December IVF

[Eggling]

Hi 👋 I can't see a thread for December IVF so thought I'd start one for those squeezing in treatment before the Christmas cut off.

Backstory from me: one toddler DD from previous IVF ICSI in 2020. Trying for baby 2, have lost our 3 frozen embryos from our first round over the last few months (2 failed FETs and one didn't survive thaw) so heading into a new round. Aiming for a fresh transfer if possible after a freeze all cycle last time due to OHSS risk so I'm starting on low dose bemfola 112.5. AF due next week so just waiting for my meds to arrive the back to being a pin cushion for the next few weeks!

@Brit22 fingers very much crossed for you. Yes did get the call but not the news I was hoping for, one of my hormones is really high and they worry it may lead to OHSS so they are now ‘coasting me’ to see if me stopping stims might bring down the level of that hormone. If not it
may be that we still collect eggs but then freeze or we may have to stop all together - I have to go in for further bloods tomorrow and my consultant is going to give me a call and make a clinical call.

Hello everyone, just catching up on all the news. No transfer for me today as still have fluid on the endometrium but the good news is we do have one 8-cell top quality day 3 in the freezer. I'm obviously disappointed but also kind of relieved to have a break for a few weeks - I've just poured myself a g&t for the first time in 6 months and planning to try and get my head in a better place over Christmas for a frozen transfer in January. Fingers crossed this little one makes it for us.

@Brit22 oh I'm so sorry you haven't had any to freeze. Keeping everything crossed that the little one you have on board is snuggling in nicely! The two week wait is hard, I don't have any tips but I'm thinking of you!

@TheGlitterFairy thank you so much for your kind words. You've had quite the time of things, I really hope this round brings you another little one!

@ZAMichelin1991 I'm glad the spotting isn't sinister, wishing you all the best for more follicles and a successful egg collection.

@AM08 good luck and I hope you don't get OHSS - it's good you're being so closely monitored.

@22Mama thank you so much, I really hope this is your round!

@LuC22 welcome, very best of luck with everything!

I'm probably going to be pretty quiet from now on as going to try and give myself a bit of a break from ivf thinking for a free weeks. Thank you so much everyone for yo it support and I'm wishing you all the very best - baby dust to all!! Xx

@AM08 I really hope that you got the call you were hoping for 🙏🏼. Keep us updated.

@Eggling Im glad you got some good news and that you’ve got one in the freezer ready to go next year some time. Enjoy the break for abit you deserve it. Xx

@Eggling totally understand taking some time and enjoying a break - really hoping early 2023 will bring some joy

@Brit22 hope your doing ok, the 2ww sounds intense but so nice to have got this far and hopefully it’s the outcome you want.

I went in for scan and bloods today and my consultant called and said the risk for OHSS is just too high to continue so we have to move straight to frozen with transfer end of January - they are hoping by ‘coasting me’ and taking me off stims that my bloods will level out and we can still collect this week. Feeling a bit deflated but trying to remember that the consultant did say to us from the start that as we are male factor and that this was always a possibility and that in some way, getting close to OHSS and having more eggs would give us more chances of fertilising… feeling ok for now but may feel more sad as time goes on.

One thing that is on me and partners mind is being very worried about covid and the longer this goes on the greater the risk of catching it will be.

@AM08 sorry it wasn’t the outcome your were wanting but hopefully your levels will come down and you can get the transfer you want this week.

Does your clinic test for covid? Because I know mine didn’t. I honestly wouldn’t worry to much about that because you don’t want that causing you stress when you’ve already got a lot going on.

@AM08- is this your first round. It can happen that you get OHSS because it's the first round they don't have your dosage all the way and so it can go a bit much. But have many can be a great way to play the numbers game. OHSS isn't great, but it's not the hardest thing I've been through on the infertility journey. The mental strain is more brutal I find. I hope if you do get OHSS, that the eggs will have been plentiful and that it will be worth all the ick!

About COVID I think they aren't really looking at all anymore. But if you are concerned you can wear a mask while out and about and just be careful, see less people. It's not forever just a few weeks!

