Infertility investigations/IVF in Scotland - thread 3

[itsmschanandlerbong]

A thread for those of us undergoing infertility investigations or treatment in Scotland.

Thread 1 - www.mumsnet.com/Talk/infertility/3742246-infertility-investigations-ivf-in-scotland

Thread 2 - www.mumsnet.com/Talk/infertility/4138992-Infertility-investigations-IVF-in-Scotland-thread-2

That's great news overall and for you, hopefully things line up for you to go ahead in December!

@ally99101 Such a yoyo! Its a constant "Wait, Wait, Wait, GOOOOO!!!!" with fertility clinics isn't it? After so much frustration since the EC in September, its quite scary/exciting to let hope creep back in again. Trying not to get ahead of myself until I'm actually at Day 1 and have them saying "yes, start the meds"

@2mumlife that's good news, but strange how they've got their finger out all of a sudden. Fingers crossed things go smoothly now x

@2mumlife thank you for the info, was just an idea of timings really so that’s really helpful. They didn’t mention it being a freeze all perhaps there are different types of antagonist protocols (mine is 044) but I’ll definitely ask about that.
@Scirocco, interesting- covid has a lot to answer for !

@Hopewishprayer I reckon you're right, that it would've been covid that's caused a dip. Mine went from 9 to 18 in a year too! No idea why but no complaints 😁 I was also antagonist protocol for 2 cycles and both cycles managed a fresh transfer. I think it depends on the clinic as to whether or not you need a freeze all. Whereabouts are you again? I was at GRI.

@2mumlife that's fab! Things are looking positive then for getting in before Christmas 😁

@Hopewishprayer Do you know what your trigger is? Its really having the Supercur (also called buserelin) as a trigger thats the issue, as it doesn't give you the same luteal phase support as HCG does, and leads to poorer implantation rates, early pregnancy loss etc. At GCRM they wont allow a fresh transfer after Buserelin trigger

@LouScot I think they'll just have been having a lot of grumbling patients recently!

@itsmschanandlerbong Fingers crossed!

@itsmschanandlerbong I am GRI too, that’s quite a jump for you too - but as you say no complaints, as long as moving in right direction!
@2mumlife it says centroids / fyremadel so must be different, thanks for the info 😊

@Hopewishprayer I was on protocol 4 so it sounds like yours is the same protocol? Have you had the details of it through yet?

@itsmschanandlerbong it says 044 so not sure if that’s different to 4, have the sheet but the meds are handwritten and can’t make them all out 😂

@Hopewishprayer Sounds lie centrotide will be the trigger then? I've never used that one before :) @itsmschanandlerbong will be able to give a more accurate idea for your cycle by the sounds of it!

@Hopewishprayer from what I remember, it was menopur twice a day for 2 days, then menopur in the morning and fyrmedal in the evening. Scan and bloods on day 2 and take the medication away, on day 5 of injections you come in for a blood test then from day 8 of injections it's a scan and blood test every day or second day until you're ready to trigger! The trigger was ovitrelle. It's all over with quite quickly! I'm sure I injected for 12 days cycle 1 and 10 days cycle 2.

@itsmschanandlerbong @Hopewishprayer I think that's the protocol I was on too.

@itsmschanandlerbong thank you that’s really helpful 😊

Hi Ladies

Hope it's ok to join.

My partner and I are in Ayrshire and have been ttc for over 2 years now. We fell pregnant first month trying but unfortunately it was a chemical pregnancy and I mc a week after our BFP.

Today I had my HSG test at our local nhs hospital results were positive tubes all clear, consultant gave us the results of ultrasound and amh blood test. Again all clear my egg count was a lot higher than the average for my age. So we have been labelled with unexplained infertility ☹️ we have been referred for 4 rounds of IUI and were told our health board waiting list isn't long for that as it can be done locally and will hopefully start in the new year. If this fails we will be referred for IVF which I believe we have to go to Glasgow for and will have a long wait.

Has anyone here experienced IUI?

Feeling very numb about it all

hi @27DONFIN, lovely to "meet" you. Sorry you're having this rubbish journey. I've got no experience of IUI but I'm sure some of the ladies will have. Some great points though, that you've got a higher than average egg reserve for your age, you get 4 rounds and that the waiting list isn't too long in A&A - but again, really sorry to hear you're here in the first place. It's a lovely supportive wee group x

@LouScot thanks yeah I felt so happy at the appointment with all the positive results I really had feared the worst snd to find out treatment might not even be possible. A few hours later I'm feeling just a bit gutted that this is the process we need to go through to potentially have our first child I think I just kept thinking that aww itl happen we won't end up needing help but here we are. I won't lie im gutted

@27DONFIN Hi and welcome! We're a same-sex couple, so we did 4 rounds if IUI with donor sperm before progressing to IVF (all private though, as we have to apy for 6 pregnancy attempts before we become NHS eligible....).

