IVF August/September cycle buddies

[foodiefil]

Starting this thread early!

We've just booked for our second round to start August 2nd with egg collection September 8th.

I was on the Jan/Feb thread earlier this year.

Come join me :)

@KatRee I had a similar experience with high drop-off. From 21 fertilised down to 4 frozen - which I know is technically a standard drop-off rate but it still felt so crap. The embryologist on Day 1 was really enthusiastic and happy for us, then by Day 3 half of them were no good. The difference in tone on the call was so noticeable even if they didn't give me any numbers! It was awful. Not surprised we haven't got pregnant in 4 years, though, if that's the success rate...

Good luck in the TWW!

Does anyone feel anything in the 2ww.

I have the odd cramp and twinge which I'm blaming partially on the speculum and partially on the lubion injection sites.

I have sore and enlarged breasts which is the lubion.

But I dont feel anything more. Transfer was Monday. Should I be feeling anything?

@Hansoo many typical symptoms in the 2ww are due to progesterone, from what I've heard. Unfortunately, that doesn't stop us all symptom spotting! Speaking of which, I think I had a hot flush last night, and I've been hungry all day. 😝

Oh yeah, forgot to update. Unfortunately the remaining embryo didn't make it to freeze. But we're still in with a chance from one of the 3 transfers. One week to official test day (from tomorrow morning).

@Gensola your husband owes you for that! I'd be so upset haha did he get you a replacement drink at least?
Good luck with your fertilisation update tomorrow!

@KatRee we're also unexplained and I have one blocked tube and we had a huge quality drop-off last time, so some similarities there, but for us it was after Day 3... I had done quite a lot of reading and like Gensola says, drop-offs after Day 3 are often due to MFI and seem to be related to high DNA fragmentation. Frequent ejaculation helps reduce that fragmentation, so I think technically your husband's sample should have been fine with the timing they gave him if that were the problem. I'm no expert obviously, but like @CheesyBug I remember the enthusiastic first updates and then the disappointment after that drop-off - it took me a long time to get my head around it and it's super hard after all the effort it takes to get to that point. Sending you a big hug! Remember you've done the best you can and you have a good a chance as any with your blasts xx
[sorry for the long ramble!]

@ngy21 all good with the ovaleap?

@MollyVanDer stay strong, you can do it :)
@Hansoo and @Bluebonnet3 you too - I'm sorry your remaining embryo didn't make it, but very glad you've got the 3 in there! xx

I guess I have been a little hungrier than usual. Had the odd thirst that has been hard to quench. Also I have been more tired than usual but I think this is because I have cut caffeine completely.
I have been a little mardy too.

Also I'm feeling pain if I end up twisting or picking something up at arms length. So I'm being very careful especially with the dogs. But I do think this is the lubion injections. They are really painful now, stinging and sharp. I dont have many areas left that aren't bruised or pinpricked.

I am struggling even to imagine a bfp and proceeding with a pregnancy.

I genuinely don't mind waiting. I'm just winding myself up with what should I or shouldn't I be feeling at any one time.

@beachbum85 he made me a weird drink of his own invention 😂
Can hardly focus on any thing for thinking about the fertilisation call tomorrow

Good Luck Gensola.

Blue Bonnet my fingers are crossed for you this morning.

Hansoo it’s almost over lovely. Did you cut caffeine out in 1 go? I drink 3 in the morning to function lol I cut it down half a tea spoon of coffee a day and replaced it with decaf. Still getting headaches but that that’s for a different reason.

I'm not sure if I should be happy or worried that I don't know the outcome after day two, I won't know about a day 3 drop off til transfer! Fingers crossed and hope for the best for a positive outcome Saturday morning xx

5 eggs have fertilised, they are looking good apparently but very worried now that we won’t have anything to transfer. No update now until Saturday lunchtime (day 3) with embryo transfer tentatively planned for Monday morning. Argh.

@TanBr
I have cut to decaf. But had one caffeinated coffee this morning and a decaf.

Keep hanging on in there @MollyVanDer !

Thanks @CheesyBug - yes, really similar story to me- the drop off rate and the change in tone from the embryologists. Four is a great number to end with though - hopefully they are strong ones and will give you a BFP. Yeah, not surprised I'm not pregnant yet when so many couldn't make it even a few days

@Hansoo - I keep getting mildly pre-menstrual symptoms that come and go but nothing different from how I normally feel in a tww. Except I felt like I strained by uterus when I sneezed yesterday! Probably still a bit sore from all the prodding and poking I guess

@Bluebonnet3 - sorry you didn't get your frosty. Got everything crossed for the others x

Thank you @beachbum85. It does sound like you were in a very similar situation. I think I had been worrying about not getting any eggs or them not fertilising, but to start of well and then have everything deteriorate was a shock. I hope you get a better result this time x

@Nerdalert Hang on in there- I found the waiting in the embryo's the hardest part of the process so far. I hope you can do something to take your mind off it a little bit x

@Gensola - Got everything crossed for you. Even if you have the big drop off I did you would still have one to transfer, and I think quite a few people here had a relatively small number of eggs fertilise, but then a good proportion of them make it to transfer. Will your clinic give you the option of a day 3 transfer depending on how things progress? x

@KatRee no, they only do 5 day transfers (not sure why?!) so if they don’t make it to Monday then that’s it. Just have to hope at least one does make it.

