IVF - Stims Aug - Egg Collection Sep

[RMS0209]

Hi ladies! 👋
Just as the post says... cycle day 1 of my first IVF round, 20 days until I start Norethisterone then Menopur & Fyremadel.
Looking for others starting cycle or in the cycle for some company.
Sending lots of luck to you all! ❤️

@Imisscoffee2021 yes we will just see. I'd love for someone, anyone, to get a positive too!

A new weird symptom has cropped up today too where I can really smell cigarette smoke constantly like someone is smoking next to me - it's actually making me feel a bit rough tbh but there isn't anyone smoking anywhere 😂😂😂

Well, 9dpo of my last cycle before IVF and I’ve started spotting. I’ll have five-seven days of this now before my period starts properly. At least it saves me a fortune on pregnancy tests 🙄

Went to some social events over the past week and I had three people tell me that their friends did IVF but just as they were about to start, they found out they were pregnant.

Three times I had to hear that!

Gahhhh!

@Decaffe it's so hard isn't it - this is why I haven't told anyone even my really close mum and sister just because even when people are trying to be helpful it just isn't what you want to hear! Glad you'll be starting soon though

@Imisscoffee2021 really sorry you're going through this, but glad there's a few in the freezer X

@seekingbabyk that's an interesting symptom! Fingers crossed X

I've been for the baseline scan this morning, they counted 8 follicles on my left and 10 on my right side. All look ok for me to start stims tonight! What surprised me was that they won't scan me until Wednesday next week, which would be my 10th day of stims! That can't be right surely?

@Tinkerbell098 that's so exciting! Hope the first one be goes well for you! Great follicle count too!

@Tinkerbell098 another person in another thread asked this and everyone thought it was very late, usually it's day 7 at minimum for first scan, and I think it may be because if the queen's funeral on Monday! As its now a public holiday and NHS don't do these services in bank hols! I stimmed 9 days in total on short protocol, and had a scan at baseline, day 7 and day 9. 18 follicles is a fab number! All the best for your first injection tonight, how exciting! Feels so good to be abke to start doing it doesnt it :) x

@Imisscoffee2021 oh I didn't realise that's prob why they won't scan me sooner than that. However, they are going to do a blood test on Friday to see if they need to up the dose or not. I'd have thought a scan would give them more information. Yes, exciting to finally start and I didn't expect that many follicles as the last AFC was 10.

@Tinkerbell098 I was the other way around, I had 20 and 21 then months before and then 11 for the actual cycle! I'm sure it'll be fine re scans, I do think it's because of the funeral though. What meds are you using for your cycle?

@Imisscoffee2021 I'm on menopur (4 vials in the evening) for 5 days and then add in 0.25mg Ganirelix in the morning. Friday after the blood test they will let me know if I need to change the dosage of menopur. How strange about your AFC! it is quite random isn't it?

It is! I was so disappointed as we wanted lots of eggs to counteract the potential MFI drop off, but ended up getting 6/7 to top and good quality blast, and the 7th was at early blastocyst but didn't grow fast enough to be frozen on day 6. Although with this cycle failing doesn't necessarily guarantee a successful implantation! But still feel thankful to have them on ice. I was on menopur too, 300 day so had to just take half or a quarter of a vile depending on how big they were. I found that the menopur needle took a moment to pierce skin as did another person in this chat so don't be alarmed if it doesnt go in right away!

@Imisscoffee2021 nonetheless you ended up with a great number of blasts, so you should be pleased with that. Quality over quantity! Hope you are doing OK and not too disheartened. As you said, great to have that many in the freezer for next round. Did you say you were private for this round until you are waiting for NHS round?

@Tinkerbell098 I feel OK actually, I had a few tears when I realised it hadn't worked but not many, then had a nap and talking it through with my husband made us both feel better. He was actually more disappointed as he really thought it would work right away, but he's positive too now about frozen :) we have two full cycles of private as we bought a multicycle package, and I'm still going through referrals with NHS in case we need it fown the line but hopefully won't! 🤞wish you could transfer your alloted nhs allowance to another person, hate the postcode lottery, and in some places its not even about how many rounds, some don't do it at all! Some knock a round off if you've had a private one, but we checked the Surrey heartlands CCG first and they don't do that luckily.

