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! ❤️

Thanks everyone for your thoughts. The earliest the EPU can see me is Thursday afternoon. But was told to ring them if I have any bleeding/pain in the meantime. I rang up my clinic this morning and they didn't sound pleased I went private for a scan. Apparently, it's not in their policy to regard private scans! I asked for a nurse to ring me back, as it's only the receptionist I spoke to. So hoping someone would talk to me in the afternoon.

@seekingbabyk thanks for the reassurance regarding ectopic. Did you bleed after the injection or had you bled before that? I'm wondering if cyclogest is the reason I haven't bled yet.

@Tinkerbell098 I was kind of spotting the whole time. I actually started the brown bleeding at the time of my period so didn't know I was pregnant. After a couple of days I started googling as knee something wasn't right which then prompted a test and it went from there. There was bleeding and what they call "prune juice" for around 4 weeks until my hug was zero - that was probably the worst part of it.

Having said that my numbers originally were about 250 and slowly were reducing to start with so they thought it might be a miscarriage. I was around 5/6 weeks by time I had injection and I think bleeding stopped around a week after that. They couldn't see the ectopic before that due to size. So really if they saw it straight away it might have been over in a couple of weeks but I was getting blood tests every 2 days. It was only when my hug rose slightly they thought it was definitely ectopic and rescanned me and then I had the jab that afternoon.

That's not great they are annoyed about you going for a private scan! Imagine if you didn't and it was a ruptured ectopic! I'm guessing it's because it doesn't look great on them for them not to scan you. Honestly when we're all going through this madness you'd think the clinics would be a bit more compassionate and understanding!

I would call your GP and explain. Get a blood test today/tomorrow and then by the time you go to EPU they'll have something to compare it to. With mine it was all about the comparison to the last number. If you don't get one now, you'll probably have to go back two days later for a second one. I just went to a&e as mine was on a Friday evening so by time I went to EPU on the Sunday they had two results x

@seekingbabyk thanks so much for that. It’s always good to prepare for what’s to come. Hope I’ve caught it early for it to be managed without too much complications. To be honest, I don’t think my hCG ever rose to much. Last weeks bloods was 119, and never had a CB go past 1-2 (and their threshold for 2-3 is 159). I know urine levels can be lower than blood levels but still at 6 weeks for it to not even reach 159 is a little strange. I’m hoping the levels are actually falling by itself. Just the fact that I haven’t bled is a little concerning. Not sure if that’s cyclogest holding it, but didn’t think it would for this long. I’ll ring up gp tomorrow morning to request hCG , but last week when I requested it, she fobbed me off so not having much hope there.

@Tinkerbell098 I think if you say it's a suspected ectopic they'll put it through. Your body can resolve it itself too so it could just be on its way out naturally x

@Tinkerbell098 so sorry to hear this, my heart really goes out to you. I had a pregnancy of unknown location in 2020 - I found out I was pregnant at almost 5 weeks and 2 days later had a small bleed, which is why I went to EPU. My HCG showed pregnancy but they couldn't find it. It went on for about 6 weeks, I was almost 11 weeks by the time they identified it in my right tubee. And every few days my HCG would drop but would then spike again, so they didn't want to intervene in case I was too early or had a MMC followed extremely closely by a pregnancy.

I had barely any symptoms at all of the actual ectopic, only symptoms were once I took the methotrexate to end it. I know that it is truly one of the hardest things to go through - I spent those 6 weeks simultaneously praying for a miracle and just wishing it would be done so I could start to move on.

It's heartbreaking now and nothing will change that. If you do want to talk please let me know ❤️

@seekingbabyk just had a call back from one of the nurses at the clinic. They're willing to do two blood tests 48 hours apart tomorrow and Thursday so EPU will have that information before my appointment.

