IVF / FET March/April 2022 Thread 2

[AliceAbsolum]

Shiny new thread as we filled up the last one.

@Suki2020 to start with my stomach very quickly swelled (over maybe 3-4 hours) so I couldn’t stand or sit up straight without it hurting (it felt my muscles and skin were too tight). I was short of breath going upstairs (I’m pretty fit normally) and I couldn’t use my diaphragm to breathe. That was all within the first 24 hours. My whole abdomen was really sore to touch and going to sleep on my side felt like stabbing pains all down my sides and the pain kept me awake even after taking paracetamol. I also had been drinking so much I’d had around 4 litres of water and was still really thirsty. My calves were aching too.
are you worried you may have started getting it?

@Autumn245 You had two scans throughout stims? Today was my 4th and I'll be having my 5th on Monday - didn't expect things to take so long but whatever it takes I guess!

@ginandtonicformeplease Aw you must be relieved, that's great news!

@AliceAbsolum I really hope everything turns out ok. My thoughts are with you lovely 💕

@Herewegoagain881 Ugh, so frustrating that it's almost impossible to feel anything positive even after you've crossed the first hurdle of getting that BFP - the worrying just doesn't stop. I'm sorry you're feeling this way.

@Iwouldlikesomecake sending hugs. Be kind to yourself.

@Steph2345 scan went ok I guess. I have seven over 10mm and 18 under. Today is day 10 of stims so I'll stim until Sunday (12 days of stims 😬), trigger on Monday with EC on Wednesday and just hope for the best! I had a nurse do my scan and bloods today and she was shocked that they didn't increase my dose until day 7. Started on 125iu of Gonal-F and currently on 225iu. I was expecting to overstimulate and do a freeze-all cycle but with how slow everything has been moving, I probably won't and can do a fresh transfer. Sorry to hear you're currently suffering from OHSS, does this mean you'll do a FET next cycle?

Thanks @Steph2345 and @SamTTC I'm doing fine! Got a lovely bill this morning from the clinic for 800quid to house my frosties so that was a shock! I feel very fat and my boobs are frankly enormous and scaring me but I'm so tired and bleugh that I'm just not going to worry about it until after the TWW. How are you guys doing?

Confused…I had bleeding Wednesday morning and went to EPU for a scan at noon. The sonographer said it looked about right for dates(5w5d) and saw the sac, yolk and maybe the fetal pole. They refused to do an HCG so I found a mobile bloods lady to do a draw last night/Thursday late evening. HCG Results came back at 28,000. According to everything I found online you should see a heartbeat by 12,000. That would mean my HCG rose by over 16,000 in 33 hours.

My dh had a go at me tonight for not being positive enough and is now like “ look see…you had nothing to worry about”, but I am now worried this could be a blighted ovum.

I have another HCG tomorrow that was already booked so I’m sure that will add even more confusion.
I told dh that we should try to book a scan for Sunday and he got aggravated and told
me I should just wait for Thursday.

@unCliche i hear you on the having enough of stims, I did 15 days in the end. Do you have another scan on Monday or are they hoping that the follicles keep growing and will get to a decent size by the trigger?
my OHSS kicked off 5 days after my embryo transfer and I was in hospital for 4 days with it so it was pretty stressful but they let me go home and told me that I was to be on 2 weeks of doing nothing. That 2 weeks ends this weekend but my symptoms may continue for another few weeks. I took a test 10 days ago (2 weeks after the transfer) and it was positive! I just have to be patient as it means the symptoms will take longer to go - consultant told me to be prepared for the whole of the first trimester but I hope it’s quicker than that.
will you chat to your clinic on collection day to see if you will do a fresh transfer or freeze what you have? Would you freeze the eggs or freeze embryos?

@Steph2345 Oh wow congrats! I had no idea you'd already gotten your positive - that's amazing! I'm guessing since you did a fresh transfer that your E2 levels must have been reasonable but then obviously your BFP triggered the OHSS? Sorry that you had to start your pregnancy off in such a bad way and I'm even more sorry that you have to contend with OHSS alongside normal pregnancy symptoms! How many eggs did you end up having collected? I thought 12 days was bad but 15 days! 🥴 Glad it worked out for you. Were you on quite a low dose too?

Yes, I have my final scan on Monday. DH and I are competing to see who can guess how many eggs I'll get at EC. He reckons 10, I think 15 - but let's see! I think if my E2 numbers are ok and I collect less than 15 eggs then I'll be keen to have a fresh transfer but if not, I'll freeze the embryos.

@TommieNC I completely understand wanting to know what's going on and having concrete answers. I think you should do whatever will give you peace of mind. It's your body and you have to live in it so if a scan on Sunday will help, then go for it. It won't impact anything in any way. Let us know how you get on with tomorrow's hCG. All the best!!

@TommieNC that is very confusing! Are you far along timeline-wise that you should be able to see a heartbeat? Usually it’s measured in weeks, isn’t it? I would absolutely get a scan if you feel you need it - it’s your body!

