IVF - May

[TheSnufflet]

Couldn't see a thread for May so I thought I'd start one!

Anyone else doing their cycle in May? I just got my calendar through and all the injections look extremely Not Fun (this is my first time doing it) 😕

Hello all, I’d love to join the thread, starting my cycle in a couple of weeks.. I haven’t been given my prescription yet so not sure what the consultant will prescribe, I’m on the short protocol so no birth control pills thankfully. Just good ol menopur injections.

I had a successful cycle a couple of years ago and then a failed FET last year. This is my last chance saloon and will probably only be the one cycle so fx. I am excited to finally start

2mumlife I like your idea of passing the time, at the moment I’m reading about ivf, thinking about it, dreaming about it! I have a few deliveries of garden stuff in the next few weeks so hopefully that will distract me.

Hope everyone else’s plans are going well atm

@Gardenlady543 Oh my god, I suppose the only silver lining there is that you had the rash reaction and not the anaphylactic reaction 😱 interesting how they were going to cancel your fresh cycle after the rash though - was that an abundance of caution on their part? I could imagine someone having a random eczema flare and having their cycle cancelled under that circumstance, or was there something else picked up on bloods? Oh and what sort of medical background do you have?

@Georgie87B That's so shit about being under Cambridge CCG 🙁 which clinic are you at? I'm not sure when my meds are arriving, but you're right, it's definitely going to feel more real at that point 😬

@2mumlife I think you made the right call - looking at all the statistics for IUI it just doesn't seem worth it compared to IVF (although IVF is a lot rougher/more invasive for sure). How is the garden looking at the moment? I want this cold weather to sod off so I can put the tomatoes in the greenhouse without worrying about frost!

Hi @clolo and welcome to the ICSI gang! I think generally fertilisation rates for ICSI are pretty good? Also, your age and AMH are on your side 🙂 what sort of MFI is the issue if you don't mind me asking? Ours is morphology - hopefully the embryologist will be able to find a few sperm for us that don't have dodgy tails/two heads etc 🤔

@VenusStarr that's great that you have a plan finally and have been been properly listened to! Did he explain why they might do a 3-day transfer - is it just low numbers? It was me who asked about the adenomyosis - my understanding was that it was really difficult to diagnose, just like endo, and that you needed a lap/biopsy to confirm? But interesting/hopeful that it could be mini-fibroids instead 🙂 why would there be a difference in treatment if you were paying vs. being an NHS patient? That seems a bit dodgy 🤨

Welcome @mowglika - always good to hear from people that have had previous success 🙂 have you got many embryos stored from previous rounds?

I've also been obsessively reading all things infertility across social media (mainly Reddit, Instagram and YouTube) and I think it's sending me a bit doolally tbh 🙃 I don't know if anyone else has found this on Instagram, but a lot of the infertility accounts there are American, and most of them are quite... Jesus-y, for want of a better word - I find it quite hard to relate! They also all seem to have that same frigging rustic letter board, it's definitely an aesthetic 😕 the YouTube ones are often a lot more heartbreaking, either they transform into full on mummy-channel or there is one IVF vlog per couple and then you never see from them again 🙁 I admit I'm far too delicate to ever consider doing something like that - the chance of failure is so high and I don't think I could bear a permanent record of my trauma to remain on the internet for all time.

Another sign of impending madness - I'm the least 'woo' person ever, but I appear to have bought a new chain for my old moonstone necklace and found an excuse to buy a silver and rose quartz bracelet, just on the off-chance it might be a little bit magic (I might just be treating myself as well)! It's quite pretty - all the stones look like little follicles 😂

@clolo Welcome to the journey! I'd try not to worry about using ICSI, as it'll be being used to give you the best chances you can with MF and they'll big the best looking little fellas for the job! Hopefully IVF will do the trick for you.

@VenusStarr I'll keep some fingers crossed for you this cycle. Maybe ask your consultant about that other follicule? Also, I don't know if its relevant for you, but with your history of mc I'm sure you'd said you'd had at least one later one - have they checked your cervical length at all? I've already been told by my ferility consultant that based on what he saw during my fresh embryo transfer and given the previous treatment I had for pre-cancerous cervical changes I'm going to need monitored and likely need the cervical stitch if I ever get pregnant. Maybe worth asking the question?