@Imisscoffee2021 that's great you've got a few options with the frozen and one more fresh cycle plus the NHS. Hopefully you won't need all that, but it's always nice to know that you have those as back up, eases the pressure a bit. Yes really unfair about the postcode lottery, just blows my mind. Our CCG also allows 2 private rounds before the NHS. Hope you can take some time off now and focus on yourself before you have to get back into it.

So it didn't work. Bleeding now and still negative. Absolutely gutted 😢

@seekingbabyk I'm so sorry. Its such an awful shock isn't it, despite being rational about it throughout your heart can't help hoping that this is it. We deserve it to be after so long, but its not the end. Hugs to you xx

@Imisscoffee2021 awww thank you I feel a bit better after a cry tbh. So I think the next try we can have will be November now but hoping we can have a debrief with the consultant about what next. My amh is 21.6, hubby has perfect sperm. Feels weird we got one blast and it didn't work like something needs changing.

@seekingbabyk a good cry always helps, and knowing there's another chance down the line. Definitely sounds like the consultant could tweak or learn from this cycle for you with such a good AMH x

@Imisscoffee2021 yes definitely. The frustrating bit now is that I have to keep taking these pessaries until Saturday "just in case" and it feels so pointless! We're thinking maybe do two lots of freeze all cycles next to get some blasts put away hopefully but will need to chat to consultant first

@seekingbabyk they told me to keep taking them but it was impossible as I'm bleeding heavily now, true period. I don't understand why it was so early though, three days earlier than it should have been, even without pessaries shouldn't have been that early. Sigh, it's such a journey! Embryo banking is a good idea, get as many with eggs as young as possible for sure. And get the stims over with for good!

@Imisscoffee2021 exactly! I didn't find stims too bad tbh - the pessaries have given me worse side effects lol! Hubby did all the jabs so it was just making sure we were at home etc for them. I am 3 days late. If I stopped the progesterone now I know the floodgates would open it's like they're holding it off it just seems so pointless to carry on with them. Tomorrow is your OTD isn't it? So I'm guessing if you report a negative then they'll tell you to stop. Or are you still showing a faint positive?

@seekingbabyk yes it's tomorrow but I stopped the pessaries already tbh, took the last Sunday night. I did a last frer on Sunday evening and it had faded compared to Saturday morning when I had the strongest line, so the tiny amount of hcg the partial implantation made is going. I'll do the clinics test before work in the morning just to close the cycle and give them a call when they open at 8am, and get the ball rolling for frozen cycle. Hope they put me on a natural one and not medicated, don't want to downreg.

@Imisscoffee2021 yes I'm sure a natural one will be fine. I'm thinking I may as well stop them too - just seems so pointless with not even a hint of a line lol x

@seekingbabyk I'm so sorry the bleeding's properly started. It must be hard to still having to take the pessaries as well plus all the side effects that come with it. So sorry X

Day 2 of stims done. When did everyone start having symptoms? Yesterday after the injection, I felt tiny sensations around where I think my ovaries might be. Today I have a upset tummy, but not sure if that's just from something else. Didn't think I'd have symptoms until at least a week into stimming. Maybe I'm reading too much into it. Also, is it normal to have some blood from the injection site? I dabbed the area with tissue after my OH pulled out the injection and there was a tiny amount of blood. Maybe I'm just overthinking.

@Tinkerbell098 I had symptoms after 3 days, twinges and then steadily just a full feeling on the pelvis, got very uncomfortable by transfer day. Once I had a tiny spot of blood with the fyremadel antagonist injection, and in the end I had a tender stomach but no wonder its a pin cushion! Began to bruise on last few injections too but overall not as bad as I was anticipating :)

@Tinkerbell098 aww thanks - I've actually stopped them today just seemed so pointless. Clinic asked me to go in for bloods tomorrow just to make sure.

I didn't have much in the way of side effects. I did have a bad stomach but I had such bad anxiety about the whole thing it could have been that causing it too. I was only on 150 menopur though so if you have a higher dose it could be that. I had a couple of times a tiny drip of blood - just rub/massage the area and it should go. Clinic said it wasn't an issue. Luckily I didn't have one bruise but the fyremadel cause a raised lump and some itching but nothing unmanageable.

Luckily my consultant is the only one who can get blood from me so it's him doing blood test tomorrow- glad about that as I might get a quick chat about next steps 😁