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

❤️

Sending you heaps of love @VenusStarr. I hope one of these little embryos makes it. I’ve also read some really encouraging stories about morulas and your womb being the best place to help it develop. Hang in there 💛

@seven201 if it says that you can try stopping, you'll have to see how you feel when you come off it. I need to take 25mg from CD6 so I've been told to wean as by the time I need to come off I would have been on it for a few weeks.

I finished the metronidazole yesterday, it had made me feel unwell, I can see it causes mental health symptoms. I was very tearful on Friday and was worried I'd lose my job but my friend said there was no reason to think that. Scan is now booked in for a week on Monday, then have a consultation booked in for a final chat with the specialist not the Friday after but the one after that, cutting it a bit fine if we do want to change anything.

@VenusStarr how are you feeling today?

Thank you for checking in. I feel like a complete failure 💔 I genuinely think this is the end of the road for us. I have no confidence in the embryos and with my history, I'm petrified that they do take and there's something wrong with them. I'm resigned to a negative test result, but if its a positive I know I'll have to go through a painful loss again. I just can't see there ever being a good outcome for us.

I got a picture of the embryos but I don't even know which one is which. I initially thought the left one was the degenerating one as it has black dots but I'm not sure now.

I honestly don’t think they’d have transferred had there not been a chance @VenusStarr. But I know what you mean about this being hard no matter the outcome. Even if one or both take, there will be concerns, and having to wait it out to know how a pregnancy is progressing is hard. I hope you can do something nice for yourself today to try and ease the stress of it all as you’ve had a lot to cope with 💛

Thank you ❤️

The embryologist called today to check in on me which was nice. We had a long chat and I feel somewhat reassured. He'd said they'd had a discussion as a ream about what happened yesterday and wanted to speak to me.

So, the 3AA had 1.5hours to thaw and it had 90% of cells looking good. It had lost some placental cells and was essentially kicking them out. Ideally it would have had longer to thaw but what they'd seen was viable.

The morula was a compacting morula which is a good sign and it had developed from 8.30am to just before transfer (it wasn't compacting first thing when they'd checked), so again they'd felt it was a viable embryo, just a bit slower on development.

His hope is that both are now expanding as they should. He must've said about 3 times they're both viable embryos. Its down to luck now.

Also, they checked my progesterone and it's 141. So, I need to remind myself my lining was good (looked nice on transfer yesterday), my progesterone levels are good and we have 2 viable embryos on board.

Woop that's amazing news @VenusStarr what I am hearing here is the embryologist feels both are viable and have a chance and you have a great progesterone level and your lining looked 🤌

@Gardenlady543 ❤️❤️

That’s so positive @VenusStarr ! So glad embryologist called you today 🤞🏼✨❤️

That was really kind of them to call @VenusStarr and I’m glad you’re feeling reassured. Seems it’s been a positive outcome for you despite the intensity of it all!

Thanks @Gardenlady543

Sorry the metronazidole made you feel that way. We really do put our bodies through it with all these drugs. I'm glad your friends were able to offer reassurance. I'm glad your have your appointments booked in. That always feels good I think.

@VenusStarr what a great update! So pleased to read it.

That’s great news @VenusStarr. I’ve been listening the same visualisation daily since CD1, I think it really helped me conceive and at the very least settle my mind. Let me know if you’re interested.

@VenusStarr I'm so pleased to here such a positive update. They were obviously aware that they had communicated badly with you and I'm pleased they put it right. And suddenly things sound much more hopeful.

I'm going to keep saying it - DD was a morula. I don't think she was even compacting. I often think about it - she's bright as a button but not someone who forges ahead even now! She takes her time. The embryo I'm currently carrying hadn't expanded properly. The perfect de-froster in January was just a chemical.

If you can, enjoy these next few days, before the crazy kicks in. Just keep yourself cosy and treat yourself as precious. ❤️

@Gardenlady543 sorry you've had a hard time with the metronidazole. Hopefully your mood will lift now it has stopped. Really hope you can get this transfer in.

Hello ladies, I haven't been back for a while, I dropped off when pregnant, but I still check in on you occasionally. Hope you don't mind me breaking cover.

@VenusStarr I'm really pleased to hear your update and that you are feeling more positive after the embryologist called. I know others have their success stories with "lesser" embryos or imperfect thaws but I just wanted to add that the morning of my double transfer that became my twins, I got a call to say one hadn't thawed well, only 60% of cells has survived and they would see if they could transfer. Both of them were also poorly rated, one was a day 6, etc etc. It seemed like a miracle that they both made it after a lot of failed transfers but perhaps nature just has secrets that the lab hasn't figured out yet. Most people will never even know the "quality" of their embryos, lucky things. I'm crossing fingers for you.

@Janefx40 im so so happy to read your update and hope that all is progressing well x

havent caught up with the whole thread but wishing everyone well including the new people

Hi @whatcangowrong thank you so much for this ❤️ I really hope that having both back inside me gives them what they need that a petri dish can't.
I hope your little ones are doing well.

