IVF / FET March/April 2022 Thread 2

[AliceAbsolum]

Shiny new thread as we filled up the last one.

@Daisychain93x welcome I have never done FET so can't help but I'm sure some of the others will be able too.

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@Suki2020 the meds will give you EWCM! Happened to me as well. The clinic told me not to worry and they were right - but maybe check in with yours and maybe they can scan you before Friday?

@HJen22 aww happy birthday!! What a time to have it but I hope you had a good day regardless? I don't think I'll ever get into meditating haha but that book sounds interesting! "Trust in the universe" is something I'm really trying to embrace and I do think it gives me a sense of calm that I didn't have when I was younger

@ginandtonicformeplease oh wow bloods tomorrow! let us know how it goes, and you as well @Coops0406 for the biopsy x

@Daisychain93x welcome :) It sounds like we are on similar timelines, I also had my first fresh transfer recently and am currently waiting for my first FET. I'm doing a medicated cycle however so am not sure about the process with a natural cycle. Would it maybe be ovulation+how many days old your embryo is?

@HJen22 I downloaded the app a few months ago and did use it to go to sleep for a while. It worked too- I may try it again tonight I'd forgotten about it.

I'll look into the book too- I love reading and it helps me forgot about 2ww so any good book suggestions anyone let me know x

@SamTTC thank you, that’s great we are on similar timings! I assumed that is how they would work it out too. The rough date they have given for the transfer seems to be a week and a bit after ovulation. They of course know what they are doing but to me it’s seems to be quite a bit after! 🙈

@AliceAbsolum how do we see your vlog? I'd be interested to give it a watch 😊

@HJen22 hope you enjoyed your birthday trip away! 🎂🥂

@PMAmostofthetime @SamTTC thank you, biopsy around midday so we're going to get there earlier and have brunch/lunch. I'm excited to finally get it done and stop the progesterone!!! My appetite for crap is insatiable since I started on them!

Treating your first round of ivf as a trial run is very sensible, consultant told me that it is very much trial and error as they have no idea how your body will respond, just how "most" people of the same age, similar weight and AMH will. At my place the first round (in terms of meds and doses) is based on that and pulled off a chart. But as we've found out, for a lot of people one round isn't enough, and only the very lucky ones get success with the first round and embryo...it's a lottery. This is why I think it's so important that everyone should get 2 nhs rounds funded.
What I will say though, is that if the first round doesn't work, they have learnt so much about you and how your body will respond that it isn't a waste (which is what I thought in my crappy weeks after the first failed round with zero Frosties)
Just got to keep going ladies...we will get there 💪🏾❤️

@SamTTC thanks, I’ve got a scan tomorrow morning so I’ll ask her then. Sorry this being my first round of IVF I have no idea what to expect.

Hope everyone’s doing ok, the thread seems to move very fast to be able to keep up with everyone!

Like @Coops0406 I was interested to hear @AliceAbsolum had a blog so just looked up ivf and vanlife on YouTube and found what I’m fairly sure is them from the details from the thread (unless I’ve just been watching a random couple! ) Don’t want link to it here in case @AliceAbsolum doesn’t want it on here though!

Anyone found the second+ rounds of IVF harder than the first? As I’m gearing up for another round I’m finding myself freaking out at the thought of all the injections and scans etc, almost to the point that I don’t want to do it. Watching the injections being done on the video I could almost feel myself starting to panic at the thought of it. Anyone got any tips for overcoming the anxiety? Genuinely psyching myself out of this it feels……

Welcome @Suki2020 I only did my first round a few months ago so fairly new to this all like you. Everyone’s always been happy to answer all sorts of questions I’ve found

@Coops0406 I'll PM you with the link.
Thanks @BlueSilver23 for not posting it, I like to try to keep mumsnet a bit separate. If the background of the thumbnails are pink you have the correct ones 😊

If anyone wants to watch it just PM me.

In terms of ivf being harder in future rounds, for me, apart from the nightmare Czech Republic, which was an anonmoly, they've got easier and easier. This time I'm like 85% chilled compared to any other time before.
But I totally hear you on not wanting to do it. It took me 2.5 years to be in a place to do this round. Mostly because of the miscarriage, but still.
IVF is an incredibly stressful thing to do, no one would want to do it, we just want the positive outcome from it.

@Hopingforamiracle11 I had chosen the Czech Republic and my top choices were IVF Cube(Prague) and IVF Zlin(Zlin). I created a spreadsheet which is downstairs somewhere and I’ll go dig it out after work today. Zlin won out because they could fit me in more quickly and they were a little cheaper.

Most clinics in CZ promise 2 high quality blasts for DE cycles. We got super lucky with our Donor eggs in Zlin and ended up with 6 highest quality expanding blasts. Our fresh transfer of 1 blast resulted in our son and then a bfn this summer on a FET.

Morning all,
Just getting ready to go in for what will hopefully be my last scan before the trigger injection.
Bit of a random (gross) question. (First time, everything is new!) Did anyone get like ovulation discharge while on ovaleap/Fyremadel? I sort of assumed that because I wasn't ovulating that wouldn't happen so I had a bit of a panic.... It was COPIOUS.

