IVF April/May 2022

[Girlwholifts]

Hey everyone.
So I’m just getting ready to start my second round of ICSI after suffering a MMC last Aug.
I have 2 more weeks of Norethisterone before I await the important bleed and then start my injections, yippee!

I was so chilled when I received my protocol and now I’m getting a little nervous as I know what’s to come. Unfortunately none of the embryos from our last round were high enough quality to freeze so we are starting from scratch. I’m preying for higher quality this time but I guess that’s out of our hands.

I wanted to start a thread as I know how helpful it was on my first round and it’s nice to know your not alone in what can seem like a very isolating process ❤️

@TerrazzoChips definitely can see a line too!

@Glitterandunicorns good luck for egg collection today x

@TerrazzoChips amazing news! Congratulations!

I'm in hospital for my egg collection as we speak. Just had the IV paracetamol and they're taking me in in about half an hour. Fair to say I'm feeling anxious about it but the nurses and everyone else here have been so kind.

Hope you all have a nice day. X

Hope it all goes well today @Glitterandunicorns! sending you all the good vibes!

I retested this morning and the line is getting stronger too - so I am definitely pregnant at the moment!

Fantastic news @TerrazzoChips! So excited for you.

I just got out of theatre and collection was truly awful. It was the most pain I have ever been in and I have given birth. (Disclaimer: they give you fentanyl which is absolutely great pain relief for most people and you don't even feel what's going on. I'm on opiate medication so have a pretty high tolerance so that's why I was in so much pain).

Anyway, they got 17 eggs! Considering at one point we thought we were going to be lucky to get 6, we're delighted!

@TerrazzoChips congrats!!

Unfortunately didn't have the best news at transfer this morning. They hadn't even made it to blastocyst stage but said 3 were very close so transferred 2 even though we were already planning to transfer 2 and will call me tomorrow but yeah we are not hopefully. Been a pretty emotional hour considering how good quality our embryos have been before.

The line is definitely darker today 7dp5dt. So fingers crossed it all goes ok.

Sorry this is the one from today. I think it looks darker. Starting to think is there 2 in there! Xx

@Alexm06 I'm sorry you're feeling disappointed. It's totally understandable. I'm crossing my fingers really hard for you that it works out.

@ty1982 line is def darker! So excited for you! X

@TerrazzoChips @ty1982 great looking lines ladies 😍 not sure if my 7dp- is any darker than my 6dp5dt but I'm taking comfort from the fact it's still positive.

@Glitterandunicorns were you not put under sedation?? I don't know what painkillers they stuffed up me but I felt no pain until the day after and even then it was pretty mild. Did they say anything about difficult access or something? Sounds like your experience was unusually painful! But good news on the 17 eggs! Hopefully you get a good number of blasts!

@Alexm06 two being close to blast stage is good! They could have gotten there by day 6 which gives you a good a chance of success as a day 5 blast. I hope that both of them work out beautifully for you! Will they continue to monitor the remaining embryos?

Oh @Glitterandunicorns im so sorry to hear that. Here’s hoping you feel better soon and it’s all worth it 9 months from now!

@Alexm06 they are in the best place! I hope you get a positive!

Fantastic lines, @unCliche!

They gave me IV paracetamol then a large dose of fentanyl plus gas and air. How we, because I take opiate painkillers daily, I think I just have a tolerance to them that means that I didn't really get much pain relief from the fentanyl.

I wonder whether the pain was exacerbated by the bloating caused by my super high oestrogen levels too.

The first time round, I had pain during the procedure but this time was horrific. The consultant did say that some of my follicles weren't accessible without her going through my uterus to get to them (she didn't end up collecting those as she said it would be even more painful and those ones looked really small any way). I wonder whether some of the ones she collected were positioned a bit awkwardly.

At least it's over now. I've spent the day in bed and just managed to eat a sandwich but the pain is still pretty rough.

@Glitterandunicorns Oh gosh, all your hormone fuelled discomfort definitely wouldn't have helped the situation. Have you taken the rest of the week off? Any OHSS symptoms?

Omg they went through your uterus 😱😱😱 That sounds horrific and you were awake for this?? 😵 I'd have asked them to knock me out 😂 But congrats on getting through it, I know you were worried about when to trigger but things worked out so well for you! I can't wait to hear how things continue to progress.

Hey ladies so after what was a struggle weekend I’m actually feeling so much better today. I’ve had a email from the head embryologist who was just lovely and made me feel a lot better.

@Sxd515 I was given a 15 day wait 😩 couldn’t believe it. Last cycle was 10dpt but I’m sure something will happen within that time. When is your OFD?