Gensola, I wonder why that is. I did mine through Care and my first transfer was a 3day fresh.

Thanks KatRee, I hope so too :)
Just got home from EC - it went smoothly and they got 6 eggs. I'm a bit disappointed because they seemed really confident that they'd get 8 or so (and we had 9 last time) but I know it's quality over quantity so I'm looking forward to seeing how things go over the next few days 🤞🏼🤞🏼
On a positive note, I feel totally fine and just a bit sleepy - gotta love that sedation :)

@Gensola glad to hear you've got 5 that are looking good! Keeping everything crossed for them to keep going strong to Monday, and hopefully you'll have even more then one that makes it xx

@Nerdalert totally impossible not to worry but your little embryos won't be disturbed and Saturday will soon be here... I'm hoping for a great outcome for you! xx

@Hansoo good to hear the you're not finding the wait too hard. As others have said, there's really no consistency in how people feel and either way it could be down to both the progesterone or pregnancy... best way to keep us all wondering and analysing

@Nerdalert we've been told the same thing, that they don't disturb them until day 5...I'm sure they know what they are doing! Hope it goes quickly for you!

@beachbum85 well done on your EC! Glad to hear you are feeling ok after it 😊

@2mumsandason Thanks! All went well with ovaleap, much easier than buserelin! I wanted to alternate sides for injections every day but after having my buserelin shot on my right side, it felt a little sore so ended up doing ovaleap on my left. I think moving forward i will continue doing a shot on each side per day.... you start your stims tomorrow don't you? Hope it all goes well! I think you will find it easy!

@beachbum85 yes! all good thank you! it's just so much easier and convenient, downside is that it needs to be cold but other than that it's all good! How are you getting on??! Hope EC went well and you are recovering quickly!

@beachbum85 congrats on your egg collection! I know what you mean about sedation, I really like the feeling of drifting off!!
I am trying to keep my mind off things but not very successfully. Think I will go for a walk with a good podcast.

@2mumsandason are you waiting on your embryo transfer too? Fingers crossed for you!

@Tanbr I did some digging and it says in the leaflet they gave me that they recommend waiting for 5 days as they think the embryos are better then, but it doesn't really explain why they don't usually offer 3 days as an option. I will ask when they call me on Saturday!

@gensola congratulations on having 5 fertilised! I know you’re worried about the drop off but that is a great starting point.

@nerdalert congratulations too!! sounds like you have had a v successful ec and fertilisation!!!

@KatRee my sister had only 2 eggs collected, resulting in one low quality embryo which is now a very happy 9 yr old boy. So it just needs to be a sticky one!! I totally understand the concerns around quality though : all of my embryos were slow developers and though they put two in, one of them I think was pretty dubious in terms of early state of development and the two they didn’t put in weren’t worth freezing. So I’m also really worried about the state of my eggs. My OH was told his sperm were top notch so the embryo development doesn’t seem to be due to an issue on his side.

I have zero symptoms so far, but I didn’t at this stage in either of my previous pregnancies (miscarriage + 2 1/2 yr old) so I guess I’m not expecting to, but everyone’s body reacts in different ways!! @hansoo totally with you on how unpleasant the lubion is - my injection sites are so sore!! I’m circulating around both legs and sides of my stomach to try to give each one a bit more of a break…..

When is your test date? I have to hold on til 11 Sept!!

Ouch @99pctpractice - I haven't tried my legs. Is it more painful? So many lubion bruises!

@Gensola I'm not waiting on my ET yet, but when they were going through all the information they said that they don't disturb them and wait until day 5.

@ngy21 I'm so glad you found it easier! I've been trying to move my injection around every night too to allow my stomach to recover! I think that is wise to have one on each side...I think I'll do the same! I've got my DR scan tomorrow afternoon, so all being well I will start stims on Saturday!

For those with injections still to do, i honestly recommend putting a mini ice /cool pack on the site for 10 mins or so before doing each jab. Out of my 40 something injection sites only maybe 4 of them bruised and only felt a small sting on initial injection. Mine was a little pineapple shaped one from etsy my mum bought for me as a little starter gift!

I test on Wednesdays 8th Sept

Thank you @2mumsandason @Gensola and @ngy21 - yes I'm feeling well, thanks, and just woke up from a great 2h nap and I hope this hazy feeling lasts a bit longer so I can't get too worried about the fertilisation update tomorrow :)

@99pctpractice thank you so much for sharing your sister's story - that is really encouraging and just what I needed today :)
I had a chat with our embryologist this morning about our previous round and she reassured me that some numbers she was crunching show that early blasts have up to 27% chance of sticking (aside from any other issues there might or might not be in the uterus and so on) so it might not be as much as an embryo graded 5 or 6, but you're definitely in with a chance with that and another 2 xx

@Gensola walk and a podcast sounds good.. I hope these days pass quickly for you between updates xx

@Goldilocks2528 how did it go today? both your scan and your event :)

@2mumsandason good luck for tomorrow's scan!

@2mumlife am I right in thinking you'd get started around this time too? I hope you're doing well xx