avoid a frozen transfer.

@Aimes2021 it's all I think about. I'm a teacher and I just started crying at work randomly! This is without the added hormones, what will I be like when I start taking them 🤣

@Icsi2021im hoping to get my husband to inject me as the thought of injecting myself terrifies me!

@unCliche

I had my baseline scan on the 23rd March, consultation on the 13th April and then finally my treatment consultation on 27th April. Luckily I had all my tests up to date with the nhs and I was able to email it all over to them.

It felt like a lot of waiting but now that I know it's starting next weekend, it's so exciting!

I spoke to my head teacher yesterday but he was so lovely and didn't ask what I will need the time off for. I think some people may realise if this is successful because I'll be off for monitoring scans so often!

@Prayingforabubba right that's the same level of meds create suggested to me so that is interesting. I'm just so curious to know what the difference is, are there limitations in the testing that ABC can do etc? But that's just me being nosey I guess.

They saw 25 follicles during my scan so I'm a little concerned if developing OHSS but also want good enough meds dose that we get enough eggs to have a fresh and some frozen embryos. That's my ideal scenario anyway.

I'll be getting my husband to inject me also! I'm not scared of needles but no thank you.