Continued chat of all things IVF, FET & to feel sane...cycle buddies August/September -

[Bluemeadowbaby]

Hey ladies ☺️

A new thread to continue the one we've maxed out from the FET cycle buddies May/June. Anyone wishing to join no matter what stage you're at we're here to support you along the way.

A little background around me - I have a little boy who's 16mo from my second IVF round in 2019. I'm just embarking (restarting after covid setback) on my first FET cycle with the embryos I have in storage in the hope for baby #2 🤞🏼
I have severe endometriosis, hydrosalpinx tubes which have been removed so my only hope is for IVF to work again. It's been a long old journey but if I can give any hope, faith and a tonne of support to anyone who needs it I'm happy to share my story, updates on my cycle and be there to have a general chin wag ☺️

We've got this! ✨ x

Hello, Has anyone had any bleeding prior to egg retrieval? I’m day 9 of my cycle and worry it’s a sign of early ovulation but have no idea if I should expect light bleeding with all the drugs I’m on or not? Thanks.

@PinkRose100 There is a lady on the Scotland thread who is experiencing same thing at the moment. Her clinic advised it's because her estradiol levels were low (but in your case it could be something totally different). I'd contact your clinic for advice if you can

@2mumlife thanks for your reply. All I know is scan again on Monday. They said my follicles were still too small on Friday but they didn’t give me a print out so no idea how small they are.

@PinkRose100 The lady I mentioned only had a couple of small follicules, was bleeding a bit, but when she went in for next scan follicules had grown (I think there was even an extra follicle) and estradiol was going on up. Sounds a bit strange though they thought you were on edge of ovulating if follicules were small? Unless you have a lot of them trying to release LH and the fyremadel isn't working well for you

@2mumlife that’s really good to know. I used to naturally ovulate on day 9 and have a slight bleed so I’m pretty sure that’s what’s happened now but it’s nice to hear a positive story so I don’t loose all hope. I spoke to the clinic but I get the impression I’ve just been unlucky with timings as no one was going to see me Saturday night or Sunday sadly. Just a waiting game until Monday now. I wish I had a record of my blood test to see if I had higher estradiol- I’d never even heard of that hormone before.

@pinkrose100 is there an emergency number you call your clinic at?

@PinkRose100 Ah ok, if you have experienced bleeding at ovulation I can appreciate why it would be a worry. Hopefully you can get some answers on Monday. Even if it is, it is a way of the clinic looking at how to tailor protocol more to your needs next time. Fingers crossed the meds are doing their job and preventing ovulation though

@2mumlife thanks for your message! What you wrote is so true! It doesn't matter how much you think you are protecting yourself, the pain cannot be controlled. My bf is so Good at bringing me back to reality. As soon as I start worry he's there and tries to distract me. Today I was complaining I don't have any pain and he was like "just relax, don't think about it!

How are your embryos getting on? Have you heard something else?

@pingupp not sure when I can do the fet but I guess it will be in a couple of months. First need to see if I get any embryos this time

@Bluemeadowbaby I also went to my first cycle so excited and full of hopes and yes, I completely rely on what you are saying about the second cycle cause yesterday I was so upset. These last few days I am going to take it easy and don't stress too much.

@Francesmalin Sounds like your partner is being fantastic

We won't get only new today (day 5) as clinic isn't "open" today, even though embryologist will be in hopefully freezing embryos today. We'll get a call tomorrow to let us know what's happened. So lots of distraction today!

@Bluemeadowbaby
Thank you for asking, it was indeed my test day. Unfortunately, another BFN for me...
Don't really know how to proceed, we feel it might be down to the sperm quality and my partner seems to be ready to try donor sperm (supposedly we could even try IUI and not IVF with the donor as we only have a male factor confirmed) but I am not ready to think about it...

@TheDutchess3 I'm so sorry to hear your news . As they always say take time to process and speak to consultants and see what your way forward is.

@2mumlife did you hear if your embryos are all safely frozen today?
I had my scan and can’t believe my two follicles are still safely there and I’m booked for harvesting on Wednesday. 😊 Can’t believe I worried myself silly over nothing.

@pinkrose100 brilliant! Are you happy? We are on the exact same cycle! Finger crossed for both of us.

@Francesmalin ah are we :-) I think I was so worried I had ovulated early I'm now just excited we get a chance to try to extract some eggs rather than being disappointed I only have two. How many follicles do you have? Is this your first cycle? x

@PinkRose100 That's great news after the anxious weekend!

