IVF/ICSI Dec 2022

[FrostedFlake]

Hi, I couldn’t find a board for those starting IVF OR ICSI in December so thought I’d create one.
This will be our first round and we are due to have our egg collection on the 5th of December. I’m not sure how dates usually work but not having regular periods I need to take Provera the second week in November which I think makes it easier for them as the medicine will result in a bleed and our baseline scan should be 7 days after starting on the medication.

Would love to see if anyone else is due to start ICSI or IVF in December.

@kamaha awh that’s super exciting! Hope you are feeling okay and the best of luck with the cycle!
its my first cycle too or was meant to be but they found some follicles and had to do a blood test and it came back at 254 and it needed to be under 250 so my treatment has been pushed out to January which I’m absolutely gutted about as was really hoping for a little Christmas miracle baby. I’ve just realised that there are soo many unknowns in this process and things that could go wrong throughout so just need to be patient and trust the process even though I’m heartbroken and disappointed.

Oh @FrostedFlake I'm so sorry to hear that your treatment has to be pushed back, it must feel devastating. I think you're so right about the unknowns in this process, which just makes it all so much harder. I hope that you can have some nice things planned for over Christmas and that you get a new year miracle baby instead! Xx

Hello, I thought I'd join, hopefully I can share something that might help.

I started my first round of IVF with ICSI at the beginning of this month.

EC on 10th Nov
11 eggs collected out of which 7 made it to 5th day blastocyst. 1 transferred and 6 frozen.
Had our HcG blood test yesterday with a positive result (yay!).

@FrostedFlake I'm 32 and have had irregular cycles all my life with PCOS. Because I had PCOS I did have follicles already before we even started the stims. I wasn't made to believe this was abnormal, but that's possibly because I had PCOS already.

I know it must feel so disheartening to have to wait until January, but it's always helped me to believe that everything is happening for mine and my baby's greatest good, so just keep the faith and it will all work out. Sending you lots of love and please let me know if there's anything I can help with. I'm new to IVF too but would gladly share my experience if it can help anyone else xx

@FrostedFlake so sorry to hear that xx January will come around quickly and hopefully on your next baseline scan your ovaries will be nice and quiet xx

@itshimi congratulations x

Thought I would jump onto this thread - I am currently going though my first ICSI cycle and feeling a bit isolated. I hope speaking to others going through the same will make it feel less scary and isolating!

@itshimi Congratulations!! So nice to hear positive stories!

Hi @Cathy290 and welcome! It really can be a very lonely and isolating place. What stage of the process are you at?

I had the first of my monitoring scans yesterday. It looks like EC might now be this Friday (it was originally pencilled in for next week), but they'll confirm at my scan tomorrow. Injections seem to be going OK, although I had a bit of a drama mixing the Menopur last night 🙈 but all sorted in the end!

How is everyone else doing? Xx

@kamaha glad you were able to get it mixed, it’s such a minefield trying to make sure everything is right! How exciting, hopefully you’ll get taken on Friday!
I had my egg collection yesterday and told today that 3 have fertilised. I’ve been ok up until this point but today I just feel so overwhelmed.

Hi everyone! It has been a very busy couple of weeks in my house with unexpected visitors (my mother then my partner's mother both came to visit for a week each and neither are aware we are doing IVF - so it has been interesting!!). I have tried to follow along with your progress but might have missed the odd thing!

@FrostedFlake I hope you are feeling recovered from the disappointment. January will be here in a flash and you will be ready for it! 💪

Welcome @Cathy290 Have they given you your transfer date? I feel like after the egg collection the hard bit is done. But then again this is all new to me so what do I know! haha! How did you find EC? For me the sedation simply did not work at all, I felt everything and wasn't remotely sleepy. I was very chatty though much to the anaesthetist's delight!