@mowglika I've absolutely needed to find distractions. I've been working from home ever since lockdown began last year, so I need things other than work and feryility! Best of luck with the cycle.

@TheSnufflet My conservatory is being overrun with courgettes - I've had to re-pot because they're getting big but its still hitting minus temperatures over night here (I'm in Scotland, so we've had awful weather recently) so I'm not even chancing them in the greenhouse at the moment, though my lettuce is doing ok out there, and that where my parsnips are (in really long tubes, but they're desperate to get out!). Looks like from Monday we're back into better temperatures so I think the parnsips are just going to need to be transplanted then and hope it doesn't drop again. On the other hand this cold should be doing great things getting the garlic bulbs to form!

I'm all for a bit of magic. Because the ladies on the board I was on for Feb/March kept going on about this wholse eating McDs things, I made my Mrs stop off for one after the transfer (one of the ladies on the board coundn;t beleive it when I said I hadn't had one for many, many years as we just don't eat fast food). I wont be bothering with it this time, but I also took it as a great excuse to eat lots of Brazil nuts last time, which I like, so I 'll probably buy another bag .

Had a chat with embryologist yesterday which was as I'd expected just about the defrost and things. Interestingly there was a bit of a warning that if there is too much demand when cycle starts we could be told we cant go in May, which I'm hoping doesn't happy.

I'm still waiting for April AF which is annoying. My last period was the one that came 4dp5dt in March and my clinic made me keep taking the cyclogest until the official testing date, so I don't know if thats messed me up. Had shocking PMS though and been cramping. Wish it would get going as been told to hold off drug order until I can give them estimate for when my day 1 will be in May to try to book our slot.

Yes @TheSnufflet he said if we've only got 3/4 in the running, they like to transfer on day 3 and watch the others. I listened to the mindful ivf app lady night and there was something on there about day 3 vs day 5 transfers and I don't feel like it's necessarily a bad thing. I'm trying to keep my expectations low for this first round. I think with the nhs funding, they kind of stick to a standard but I guess if you're paying yourself they can try different things.

I had a fertility bracelet that I've been wearing since my last loss and it broke on Saturday and so obviously I thought good things, but had a bfn today, so I've ordered myself a new one for my ivf cycle. I'm all for the woo!

My recurrent mc clinic has replied @2mumlife and said the follicle will likely just disintegrate, but didn't really explain it or why it might be there. I've not had my cervix checked, my losses were all by 9 weeks, but if I do get pregnant I will be getting my cervix checked definitely.

@mowglika 👋

@TheSnufflet oh yeah definitely, the first cycle was the worst worrying that I might have anaphylaxis but hopefully everything will stay as it is. My specialist was being overly cautious, she said even if someone just has a cold they’ll cancel. She said it would be wasting an embryo to transfer knowing I may have to stop progesterone as I was having an allergic reaction to it. I ended up seeing my Gp for the epipen and asking him to refer me to immunology. I trained in hospital medicine, I don’t work in the NHS now, I’m still in medicine but work for a private company now, nothing fertility related, but it helps, I’m constantly readomg infertility research papers.

@2mumlife the cycle after my fresh was about 10 days longer than normal and they’ve still not got back to normal. Hopefully AF will arrive soon for you!

@VenusStarr I was reading about day 3 vs day 5 transfers, there’s an argument that the uterus is a better environment than a Petri dish so in some cases a day 3 transfer is the best option and I’ve seen lots of ladies on these forums with success from day 3 embryos

I am now day 16 of my ERA cycle and I just nudged over 9mm at my scan this morning so I start my progesterone tomorrow and have my biopsy on Thursday, they’ll measure my lining on the day as they think it’s shrinking once I start progesterone. Hopefully I can get the result soon and get on with my next FET in May.

@2mumlife I have t started my nasal spray yet, but not long to go now- couple of weeks! I’m also germinating some seeds to pass the time!

The snufflet I had 2 frozen embryos which I transferred together last year, one took but I had an early miscarriage. The previous 2 embryos I had transferred a couple of years ago resulted in 1 dc

Starting afresh, a couple of years older. My hormone levels and AMH and AFC all look good for my age (42) but my last cycle I had 37 follicles>16 eggs>4 blasts so clearly something goes wrong in between!