I'm doing ok, much better than I was over the weekend. I'm still not in the pupo bubble but I'm trying to look after myself. Eat well, drink lots of water and light walking. I had my post transfer acupuncture today and that's helped calm me a bit. I think a lot of it must be a protective thing, my mind is struggling to allow me to contemplate that this could end well, but I guess after 5 years ttc, 6 losses and lots of bad news, that is probably normal.

Lots of love to all x

@VenusStarr

I’m pleased embryology called you back and gave you more positive information. IVF is so hard.

Acupuncture is really good for mood. I think you’re doing everything right. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you.

@Janefx40
I’m doing my mock cycle and I was so worried it would be cancelled due to fsh. I’m on cd8 and I’m only on 225iu meriofert every other day. Lining was 8.6 and I had 10 follicles! They don’t test anymore but I’ve been on lots of probiotics so was worried about interactions!

Do you mind me asking what grade was your blastocyst? Did you say it didn’t expand fully?

IVF has been really hard on my relationship with my husband. He can’t wait to be finished with IVF and to be out the other side with hopefully a positive ending. He actually told me last week he feels depressed by whole process. He doesn’t want to speak to anyone. I keep asking him now how he is. I feel it’s all my fault. He didn’t really want to go through IVF again. I just wanted my son to have a sibling. Our family is really small. He hopes we get a positive result but he hates the process. I just don’t know what to do at present. I’ve had counselling sessions but I actually found acupuncture good for my mood. It’s just so expensive!

@Gardenlady543

I’m sorry the metronidazole affected you. Hope you’re feeling better. We all have those moments. I know how depressed I felt with fsh rising. What is the next step for you?

@VenusStarr glad you're feeling better-ish. I'm not sure I've ever quite experienced a PUPO bubble. Are you off work? That can be nice at least.

@2021ivfagain I am useless and to be honest I don't quite remember the grade. I think maybe it was a AB or AB+? Or B+B+? It was quite good but not perfect. I can't remember what the number means but it was an expanding blast because it had to be for testing

Grades are tricky @2021ivfagain. The one that’s working for me now is a 5BB (4BB prior to thaw), but two 5AAs and one 4BB failed before this (all PGS tested bar the first 5AA).

Please can i join this thread? I did the microbiome testing with Fertilysis which showed infection of ureaplasma and gardnerella and very low lactobacillus 😢 I’ve done a week of doxycycline and a week of metronidazole whilst taking Bio-Disrupt supplement. I then started vaginal and oral probiotics and balance active for the past week.

We are meant to be having a FET next cycle and the clinic said to just go ahead with it. They didn’t seem to care about the microbiome. On the other side I have a nutritionist who is saying I need to get all the antibiotics again and do a 30 day protocol. So confusing to know what to do 😢

Hi Ladies,

can anyone help. I went for my AMH test and follicle scan etc yesterday ready to get my protocol done for IVF for the new year.

I had a scan and AMH done in January and AMH was only 8.4 and I’m 36 but my follicle count is 22. I wondered why they didn’t really match so I’m thinking some kind of inflammation.

At my scan yesterday I had “textbook ovaries” with a count of 22 still but my endometrium looked like I’ve got adenmyosis. :( it’s literally floored me and I’ve cried all day! I’ve no symptoms of it apart from spotting before my period which progesterone has stopped.

I had 2 small “cysts” right in my endometrium lining and then the wave affect of the myometrium and something else. So a few signs.

is IVF likely to be unsuccessful? I’m desperate to hear off my doctor.

xxx

@Loz2467 sounds like a really confusing meeting. AMH tho slightly low for your age is still fine for IVF and AFC is great.

I looked up Adenomyosis in one of my FB groups and a few people said they downregged before cycles but they were all people who were having symptoms such as super heavy periods and they also had multiple other issues.

They did say that there is a FB group called Adenomyosis miracles so maybe join that for more answers?

@Loz2467 welcome and sorry you're having to work all of this out. Wouldn't it be easier if we could just trust our clinics to give us the right answers?!! There are a couple of very knowledgeable ladies on here most notable @Gardenlady543 so I'll let them advise x

@Janefx40 you’re right if only we could trust our clinic 🙈 We are with an NHS clinic and the doctor just looked at me blankly when I shared the microbiome results with him.

@Loz2467 sorry you had such a difficult appointment. I don’t know anything about that condition but your AFC is great for ivf x

@Loz2467 that's a great AFC, you may need to look at making embryos initially and then optimize for transfer.

@Lori2022 welcome, I recommend that you get a vaginal swab done, I think there are some options to get this done quite easily and it would be cheaper than repeating the uterine test only to hear that you still some treatment, if it looks like you have a normal microbiome there then you could do a uterine microbiome to check after. My friend saw Clarewell clinic who advised about the ureaplasma treatment as they put people on moxifloxacin.

I'm sorry @2021ivfagain sounds like it's a rough time for you and your partner ❤️

I have a scan on Monday to look at my lining after my op, with a plan for a transfer cycle from late November.

I've had the most unnecessary stressful situation over the last 24 hours, a work thing, but seems to have resolved itself now I hope.