ERA / EMMA / ALICE testing thread 5(!)

[VenusStarr]

Just setting up a new thread as we're coming to the end of thread 4.

@Janefx40 @birdbybird @seven201 @Gardenlady543 @patientpatient @MyEasterEggs @thislittlebird @Yuliaaa @Violette22

❤️

@seven201 I’m honestly not sure, I need to try to speak to someone. I don’t think it’s fair to say I have to pay for a frozen cycle because I couldn’t have a fresh. I’ll try calling them tomorrow I think.

@Gardenlady543 glad your period is over. Hope this cycle is nice and quick so you can get your transfer in.

@2021ivfagain if you haven't got them, you could order some FFP2 masks on amazon as they are much more effective at protecting you from Covid x

Hey all. I had my ERA on Wednesday and stopped the progesterone that day. I’ve come on period today, 6 days early. Is this normal?!

I think that can be normal yes.

I really hope you get it sorted. Someone speaking on the phone gets the job done. I love emails though!

@2021ivfagain fingers crossed you get a good number that make it to day 5. Such a tense time. Sorry you're in a stressful phase at the moment.

@OrangeBengal yes the progesterone would have changed the timing, when you stop progesterone you get a withdrawal bleed, in a transfer cycle you would take it for longer. Medications like noresthisterone (oral progesterone) are used to shift the cycle, people get a bleed 2-3 days after stopping it, so people use it to delay their period if they're on holiday or have event etc, I was going to take the same drug to bring my period on earlier before my surgery, but ended up not doing it and changed the op date instead.

Thanks @seven201 and @Gardenlady543, I expected it a few days earlier, just not this early, but actually I think the timing will work better, so that’s something. I had acupuncture on Thursday, so I’ll this might gave contributed too

Quick question about progesterone testing after FET…how often did your clinic want to do this? I’ve to test on Monday and potentially Friday. But I’m not local to TDL. So maybe GP? I’ve ordered a Medichecks fingerprick test kit to be on the safe side but I definitely won’t get results on Monday…

@OrangeBengal I was the same. Period started exactly three days after procedure!

@seven201

Hi. Thanks for message. They have thawed 4 day 3 embryos. Although one lost a cell, they look good quality at this point. However, as I am now 41, they think I will only get one blastocyst. I’m hoping for at least one blastocyst. I could end up with nothing. If I get two blastocysts on Sunday and they are similar quality, I would choose to transfer two. When I was 38, I did a transfer of two day 5 blastocysts and one stuck.

Thanks @MyEasterEggs, good to know. I was only checked once after transfer, but I’m sure if the level hadn’t been what they wanted they would have scheduled additional testing. If your first test is fine, you shouldn’t need to go back.

I had my NK profile tested along with my ERA and this is apparently fine, which means I can go straight into a transfer cycle. It’s good that it’s clear, but unless the ERA suggests a change, other than the scratch nothing much will be different than the last failed cycle. I am doing things on the side myself, but I’m not really sure the clinic are working hard enough.

Thanks @OrangeBengal I’ve managed to find somewhere fairly close to me that can do the test privately and confirm results Tuesday so I think I’ll do that. Definitely not doing an 8 hour round trip for bloods 😆

I got my NK results pretty quickly so hopefully you’ll have all the info you need soon. Were you hoping for a revised plan from the clinic? I’ve been having abdominal massage with a friend as well as working with a fertility nutritionist, which gave me a bit more confidence going into the whole process.

Well @MyEasterEggs I wasn’t hoping for it, but if they’d have found something it would have been a reason for my lack of implantation. Now my treatment plan will just be around the ERA results (scratch was part of this), which might not show anything. If if no change is suggested from it’ll be pretty much the same as two other failed cycles I’ve had.

Good plan for bloods btw.

I might check out fertility massage. I’ll start visualisation today too.

@OrangeBengal I didn’t know I had a potential progesterone issue until I did the ERA. I needed an extra 24 hours. And as you know I’ve had some slight challenges during this first cycle…as far as clinic requirements go anyway. So you may find that this or immunes (which I’m also being treated for) is the missing piece for you 🤞🏻

Let’s hope so :)

I think some of you have been on prontogest and wonder, do you think I’d be okay to do a second injection? My partner has been helping since I got home but yesterday I bled a fair bit and today some of the fluid came out. No idea what he’s doing back there but he reckons he’s following instructions! I’ve popped another cyclogest in for peace of mind but clinic won’t respond until tomorrow so thought I’d ask if anyone’s had to do something similar.

