IVF buddies April/May

[ChristmasJumpers]

Sorry if there's already an April/May thread, I can't find it!

All of our tests have been completed (last August) and we were advised to call the clinic on day one of my cycle in April. AF arrived early for the first time in forever so I chanced ringing yesterday and we're good to go!!

Just waiting on a call back from the clinic with official dates and protocol but I know I'll be taking Norethisterone pills first so won't be dealing with injections for a good few weeks yet.

Is anyone else about to get started? It would be great to have some buddies along the way

I'm 30, DH 27. TTC over 3 years and delayed getting tests due to Covid.
We're at Care Fertility Chester and this is out first ever round (we only get one NHS funded - thanks postcode lottery)

@IVFGotThis05 yes scan just finished, all set for next Wednesday! When do you think yours will be if your scan goes well on Thursday?

Aw I'm sure this will be it for you too. The stress is awful isn't it. Trying to stay positive. I've got a sisters weekend planned next week to try and distract me. Then theatre the weekend after 🥰

had my fist scan (day 10 - NHS)today and they told me that actually I’m gonna get EC on Friday! so triggering tonight. Follicle-wise I have 3 in the 16-20mm bracket and 3 more that are 14mm (and 2 more 12mm but doubt they’ll mature by Friday Am). Fingers crossed I get at least one or two quality embryos out of these.

@IE00 @IVFGotThis05 not on a FET but it seems like my 2WW will be around same time as yours (that is of course, if I get an embryo to implant!)

Stay strong everyone!

@Poppy9991 welcome to the group! Good luck with the EC 😁

Thanks @IE00

Is anyone struggling with medical leave and questions at work?
I am really busy with work which is a good and bad thing. It takes my mind out of it as the minute I have free time I start googling “egg collection process”, “success rate” etc etc. But at the same time, as I didn’t want to tell my manager and my colleagues that I was going through a fertility process, and I felt that taking medical leave would raise questions that I definitely didn’t want to answer. I know I don’t have to give him the details of my med leave, but quite bad timing in a way as he is away tomorrow on holiday, and my other colleague is also on medical leave as he had a surgery on his foot last week. In a way as my colleague disclosed all of the history behind his medical leave and surgery I kind of feel bad just saying “hey something came up and I’m going to be on medical leave tomorrow - no questions asked please”. I think I feel a bit bad because we’re all going to be out but oh well... Anyway, I have told that I was going to be unavailable all morning because husband has a surgery haha, he didn’t ask questions so that’s fine. I cancelled my meetings in the afternoon and I guess it should be fine. But definitely planning to take some time off work for ET next week. Just not sure what I’ll say yet (don’t want to use my statutory leave for that when I should be using medical leave) I guess I’ll come up with an ailment of some sort.

Hope everyone is holding on well, whether awaiting treatment to start, or on injections, awaiting EC, awaiting ET/FET, awaiting pregnancy test results or otherwise! Sending positive vibes.

@Poppy9991 I've been upfront with my manager so it's been nice and easy to book off the time I need. I have seen others who have asked their clinic for appointment cards that just say "gynecology" on them so you don't need to tell them about the IVF but can show that it's a genuine medical appointment

@Poppy9991 I am in the same boat. I've just started a new job so I didn't want to say I was planning on having a baby. It's silly I know but I am not ready to have that conversation.

Luckily I work from home so I've been able to slip out. I'd also remember that you may think people care more than they do. I don't know what you do but if you're able to make up the time, I don't think your boss will mind. Mine didn't seem to anyway

@ChristmasJumpers thanks - that’s probably the right approach. I think I’ll remain vague next week. Just really unfortunate that no one from my team is in tomorrow.

@IE00 completely understand. I’ve been in the job for a year now and feel that my boss would be gutted to know I’m trying to conceive as he’ll need to find someone in case of mat leave etc. Obv silly to think that way but I prefer to keep it to myself if I can. I’m also working from home so it’s been brilliant for appointments, treatment, acupuncture etc. But for egg collection and egg transfer I guess you kind of have to take the whole day off… or half day at least to recover?