@Eggling- I hope you enjoyed that G&T for us all 🥹😉! I can see both sides the relief and the disappointment. I am crossing all my fingers and toes for you for January! Enjoy the peace in your mind and just unplug. We will be here if you need us 😊

@LuC22 - it's almost time for your transfer! Is everything on the "go"?

@Brit22- I hope your doing alright and keeping up with things! Ive started Christmas decorating and I've been cooking a storm every night to avoid being with my over thinking brain too much lol!

My update!
I went to the scan today. After crazy feverish kind if dreams (I didn't have a fever just the dreams were of that sort) last night from partial stress of knowing I only had 2 eggs last scan, it seems my subconscious had less to worry about. They upped my dosage and I now have 7 eggys on one side and 2 on the other🎉🎉🎉! Let's hope/pray for the best!

I am booked for Friday egg retrieval!!!!👏 👀👀👀 I'm excited😊. And nervous.😳

Last time I took off and it went well, I thought, and I had so many and then the next day we got that phone call that literally had me on my knees, all 19 eggs didn't work, all basically gone.🥲

So I'm trying to keep my nerves in check. My mom is coming down to be with me after the procedure! DH is there to drop me off and be with me before and right after, but has a work thing he can't miss (he is taking a half day) and of course my retrieval was set for the one day he can't miss the afternoon for. So I have some support from my Mama coming for Friday and I think that will be nice. Love and care all around.

Just trying NOT to think about the phone call. I hope it will yield some little embryos that we can set in at some point! SO. All that to say, cross your fingers for me Friday and hope for the best

Thank you for the supportive words @Brit22 hearing everyone’s journeys is really helpful in this process as you start to realise that we all will have ups and downs but just have to remain positive. The clinic are not testing for covid but our consultant said there is a correlation between covid and poor outcomes… I think we just have to live our life but be safe

@22Mama so glad your scan went well and your super pleased with the outcome. Great plan to have your mum there for post retrieval - not long now - definitely keep us updated!

Hi everyone.

@AM08 i know what you mean, we do have to test for our clinic and we have actually been isolating since starting injections to be safe, I wouldn’t want to catch anything and think what if I hadn’t caught that would things be different I’m so glad we did as several people from my gym have tested positive this week and my dad also had a sickness bug so I’m so glad we have avoided all that!

had a scan yesterday I now have 5 eggs that look ready to collect and they have booked me in for collection on Thursday so we trigger tonight!!! Eeeek I’m so scared! It has messed things up with work but I’m going to have to just call in sick this is way more important but I’m so bad with things like this I hate lying and I feel so bad already but I really do need to just chill and remember what’s important.
I'm still really gutted that only 5 look mature at the moment but I’m just trying to think quality over quantity. 🤞🏻🤞🏻

how are you all feeling and getting on?

can I ask anyone that’s had the trigger how did you feel the day after? Were you able to carry on as normal day to day life or were you in pain at all or super bloated or sick?

sending lots of luck to everyone! 🤞🏻 xxx

@22Mama The days are dragging now! It feels like a lifetime ago since transfer but it’s only been 5 days.

Im glad that your finally booked in for egg collection on Friday and that you’ve got progress on your eggs.

@ZAMichelin1991 I felt completely fine after the trigger. It was no different to the other injections. Happy triggering tonight 🙂.

@Brit22 - I bet it is dragging on. Ick. That was the hardest part about all the failed IUI's. Watch a good movie, that helps in the evening and don't google lol. That is always my down fall. Or trying to pregnancy test too early lol 😂

@ZaMichelin1991- when I triggered last time for IVF AND the three times before for medicated IUI's I felt no different at all actually! I think all should be well by you!