@Somatronic I HEAR YOU on feeling huge and bleurgh! Absolute same. I think the stims have made me put on weight, I can’t fit into my clothes. It’s so uncomfortable and I am so self conscious when I go into the office or see friends/family. Like you though I’m just waiting until after the TWW to deal with it.

Thank you ladies for all the kind messages ❤️

@TommieNC if you're feeling anxious I agree to get a scan earlier to put your mind at ease. It's a long wait till Thursday and I completely understand how hard it would be to concentrate on anything else during the week if you're worried.

I'm going to attempt to reassure you in the meantime as I know how horrible it is sitting with uncertainty! It crossed my mind that beta numbers aren't as reflective on when to scan for a heartbeat compared to how many weeks pregnant you are? I'm guessing there's some people that could have super high HCG levels really early on e.g. they may hit 12k say at 5 weeks but there wouldn't necessarily yet be a heartbeat yet because the cells still need time to divide/multiply/grow into the various parts, which requires time. I think the HCG is more about the placenta rather than fetal growth (I'm absolutely no expert but that's why they say HCG can still increase with blighted ovums, as the placenta can still grow for some time while being empty). Our clinic typically scans us at 6+5 to check for a heartbeat, I guess because it's more likely at that point to be sure about viability.

The other possibility is the sonographer may have missed the heartbeat in your scan as the fetal pole would be super small at that point.

From everything I read about my beta numbers and them finding only an empty 3mm sac (at 5+4) in my scan last week I was also convinced it was a blighted ovum and that this week they would probably find an empty slightly bigger sac but somehow that wasn't the case and they found a heartbeat. I can't imagine my pregnancy continuing for very long given all the other bad news from the scan, but a heartbeat actually seemed impossible based on what I read!

I really hope the scan goes well, keeping everything crossed for you xxx

@Steph2345 yeah I am. My stomach feels so bloated and it’s all over. During the night I also got up twice but I came over feeling really faint and hot.

So sorry for what your all going through.
IVF really is a minefield and so cruel.

@Herewegoagain881 @TommieNC and @AliceAbsolum thinking of you all and really hoping there will be better news from your next follow up's.
I expect your all very emotional right now with mixed feelings of hope and anger causing you to be upset and frustrated.
We are all here for you.

I agree with everyone else if you want an earlier scan than the one that's booked and you can get one- go ahead. It may put your mind at ease but also it may not- as you may think well they did say by this date so maybe. But you all need to do what's best for you.

@SamTTC I'm ok thanks just back in the Limbo of waiting for my follow up appointment on the 24th.

How are all you 2 WW's doing I think I lost the plot entirely by day 6.

@Suki2020 I felt like that- I'm day 10 after progesterone today and only now the bloat is going and I'm on a diet to make me feel more me again before the next round. I invested in a lot of smock dresses and tops and had to buy bigger knickers!
leggings were also my best friend.

X

Hi ladies just starting my first FET cycle (on day 6). I am finding myself feeling so nauseous and wondering if it is the estrogen. Anyone else had similar side effects?

@Loz2287 hi! yeah I had some nausea on estrogen too. Should be fine after a few days when your body gets used to it x

Hi, hope you are all well!
lm 3 days away from my embryo transfer and im on day 3 of progesterone. My last endometrio cycle i had super sore boobs and sore injection site, but this time i have no pain. Im worried the lubion isn't doing what it should be.

I also had increased cervical mucus when taking estrogen at the start of this cycle and past 4/5 days its like totally cut down. Is my body not reacting to the meds? Im super worried as its so close to my transfer.

Hi all,

Sorry I've not been keeping up with your news, I've been in my own little bubble of fear for a while now.

@SUMMERTIME02 Progesterone takes a while to kick in for me in terms of side effects. I think bodies are complex and we will have different symptoms at different times. If you have responded before there is no reason why you wouldn't again. How many mg are you on?
I had increased CM on and off on the same amount of meds, no pattern to it.

@Steph2345 @Nutrinerd How're you doing?

@TommieNC I 100% feel you in limbo land. My DH is the same as yours, he wants to wait until Thursday for the NHS scan. I must admit while the thought of waiting another 5 days makes me want to claw my eyes out, I can see the logic in getting to a place where it will be much more conclusive either way. Just so brutal.

@Iwouldlikesomecake Sorry about the negative result. It was absolutely nothing that you did or did not do. Infertility is so common and no one would choose it. Not only that but we have to deal with the stigma around it too.

@Herewegoagain881 You are seriously going through it :( Thats amazing they found a heartbeat, but I'd feel exactly the same as you about the blood and the position. Its ok to doubt it and feel uncomfortable about it, no need to feel guilty at all.
Totally shocking that they offered no follow up. Why not rescan in a week for gods sake. What are you going to do?

@SamTTC Thank you for your post, it helped me yesterday x

@HJen22 Sending good vibes to you and hope time goes quick until you can start again.

@Suki2020 Hope the bloating has reduced.