We (finally) heard back from clinic. They froze 3 emrbyos yesterday. 2 are at lower grades though, so I'm a bit dissapointed to be honest about the number and quality. I'm now going to need to start the endless chasing to get them to let us get on with our next FET.

@pinkrose100 I have 5 follicles ready and few smaller ones that might catch up but I doubt it. Now I am waiting to hear from the clinic to confirm trigger for tonight. It's looking like a freeze all though. It's my second cycle. First one I had 10 immature eggs so I had to start again.

@2mumlife sorry to hear you are a bit disappointed. What's the grade? Which clinic are you with?

@Francesmalin I'm up in Scotland. So the good embryo was a 5AA, then we have a 3BB and 3BC, so they both have very low chances of a live pregnancy. We had a 5AA and 4AA last time, resulting in a BFN and a chemical.

Have agreed with DP we'll do a single transfer with the 5AA, and we'll do a double transfer with the last 2, and hope that one of these final attempts work.

@2mumlife Oww I’m sorry you’re disappointed, sounds like you have a good plan to make the most of them though. Are they likely to let you do a FET this coming month or will they make you wait a month or so?

@Francesmalin Oww I hope everything goes well tonight. I’m lined up for a midnight trigger. Then at Kings Fertility on Wednesday. Do you mind me asking why you’re going frozen with them all?

Thank you @2mumlife!

And sorry you are a bit disappointed but 5AA from a faster developing embryo is a very good chance, my only BFP was from a faster developing embryo.

Also, 3BB and 3BC don’t sound bad to me; although i do know grades 1 to 3 are lower chances than 4 to 6 but still chances!

@pinkrose100 i am also doing the trigger at midnight! Lol
I am doing a freeze all because I have a lot follicles and a slight high oestrogen and it's not safe for me to do a fresh transfer. I am at risk of developing ohss. Not ideal but not much I can do.

@TheDutchess3 really sorry to hear you’ve had a negative. Sending hugs/gin/chocolate/whatever you most need.

@PinkRose100 and @Francesmalin best of luck for egg collection.

@2mumlife sorry to hear you’re disappointed - fingers crossed one of them ends up being the one.

I had my lining scan today, triple line and 8.5mm so will start utrogestan Wednesday, and transfer is booked for next Monday. Shit-scared and trying to work out how on Earth to manage bloody utrogestan at work when I only get a 30 minute lunch break and think I need to lie down to stop it falling out before it absorbs (and can’t stuff things up my Fanny in a classroom for obvious safeguarding reasons!)

@PinkRose100 Bleed started today, so because clinic have dragged thier feet we're going to miss the opportunity to do the FET straight away and be made to wait another month. Infuriating.

@TheDutchess3 The 5AA is good. I feel a bit like its a second chance at a 5AA. They transfered a 5AA fresh on my first IVF go that ended up in period starting 4dp5dt so I've always felt really resentful that that embryo was wasted and never stood a chance. The 3BC only has around a 15% chance of a live birth (its at the cusp of not even making the grade to freeze), so I'm not feeling that hopeful.

@Verbena87 Good lining! It shouldn't fall out, just make sure its all the way up

@Verbena87, thank you so much for your support! Kind words and attention go a long way xx

@2mumlife
I think if your 5AA had implanted, the bleeding wouldn’t have started? Or do you think your progesterone was too low that cycle?

About 3BC, do you know where you found the statistics? I definitely remember seeing some in the doctor’s instagram account, where an early blastocyst (which was the only embryo i had after my 1st ICSI cycle) had the lowest chances from all but still higher than 20.

The doctors in my first clinic never said anything apart from “it was a very good and beautiful embryo”, and my assumptions it wasn’t perfect since it was an early one were confirmed in the second clinic.

If you don’t mind me asking, did you use the same sperm donor both cycles?

@TheDutchess3 I think progesterone was to low. Lining would have been disintegrating before I bled, so I feel it didn't have a chance in hell to be honest.

I'll try find the article I was using for stats again as I've gone and lost it now! I think clinics always want to say the embryo is great (I know my clinic's staff are unrealistically positive at all times).

Yeah same donor. Last straw from same 'batch' so the quality shouldn't have been that different.

@TheDutchess3 Found the article again - its table 4 I've been using (its the easiest breakdown of embryo grades I've found).Obviously though different studies will find different % rates

www.rbmojournal.com/article/S1472-6483(13)00372-6/fulltext