Thank you 2mumlife and Venusstarr

Re crystals my acupuncturist sells crystals in his shop and I’ve somehow ended up with a bit of a collection. They come with little description cards and I’m already lining them up for different stages of the cycle - agate for resilience, quartz for hope, tiger eye for dynamism. Nothing wrong with positive thinking no matter how woo

@TheSnufflet we are with Bourn Hall in Cambridge/Bourn and luckily they are only a 5 min drive from us which makes things alot easier with trying to juggle WFH and all the upcoming appointments. I work in a team of males so don't really feel comfortable sharing my IVF journey with them so trying to keep it quiet.
Meds arrived in loads of boxes which was quite daunting but sure will get my head around it just focusing on one thing at a time. Do you know when you will receive your meds??

I know what you mean about this whole thing taking over your life I am constantly reading IVF books and other people's experiences in Instagram! Have you read the book "Get a life - his and hers survival guide to IVF"? As I am quite the IVF "newbie" I found this very helpful in understanding the process from both a male and females perspective and also made me laugh out loud in places!

@clolo welcome! I think there are a few of us doing ICSI on here. 😁 I know it's all nerve wracking our main issue is also MF but mainly due to motility and when i had my fertility test the nurse mentioned that my AMH was on the low side of normal and now I am panicking about it but it is probably not as bad as I am thinking! We just have to try and keep positive and trust that the embryologists will find the best swimmers for the job! 🏊‍♂️💪 Sending you lots of luck!! 🍀

@VenusStarr Sorry it's a negative. Ah ok maybe wasn't that then, earliest they'll put in stitch is after 12 weeks I believe.

@Gardenlady543 Annoying you're still not back to your usual cycle length!

@RazzleDazzle I'm loving all the seed growing going on

@mowglika Are you aiming for a double transfer this time around as well?

Morning all. Cd1 today, not too bad at the moment, but can feel cramps brewing. It hit me this morning that the next cd1 we'll be starting treatment! Felt a bit excited and then anxious...

I am still worried about this follicle that was there on Thursday, do you think I should try and get a scan before I start my treatment? I'm a bit worried it could be a cyst, so think I might ask the GP for an estrogen blood test. I need to get my thyroid medication repeat prescription review anyway. Do you think I'm worrying over nothing?

@Gardenlady543 thank you :) that's reassuring about the 3 day vs 5 day. I'm trying to keep my expectations low so I can prepare but I know once it comes to it, that'll all probably go out the window!

I've meal planned for the week and I'm aiming to do some yoga later and I restarted couch to 5k yesterday. I want to focus on my health these next few weeks.

Hope everyone is well xx

@venusstarr that's such an exciting thought! I think with the follicle you might as well ask the questions and see if they can give you any reassurance, but I'm sure if they had any concerns they would have already checked them out. Meal planning sounds great, my diet is never the best but I'm trying to get in more veg and less pizza 😉

I finally ovulated today 7 days later than usual which I'm assuming will push back my next cycle. So I should be starting meds around 28th April!! So so excited 😊

How is everyone else doing?

@Gardenlady543

Hi *@TheSnufflet* I’m hopefully going to be doing a FET cycle from mid-May, I’m doing a mock cycle with ERA EMMA ALICE right now, so I will need to finish that, have a natural cycle and then hopefully I should be ready for a transfer after that.

What’s your story been so far?

What's that? I have low AMH, would like to know more if you don't mind xx

Hi @Maddie020 my friend has a low AMH and her consultant does ERAs on everyone with a low AMH that he treats. If you’re going through embryo banking then the embryos are in short supply and you have to get the transfer right, you can’t go with the trial and error approach that clinics seem to take.

In my case I’m having it because of implantation failure. I’m taking all the meds I’d take in a FET but on the day of transfer I’m having an endometrial biopsy (instead of a transfer). They will look at the genes that are switched on and say how long I need to be on progesterone for in the next FET, 1 in 3 women have a implantation window that is different to the standard protocol used. They will also look at good and bad bacteria, there is evidence that this balance is very important for implantation and to maintain a pregnancy. So will potentially need antibiotics or probiotics if this isn’t right. It costs about £1500.

@VenusStarr If you're worried about the follicule I would just ask someone, see if you can get your mind put at ease. I never thought I'd be jealous about being CD1 but I am!

