Keeping calm during IVF cycle

[MrsDrambuie]

I’m on my first IVF cycle, I have 3 embryos successfully fertilised and all being well, they will transfer the best 2 on Wednesday which is day 5.

I hate needles, but managed to overcome my fear and injected myself in total 27 times A gadget called Buzzy Bee really helped.

I’m now on day 2 of taking the progesterone pessaries.

All going well and I’m really surprising myself at how calm I am and how much I’m taking it all in my stride… until…

Tonight I stupidly managed to scratch and dent my car in my own driveway (we are having repair work done on the garage roof so there are piles of building materials to navigate). It’s only a car, I can pay to get it repaired in a couple of weeks… But it was so stupid and I’m kicking myself, and going over and over it in my head. Feeling more stressed about this than I have done throughout IVF so far!

I need to regain my calm - any ideas how?!

@MrsDrambuie I'm sorry you dented your car! So frustrating. Well done for getting through the cycle so well - it's not easy and if you managed to stay calm that's great because it helps you feel better but it's not necessary for the success of the cycle.

I always say to people not to worry about the worry. We get spouted all this crap about the importance of not being stressed but very few women have ever not been stressed doing IVF so it's really not a factor - I was the most stressed I have ever been during my successful cycle - she's snoring next to me now.

So what I would say is, today you feel anxious and stressed and that's fine. Tomorrow you may feel calm again. Just let yourself feel whatever you feel and be nice to yourself.

Best of luck with the cycle. It sounds like you are doing great

Xxx

Perhaps you are just letting some stress out now through the scrape. Sometimes we can hold it in without realising.
I’ve had some very stressful tww and still ended up bfp so I don’t believe in stress having a big effect! As they say women fall pregnant in war zones and all kinds of stress situations
Try to put the scrape to the back of your mind to deal with after the tww. Good luck

Ps @Janefx40 I see you lots on threads and you’re so kind to everyone and offer lots of support. I hope you get your bfp soon too x

@Sleephappy thanks! I spent waaay too much time on Mumsnet 😬. It's my way of obsessing about IVF without obsessing about my own situation! We are lucky enough to have had IVF success in the past and after lots of rounds and shenanigans will hopefully start another FET after Christmas. Hope things have gone well for you xxx

Best of luck to you, I think I read you had 2 euploids ! 🤞🤞🤞🙏🙏🙏
I’m about to give birth. Been a long journey with 4 losses in last three years, so been on here a long time too. I’ll look out for your updates x

@Sleephappy congrats!!! Best of luck with the birth. Always lovely to hear a success story. X

@MrsDrambuie hope you're feeling better today and that treatment goes well from here on in. Best of luck for transfer on Wednesday xxx

Thanks for reading and your advice @Janefx40 @Sleephappy I had a cry last night and then a reasonable night’s sleep… My clinic called me this morning and got me in for embryo transfer today, so no time to think about anything else!

Going for acupuncture appointment shortly and chill out for the next two weeks until it is time to test.

Ah @MrsDrambuie good luck! Better in than out (for embryos that is!). The 2WW can be a little tense towards the end so do come on and use the Mumsnet boards if you need support.

🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼

@Janefx40 you were right, towards the end of the 2WW is getting a bit tense!

Today I had a lovely lunch out with DH and a few hours later I am feeling really bloated / gassy, it is extremely uncomfortable. I know it was the red onion (it’s been so long that I forgot it does this to me). But in the last 2 hours the bloating / wind pains are really severe and appearing not just in my tummy but even feeling uncomfortable in my shoulder.

I know I have experienced this before but I also know that shoulder tip pain and pains in the lower tummy are not good!

Trying to tell myself this will pass and I’ll find out about the outcome of IVF on/after Boxing Day…

Up until today I was feeling more or less normal.

Hi @MrsDrambuie you'd have to be a robot not to have your head spinning right now. We put so much into these cycles and it's agonising that we can't know the answer. We're used to a world where we can Google anything but nothing can tell us the answer to this but time and a test.

Are you worried about shoulder tip pain because of ectopics? If so, then don't worry. It is so early that you wouldn't be feeling it yet even if that had happened.

You're taking lots of progesterone so that is currently the dominant hormone causing any symptoms. If an embryo has implanted (🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼) your Hcg levels are too low right now to be causing anything to happen.

Nothing you can do now other than distract yourself as much as possible, be nice to yourself and get through it. Don't expect too much of yourself. It's normal to have your head spin so just go with it!

Xxx

@Janefx40 thank you for your kind words and reassurance!

I spoke to a GP friend who said the random shoulder pain is caused by the nerve under the rib cage being irritated by the bloating. Every day is a school day!

I felt back to normal yesterday though not been sleeping brilliantly so very tired.

My OTD is Saturday (yes, Christmas Day). Out of sheer curiosity I decided to do a cheap test today…

Oooo @MrsDrambuie this is exciting! Looks really promising. I think your trigger should be out of your system by now so will keep everything crossed that's a BFP!!!

I had my trigger on 8th December so it must be out of my system by now?

Yes it should be. I tested out my trigger once and it was super faint 12 days post then gone 13 days.

So that can only mean one thing.....

Did you test again today?

I only had the cheap strips but it’s faint positive, basically same as yesterday. I’m going to buy a FRER today.

None of my local pharmacies had FRERs in stock yesterday so I bought what was available… Lines getting a tiny bit stronger I think… Fingers crossed, hoping and praying that it sticks and I have a healthy, successful pregnancy

Merry Christmas @Janefx40 @Sleephappy thank you both for taking the time to reply to me on this thread these last couple of weeks.

3 photos attached - today’s cheap strip plus the pharmacy one (2 photos of that, it was very slow to appear, 1st photo taken after 5 mins and the other after 10 mins).

Congrats @MrsDrambuie what a lovely thing to see on Christmas morning. Have a good day and enjoy this moment

Xxx

@MrsDrambuie how are you getting on? I hope things are going well for you xxx

Hi @Janefx40 thank you for thinking of me and checking in! I’m doing fine - 7 weeks tomorrow. Got a scan next Monday (24th). I’ve already got a bump (?!) despite not feeling bloated at all. This is not my first pregnancy - I already have DS - I know the baby is only the size of a baked bean so it’s like all the fluids / extra blood etc have just jumped a few months ahead

Or there could be two… (I had 2 high quality embryos transferred).

@MrsDrambuie oh I'm so pleased for you! That's great. Btw I always get a bump around 7 weeks (2 previous pregnancies). People say it's not possible but it's happened to me twice!

Hope the scan goes well

Xxx