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

@Bluemeadowbaby ... aww great news :) xx

Hello AF 🥳

@Bluemeadowbaby Hope DH is ok, last thing you need is a medical scare. Also yay on AF! Let's get this cycle started!

I was in for repeat scan today - bean still in there doing its thing, wiggling its butt. I still have a sizeable SCH bleed but since I've not have any external bleeding since the scary gush and the nurse saying it looks coagulated they didn't seem too concerned. Nurse things it should reabsorb by 13 week scan. So that's me at 7+4 (or +5 according to scan measurements) so I am now discharged from clinic! It feels quite strange to be without them to ease anxiety from now on. I need to call midwife team tomorrow to arrange booking in and 12 week scan as we've been holding off for that final ok

@2mumlife DH is fine and dandy but it was interesting to find out from the ultrasound he had they mentioned to him some veins in his balls which could potentially impact his fertility, whilst this isn't something we're concerned about now with us having done all the bits and bobs before hand it's interesting to finally of found out another cause behind his merry men and their role in the process. Initially as all issues pointed to me, we knew there was low morphology his side but it was good to know - even if it wasn't for fertility testing he was being seen for!

Oh my goodness!! This is such fabulous news that has just brightened my day! I know what you mean about being discharged, it's scary to be now on the "normal" care team but hopefully your midwives will be little dreams and ensure you're given that little extra tlc! I know all midwives and hospitals are different but I requested to speak to my gynae during my pregnancy just to have him on hand for reassurance and in the end I was put under consultant care instead of midwife and they gave me a week earlier date to induce due to being ivf - just thought I'd share incase you didn't know you can request further care. Sadly the clinics don't tend to pass the info on about babies being ivf so the midwives can be non the wiser sometimes x

@Bluemeadowbaby heyy I was just reading your post and wanted to say my husband also got found to have a varicoele. It might be the cause of his low morphology etc. we decided not to operate as we were told by the consultant that there is not that much improvement post surgery and would have been a lot of time spent on that but we still probably would have ended up going for IVF with ICSI. It was good to know a potential reason though

@2mumlife aww that’s the best news! So pleased for you and hopefully these days are behind you now. I can’t imagine getting that far but hope it will happen. Some days can be hard to imagine it will be. Am starting the frozen cycle next month and just don’t know how I’m going to deal with all the anxiety again, first of I am anxious if my baseline scan will come back ok given that I had a polyp in the past, then I’m anxious whether our embryos will survive the thaw and the list goes on. I was thinking today what would I do if the pregnancy test was actually positive and how would I cope with all the uncertainties of pregnancy too. Any tips? X

@Bluehawaii29 that's exactly what it was called for my DH! If anything for some comfort for you even tho we didn't know about this before our ivf for my little boy I guess it shows there's still a chance 💕 but it was nice to have some answers as we always wondered with DH what was going on his side as with my endo they just focused on me with a low morphology for DH but not investigated further. With that last bit of info I feel very lucky to be in the position we are as the odds certainly were against us x

@Bluemeadowbaby aww that’s given me hope that you had your little boy against the odds. In my case it started with MFI and then I developed a polyp after a clomid cycle so that delayed us quite a while and then finally had the first ivf+ICSI cycle in November 2021. Can’t believe it’s gonna be happening again next month, feel like I haven’t fully got over the last time but I try and be positive each day. Went to my best friends wedding this weekend which was really lovely and had a lot of fun. Hoping to do some more fun things to distract ourselves in feb. Last time we got too caught up in the whole process and didn’t have any fun or think about anything else so I want this frozen cycle to be more relaxed x

@Bluehawaii29 that's a lot to go through bless you, remember you are so strong embarking this journey! 💕 but it's so worth it I promise!
FET cycles are so much more relaxed than fresh and it's nice because you're not back and forth all the time at the clinic so can crack on with life and feel some sense of normal. Sometimes when we're least ready is the time we end up being most ready and it can take us by surprise 🥰 I got given my date for my lining scan today 16th feb and then all being well transfer is the week after! Very fast and I hope yours is too, FET doesn't seem to drag it's heels as much x