I'm now CD37 after failed fresh transfer. My cycle length varies, but I'm not up at the 'upper end' of my normal. We've still decided to sit out the next cycle (even more so if IVF drugs are still messing about in my system), so starting to think I'm going to be leaving the May board and joining the June board instead! Grrr

@VenusStarr I would try and get it looked at ASAP as it may be something you need to delay treatment for. I had polyps discovered weeks before my first cycle and thankfully we put off the cycle and dealt with that first, the cycle then went on to be successful.

@2mumlife I prob won’t be having a double transfer this time, I really don’t want to risk twins! having said that I did a double transfer for both my fresh and FET and both times only 1 took. I guess we’ll wait and see how many blasts I get, if only 2 I’ll probably transfer both as at least 1 is likely to be aneuploid

@2mumlife oooh how many courgette plants are you growing? We had three in the raised bed last year and to be honest it was WAY too much for the both of us - we couldn't give them away, and they have a nasty habit of immediately turning into marrows the second you turn your back on them 🙈 our garlic is also thriving in the unseasonable snow! I just want to get a move on with the brassicas to be honest, this winter feels like it's dragged on forever (although lockdown hasn't helped either).
See, I may be being controversial here, but I honestly can't stand McDonalds so I really don't want to get post-transfer fries (I heard it's the sodium that's supposed to be the thing anyway) - do you think post-transfer sushi could work if I use a shitload of soy sauce? I loooove brazil nuts so I will take any excuse to scoff them!
I'm sorry your cycle is being wonky, stick around though as I reckon a lot of us won't be entirely done in May - I know that my test day is in early June (should have called this thread IVF May/June, missed opportunity)

@VenusStarr I've also heard good things about day 3 transfers, so I wish you luck 🤞 I didn't know there was such a thing as 'an NHS standard' treatment, I got the impression that everything was really highly individualised? I'm at a private clinic with NHS funding so I don't know if that makes a difference?
I wouldn't worry unduly about the follicle - I'm sure I've had corpus haemorrhagium/luteum cysts persist at weird points in my cycle in the billion ultrasounds I've had done and I've been told they're nothing to worry about, but I'd definitely contact them if it puts your mind at ease.
I've also been meal planning for the entire stim cycle - lots of protein and not a lot of carbs. I'm sure the impact of diet is pretty negligable, but it's a small thing I can control, so why not 🤷‍♀️

@Gardenlady543 Oh wow, I didn't know they'll cancel if you have a cold! I can totally understand them being freaked out about COVID though as it will cancel everything for everyone. I'm being extra cautious with handwashing/sanitising in the weeks leading up to it, I've waited so so long to get to this point I don't want some stranger's random germs to throw me off!
Biopsy isn't far away now - when do you think you'll get the results by?

@mowglika Even though there's a large drop-off those numbers are great! Interesting that you had double transfers each time, what was their rationale for doing it the first time? It's my understanding that they'll only do it under really extenuating circumstances?
I could do with a bit of dynamism and resilience at the moment, I feel bloody knackered 😂 my best friend is a proper, full-on Wiccan so I might see if she's got any cool witchy stuff to burn to increase my chances - can't hurt, right?

@Georgie87B Oh cool, we're also with Bourn Hall, but go to the satellite clinic in Norwich. Are you going to the actual Downton Abbey-esque original clinic? How are you finding them? I couldn't be happier with them, they're really efficient and friendly so hope that bodes well 🙂 sorry to hear you're not in a supportive work environment, are you keeping it non-specific with 'women's issues'?
I'm supposed to start taking buserelin on the 25th April, when are you starting your meds? I'm not sure when I'm supposed to be getting them or if I should send the clinic a chaser email at this point?
I haven't read that book but I've seen it recommended by a few people, I might invest in it!

I'm currently debating with myself whether I should let myself have a couple glasses of wine on my birthday, but I'll be six days into buserelin by that point - the internet seems pretty divided between 'NO ALCOHOL EVER' and 'sure, I had a bottle of prosecco immediately after egg transfer and I have triplets' 🤔 I'm already pissed off that I'm going to be doing injections and menopausal on my 35th without feeling massively guilty on top of it! 😣

@TheSnufflet I am super impressed with your courgette growing skills, I start a few courgette plants in pots and then put them out every year, but I never get a huge supply. I make courgetti spaghetti, you may be able to spiralise excess courgette and freeze it?