Are you having hormone treatment with your IUI, or are you going for natural cycles? We have hormone treatment - so I was on Letrozole tablets and gonal-f injectables to mildy stimulate follicles (aim to induce 2 follicules to mature each cycle rather than just 1) and trigger to induce ovulation to time the IUI procedure. Found the IUIs really straight forward, only hassle I had was the Letrozole made me feel neuseous for the first couple of days every time. We were able to do our IUI attempts back to back across 4 cycles. All BFNs unfortunately.

IUI success rates are brilliant, but its a hell of a lot easier than IVF, so fingers crossed it works for you!

Quick update from us - we've got the official go ahead today that we definitely will get to do the FET with next cycle. Meds are being ordered so just waiting for day 1 due ~ 20th.

@2mumlife great!!! Exciting times xx

@2mumlife I don't know as yet will need to wait and see when the fertility unit contact us. That's so good to here that it's an easy process. The consultant was very honest about the poor success rate compared to ivf but it's still worth trying. If I had been 35 of older the nhs wouldn't have given me IUI as an option snd I'd go straight to ivf. And tips appreciated.

@27DONFIN I think IUI is great for those it works for - its certainly a lot less intensive than IVF. If you go down the natural cycle path there will be a bit more faff with monitoring to time the IUI, but you wont have to deal with injections etc so that a bonus. Hopefully you hear back from clinic soon. We got delayed with starting IUI because of covid (I had my HyCoSy the week before the clinics all had to close for the frist lockdown) but once things opened again, we got going really quick, and as I said did back to back cycles - IVF is a totally different ball game - long, frustrating, invasive. Put your all into the IUIs in terms of any diet changes, supplements etc as its so much easier if you can have success with the IUI treatment!

Hello all. I was hoping to get some advice about out treatment options. We are 32yrs old. We've been through GCRM assessment. DH perfect results, me extremely irregular ovulation (cycles 45-75 days) ultrasound and hormones all normal, AMH of 45.

GCRM have offered monitored medicated ovulation (letrozole plus a trigger), IUI (with same meds) or ivf. We just don't know where to go from here. Ivf seems such a nuclear option but the others have pretty low results.

@TheDaydreamBelievers The outcomes for IUI are poorer than IVF, but it sounds like with such irregular ovulation IUI might be all you need. As you say, IVF can feel a bit like the nuclear option - have a look at the messages above I posted, as IUI really is a lot more straight forward, and also a hell of a lot quicker than IVF.

Are you funded or self funded? If self-funded IUI is also a lot cheaper so there is that consideration too.

Whilst IUI didn't work for us, it did 'ease us in' to fertility treatment, and it works for some people. After 3-4 cycles, the cummulative odds of a live birth really level off, but its definitely worth considering doing 3-4 rounds of IUI first before moving to IVF. Your age also means you have time on your side as well.

Hi @TheDaydreamBelievers, welcome. I'm also with GCRM, did 3 rounds of IUI before moving to IVF. None of the 3 worked. I have regular cycles and was using donor sperm, all cycles unmedicated due to no known issues. AMH 48 and antral follicle count 31 so all good numbers.

Yes IUI was attractive to us for the reasons 2mumlife mentioned, cheaper, quicker, less invasive. However it obviously didn't work for us.

Hindsight is a great thing and in hindsight I wish I would have gone straight to IVF. Obviously wouldn't be saying that if the IUI had worked! But the 3 IUI's took us about 5 months to get through them and then the wait after each for results, review letter consultation if you want it really drags things along!

Although IVF is much more invasive and costly, if you have good numbers and age in your side, you might only ever need to do one collection to get a few embryos for transfer. If you are hoping to have more than 1 child through this process then IVF has the benefits again of possibility of multiple embryos that you can freeze and transfer in the future.

Such a personal decision though and depends on a lot of things such as how quickly you're looking to move things along, funded or self funded etc. We are completely self funded and spent in excess of £6k to do the IUI's (including donor sperm) which never amounted to anything, hence my hindisht comment of it would have been cheaper and quicker had we just went straight to IVF.

Thanks @2mumlife - it's private. Nhs have only just put us on the fertility clinic lists at 1 yr 8mo of trying (because we conceived sept 2020 then miscarriage)