Hi. I found out today that my embryos are not ready today so do not have day 5 blastocysts. However, two are cavitating and one is slightly behind. One also looked like it was very fragmented after losing a cell from the thaw. Overall 3 are doing better but they are booking me in for a day 6 transfer. I’ve never done a day 6 transfer. I’m worried from my research that lining will not be in synch as started progesterone on Wednesday so it will be 6th at the end of Monday.

I’ve read it’s better to freeze in day 6 and transfer 5 days after having progesterone.

6th day of progesterone

@2021ivfagain I'm afraid I don't know but my DD was a morula on day 5 and we transferred her then so she would have been a blasto on day 6.

@MyEasterEggs personally I wouldn't worry about some leakage - it's quite common with meds generally and usually the advice is not to worry about it. I lost about 1/3 of a Lubion during this cycle and panicked but just left it and it was all ok. Prontogest is pretty potent so if I was topping up I would be tempted to do so with cyclogest as you already have. However as Prontogest lasts 24 hours and cyclogest only 12, I would do a second one 12 hours after the first. It generally doesn't hurt to have more progesterone but the prontogest is so strong if you take an extra one, you might just end up with a bit of a headache or other symptoms tomorrow due to the drop in levels.

@Janefx40

Thanks. They said they wanted to wait until day 6 to choose the best ones but everything I have researched says that transferring after 6 days of progesterone lessens implantation window. It’s so annoying as I can’t speak to anyone as it’s Sunday.

Thanks @Janefx40 that makes a lot of sense and it helps to understand it a bit more. Hope you’re keeping well. I’m bloody exhausted today. The treatment and the overthinking really knocks of out of you!

@2021ivfagain I think it's all so unknown, there is someone I talk to and their specialist transfers after 4 days of progesterone, most clinics I know do 5 days and in my case my ERA said 6.5 days so we are going to do 5.5. At some point I want to go through all the ERA research as I'm not convinced there is such a narrow window. I think you need to ask your clinic what they think will give you the best chance: fresh transfer after 6 days of progesterone or frozen after 5 days, you may have an embryo that could result in a pregnancy but may not be able to be frozen, in which case it's better to transfer it this cycle.

@seven201 how are you feeling after the surgery, how was the spa?

@2021ivfagain sorry to hear it's not gone as planned. My era showed I need an extra 24 hrs of progesterone, so that would be bang on for me. So it could be in your window too. I think you'll just have to trust them on this as day 5 has gone now. Good luck for the transfer tomorrow. Let us know how you get on.

@MyEasterEggs I think doing the two extra cyclogest is a good plan. I think sometimes it can look like a lot seeps out, but probably it's only a tiny bit.

@Gardenlady543 it was very nice thank you. Of course I am now worrying that getting too hot in the sauna and steam room was silly and I had a shoulders, neck and upper back massage (I asked them not to do lower) and am overthinking it thinking the increased blood flow will mean the scar tissue grows back. Logically I know I'm being silly! I've not been sore at all, just a little bit achey in that area this morning. This time last year I had the bigger surgery with mr lower and felt like death for over two weeks (from the general) so this has been a dream in comparison. How are you doing? Do you feel you have your fitness back yet or is there still a way to go?

@Gardenlady543

Thank you. I will consider that but leaning more towards transferring it in a natural FET cycle at day 5. When I had success with a fresh transfer, I had 4 days of progesterone before it.

@seven201

I do have 7 more day 3 frozen but that is if I need them for another transfer. I know day 5 is gone but it might be more beneficial for me to refreeze and transfer on day 5 in a natural modified FET cycle next month.

@2021ivfagain my golden rule is to make my decisions on what makes me most comfortable. If it doesn't work will I be happy (enough) with the decisions I made. If you don't feel happy with a Day 6 transfer, bearing in mind that this means more delays and costs, then trust in yourself and ask them to freeze it. Best of luck whatever you decide. There is no right answer, just whatever you feel is best for you x