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

@2mumlife it really does suck, I don't know about you but I find I feel most jealous and struggle when someone is pregnant or has announced a pregnancy - when the baby is actually here I don't feel anything it's so strange. Maybe there's something deep down with it being related to not being able to conceive and the kick in the gut from that 🤔 it's so awkward when people assume pregnancy is about to be announced, I hope you're okay x

@Bluemeadowbaby It's just the knowledge that other people can choose when to have a baby I think, and have it actually happen. I dunno. Like even this time, Im just feeling it would be too good to be true that this cycle actually works, so I'm just expecting it not to now, and then tell myself off for not having hope, but I just don't have it in me to get hopeful and have to deal with the loss of hope when it doesn't work yet again

@Bluemeadowbaby Also, we're painting my study today, to have fresh look for new job (it needed done and hasn't been decorated since we moved in nearly 2 years ago) and I'm just at the point of saying did it and moving some of the furniture out of the study to a room we'd planned as room for baby #2 because I'm feeling like I might as well because I can't even get baby #1!

Hi everyone sorry I’m new to the chat and might be a bit late starting but just looking for some support. Feeling disappointed still in our failed fresh cycle. OTD was meant to be 10th December and was looking forward to a Xmas miracle but was a bfn and period came day 10 post embryo transfer. We did ICSI for male factor infertility and I was really surprised to find out 7 out of 8 of our eggs fertilised and then 5 day 5 blastocysts with a 5AA blastocyst transferred which was meant to be the highest grade. Now we have 4 frozen embryos but I am already feeling like the FET won’t work as I have no idea which of the remaining embryos is going to be normal and implant. It’s so hard to accept what a game of chance it is all. Wanting to hear of your experiences with it all

Hi @Jags87 I haven’t been part of this thread but seen your message and thot I would share my experience. I had a fresh cycle in September we also had ICSI for male factor and we had 8 out of our 9 eggs fertilise. 4 of them made it to day 5 blast. We transferred the fresh the best one which was again same as yourself a 5AA. Unfortunately this wasn’t successful and I took my period 7 days after transfer. I have just completed a FET cycle this month where we transferred the next best which unfroze at a 3AB. I was soooo nervous as I didn’t think I had any hope with this embryo as it wasn’t as good as tha 5AA and that didn’t take. But it did and I got my BFP on Saturday!!! So don’t give up hope!

Also I asked my clinic about why my period came before test day and they said most likely my progesterone levels weren’t high enough. So as well as the x2 cylogest I have also been on x2 lubion injections this cycle. So maybe speak to your clinic about that? Although they will review your cycle and do what they think will give you best chance of success next time.

All the best, I hope you get your BFP soon xxxxx

Aww that’s so amazing! Thank you so much for sharing this. Really does give us hope. Thanks for the advice about the cyclogest also as my period came 9 days post transfer so didn’t even get a chance to the a test on the OTD. So happy for your Xmas miracle xxx

Did you do PGT-A testing on your frozen embryos by any chance. This is another thing I’m not sure about as my frozen cycle will be funded by nhs and will be my last funded cycle so not sure if I should do it or not

@Jags87 you very welcome. I hope your both doing ok I know it’s sooo hard when it doesn’t work. But please try and stay positive. You will get your little miracle just gotta trust the process. Try and recover, relax and have a wonderful Christmas then in January can start the new year off with your fet and will hopefully be a positive outcome and what a way to start the new year 🥰🎉 wishing you all the best, and merry Christmas!! Xxxxxx

@Jags87 I didn’t know as I am NHS funded xxx

Thank you so much, merry Xmas and happy new year to you too :)
Yeah we just found out about PGT-A testing online but consultant will be talking to us on 6th Jan. ours is with nhs too and she said that PGT-A testing would not be funded by them so I’m thinking of just going for the next one and hoping for the best xxx

@Jags87 Unfortunately a lot of unsuccess is just part of this whole journey. I've had 4 failed IUIs, a fresh transfer with a 5AA (period started just 4/5 days after transfer) and then a chemical pregnancy with a 4AA (at time of freezing) FET. We're on our second round of IVF now, with tranfer planned for tomorrow - emrbyo was a 5AA when frozen. We've not tested any of our embryos, as 'on paper' I don't have a fertility issue and this should be straight fowward (we started this as we need donor sperm - but the whole process has taken far longer, and far less unsuccessful than we realised it would be). Sorry I don't have any 'positive' message to give, all I would say is embrace that this journey takes a LOT of stamina, and a lot of picking yourself back up again and going again.

