ERA/ALICE/EMMA testing thread 2

[seven201]

Link to the old thread
https://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/infertility/4187520-era-testing-after-multiple-implantation-failures-anyone-had-it-done?msgid=110302437&utmsource=mentions&utmmmedium=email&utmcampaign=2020-10-19&utmmterm=You+have+been+mentioned+in+a+post&rei=438192#110302437

Welcome to the new thread. Anyone welcome.

@seven201 I’m so sorry to hear your update. I hope you are doing ok today. It’s so tough. ❤️

@VenusStarr how are you - I hope you are ok.

@whatcangowrong huge congrats!!! That’s wonderful to get such a strong positive so early. Fingers crossed for the next few days - when is OTD?

@Gardenlady543 I think it’s better to be busy in a way! Less time to overthink and the days go quicker. It’ll be transfer before you know it. It’s Wednesday right? Are you taking much time off around it?

I am 13dp5dt today and had another HCG which came back at 500 so it tripled since Friday so fingers crossed that’s another good sign. No more tests until a scan at 6 weeks which I am thinking of pushing to 7 or 8 weeks given I’ve a retroverted uterus and it can be hard to see so I’ll speak to the clinic about it. Is there a reason it should be 6 weeks in general?

@Janefx40 are you on a wait now for your FET or is anything else happening?

@whatcangowrong oh wow! Amazing news. Maybe it's so strong because there's 2...!!

@Dochas121 that's excellent. My clinic only scan from 7, I guess so it's more reliable/to prevent the 'come back next week as we can't tell yet' thing.

That's great @Dochas121

Yep, transfer is on Wednesday, I only have the Wednesday off.

@seven201 how are you feeling? Have you had thoughts about what you're going to do next? Can you go into a transfer cycle?

@Gardenlady543 I've always had to work the day after transfer. Although I haven't wanted to, it's always been fine. Wednesday is very close now.

I've got an appt with ivf dr on 10th December. Then I'm sure she'll want to wait to do a treatment plan until after I've had a mid-cycle scan to see what my lining is like post surgery. I'm a bit miffed that my clinic won't let me book that in, but they say they can't until the doctor says to on the 10th. So I think that means FET either january or probably more likely Feb or March, given how booked up my clinic always is. Trying to be alright with that given I've had the natural pregnancy.

Ah how annoying that it's a long wait @seven201 you never know if could happen naturally in the mean time though. I'm so sorry this has happened, I think about my friend who has been through this and I keep getting upset. It's just beyond shit.

@seven201 don't! It has crossed my mind, don't think I could cope, although better than no bfp for sure...

Thank you everyone x. Good advice @Janefx40 to feel grateful for today, and enjoy.

Sorry to those of you with long waits @seven201 and @Janefx40, it's so annoying

Excited for those with v short waits now @Gardenlady543 , I really hope it is your time. This transfer I went straight home in a cab and got into bed where I stayed until the next day. I've never rested afterwards before, maybe it helped.

@Dochas121 not a bad plan to wait a bit for a scan if you can bear to. If we get there which is still a v big if, we will have to decide whether to scan pre holiday at 6.5 or so or wait until after at 8.5... not sure which would be more agonising.

@VenusStarr hope you're doing ok this week and not feeling too anxious. When is your next scan?

@Cream123 I noticed earlier that you were v helpful on a thread I started on caremaps and pgt, didn't realise was same person thank you. Congrats on your now far along pregnancy :-)

@whatcangowrong

Congrats! Definitely could be twins if it's a clear positive.....I got 2-3 weeks at 8dp5dt with my twins and hcg on that day was 159.....maybe do one of those tomorrow???
(Twins are hard work but amazing)

@tiggerwhocamefortea I'm sure twins are v fun, I would secretly be pretty pleased although v anxious about it in terms of the pregnancy risks. Will wait for hcg on Thursday and see how that looks! Think v unlikely though that both these were viable given other bad results and also that one of them barely survived the thaw!

@whatcangowrong it's lovely to be wondering about twins! What a nice thing to be thinking about.

@Dochas121 around 6 weeks is usually the earliest you can see a heartbeat which is why they scan then. It's true that some women won't see one that early especially if they have a retroverted uterus as you say so that does run the risk of having to return. If they don't see a heart beat they just tell you to come back. It's more conclusive at 8-9 weeks but a long wait too. It depends what you will find easiest.

@VenusStarr I hope you are ok. This must be a confusing and tough time x

@seven201 it's hard to have a long wait after what you've been through. Maybe good to resign yourself to it tho. Nothing about this process is quick!

@Dochas121 I'm basically waiting for when I can do the FET. The first baseline scans post Christmas are 30th Dec so am tracking my cycles to make sure they will meet that timing. I should be on track but if I'm likely to come on too soon, I will take noresthisterone. I'm taking canesflor now and again next cycle and will have intralipids during the FET. And that's it!

