ABC IVF October 2022

[maybebaby2023]

Hi everyone,

I just thought I’d start this thread as I’m impatiently waiting to begin IVF through ABC in Leeds. We are a same sex couple using donor sperm. Never been pregnant before or attempted to so entering the unknown but everything has been positive so far. ABC recommended IVF over IUI due to the low success rate of IUI and donor sperm costing over £1000 a go. My period is due tomorrow and it would be amazing to find other people going through this journey too. I’ve been trawling old threads but can’t see any current ones so please feel free to redirect me if there’s an existing one!

Here’s our timeline so far:

28th September: baseline scan - 19 follicles (10+9). Bloods were done for Rubella, CMV & TSH. I think my TSH was either 1.31 or 1.13.
4th October: nurse consultation over Zoom
13th October: treatment consultation over Zoom, prescribed 100iu of Bemfola to start, Cetrotide, Ovitrelle.
14th October: donor sperm arrived in clinic👼🏼
15th October: meds delivered

…. and here we are!

@Brit22 Eeek! Exciting. I bet you’ve never looked forward to your period arriving so much! 😅 so you start it after the egg collection, when you get home, along with the antibiotics. I think the antibiotics last 3 days and you should have enough pessaries to get you to just after the test date. I’m pretty sure my antibiotics box said “bring to egg collection” but you sign a form authorising them to give you an antibiotic and pain relief pessary during the procedure (well I did) so I didn’t actually need it until I got home. If the test is pos they will give you another prescription for more pessaries lasting up to the 7 week scan, and then again to 12 weeks if I remember rightly 😊

@maybebaby2023 if it doesn’t start Thursday I’ll be fuming 😂.
Thanks so much, this forum is very helpful.
So literally the only thing I need to do is the benfola injection up until my first scan.
I have written everything down from the treatment consultation but nothing like double and triple checking. I just don’t want to do anything wrong.

I was driving to pick my daughter up from Badminton. Got home to be told to look for something under my pillow so I did and under my pillow was a test with two beautiful lines indicating a pregnancy. I didn’t even suspect anything as obvious as ‘look under your pillow’ because she’s such a stickler for following rules but she’d been up half the night needing the toilet so she suspected she was (apparently she was going to put in the bread bin cos I like to make toast!) So yeah we tested 5 days early and we have done since Monday and they’re all positive so far. I don’t think it will feel real till we have a scan at least but seeing those lines were something else. So I’m on cloud 9.

The strangest thing is, when I fell pregnant with daughter at 26, I wasn’t happy to see that I was pregnant; I wouldn’t change her for the world now and love her with every fibre of my being (she wasn’t planned and it took me a couple of months to deal with it) but I felt a tinge of ‘wish I’d have felt like this for my daughter when I discovered I was pregnant’ it’s almost a guilty feeling but I understand these are different circumstances via IVF and going through this with someone I want to be with and have kids with.

We’ve had a little bleeding today when wiping, not a lot but visible. Not sure what to make of it. Very minimal dull cramping. I’m beside myself and my wife is a little calmer at this point; this process is rough for the head and the head.

@MrsRandMrsR That's amazing news about your early test surprise. I'm so pleased for you both - you really deserve it. Is your daughter aware of you going through the process or will that be a total surprise for her?

Re the bleeding, try not to panic too much. It is probably just implantation bleeding - esp given the timings. I think I read somewhere that it affects 1 in 3 women and it is more common with IVF. Is it red or brown?

@MrsRandMrsR PS totally appreciate "try not to panic" is absolutely easier said than done but you could be worrying over nothing. It's highly likely that it's just the little embryo getting even more snuggly in there - which is a good thing!!!

It was fresh blood just whilst wiping a couple of times. We’ve had nothing since really. I assumed she’d had the implantation a few days after the transfer as got some cramping and some light brown discharge.
It will have been two weeks tomorrow since our FET was done. I also read it’s common to get some bleeding around when your period would have been, I just don’t know what to think anymore.
I’m trying to hold on to everything positive but just feel this isn’t good news for us. The scan isn’t for another 3 weeks and I’m not sure how we’re/I’m meant to cope.
No my daughter isn’t aware, for this very reason; don’t want to break her little heart if it doesn’t work.

How are you both getting on?