I TOTALLY feel you on work. Mine is Friday, we have this dance we are putting on for the older kids at my school and I volunteered. My friend is the one organizing it and I told her I won't be there, but I am not telling my boss or admin etc. I'm just going to call in sick. There is just nothing that is this important. And here in Germany they give me a doctor's note, but it says infertility clinic on it, and I don't want that so I will call my doctor and have them write me a note in that one's place. I could tell them before but I just don't want to. It's already hard enough when it all fails to tell my loved ones, and if it fails again, or honestly even if we have little embryos we still don't have a baby yet so I am just not ready to tell them. I pour my heart and soul into my school, and I always feel guilty even when I'm sick. Always. But I just refuse this time. It's about me. And I'm trying to put this first, be damned what my head thinks. Or the rude pressure I get from being sick.

Anyways. ONE MORE NIGHT OF STIMS! Then I am off to trigger Wed, Thursday is no shots ans Friday morning at 7:30 am WE are in there like swimwear! Egg retrieval and then home to rest and hope I don't get OHSS like last time.

Hi everyone,

@ZAMichelin1991 It’s been a weird one, I caught a horrible chest infection during the down regulation part of the process and needed antibiotics and now I’m just fearing the worst with covid as in London everyone is coughing and am hearing a few more cases a week from my network of people having covid… good luck for Friday, everyone says quality not quantity - please keep us posted on how you get on

@22Mama sounds like you have a good plan work wise, it’s not ideal not to be able to be fully honest but you need to protect yourself and your mental health and it’s totally understandable to not want to tell people whether successful or not, particularly when this stuff is just so personal

I went to the clinic again this morning and was tearful when they did my blood, just so sick of being jabbed now and every time the nurses see my arms and the bruises they don’t know where to go with the needles for the blood test. But I have finally had the call, can trigger tonight for egg collection on Thursday, I am so relieved now to be going in again for further bloods tomorrow and just to get the process started on embryos. Still very sad we will have to wait until Jan for transfer but glad we’re finally at this stage.

@ZAMichelin1991 good luck with the triggering! I didnt feel any different after mine. However since egg collection have been feeling a bit grotty :(

I just told work that I was having a minor medical procedure so had to book a sick day.

I was provisionally booked in for transfer today but they've recommended to push it to day 5 as theres 3 good quality embryos. Trying to stay chilled but still be realistic that although its looking good at the moment, those may not make it to day 5. Fingers crossed though 🤞🏻

@22Mama Google has to be the worse but I just can’ t just never help myself. It’s my weekend off work this weekend so I’m going to go to the Christmas markets and then watch Christmas films on the night. So hopefully that will distract me.

Eeee trigger shot tonight! I bet you’re excited. Then next thing you’ll know it’s Friday.

@AM08 how was the trigger shot then?
At least you can give your body a rest and you’ll be fresh as a Daisy ready to go in Jan 💕.

@LuC22 Good luck with your transfer.

@Brit22 your weekend plans sound wonderful - nice to get all festive! Yeah feeling all good, very happy that the collection will be tomorrow - just hoping it goes smoothly and we get some embryos

@AM08 Best of luck for tomorrow 🤞🏼.

@AM08 good luck for EC today - hope all goes well and @LuC22 good luck for your transfer 🙏

@Eggling I hope you’re doing ok after the frostie news this week. Disappointing to have to wait til the new year then go through the FET but it’s great news it’s tucked up in the freezer waiting to go when you’re ready to. I hope you enjoyed your G&T the other night and that you can enjoy the run up to Christmas then start afresh in the new year.

@22Mama good luck this morning too! It’s all go this week!!

we had good news at the scan on Tuesday - lining was 9.5 which is great! So we’re booked in for a transfer on Tuesday afternoon. Did the final buserelin yesterday which is great as I think it’s been really affecting my mood (gloomy feeling) so happy not to have to take that anymore. Progesterone starts today though - 2 pessaries in the morning and evening plus the IM injection too which haven’t done yet/ need to (every other day) and am dreading, plus the estrogen pills (4/day) - quite the cocktail. Roll on Tuesday….!

@TheGlitterFairy - girl that certainly does sound like a cocktail! A baby cocktailllll! I am so hoping for you!
I am tomorrow morning early ! So think happy thoughts!