I'm doing a lot better today than I was yesterday. The bleeding and pain have totally stopped this afternoon. EPU said to keep them updated, so I'll call them Monday and speak to them about the Thursday scan appointment. If they have a good reason for not moving it earlier then I think I will just wait until then. Because we saw a clear, strong heartbeat, waiting 7 days from then will tell us either way.
I dont think I can have passed the pregnancy because there was not enough blood or clots or tissue (sorry TMI), so while I dont know if its dead or alive, I just have to sit with that. Not much choice. Personally I think its a good 95% chance I'm out. But, I'm not psychic, so, who knows.
I'm so hypervigilant now though to every pain and every time I pessary or go to the loo. I never thought pregnancy bleeding would be accompanied by bum/bowel pain, whats that about. I honesty thought I'd got noro yesterday morning.

@SUMMERTIME02 if you're concerned maybe let your clinic know and ask if you can have a blood test to check your progesterone levels are what they want them to be? I'm going to ask for this in my next attempt because I didn't absorb the progesterone very well in this cycle. Personally I'm on craploads of progesterone and have no side effects except being super bloated but I'm guessing everyone reacts differently!

@AliceAbsolum I'm glad the pain/bleeding has stopped, hopefully it related to the empty sac 🤞 Yeah I'm surprised they didn't offer a scan as the results were pretty dire, but I think given how this pregnancy is going it's better my clinic do the scan for me, I've got one booked in for next Friday afternoon. Another long week ahead for many of us!

@unCliche my clinic upped my stims dose just before I started as I had a lower AMH than expected. When I had IUI my doses kept getting increased as I wasn’t responding then too. Some of us just take a bit more time to get there 🙂
I ended up with 8 eggs, 7 of which fertilised and 6 were there 24 hours later. I didn’t get any further updates in day 5 transfer day where I had 2 good ones and 2 they were leaving for 1 more day which didn’t end up catching up, but I still had 1 transferred and 1 for the freezer so I was pleased with that.
my doctor thinks that when the embryo embedded and more HCG was released it triggered my OHSS yes so it was a nice thing to happen even though it caused a fair bit of discomfort in the process.

@Suki2020 oh no how are you today? Do you have an out of hours number you can use if you need it? I’m here if you want to chat or air your worries.

@AliceAbsolum so good to hear bleeding and pains have stopped. I really hope it’s good news for you next week. I’m doing ok thanks, cautious and aware of being too excited too soon but I’m doing ok.

@Yoga817 you all set for tomorrow?

Hi @Loz2287 and @SUMMERTIME02 🙂

@SUMMERTIME02 im on first IVF but I had 3 lots of IUI before and each time I felt and reacted differently even though I was on the same medication for all 3. Fingers crossed for your transfer. Are you on fresh or frozen? Do you know how many embryos you have at the mo?

@Loz2287 sorry I haven’t got any FET experience. I hope you’re doing ok though. How long until transfer for you?

@Steph2345 Hey there, I am not sure yet. Have an appointment on Wednesday to check how my lining is doing and then decisions will be made from there. We did egg collection in Jan and froze 11 embryos on day 3. Our clinic prefers not to do fresh embryo transfers and I am finding this far easier on my body than our first IVF attempt (with another clinic) which was a fresh embryo transfer. How are you managing?

@Steph2345 yeah I do have the emergency number, I rang it this morning and they think I have OHSS so just have to keep an eye on it. Did you get hot flushes with yours? I’ve had so many today, I don’t have a temperature though

@Suki2020 no I didn’t I felt really cold but I had a temperature which I didn’t know about. Aww bless you I hope symptoms don’t get worse. Did they say to drink lots to flush fluids?

@Loz2287 I’m doing ok thanks. I had a positive result 10-11 days ago so waiting for my first scan on 5th May to see how everything is going.
you’re sounding pretty calm which is good

@Steph2345 yeah they said to drink plenty. I’m really struggling to eat, I’ve only eaten a biscuit, packet of ready salted crisps and a little veg rice. I just can’t eat much

@Suki2020 i totally understand the not being able to eat, I had no space for food and it made the pain so much worse. Keep an eye on it and go to the hospital if it gets really bad

@Suki2020 i hope you are okay and were able to get some protein and water down- it’s supposed to help.

just checking in 5dp5dt. Today or tomorrow is when my period would arrive in a normal cycle, and I’m very curious if it will or not. I understand intellectually that my cycle has been “taken over” by the estrogen and progesterone, but I won’t believe it till I (don’t) see it haha!

@Steph2345 @SamTTC didn’t have a great night. I was sick a few times before I went to bed. Only got about 3hrs sleep all night.
hopefully the oestrogen and progesterone are doing what they are supposed to do and your period won’t arrive.

@AliceAbsolum @TommieNC I hope you're both ok - if you feel you should have a scan, have one.

@Herewegoagain881 that sounds so stressful - I can't believe they didn't have a doctor talk through the scan with you. Hopefully your clinic will be able to give you some answers.

@Suki2020 have you let your clinic know? My clinic recommended drinks wjth electrolytes in when I had OHSS - coconut water, lucozade.