@KateAlva I'm so sorry you had to go through this as well. It's the worst! It's like having all your hopes taken away and just feels so cruel especially given how long it has taken to get here. One minute I'm ok, the next I'm falling apart. Just taking it one day at a time and coming to terms with it slowly. Thanks so much for the support, hope you are keeping well X

@Tinkerbell098 Feels crazy the clinic are annoyed! You'd think they'd rush to scan you to rule out an ectopic! You really have to be your own advocate sometimes and you did the right thing to do, I hope things progress swiftly for you xx

Did any of you ladies have progesterone levels checked before transfer? just had my progesterone levels back, they're 38.5 even on pessaries since Saturday, the clinic is happy not to up my dose as it's above the minimum of 30 but it feels like only just and I don't understand why they don't just let me buy more so I have a little extra, as some people have up to 150 apparently before transfer!

If yours was checked what was it out of interest? Just wondering if I just just add an extra pessary but scared to go against the clinic's dosage.

@KateAlva I'm sorry you went through that too. It's so good they manage to resolve it with methotrexate now but I had the same they couldn't find it for a few weeks.

@Tinkerbell098 I'm glad you have the tests booked in now - at least you'll be armed with information on Thursday and it will give them a better idea of what's happening

@Imisscoffee2021 yes you definitely have to just go rogue occasionally - I am in disbelief they have a possible ectopic but are being like that! I didn't had my progesterone tested. Happy to send you some if you want some extras x

@seekingbabyk thank you thats really kind, I'll get them from clinic though and you'll need them for your next transfer:)

I'm slightly freaking out as I've randomly started to spot this evening, just went to loo and wiped and brown blood then fresh watery red blood! But I'm on 80mgs progesterone a day and never spot at this time of the month. I'm worried somethings wrong with my lining snd they'll cancel my transfer on Thursday :(

800 mgs sorry*

@Imisscoffee2021 Im sorry you have this stress going on! I swear it's those bloody pessaries! They made me really uncomfortable like thrush almost - I think they can irritate you and it was when that started for me that I started spotting. Hopefully though they'll take you more seriously about upping your dose now and give you more or maybe try the jabs? I'll keep everything crossed for your transfer to go ahead x

@Imisscoffee2021 sorry your spotting is causing you stress. I did spot when I was on provera before my cycle and also when I was talking the pessaries from Egg collection to transfer and my lining was still fine for transfer. However I wasn’t sure if it was from the progesterone or from egg collection. Fingers crossed it’s just the pessaries or slight imbalance. Do you have a scan before Thursday to check your lining?

I also started spotting again this morning I’m 4dpo, 10 days before period. Usually it’s a week before, this is slightly earlier but then this has happened before and my period has come slightly early. I feel spotting causes so much stress for everyone!

@1stcycle that's reassuring to hear, it was only a little bit but enough to freak me out, I called the clinic the second they opened this morning and have a scan booked in tomorrow at 11:30, to check things. I went for a run yesterday and only managed 3k before I got a stomach ache and stopped, usually do at least 5k so wonder if that didn't help, I took pessaries later in the day than usual as I had an early blood test at the clinic and had to be up at 5am, so no time to let them absorb, maybe they irritated things on that run.

I guess I'll find out tomorrow! @seekingbabyk I'll speak to them again tomorrow about jabs, as I feel like 38 isn't that high when I'm on 800, I've read the injections absorb more quickly and effectively. Just hope my lining isn't going , why it would at this time of month I've no idea, I'd have just ovulated 3 days ago and I've got regular cycles.

@Imisscoffee2021 i really hope the scan clears up any concerns and you’re still able to go ahead with the FET! ❤️

I had my day 8 scan yesterday. The nurse initially said they might have to do bloods based on the scan (as I was told I might be at risk of OHSS) and then didn’t say anything about it, which I assume is because my lining was thin (<5mm).

I had one dominant follicle and 10 between 11mm and 16mm and the rest less than 10mm. I tried to ask if this is ok and how we expect them to grow by the tentative EC day (Friday) but she just said “they’re growing it’s fine.”