Anyway, I have to be at my clinic tomorrow 10am for EC, stress is building up. Not quite sure what to expect and the positivity I had the past few weeks seems to have vanished! I think I read someone else saying so but I wish I could go to bed and wake up 6-7 months pregnant…

@Poppy9991 best of luck for tomorrow 🤞🤞🤞

@Poppy9991 it's such a stressful time. I would remind yourself though that you seemed to have a some mature follicles, so you should get some eggs!

For the EC I did take 2 hours to recover but I went back to work after that to be honest. Everyone is different but I wanted to keep busy as my mind wanders and the endless googling begins 😕. There's nothing you can do anyway so best to try and take your mind off things. If you can do that in a more relaxing way I applaud you!

All the best for today. X x

@IVFGotThis05 how did your scan go?

Line is nice and strong now, ready for clinic to call today.

Work wise in my permanent role I have a good relationship with my supervisor so told her, my bosses had the heads up it would be happening 2 years ago as I started a degree course as part of my role, its a 4 year course without pregnancy I would have finished it at 41- 42, now I'll be finishing it at 42-43. I wanted to make them aware I'm committed but time wise I couldn't really delay IVF so as soon as we had gotten the money together we would start.

My only worry now, I'm due to go on an 8 placement in 3 weeks, ideally I'd like to be well enough that I don't need to tell them although it might be evident near the end. That's assuming the viability scan is done before I start 🤞🤞

@Suki2020 @ks94 hope you are both well ladies I recall we were testing around the same time, keeping my fingers crossed for you both xx

@LouiseD2018 congratulations on your positive test. I waited and did mine this morning and got a positive, just hoping the lines get darker

@suki2020 simply amazing! Congratulations!!! 😁😁😁

I came off Norethisterone on Tuesday and started to bleed yesterday. I have never been so happy to see AF, I did a happy dance in the work toilets 😂
Stims officially start on Monday

@IE00 I was 7mm at scan but she wanted me to continue with just the oestrogen still, so I start progesterone on Sunday for a Friday transfer!

Ooooo May the 4th be with you ... on your transfer day ! Sorry, lil nerd trying to be funny :)

Congratulations on the positive tests! Love to hear such lovely news!

@LouiseD2018 @Suki2020 congrats both of you! It’s always so good to have good news and positivity around. It gives me hope! (I’m also 39 turning 40 end of year).

My EC this morning went well, just got back home. I was really stressed about the sedation but it went well I fell asleep straight away and woke up fine. They managed to retrieve 9 eggs but don’t know yet which ones are mature. DH sample wasn’t optimal so they’re going for ICSI. Crossing all my fingers and toes for good news tomorrow morning (They’ll only ICSI the mature eggs so probably less than the 9 retrieved, and they then have to fertilise which is not guaranteed with ICSI). @IE00 I see what you mean by taking your mind off it now. I might as well work this pm just to be distracted and not google probabilities of success via ICSI 🤣

@ChristmasJumpers good news! Really wishing you the best for your stims!

@Poppy9991 everything crossed that you get a good phone call in the morning.

@Suki2020 congratulations 🥳you have some will power to hold out 💪. That looks like a good strong line to me 😊

My scan is being done a little earlier than normal because of the ectopics. They said I'll be 6 weeks, they prefer to scan at 6.5 weeks as you don't always see everything at 6 weeks. I'm hoping they do see everything they need to then I can focus on this work placement for the next 8 weeks rather than have to tell them about ivf and be in and out for medical acts.

My test countdown, the first one doesn't show clearly but the line was visible in person, then tested on Tuesday & Thursday. Today I done one of my own along with the clinics

2 weeks to go, will be counting down the days, stay strong baby 🤞🙏🌈

@LouiseD2018 that's great the line is getting stronger. Hope all goes well with the work placement, that will be a good distraction.