@Bluemeadowbaby aww thank you yes it will be lovely to progress quicker this time. The first cycle dragged a lot as each time we went for a scan they kept saying the follicles needed more time as there were a lot lagging but it paid off in the end as we got 8 eggs out of it and 5 blastocysts. Being a GP it was hard to juggle work and all those appts but this time my work said I can be remote for 2 weeks post transfer and planning on having a few days off during transfer time. That’s so cool you have all your dates already. I was just told to start the meds first day of my next period which will be 12th feb. They’ve given me 7 days of femadryl and oestrogen tablets three times a day. How about you? X

@Bluehawaii29 that's great that you can do that with your work it'll just give you that little peace of mind 🥰 I'm a little conscious of the new "no mask" ruling 🙄 as I work customer facing however can conduct my appointments over the phone so I've asked to do this where possible before and after just to be sure I'm staying safe.
Ahh yes that's just like me! I started my period yesterday and start my estrogen patches on Wednesday alternating for 2 weeks, 2 patches for a week, lining scan and all being well carry on with patches, estrogen tablets, pessaries then after transfer lubion injections to support progesterone- surprised I remembered all of that 😂 x

@Bluemeadowbaby patches sound good. I wish they’d given me that option! No idea how I’m going to remember to take it three times a day eek, I barely remember my pregnacare once a day at the mo! yes I’m doing Lubion injections too this time which makes me feel a bit more reassured regarding progesterone levels. Last time they just gave me cyclogest but It looks like day 10 post transfer was not the best levels so didn’t want to risk it this time with just that on its own. Is it common to get rashes with progesterone because I remember getting a really itchy rash all of a sudden about day 7-8 post transfer and thought at the time it might be an early sign of pregnancy. I have been getting weird huge type rashes recently so hoping it doesn’t aggravate my skin too much

*hive type rashes

@Bluehawaii29 haha I'm the same! Since I've had my boy my memory is terrible 😂 but what I've done this cycle is use my little dolly bracelets to help me! I put them on one wrist then each time I've done a tablet move it to the other just to remind me lol.
Hmm, I'm not too sure about that but it could just be a bit of sensitivity to the skin with all the meds. I got a rash where the patches were like hives and when I had my zoladex injection last week I woke with a rash on my chest which I've never had before. It could just be the change in hormones but maybe mention to the clinic just incase there's something in it which might give you a bit of a reaction x

@Bluemeadowbaby It must be sudch a relief he's ok. I guess at the end of the day as you say you've got your frostie and thats whats important now, but interesting to still be finding things in the fertility history after this amount of time. Thanks for the advise lovely, I'll keep in mind I can request things! I'd definitely have preferred to find no more SCH on this last scan, so if its still there at 12 weeks I'll ask for further support. I also have a short cervix which I'm hoping will be properly monitored.

@Bluehawaii29 Honestly it still feels really surreal at the moment. The anxieties don't go away (at least not for me!). I've found the anxieties get a little bit less intense each time we pass even a tiny hurdle. What I'm trying to focus on is embabie is doing its damnest so I have to too, and so I've got to believe a bit more. Its hard as you're still protecting yourself. I think actually getting that positive result seems so distant when you're in the trenches of fertility treatment. I've got everything crossed for you for this next cycle - try to keep the faith. I also agree FET cycles are a lot easier / more relaxed. I think the more relaxed you can be the better (I actually relaxed this cycle, didn't test early, was off work because of christmas etc). Maybe just tell your clinic about the rash - I think I remember someone saying before on these forums it could be a sign of progesterone sensitivity?