For various reasons I’m against McD having been a vegan for most of my life, I think the main benefit is the salt which will encourage you to drink water, so I guess crisps or salted nuts would have the same effect, ohhh I would love some sushi, the yo sushi in my city has been shut for so long and I think it’s back open today but it’s doing a limited menu, so I can’t get the huge vegan platter they usually do for takeaway 😍

My biopsy is on Thursday morning! Yay! Can’t wait to get these drugs out my system and feel normal again. They say the results take 2 weeks but my friend just had one and it took 4 weeks. I really really don’t want to delay the next FET cycle, my last FET was Jan/Feb, having all these tests has really stretched things out. But it was my decision to do this, so I only have myself to blame. I think as long as I get a result in the ERA I’ll be happy: if it says I’m receptive then that’s great, if it says I have an altered window then that’s great too, since the next cycle can be planned better. At my scan the other day the nurse said they don’t do these very often but the last person that had one has an altered window, they adjusted the cycle and she got pregnant on the next transfer. So fingers crossed!

I personally wouldn’t risk the alcohol 🍷 but I mean inevitably it’s up to you. If it were me, I would get a fancy drink like elderflower presse and drink it from a champagne glass to celebrate.

@Georgie87B I work mostly around men too, they’re doctors like me so hopefully understand things a bit. Both my line managers are surrounded by females in their families, so they are very accommodating, I think they err on the side of caution and are overly nice so as not to offend! But saying that there has still been times where I’ve got a bit upset, when my line manager mentioned his 20 week pregnant daughter in law for the second time, I may have had a bit of a rant at him. Most people don’t realise that birth and pregnancy announcements can be quite triggering, he certainly knows this now.

My latest news is that I started my progesterone injections for the endometrial biopsy, I am bruising like there is no tomorrow, probably because I’m on aspirin for the first time. I am not looking forward to the appearance of my abdomen in the FET cycle since I’ll be on it for about 19 days (longer if successful), that is a lot of bruises!!

@mowglika Hopefully you'll get lots of blasts to make choices from :)

@TheSnufflet We've got 6 courgettes growing just now We ended with 5 last year but a different variety (chunky round courgettes), this year we've gone with a equal mix green and yellow traditional shaped. We gave some away last year, though not that many, and did freeze a fair bit (grated, liquid squeezed out, then used mostly for fritters and a sort of courgette quiche). I like picking them as mini veg though too, and eating the flowers, so not all of it really gets to the fully developed stage. We also just eat a lot of veg in general (I only eat chicken and fish (no red meat) and more of our meals are veggie than not).

Yes I think it is meant to be a sodium thing - I don't add salt to food, so I was expecting the McDs salt overload to be worse than it was (I'm convinced they must have cut back a bit since I've last had one) but yeah I wont be bothering again! I did quite enjoy the milkshake though!

Re: alcohol I would do what YOU feel comfortable with - there are some great low or no alc options out there if you want to investigate those.

And if it makes you feel better, I had no menopausal symptoms (or symptpoms of any description tbh...) during my down-regulation phase (though was on Prostap rather than Buserelin) so you might be lucky and not have a bad ride (the only time I really had negative symptoms during my fresh IVF round was to the cyclogest, with the opposite of the constipation problem most people seem to get, and incredibly sore boobs after embryo transfer).

@TheSnufflet ahh nice to hear someone else using Bourn Hall. Yes it's the original one in the Cambridgeshire village of Bourn does look rather fancy as you pull up but only been there once so far going for out virology blood tests on Wednesday 👍.
I have found them all extremely helpful so far and nothing is too much trouble.
As for work luckily so far I haven't had to make many excuses and the whole working from home has make everything alot easier. But when all the scans start I think I will use the women's issue excuse as men don't tend to question it 😂.
I started norethisterone tablets on Sunday and recieved my delivery of all my medication last Thursday. I don't start injections until 1st May after I have had a 5 day break from the norethisterone. So I would think that they will order your medication about the week before you are due to start. I recieved an email from Fertility2u early last week to agree a delivery date. But Yea it can't hurt chasing this up just so you have an idea when to expect them.
I would highly reccommend that book my other half, mum and mother in law have all read it now. I have read 3 books on peoples IFV stories and that by far is my favourite.
Also on the whole alcohol side of things for me in the weeks leading up to starting my meds i was allowing myself 1 glass of wine a week (a Friday night treat) but am trying to be alot stricter now I have started the meds. I did buy an ultra low alcohol Rhubard and Ginger Gin from Aldi the other week which is 0.4% so I am now having 1 of those a week as my treat if I feel like it. So maybe an alternative like that would be better than nothing and make you feel less guilty??
It's the same with caffeine I was a BIG tea drinker and have gone to decaf now but do allow myself a Costa coffee on occasions.
That's rubbish that you will be injecting on your birthday, I'm sure it will all be worth it in the end and you won't forget it in a hurry😁🍀