Thanks for sharing your experience. That’s interesting to know about donor sperm not making the journey any less easier as I also don’t have any issues as far as they can see with my fertility and my AMH level is very good according to the Drs/ age 34 yrs at the moment and wondered if maybe it was a bad embryo because of the male factor infertility but I guess I just have to be reassured by the high fertilisation rates we had this time and hope there is still one good one left in our bunch of four frozen ones 🙏🏽 You’re right it is a long journey and felt like I’d already been on a journey to get here this year as I had a polyp which emerged after clomid I took in iui and had to have that removed in may and then the biopsy on that polyp came back abnormal which freaked me out. I had to have a coil for 3 months which delayed us getting ivf as we had decided we never wanted to do iui again. The re biopsy of the rest of the lining came back clear and I was so happy to start ivf and thought finally my time might come this month so that’s why was even harder when the fresh transfer failed. But I will try and think of this year as just unlucky and hope for a better outcome next year xx

@Jags87 I'm 32 now, and was told to only expect around 1 in 3 day 5 embryos to be chromosomally normal. And there is no way to know which are unless you get testing. Most research I've read that you should be prepared to go through up to 3 full IVF cycles (i.e. 1 cycle means all the fresh and frozen embryos from 1 egg collection) for best chance of achieving a pregnancy. Fingers crossed next year is the year for you!

Yeah realistically I think we’ll be lucky if 2 out of our 5 are normal but it’s just tricky to know whether pgt-a testing is worth it or if we should transfer two on the frozen cycle we do next to give more chance. It’s all just a gamble!

@Jags87 welcome to the board! I'm so sorry to hear your transfer didn't work this time round. It's such a hard blow especially when we put the faith in "the best" embryos. I've had a few transfers now, 2 of which didn't work, 1 which resulted in a chemical pregnancy last month. My little boy was a 5BA transfer and whilst this can be a bit of a "kick me when I'm down" (I don't want to come across that way) but more on the odds we had which was basically 1% given male factor for ICSI as well as severe endo on my part with no tubes. He was our only "best one" but we were told it was down to luck not necessarily the embryo grading which kind of gives me hope for the remaining embryo we have. My chemical was a 3BA and given the grade was good from the same batch it didn't work in our favour this time sadly.
Just wanting to wish you luck and a little positivity that from having spoken to my consultant, he strongly advised me not to pin hopes on grading but more the difference made with each cycle as it is so individual each time with different outcomes.
I hope that brings a little comfort and not a big waffle 😄♥️ x

Hi @Bluemeadowbaby thanks for your reply. It’s really good hearing everyone’s experiences on here. Yeah I think will just have to go in to the next cycle with positivity and I do believe it is luck also. So many individual stories and there doesn’t seem to be any set pattern or correlation with grading so just have to hope and pray for the best ❤️

@Jags87 You'll probably find you are strognly discouraged from tranferring 2 embryos given your age and that you've only had 1 unsuccessful transfer so far - clinics really try to minimise your risk of a multiple pregnancy, as it puts everyone at much more risk.

Just had the call that our embryo survived the thaw this morning, so gearing up for transfer at 10:30. Come on sticky bean! 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼

Aww that’s great news! Lots of luck to you xxx

@Jags87 Thank you!

Officially PUPO! As the clinic is closed/skeleton staff only over Christmas / new year been give a POAS to do instead of blood test. Keeping everything crossed for super sticky bean!

aww exciting! I remember how happy I was ok transfer day, full of hope. Hopefully you will get some good news in the new year xxx

@2mumlife come on sticky bean!!! So happy for you to have transfer today, hope it all went well 🤞🏼✨ x

@Jags87 absolutely ♥️ we've just got to trust the process x

@Bluemeadowbaby My favourite consultant was doing the transfers today, and it's always a lot slower, calmer and less sore which is good. Scan photo we got isn't great though as the machine was out of paper but I'm not too bothered by that as got to see our little flash of hope. Curled up now with the wood stove going having a quiet wee afternoon. Feels weird to be the only one on the thread in the 2WW zone!

@2mumlife I'm praying this is your time! I'm so glad your favourite consultant was able to do the transfer, it's such an important part of the journey so fingers crossed they got that little bean snuggled in tight 🤞🏼✨ oh gosh I know! But don't feel alone, we're all still here for you cheering you on!
My period still hasn't arrived 🤦🏻‍♀️ I was due on Friday just gone and I'm always like clockwork! Kinda hoping this is a little blessing though and that it means we can go in Jan as if I called just before Christmas they'd no doubt make us wait until feb so if I squeeze a call in after Christmas I'm hoping they'll be like yep let's go in Jan 😂 wishful thinking 🤣 x

@Bluemeadowbaby My last period was late too, but timing has meant I'll be testing morning of the 31st which I think is nice - I'm hoping for a sober new year and starting the year pregnant 🤞🏼 🤞🏼 Hopefully your period will time it's self perfectly to get to go this next cycle!