I am currently with blastocyst😝We went for our embryo transfer yesterday (Day 5), we had a 5AB embryo which they reassure me is good quality and they have frozen 4 others that range from 'good' to 'ok'. I was beyond excited all day yesterday. Today in work I feel utterly exhausted, but I think it's purely from getting past so many landmark moments in recent weeks and it is starting to catching up with me.

Congratulations @itshimi Fantastic news! You must be over the moon :-) Hope you are doing well xx

What a process this is!! Good luck ladies 🤗

@Cathy290 I'm so sorry, I somehow missed your message! How are you doing? I hope you're feeling OK. That's great news that 3 fertilised!! Hopefully you're able to transfer soon. Do you have a transfer date? xx

That's wonderful news @Pwdin! And great that you have 4 frozen. It sounds like you've had an exhausting couple of weeks on top of going through IVF and, as you say, getting over all the landmark moments. I hope you've had a chilled evening and manage to get a good night's sleep tonight. Do you have a date for testing? xx

I am booked in for egg collection tomorrow. Feeling a mixture of excited that it's happening and nervous. There's also a possibility they won't be able to access my right ovary (it's sort of hidden behind a fibroid!) so may only be able to get a couple of follicles from the left, but trying to stay positive and take it as it comes.

@kamaha Good luck today! Let us know how it goes. I had the same problem actually with a wonky uterus and a fibroid 'in the way' but they managed somehow 😅take it easy afterwards, it's the perfect excuse for jammies and a telly binge after all xx

Thanks so much @Pwdin! EC went well and they did manage to get to the right ovary 🥳 so we got all 5 follicles in the end! Not loads, but definitely the best we could have hoped for. They called this morning to say 3 of those fertilised, so hoping for a day 5 transfer on Wednesday all being well 🙏🤞 How are you doing? Xx

How is everyone else getting on? Xx

That's excellent news @kamaha well done you! Hope you aren't too uncomfortable and you are beimg looked after by your partner. Good luck to those little embryos 🥰 I'm doing fine thanks, perpetually tired but it's such a relief to stop with all the injections that by comparison I feel great! I went out with some friends last night and that really helped to take my mind off this business. Back to obsessing this morning 😅 Trying very hard not to get carried away by hope... (Hope is the name of my unicorn and I am currently galloping over a rainbow on it 😂) thankfully my partner is much more of a realist and is managing my expectations. Spoil sport. I have been told I can take a test on the 15th btw.

Aww thanks @Pwdin 🥰 I felt a bit frage yesterday, but loads better today and I'm pleased to say my partner is very good on the care front, so making the most of that🙃 I'm sorry you're feeling so tired - but hopefully that's a good sign 🙏 and I agree its definitely good to be done with the injections, although I'm not massively enjoying the old Cyclogest pessaries 😬 Are you on Cyclogest, and if so how are you finding it?
Loving Hope the Unicorn 🦄🌈 😍
I think while it is good to manage expectations (that's obviously what partners are for as mines the same!), I think we absolutely have to have hope through all this! I'll be keeping everything crossed for you on 15th xxx

@Pwdin what amazing news having 4 frozen and one transferred, I will keep everything crossed for you for the 15th! And hopefully you’ve got a bit more energy! absolutely love your positivity. Did you get a photo at egg transfer?

@kamaha brilliant news that the managed to get into both ovaries and that 3 fertilised, fingers crossed for you getting the transfer done on Wednesday! I’m on the Cyclogest pessaries as well and find it’s so much easier than the injections, however, I’ve never been a bit pants girl but I’m having to be now 🤣 how are you feeling now?

We had egg transfer done on Saturday, it was such a surreal experience and I think I was grinning from ear to ear all day! I think that egg collection was the absolute worst and I was probably the doctors worst nightmare but so glad it’s done and dusted now! Testing date is the 18th I think I’ll start thinking of hope the unicorn 🦄 🥰

There's plenty of room on Hope, climb aboard @Cathy290 yes we got a photo and we were allowed to film the actual ultrasound video which is fun, I had actually forgotten about this until you mentioned the photo, might have to go and look for it now 😄 it really is a surreal experience! I'm dying to know if it worked!!