@Janefx40 rest assured that alongside the positive thoughts I'm having plenty of negative ones mostly about double chemical pregnancies and strong lines, hopefully all is well. It feels like a weight has lifted and I really don't want to have to pick it back up again!

@whatcangowrong don't worry - we've all been there and we all know that the negative thoughts are there too. Mostly we are all overwhelmed with negative thoughts and worries. I know you're not counting your chickens. As your name says we all know "what can go wrong". But sometimes we need to let ourselves enjoy the good moments too! It's super hard. Let's hope that weight stays off for a long time (ideally 9 months?!) xxx

@Janefx40 yes I would rather be gaining a different kind of weight over the next 9 months, fingers crossed and praying to all the gods 😑

I am annoyed by the concept of caremaps at this point. Whilst the doctors definitely say you shouldn't write off the worse embryos, this whole algorithm thing really makes you think they don't have much hope. Anyway maybe they still don't, too early to get too excited.

@whatcangowrong to be honest, I'm 7 egg collections in and I've never even heard of care maps! X

Great news @whatcangowrong :)

Thanks for checking in with me everyone @Janefx40 @Dochas121 @Gardenlady543 @seven201 ❤️ I'm not great. I don't know what to think and I don't think I'm processing what's happened. I'm just stuck in the ivf clinic scan and even though we technically got good news with the epu scan, I keep going back to the bad scan. I want to be hopeful for Monday but I just keep thinking about having to miscarry again and I can't do it 😢 I'm not really functiong very well. But I'm thinking of you all xxx

Oh @VenusStarr sending you so many hugs, I so wish that you had just had the good scan. I know this is such a tricky time for you because of the past. Wish I could send you forward in time to Monday so you don't have to wait. Is the next scan at EPU? I hope so as it sounds like they really know what they're doing.

@Janefx40 caremaps is specific to care fertility, other clinics have something similar though. They put the embryos in an incubator with a camera that monitors them 24/7 (embryoscope) they use the data on how they grow and move and compare it to the data of past embryos, and give them a score out of 10. But one of my best ones didn't survive the thaw and another was my only aneuploid meanwhile I had a pretty low scoring one that was euploid. I think @whatcangowrong selected the top scoring ones to be Pgt a tested and they were abnormal, the two lowest scoring ones have resulted in her positive. I think the most important factor is if a embryo is euploid or not, I've heard that grading doesn't matter much if you know an embryo is euploid, the same probably goes for the caremap score. And it just goes to show that just because some of the batch were aneuploid it doesn't mean anything about the others.

@VenusStarr I think it would be a miracle if you were ok. You've been through far too much both in the past and the last week. I think you just have to get through it day by day. We just have to hope this is your time 😘

Has anyone has any bleeding when taking Canesflor or on ovulation. It's probably not related to the Canesflor. Since my miscarriage (which is over a year) I've had spotting on ovulation but it's been getting heavier and today I had some actual bleeding. I assume this is hormonal. Maybe my age and the miscarriage timing was coincidence. Do you think I should mention this to the consultant in case it's going to cause a problem? Or my GP? Any thoughts?

Xxx

@Gardenlady543 very best of luck today with transfer. Hope all goes smoothly and you’re home and relaxing for the rest of the day. Fingers crossed this is the one for you 🤞☘️☘️

@Janefx40 I had a tiny bit of spotting sometimes on canesflor and was told the walls of vagina can get irritated similar but this sounds like more than that so I think it would be no harm to flag it to your consultant.

@VenusStarr I’m sorry things are so tough. I really hope you get some good news on Monday. It’s just not fair to have to be going through this.

@whatcangowrong have you still been testing or waiting now for OTD?

@seven201 sending you

@Gardenlady543 good luck for today

@Gardenlady543 good luck!! We're thinking of you xxx

Good luck @Gardenlady543 🙌

❤️ @Gardenlady543 @Janefx40 @Dochas121

Good luck today @Gardenlady543 x

Thanks guys I am still waiting for the transfer, they had me arrive at 1pm with a full bladder and then left me in reception while I thought about all the reasons they weren't bringing me to the theatre waiting room an hour after they should have, like an issue with the embryo. Now I'm down there I am in the gown and they tell me there's still another patient ahead of me. I wished I'd adjusted the progesterone timing to take into account them running late, it's not an exact science and if I move into postreceptive it's game over. They keep telling me the doctor is fine with the fact they're running late in my case, I'm pretty sure they don't know much about ERAs though, so it's hardly reassuring.

That's so annoying @Gardenlady543

Well I had the transfer in the end, 1 hour and 20 minutes after I should have had it, we had timed it to the middle of the window and it ended up being at the end. There's nothing I can do now, it was a horrible experience, the worse transfer experience I've had to date. None of the staff cared about the situation, nobody was empathetic, I was sitting crying in the room before I was taken in.