@TerrazzoChips and @unCliche thanks for you kind messages 💛 I’m keeping everything crossed for you both!

@Alexm06 looks like we are pretty similar. I was like you, last cycle I made lovely blasts and this round not so brilliant. We must stay positive 💛 I know it’s hard and I really do feel your pain. You never know it just might be the one or two! Sending massive hugs!

@unCliche yeah they are going to call me tomorrow to tell me if they can freeze any but yeah I highly doubt it.

@Girlwholifts I'm glad your feeling more positive. Hopefully I will as well. Today has just been a hard day. I've even called my mum who lives in Australia to call the clinics there and see if both me and my partner need a Medicare card to get cheeper ivf or just me (I'm a citizen my partner is not) as they do Medicare fresh cycle which is about £1000 max I believe anyway. That's my next option as we just can't afford to do another fresh cycle here.

@Girlwholifts oh that is a long wait! Mine is next Monday so 9dpt. That feels far enough away! I'm glad you're feeling better today!

@Alexm06 I hope you're ok, this whole thing is an exhausting rollercoaster

@Glitterandunicorns I'm sorry to hear today was so tough. I hope you're resting up and taking it easy

So my 6dp5dt is a bit fainter than my 5dp5dt so I’m worrying it may be a chemical.

gosh this is all such an emotional rollercoaster.

@TerrazzoChips I know it's easier said then done but try to test every 48 hours as you will get more reliable lines also I found testing in the evening my lines were darker.
I'm giving you this advice but I was a crazy tester last time my lines were all over the place and if I am positive this time I will probably be doing the exact same. I couldn't tell you how much money I spent on tests last time haha

@TerrazzoChips Hopefully it's just a urine related fluke. I find my SMU urine produces darker results than FMU so there can always be discrepancies depending on how much you've drunk, time of day, etc. I'd give it another day.

Morning all.

Last night was pretty rough and I'm still feeling awful after collection yesterday. I'm super mega bloated and in quite a lot of discomfort. I decided to take the rest of the week off work to give myself a chance to recover.

In other news, we had the call this morning from the embryologist. Of the 17 they collected yesterday, 11 were mature and 7 have fertilised! (We're having ICSI this time as we didn't get a brilliant fertilisation rate first time round).

We'll get another phone call on Thursday (day 3) to see how they're growing and they'll decide from there whether to freeze everything that's ok then or give them until day 5.

We're really pleased with the numbers we've got!

@TerrazzoChips you've had some great advice from the other group members. Trying to only test every other day is a really good idea, but I know that's easier said than done.

I hope you're all having good days.

@Glitterandunicorns, @unCliche and @Alexm06 thank you for your wise words! I have taken a second test just now and it is a stronger line so I’ve reassured myself it’s too early for there to be any significant accuracy and I’m stepping away from the tests until the weekend when I am supposed to test!

@Glitterandunicorns 7 fertilised is brilliant you must be so pleased! Hopefully even with the inevitable drop off in numbers we all get you will have 2 or 3 strong embryos there! Fab news!

@Alexm06 Have you heard back from your clinic today? How are you feeling since your transfer?

@Glitterandunicorns Glad you have the week to recover. I can't imagine being in so much pain and still having to work! Congrats on your 7 embryos, that's wonderful news! I'm pleased for you too!

@TerrazzoChips Phew! See there was nothing to worry about 😁

Today is my final day of testing with FRERs before my beta tomorrow. After that I'll just continue to hope for the best until my 6 week and then 12 week scan. I wish everyone the best of luck in their current cycles and hope to hear more good news as the days progress. I'll definitely stop by tomorrow to give an update on my beta numbers and after that, I'll keep an eye out to see how you all get on.

@unCliche how many days post transfer are you tomorrow? My clinic doesn't do a beta. So just official test day on Sunday for me. Roll on Sunday! Good luck with everything

@TerrazzoChips I am so with you, analysing the change in the lines. I worry too about chemical but I feel we will be ok as we do have strong lines.
@Glitterandunicorns 7 is amazing congrats keep us posted

@unCliche yeah I heard back. The third one they were watching made it to blastocyst but wasn't good enough to be frozen so yeah none to freeze. I think we had one more transfer on the nhs but obviously can't use that now. If this doesn't work off to Australia I go! I'm a citizen as of 5 years ago and spoke to my mum this morning and she got some prices for me. Max everything should cost for a fresh cycle £700!!! And the frozen transfers are free just need to may for meds. How crazy is that!

@Alexm06 thats incredible. I hope you don’t need to use it but good to know there’s the option!