@2mumlife thank you for your reply. Yes I will try my best to stay positive but this morning another blow as jury service want me back on 21st March but hopefully that will be after the transfer. It’s just something I can do without and I’ve sent appeal so hoping they will accept my reason for excusal. I’m also trying to get a letter from my consultant to support my appeal. It’s such a long winded process and I already deferred last year so this time I will need an excusal. The good news is that I also received a scan for next weds now to check my lining as I had emailed the consultant to plead for an earlier scan prior to my next cycle starting just to make sure my lining is still looking ok/ no polyps reappearing. I still very paranoid about that happening again and don’t want to take any chances. I hope next week is better x

@Bluehawaii29 What a nightmare with jury service. Hopefully you can get an excusal. Its great you've managed to get an earlier lining scan booked in, hopefuly it will show everything is good :)

Thank you @2mumlife feeling bit better now after my counselling started yesterday for increasing anxiety with the upcoming cycle fast approaching and then had a GP 20min today about all my worries and she said she would write me a supporting letter if jury service ask for that but hoping it won’t come to that! Thanks for your wishes for my normal scan. I am hoping nothing has changed and it still looks good and we can still progress x

@2mumlife good morning! Hope you are well :) got some good news that I’ve been excused now from jury service! Such a weight lifted off my mind, let’s hope more good news to follow xx

Hello! How's everyone feeling?
I just home isolated cause my other half caught COVID this week and i can't see any of my friends just in case. So I wanted to say hi and check in. I have spent this all month preparing for my IVF cycle, no booze, healthy food etc and loads of supplements. Hopefully it's all worth the effort!

Hey @Francesmalin I hope your partner is okay and you are okay too. Covid always comes knocking at the door at the wrong bloomin time doesn't it 🤦🏻‍♀️ good to hear you've been prepping! When are you getting started? I'm just doing my patches atm however they keep bloomin falling off! 😫 I've never had a problem with them before so it's really annoying. Hopefully just a bad batch but I do have spare from last cycle and the cycle which got cancelled to save me a few pennies. The ones they've given me this time look like a different brand but are the same thing I think as both say estrodil🤔 I'll give them a call Monday tho x

Hi all, hope you are all well?
@2mumlife how is the pregnancy going?!
@Bluemeadowbaby what patches are you taking? How are you feeling?
@Francesmalin when is your cycle starting?!

So, I have to take Norethisterone on 9th Feb for a few days to delay my period as its currently due to start at a weekend and needs to be a week day for same day FSH blood test. So looking for CD1 to be around 16th and then CD2 bloods 17th, if FSH is under 10 then all good to start stimms. I am going to be on a flare protocol so have decapeptyl and pergoveris ... everything crossed my ovaries play ball and respond this time otherwise thats it for us.... x

Hello @firefly37 not long before you start now! Hope everything will go well.

I am waiting for my period to come in a couple of weeks and then I need to call the hospital. If everything goes as planned I should start with progynova tablet beginning of March and then stimulation after a couple of weeks. The medication should be meriofert but I am unsure about the full protocol because the nurse said that the doctor might need to review it based on the information they now have based on my previous cycles.

I am starting to get nervous though. I am positive and faith in the NHS but at the same time if I end up with all immature eggs again it might means I won't be able to have kids and it's a bit difficult to accept. Hopefully this cycle will be different

Hi @Francesmalin ... my best cycle was my NHS one but also my first when I was younger than now! I did a long cycle with Buserelin down reg and then Gonal f ... ended up with 8 mature eggs. The cycle after was Buserelin and Menopur but only 3 mature eggs out of 10 retrieved ... I still cannot believe I got my DD from only 3. My last attempt failed to kick off with no response to stimms so really worried about this last one. Its so confusing as I appear to have an AFC of at least 10 and an AMH of 5pmol suggesting the eggies are there :( so why dont they want to come out! Did you find out why yours ended up immature? Was trigger too early?

Hey guys! Hope you are good. Just update that had my check up scan today and all thankfully looking good in there so will be starting in less than 2 weeks for the FET. Fingers crossed x

@firefly37 no one is able to say why the eggs come out immature in both my previous cycles. The specialist I saw for a second opinion said that there are 2 things to consider: firstly I might not respond to buserelin as trigger and I should have a combination of drugs. Eg buserelin and gonasi/ovitrelle. Secondly both the times I triggered most of the follicles where fairly small so I should have a longer trigger time.

This IVF thing is a lot of test and learn really so we shall see what comes next. My karma wheel should turn around though