Hope today went well for you @kamaha 🙏

I'm using the cyclogest pessaries too. Far from glamorous but hopefully they are doing their job. I prefer them to injections at least.

I meant to ring my clinic today but didn't get round to it, I think maybe I made up the 15th for my testing date, it seems like ages away!! What dates were you given? Are you tempted to test sooner?

@Pwdin aww that would be amazing to be able to watch it all again! Yeah the pessaries are definitely so much easier to take than the injections! We got the 18th for testing and had the transfer done on 3rd! I would test earlier but don’t want to jinx it by going too early so might just stick to the 18th. They said to phone them on the 19th with the result so having everything crossed 🤞

Thanks @Pwdin and @Cathy290 🥰 and wonderful news @Cathy290 that you had your transfer on Saturday! It must be such an amazing moment. Definitely get on board Hope the unicorn with @Pwdin 🦄🌈 I've got absolutely everything crossed for you both xxxx

Yes, it's very true that the Cyclogest is better than the injections! Such a relief to be over that (and the stress of timings and mixing!!).

I had a call from the clinic this morning with our day 3 update. They said all 3 had progressed but only one has 6 cells (they said they like to see at least 6 at day 3) and both the others only have 4 cells. I'm just hoping at least one of them makes it to day 5, but I know so much can change between day 3 and 5, so I guess only time will tell. I'm still booked in for the transfer on Wednesday, but they'll call on Wednesday morning to confirm where we're at 🙏🤞🌈

@kamaha sorry it wasn’t the news you were expecting but glad to see that all of them progressing! I’ve got everything crossed for you getting the transfer done on Wednesday! It’s such a nerve wracking time the waiting and the phone calls! Did they say what time you’ll be in on Wednesday for transfer?

Thanks so much @Cathy290 🥰 It really is so nerve wracking waiting for them to call with the updates. I'm currently booked in at 2.40pm for the transfer, so hopefully it's good news in the morning and we can go ahead 🤞🙏
How are you doing? Xx

@kamaha it’s definitely a process that you cannot prepare for and just have to take it a day at a time! Oh that’s a fine time and gives you plenty time to get there! I’ll be thinking about you tomorrow and hopefully it’s excellent news in the morning! Yeah I’m doing ok but just a bit tired 😴 hoping that by the weekend I’m not sleeping at my desk 🤣 xx

Fingers crossed for you @kamaha ! 🍀🤞🍀

Hi everyone! So sorry I haven’t been in touch! Amazing news for your all - and lots of baby dust!
My cycle was abandoned unfortunately- decided to take my journey abroad!

@Miche243 I'm so sorry to hear the cycle had to be abandoned, I can imagine that must be devastating. I hope you're looking after yourself and taking it easy 💕 I'm really pleased you've got a plan for what's next. I've heard lots of positives about IVF abroad. Do you know where and when you'll be able to start? Xx

Thanks so much @Pwdin and @Cathy290 🥰 after a very nervous start, I'm pleased to say it was good news this morning and we went for the transfer this afternoon! So the waiting (and the hoping!) begins!
@Cathy290 I hope you're able to have some chilled evenings and get lots of rest - not too much longer till the weekend 🥳

@Miche243 so sorry to hear that, I can’t even comprehend what you must have had to go through!Sending lots of hugs 💗Have you any idea where you might be going for it abroad?

@kamaha that’s amazing news! So happy you managed to get the transfer done today!

@Cathy290 @kamaha thank you both so much.@kamaha Such great news about your Transfer. I’m so happy for you. I’m thinking of going to North Cyprus? I’ve booked in to do ovarian PRP with Dr F at IVF Miracle Centre at the end of the month and then IVF cycle end of Jan. I wasn’t very impressed with the clinic I was at here - I spent alot on medication and don’t think I was really screened properly…nevermind…got to perserve!