@Gardenlady543 I've heard others say Lubion injections aren't very nice as well. Good luck for biopsy!

@Georgie87B I also weaned myself onto the decaf before IVF. At first I found it challening though to figure out what I could drink though! as while I'd happily switch out a lot of bevarages for herbal tea, the NHS advice is to not drink more than 4 cups of herbal tea in a day during pregnancy, so I've been rationing my tea intake too in the 2ww as well (and avoiding several teas I enjoy becasue of possible issues with some of the ingredients). In the end I just ended up drinking soda and lime more, and having hot blackcurrent cordial when I'd exceeded the herbal tea quota for the day

@2mumlife ahh that's interesting! I have found dacaf tatses better than I thought it would so the change hasn't been too bad. I am having about 3/4 cups of decaf tea a day and now trying to mainly drink water in between. Good idea on the hot blackcurrant though have have to give that a go, I haven't had that in years! 👍

@Gardenlady543 I don't think I can really take credit for the courgettes doing well, they just seemed to go bonkers last year for no reason! Although I do own a spiraliser, I've never been that impressed with the results when trying to substitute it for traditional carbs - I always used these instead, they're essentially pure fibre and providing you cook them properly (they smell revolting straight out of the packet) then they're absolutely brilliant. I'm thinking about eating them more around ER/ET time, as they keep you incredibly regular and I hear that can be an issue...
What I usually did with the vast amounts of courgettes is to dice them up with some aubergine, red peppers and garlic, season them and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, then roast them for an hour and a half under foil on a medium temperature - it makes the most god-tier sandwich filling along with hummus (completely vegan as well!) 😋
Ahh you've totally inspired me to get a sushi platter for my birthday treat! Do you know when they're supposed to be opening up again? I love a bit of dirty Yo's 😂
I'm glad it's all nearly over and you're closer to getting the answers soon (and I really hope it's closer to the two weeks than four weeks!) Do you find that aspirin is making a huge amount of difference with the bruising? I take a baby aspirin every day just for general cardiovascular health and the clinic said it was okay, but I'm not sure I want to be a walking bruise...

@2mumlife ooh we're doing the round yellow ones this year as well (just did the traditional-shaped green ones last year). My husband does a brilliant thing with stuffed courgette flowers - they're battered as well so not amazingly healthy but my god they taste great! I'm really looking forward to getting a big veg crop this year, it's inevitably so much tastier and more satisfying to go out and just pick some compared to shop bought stuff.

I've just remembered this product for alcohol-free stuff - it's actually amazing and tastes so close to the real thing, I insist you all track it down if you can!

I wonder why the NHS advice is no more than 4 herbal teas? Do they specify which herbs? I was rather hoping to substitute my daytime coffee with rosehip and hibiscus tea! And I'll be really sad if I can't have my nightly valerian tea any more 😔

I'm hoping I'm one of the lucky ones that doesn't get side-effects as well - interestingly I will be taking the pill AND buserelin at the same time for the first week, and buserelin and Gonal-F for the rest of the time, so it may well be the case that they counteract each other? No idea as to the rationale as to why I'm taking both at the same time.

@Georgie87B I'm glad to hear you're having a positive experience as well 😊 working from home is making a huge difference to how stressful it would be otherwise! It sounds as though you received your meds relatively soon before you were supposed to start taking them? But I think I'll email on Friday just to be on the safe side.

I'm attending a BBQ with a couple of friends the day before starting injections so I'm pencilling that in as my last allowable drink. You're right, there are some really nice low-alcohol alternatives so I'll have a hunt in the supermarket. To be honest it will be the caffeine that will be the hardest one - I'm a big black coffee drinker and worried that I'll feel like a zombie without!

