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Infertility

Our Infertility Support forum is a space to connect with others in the same position, discuss causes, treatment and IVF, and share infertility stories of hope and success.

How to survive 2WW

5 replies

Tryingat47 · 19/06/2022 18:55

Hi, it’s my first time here. I had my 5d transfer on 14 June and the wait to test is killing me. I am imagining I have positive symptoms such as sleepiness, breast tenderness, mild cramping but I am reading that the same symptoms can be from progesterone suppositories. My clinic said to do home test on 25th but how to survive before? The time has been a slug in the past few days since transfer as if I lived a life in those days…

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Tryingat47 · 19/06/2022 19:18

Am I the oldest trying person here?

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Iliada · 19/06/2022 19:24

Totally there with you. My 5d transfer was also 14th June. It’s my second transfer, 4th time on progesterone for a TWW.

Yes, if you haven’t used them before the side effects from the progesterone (and oestrogen if you are on that) can be a big shock as it does all the same things to you that early pregnancy can do, up to and including nausea and dizziness, sore breast, darkened nipples, headaches, bloating, bathroom issues, cramping, loose joints, aches and pains… the list is long. I don’t think there’s any guaranteed way from symptom spotting to tell if it’s worked because all the signs are the same.

Also, from my perspective, I can guarantee that I’ve had exactly the same symptoms, BFP or BFN.

Nowadays I think of TTC on medicated IVF transfer cycles as a completely different thing from TTC on a natural cycle, so reading boards where people are not doing IVF can really confuse you because you are going ‘but that’s ME!’, sometimes before you even have the transfer.

What I learned about the TTW on my unsuccessful transfer cycle last month was that I was sure that testing everyday would be fun or would set me up for the disappointment on OTD, but actually it felt like added sadness and stress, and I was still hoping against hope on OTD even though I totally know I was out and it was impossible.

So this is what I learned about myself. You may be very different, but here goes… Until you test, you are Schrödinger’s cat. You are alive and dead, pregnant or not pregnant. Sometimes it will feel like the hope is painful, sometimes you will
wonder whether looking back on the hope you had these two weeks will hurt later. You have gone so far for this chance.

But having that hope stripped away day by day hurts too, like slooowly peeling duct tape off your skin. And you will still keep that hard core of hope right up until the answer is ‘no’.

If you do get a BFP so early, you will spend all the days up to OTD obsessively testing and desperately trying to work out if the line is the same, or thinner or thicker or what. And that will also hurt terribly.

But if you don’t have that then you exist in a place which is not exactly peaceful, but is a limbo where anything could be possible. And whatever the answer is on OTD, you will be two weeks closer to moving on to your next step, not stuck in some terrible loop of testing and retesting and stressing.

But, as I said, that’s me. You do you.

Tryingat47 · 19/06/2022 19:48

@Iliada thanks so much for the detailed and supportive reply. Just the thought that you are not alone doing it at the same time makes the torture a little easier.

True I am obsessing about it and if not about testing then I was obsessively researching for side effects of progesterone etc.

I am on oral oestrogen and progesterone on suppository form. I actually liked the hormones probably it’s because of my age, I am sure I should have been on hormone replacement therapy for a year or two now as I was feeling horrible, bloating and uncontrollable hunger. Strangely enough with IVF hormonal treatment I don’t feel hunger that plagues me any more which is great!!!

I also find really difficult to talk to someone I know about it. You don’t want to create too much expectation in other people when even your doctor cannot give you the odds and pity would have been unbearable.

With all my heart wishing you luck this time around. Stay strong!

You said it was your second transfer. Fearing to ask the reasons but how soon you can do in for the second one?

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Iliada · 19/06/2022 19:59

Yes, it’s the second one. The last one was in May and didn’t work. I agree that it’s really great to have some company on the TWW!

I did progesterone for IUI a couple of times as well, one that was BFN and another that was BFN and then went wrong later. So progesterone has become an old…
frenemy, for me. I think they should tell us about the side effects before we start, as it’s so disorienting.

You can have transfers back to back as I have if you don’t have lining issues (which I don’t). Otherwise it will probably depend on how the lining is progressing.

Tryingat47 · 19/06/2022 20:13

Sorry about your experience. It must be so hard for have a glimpse of hope only for it to be crushed shortly after. Hugging you virtually!

What went wrong after the BFN, no worries if it’s too hard to say.

Good to know there is a possibility of having back to back transfers should the first one fails. There is always hope.

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