How much progress did your follicles make between day 6ish scans and EC? I have another scan tomorrow and am worried I won’t get any further answers

Hi @Spin101 , based on my own experience, I'd say you may lose the dominant one as it may go over the 22mm mark, but the rest at 11-16mm should catch up and be good to go, so hopefully you'll get at least 10 eggs :) I think over 16mm is good and most likely to have a mature egg. Exciting that your collection is so soon! How are you feeling with the meds? x

Thank you @Imisscoffee2021. you’ve provided me with more reassurance than the nurse! I really appreciate it. DH has been doing all of my injections 🙈 because I honestly couldn’t. Fyremadel stings for a bit after but otherwise it’s been ok. I get weird twinges and I assume it’s the follicles getting larger. I’m not looking forward to the progesterone! x

Bit of an update from me. hCG down to 70 from 119 on the 13th, so hoping the body will take care of it on its own. Still no bleeding. I was asked to stop cyclogest now and hopefully I will have a bleed in the next week or so. I have the application with EPU on Thursday so I’ll see what they find/ advise. Clinic doesn’t seem to think it’s an ectopic but they’re just going by a blood test. Follow up consultation booked for 17th Nov to discuss next steps. Think it’ll be a January/February transfer. Guess we can still try naturally until then, once my cycles are back to normal.

@Imisscoffee2021 im sorry you had a panic with the spotting but it could just be the medication you’re on or the run as you mentioned. Glad they’re scanning you tomorrow. If it was just a bit of spotting, don’t think your lining would have that much of an effect. Good luck for tomorrow X

@Spin101 agree completely with @Imisscoffee2021 . You’ll get a good yield on Friday with those 10 within the range. Good luck X

@Tinkerbell098 it's a good sign they're dropping. I mean obv we would rather they were in the thousands now for you but mine just say around the same amount so fingers crossed your body will just sort everything naturally now. It'll be interesting to see the effect of stopping progesterone - I feel like if hasn't worked for the rest of us when it was too late but it's good it's held any bleeding off for you

@Tinkerbell098 thank you. Please look after yourself. I hope you’re ok ❤️ x

@Spin101 @Imisscoffee2021 how did your scans go?

@seekingbabyk yes fingers crossed the hCG will start to drop now and I can get my cycles back.

@Tinkerbell098 scan was great, lining good to go, no sign of bleeding anywhere so random! Spoke about progesterone again so they asked the consultant and they're going to ring me this afternoon, just missed a call annoyingly! It's wierd with the FET as not having embryos developing means no communication at all about transfer day really other than we'll get a call in the morning, but the nurse today didn't even know it was tomorrow 😑 I read a review of my clinic at poor joined up communication and I realise now it's true, I have to be really clued up and vocal about my cycles and join everything up! Otherwise they're great and very good at answering phones and questions etc:) so tomorrow afternoon should be having my second transfer 🤞

@Imisscoffee2021 thats great news! Have they already thawed the blastocyst or would they do that tomorrow morning? All the best for tomorrow will be thinking of you X

Thanks @Tinkerbell098 :) They thaw an hour before transfer apparently so will get a call if its survived, if not they thaw another, really hope the little fellas survive! My transfer is at 1:30, just had the call, and the consultant has said he think my progesterone level is good enough but if I'm worried and as it won't do any harm I can have lubion if I want to, and after bleeding 4 days before OTD last transfer I said yes please, so should start those tomorrow. Expensive but hopefully worth it!

@Imisscoffee2021 really pleased to hear your scan went well!! 😊

@Tinkerbell098 the nurse said she would like to see if a few more catch up but thinks I’m ready for EC on Friday :) However, she did bloods to check for risk of OHSS. I need to wait for her to call today and let me know what time I take my last menopur. I’m supposed to trigger tonight but based on bloods, I may have to trigger with suprecur. She said if oestrogen levels were high, EC will be delayed. A bit nervous as there are few potential changes and the hospital pharmacy closes at 5pm. Hoping she calls soon with an update!