I want to know if everyone thinks I'm mental for potentially planning a camping trip around the time when I'm supposed to be taking the HPT? I feel as though I've been cooped up for so long - plus all the self-isolating you have to do during IVF - that I could really do with being in my Happy Place (along the Suffolk Coast) if the news is either positive or negative, if you see what I mean? The only thing I'd be taking at that point is Crinone gel - would it be mad to go out there with a bunch of early response tests and pessary applicators? All feedback welcome 😂

@Gardenlady543

Hi *@Maddie020* my friend has a low AMH and her consultant does ERAs on everyone with a low AMH that he treats. If you’re going through embryo banking then the embryos are in short supply and you have to get the transfer right, you can’t go with the trial and error approach that clinics seem to take.

In my case I’m having it because of implantation failure. I’m taking all the meds I’d take in a FET but on the day of transfer I’m having an endometrial biopsy (instead of a transfer). They will look at the genes that are switched on and say how long I need to be on progesterone for in the next FET, 1 in 3 women have a implantation window that is different to the standard protocol used. They will also look at good and bad bacteria, there is evidence that this balance is very important for implantation and to maintain a pregnancy. So will potentially need antibiotics or probiotics if this isn’t right. It costs about £1500.

@Gardenlady543 : thanks a lot for the update, can I ask what clinic ur frd is going to(pm me if you would like)

To update you all -
I had -Ve pregnancy test today and started my periods.

My story is really long but to give you an idea - I had my tests done before COVID thing started in December 2019 that's when they found that my amh is slightly on lower side i.e. 6.9 still they went ahead with treatments in October 2020 - 3 IUI and now 1 failed IVF.

I am 36 right now and I am sure my amh must have gone further down since December 2019.

As I was going through NHS funded treatment I felt like it was kind of a tick box exercise.

I worst feeling I had was in my ivf treatment when clinic transferred 3 cells embryo on 3rd day, after lots of reading I knew it ain't gonna implant.

Devastated and heartbroken is understatement and I just can't stop thinking about it that so much time has been wasted and I am running out of time.

Now that I have to go private, I wanna make sure that I know everything and choose the right clinic.

All your inputs are most welcome and would be grateful if you all can guide me through the right direction as I see no light at the end of the tunnel right now

@TheSnufflet ooo I like the look of that alcohol free g&t will be getting some of that on my next shop! Thanks for the link!
Yea my meds did came only a few days before I started but yest to double check as not sure this if this is the norm for Bourn Hall.
I think the whole cutting out caffeine did make me more tired to start off with but am used to it now. But if I do have my Costa treat I do notice that I stay awake longer in the evening! 😂 And I am planning to do the same as you give myself the little weekly treat until I start stim injections then totally cut everything out.
I don't think you are crazy at all to book a camping trip within your TWW. I have no experience with it but I only assume that by keeping busy and doing something which you love and that puts you in a good head space can only be a good thing! As long as you are comfortable with being away when you get the result (which 🤞 will be a BFP). I think going through this whole process it's good to have something else to look forward to that is outside this IVF bubble we are all in.

@Maddie020 I am so sorry to hear that it didn't work out for you this time and wish i could offer you some advise but I am all new to this at the moment with it being my first round at the moment. We have gone the private route due to no NHS funding where we live and found this process very quick. We got our fertility test at the start of the year and just starting meds now. I know financially it is a big hit but I think it also means things are alot quicker.
Stay strong I'm sure there will be light at the end of the tunnel just try and stay positive! ❤️

@TheSnufflet some Yo Sushi’s have stayed open the whole time, mine was shut but opened yesterday, I know that because after you mentioned sushi I ordered a takeaway and headed right into the city centre to get it!!

@Maddie020 My friend who has a low AMH has told me that it’s debatable but London clinics mentioned for low AMH are:
Kings fertility
Create
Evewell (central London)
She is with Dr Gudi at fertility plus

From knowing her story she seems to be getting great care with Dr Gudi, and has been doing embryo banking, he books up fast. I think you need to do some research and phone about to find out about waiting lists etc. Not sure if you’re in London, but I expect most of the specialist centers for low AMH will be there. Did you get any other embryos in your recent cycle?