@AliceAbsolum thanks, I found it 😍 but hubby was asleep while I was in bed looking at it so could only watch the subtitles, will definitely give it a full watch later. Well done to you both for putting it out there and being so raw 🥰

@BlueSilver23 I'm finding that the more we move through the next rounds, the more informed we are and able to ask more questions. The first round was just blindly going into things and going with everything they said without question. And it was much more exciting for the first round, but the drop down to earth was massive! Now I find myself a bit more level headed and although hopeful, am more realistic and logical about things. I can rationalise things a lot more when I'm trying to come out of the heartbreaking times

Morning ladies, so I had my first scan this morning. A little confused by it all if I’m honest. I have 20 follicles on my left side and 11 on my right. I only had 3 that were between 10-13 and all others were between 7-9. They told me that it would be reviewed at lunchtime and they’d let me know if I needed to up my dose. Then they told me everything looks good for the first scan and they would see me again Wednesday morning. So I’m confused to whether I’m on track or not really.

@Boofimus hope all goes well on your scan this morning

@AliceAbsolum Of course, always want to try and respect people’s privacy on here. Brave of you both for putting it out there, I haven’t told more than a couple of people myself!

@Suki2020
@Coops0406 Good to hear that it gets a bit easier, if I’m honest I think it’s the thought of mixing meds and the injections all over again. For me I found it didn’t get easier the more I did it so dreading it a bit again. Probably doesn’t help that I’m doing it all by myself so no one to double check with. Will just have to suck it up!

@suki2020 I was the same with a similar number of small follicles, they upped my dose halfway too. Still ended up with a fair amount of eggs so try not to worry. Sounds like you’re on track.

Thanks @BlueSilver23 they said they’d ring this afternoon if I need to up my dose. Just hoping my next scan on Wednesday will be better

@Suki2020 sounds pretty good to me?

I also find it easier as time goes on. Honestly I found IUIs much tougher mentally than the IVF. I didn't have anywhere near as bad of an experience as @AliceAbsolum but I also didn't trust my clinic doing IUIs for various reasons - for one thing they absolutely did not care whether I'd ovulated or not before my insemination and I actually also became a bit worried they didn't really inseminate me. There was just something moneygrabbing about the whole thing that made me uncomfortable. Anyway I am much happier with this clinic, and I also feel like IVF in general is much more controlled, which helps a lot. And there's less of that initial excitement, because I've gotten so used to it just being BFN every time... which is both a good and bad thing I suppose.

@Suki2020 that sounds fine to me. I've got 3 bigger than 15 (out of only 12 total) and although I'm waiting for the final call from the doctor this afternoon, the technician said she'd be extremely surprised if they didn't go ahead with egg collection on Wednesday, so yours sounds absolutely fine.

Hey ladies - id like to join you☺️ , have been on the feb/march ivf thread. I had my 1st failed fresh transfer in march.

Im starting my frozen cycle next month and just wanted to get some insight into ultragestan pessaries! I was on Cyclogest last time which i did rectally and had no issues.

I have been told i will need to insert these 3 times a day and lay down for 30 mins😩. Sounds very unrealistic as if your at work or out somewhere how is this possible? Anyone used these? Iv been told cyclogest are out of stock due to a global shortage

Welcome @Gigi89x I haven't used utrogestan pessaries but am currently on cyclogest pesseries 3x per day rectally. I've sourced mine with no issues so far from Asda. Our clinic are happy for us to use cyclogest rectally with no need to lie down but I'm guessing they absorb better vaginally as lots of clinics seem to advice vaginal/lie down for 20-30 mins. I'm on lots of other types of progesterone at the same time which may be why they're ok with me using them rectally xx

Hi @Gigi89x, welcome. I'm doing a FET too.
I don't have experience with that particular brand but I did Lutinus last time, which was much messier and annoying than Cyclogest. I don't think you need to specifically lie down, as much as just make sure it doesn't fall out, because it takes 30 mins for the stuff to get absorbed?? So you can manage if you just sit completely still at your desk. At least for the one in the middle of the day one, you almost have to do it that way... remember to wear a pad btw.

@PMAmostofthetime Unfortunately my clinic said since the medication is not fertility and thyroid that they don't have the expertise to advise me on wrong dosages and encouraged me to contact my gp. My husband thinks, I just got confused and actually took the right dosage and just making myself paranoid, I'm hoping that is the case. Your beta is in 9 days right?

@Gigi89x I'm on them 4x a day so I do 1 before I get up in the morning, then 1 last thing at night, 1 in the evening and then it's the 12noon one that's the pain. Can you do it at 4pm or 5pm?
Last cycle work had to give me a yoga mat and I'd lie in a freezing cold office on the floor in my coat during my lunch break. Really not fun

@Herewegoagain881 @AliceAbsolum @SamTTC thanks for your replies. I really wish i could stick with cyclogest! It was so easy i did rectally and no laying down or sitting down etc!

@AliceAbsolum you poor thing that sounds awful! Did they give you a separate room to lay down in?
Im only going into the office 1 day a week - I'm going to ask my boss to wfh through my frozen cycle, as my clinic still has the covid cancellation rules if your sick so would like to avoid catching it!