@MrsRandMrsR sorry, completely missed your reply. how have you both been since? I am doing fine thanks, just really tired. I feel less symptoms than I did a week or so ago. Still got over 2 weeks until our scan as well, we're having it at 8 weeks rather than 7. I have an exam a few days before it so don't want to have the scan before the exam in case it's bad news 🙁

Yeah it’s not good news for us. We are at the blood test stage, had two lots of bloods taken. The levels have dropped by 43%. The clinic are telling us it’s still considered a ‘pregnancy’ as HcG levels are still quite high at this stage. But she’s lost a fair amount of blood and clots and has been cramping so much. So we know it’s game over and the clinic are just ensuring clinical advise is being followed, which is hard cos we just want to move on and can’t as yet. So yeah it’s over for us, but we are optimistic for the future.

I can totally understand you not wanting the bad news followed by an exam. I’m sure you will be fine. I’ve a good feeling for you both. Keep us updated and good luck with the exam ❤️

We had to go for another blood test today. 48 hours apart each time. Our bloods were 700+ in the beginning, that then dropped to 417 and then today has gone to 427. This is so headf*cky, when all we wanted was to see a further drop so we could grieve and just get on with life and plans. Just seems no one can tell us anything and that we are stuck in limbo. Slow HcG levels would suggest an ectopic but she has no symptoms and I think the bleeding and cramping has stopped, and no one seems concerned about any of this. I think the Sac will still be producing hormones but won’t be viable. I’m emotionally exhausted and I’m not sure how my wife is even coping in all honesty! I just wanna know what’s going on.

@MrsRandMrsR I'm so, so sorry you're going through this. The limbo element of it must be absolutely awful. The fact the levels have increased marginally is probably a bit of a red herring. I don't think there's any positive reason why it would drop from 700 to 400 either. What an absolute nightmare. Can they scan her or would it be too early to tell even transvaginally?

Well this is what I’m hoping for next, our local EPU have been awful, declaring that the pregnancy is so early on that it’s not even a Pregnancy at this stage, the woman shouldn’t be in the job of you ask me, cruel and heartless comment to make when we’re trying to hold it together. It’s difficult for us cos we’re having to take Meds as normal despite knowing this probably isn’t viable (which could have been used for the next cycle, as we are paying additional for injections) so it’s like delaying the inevitable. Clinically the clinic have tried to put small amounts of hope there, we haven’t bitten for any hope. In fact, we’d like this saga to be over, which is conflicting cos all we’ve ever wanted in those positive lines and now we just don’t because no healthy pregnancy would be like this ultimately. Todays test line is darker than ever before, so as you can imagine, this is all just a confusing time.

It appears it’s looking like a ‘Pregnancy in an unknown location’ Possibly ectopic without showing any symptoms (other than slow rising levels) We have another blood test tomorrow and then depending on how those levels are; which we doubt will have risen again, then a methotrexate injection will be offered (EPU have pretty much begged her to take it) A scan revealed nothing, no pregnancy in the uterus (possibly too early to pick up) ABC have offered to bring the scan forward to this Friday, but we’ve had enough and just feels like we are prolonging the inevitable and the injection prevents us from doing anymore cycles for 3 months.

@MrsRandMrsR how are you getting on? What was the outcome of the blood test? What a nightmare you guys are having. 🙁

Yeah, looking like it was Ectopic in the tube, wasn’t visible on the scan but they couldn’t see it anywhere in the uterus or abdomen and she started to get some pain on the lower left side and her bloods were rising and just weren’t dropping, so we had to have the injection last night. Devastated, even though we already knew the outcome. So we’ll go again in 3 months. Trying to keep optimistic for the future but it’s taken it’s toll this time!

How are you feeling?!

@MrsRandMrsR Agh I'm so sorry. Does the injection negate the need for tube removal or could that still happen?

I've had the most horrendous upset tummy (tmi) since Monday night. Literally 24/7, even during the night. I had some cramping on Monday and was a bit worried about not being able to keep anything in me so contacted GP and EPU. GP is doing tests but doesn't think it's preg related. EPU gave us an early scan this morning where we saw the little bean with a heartbeat, measuring 7mm. Couldn't believe it to be honest, still can't!

Yeah it just flushes everything out, if it had got any bigger or bloods were massively high then surgery would have been an option so this is the kindest and safest way.

Aww how lovely and reassuring to see that little heartbeat, such a blessing and makes it all worthwhile! So huge congratulations to you and your partner 🥰 I think a bit of upset tummy is normal, the body is undergoing some major changes, keep your fluids up and please keep us updated till the very end!