@Suki2020 yay congratulations! So happy for you! That gives me hope too

@IVFGotThis05 woop so glad all is well! Haha loved the Star Wars joke. I really hope the forth is with me!

@ChristmasJumpers yay for AF! Hope that's the last you'll see of it for a while 😁

Such good news ladies! Really does feel like the spring of hope 🥰

@Poppy9991 also glad it went well - 9 eggs is great! Fingers crossed for ICSI. Are you doing a fresh transfer?

I got a digital test, my paranoia was creeping in. It came up 2-3 weeks which in gp terms is 4-5 weeks which makes it bang on where it should be for 4wks3days. The relief washed overme, I felt if it was ectopic it might have showed lower.

I'll keep the spare for my next panic one day next week! Then I have to stop and wait for the scan 🙏🤞🌈❤

@LouiseD2018 I completely understand your stress! Having been through 2 MCs I can completely relate if not being relaxed and just counting days and hours until your next scan for reassurance… I wish they would just test our blood for HcG every other day, and then scan more often just for peace of mind… It’s really hard to try and think about something else not knowing what’s happening inside. So difficult to take your mind off it. When you look at movies or series, you see these couples being so happy from the moment they have a positive test and just telling everyone about it, they never show the reality of ectopics, empty sacs, MCs, etc. It always looks so easy in fictions… But anyway I think try to distract yourself as much as you can, keep yourself busy, stay away from google, try to meditate, start a new book, watch movies, yoga, etc. Anything that works for you. It’s just 2 tiny weeks! (after your 2WW haha! it feels we’re always waiting in this process). Crossing fingers your baby stays strong! 🍍🍍

@IE00 yes fresh transfer for me!

So the clinic called this morning and I have 5 fertilised that’s good news! They told me they might do a day 3 transfer as they’d prefer them to be where they belong (I suspect this might be due to ICSI). So transfer planned on Monday 9am but they told me they will call me that morning to confirm as depending on how they look they might decide to do a day 5.

Ladies, did your clinic prescribe anything specific for implantation (I hear some people take baby aspirin for example), or did you have any specific things you did such as keeping a hot bottle on your abdomen and keep your feet warm to keep a good uterine blood flow (chinese medicine principles), also wanted to ask, for how long were you prescribed progesterone after the transfer? I really want to have some for the whole first trimester if I’m honest, but for now I only have some for 20 days (I guess that’s until I test after transfer). I highly suspect that my past miscarriages might have been caused by low progesterone so would really want to insist that they continue for longer than that.

Good evening all!

@Poppy9991 great news about your eggs! I am on progesterone and was told to take that for the whole of the first trimester. Good luck with the transfer!

@Poppy9991 that's good news! I have heard about baby asprin but I have been told to take it. As for hot water bottle you can use some after egg collection but it's a big no no once you have transferred. Also no hot baths but I'm sure your clinic will tell you that. You don't want to raise your body temp too high. I also have progesterone I believe for the first trimester but they only give me enough until test date then they gave me more. Unfortunately I've never had it past the first scan but I'm assuming they would give me more then. Good luck for Monday!

@IE00 Thanks, good to know!

@Alexm06 Thanks, didn’t know that the hot bottle was a no no after transfer so thanks for sharing! Also, I remember you started stims around the same time as me, where are you on your fresh cycle if I may ask? Hope everything is going smoothly.

@ChristmasJumpers Aren’t you starting stims tomorrow if I remember correctly? Wishing you good luck!

@poppy991 yes tomorrow morning! Feeling so strange today, I don't really know what to do with myself

Sorry @poppy9991 I missed a 9 out when tagging you 😂 congrats in your 5 embabies! Are you hoping for transfer tomorrow or would you rather give them the 5 days?

@LouiseD2018 wow that line progression is so clear each time. Positive thoughts for these next 2 weeks ✨️ have you got anything fun/nice planned to keep you busy?