Girls, I was convinced by 2 colleagues to just tell my boss it's a doctor's procedure and that I will be off Friday so that the school has time to staff. I tell him and he first off has the audacity to say is this for family planning. I wasn't caught off guard and said no it's personal. He then said like what's personal getting a nose job can be too (FYI I have a great nose) and I said no, it's a one day thing. And it's not something I scheduled otherwise I'd have given you much more time. He then says, well some people have a personal day so I'll get back to you. It was this last try at being in control. I just said.OK.

Because I won't be there either way and I will have a doctor's note so it's not a personal day. I was so mad about him acting like this. Honestly. Who does that, ask someone if they are family planning. Let alone a boss. And I don't think he's allowed to. He's Overall auch a good boss, but this is something he's all wrong about. Anyways. Sorry I'm in here bitching and moaning.

Now I'm wondering if I should go in closed doors and be like, you know what "you ass hat(I'd use his real name)" I have been trying for about 3 years. And even science has not yet brought me to family planning. I'm in like PRE-PLANNING , so that he would learn not to ask people insensitive questions. GRR I should have just lied and said I was sick, but I hate rule breaking. Stupid me. Well I have learned. I will be sick from now on when I have things to do.

Thanks @22Mama - sorry, tomorrow morning! Hope all goes well. Your boss sounds like he just said something without thinking though not helpful to do agreed. I didn’t say anything to anyone at work on any of my other rounds other than I had a medical appt / minor procedure and needed XYZ time off for it and let them draw their own conclusions.

Just done the IM jab or rather DH did - god I hate them. Relieved they’re every other day this time. Last round they were every day for about 7 weeks then switched to Lubion at 6 weeks (subcutaneous) which seemed a godsend at time. Phew.

@TheGlitterFairy thank you I think all went ok, a bit dejected as we collected 12 eggs which they said was good but considering the number of follicles I had and that I stopped stimming last Friday, it seems like quite a big drop off - can’t wait for the call tomorrow to hear how many have fertilised! Good luck with your transfer next week, your so right about the cocktail of drugs - the ones post transfer sound pretty awful so not looking forward to those!

@22Mama good luck for egg collection tomorrow. Your boss sounds like they were being super insensitive which is a shame as you’d expect a higher level of awareness around health topics - stay strong, you will get there 💪

Well girls. It's official. Truly. I lost it, I lost my mind. LOL, call it the trigger-shot hormones or just having too much of this infertility business.

Here comes storytime.... My boss calls me into his office and asked to talk again about me asking for a day off.

Honestly- side note here - you either get honesty with your employees or you will get lying, I'm sick can't come and other teachers are just doing it for mental days etc.
And I really tried to do the right thing. I was really neutral. I had a medical procedure and it's not something I can schedule and I will be gone Friday. Like I didn't in anyway make it seem like anything and he took some liberties asking me what he did.

Anyways, today I go up to his office and he gives me some BS about how he will approve me not being in on Friday (literally nothing could have kept me from going to my egg retrieval) and he acted all high and mighty and I just had enough, in a rage of tears I told him I don't get to have "family planning" as he called it, because I don't get to plan when I'm having a child, I'm currently sitting in the boat hoping I can have them at all. And that it was insensitive of him, and that I didn't share this because I'm many many years into the process of wanting this and it still not working. At some point I think I literally said like, "and if it doesn't work out, I frankly don't want to even tell the people I like." Then I cried more realizing I told him I don't like him. Oh my Lord it was a comedy of errors. Then basically I told him I actually like him as a boss but that he was out of line for this one, and that no one wants to say when they need a day and everyone is lying about being sick, and I'm not doing that.

Anyways, I have great news that I didn't loose my job, and I'm just hours away from retrieval! Thank the Lord! I prepared an entire day worth of stuff for my little ones to do, and is it horrible im so looking forward to my mom coming and making me soup LMAO!

Thank you for listening to me, I really saw red today, though through my tears of anger I have made it through. I truly truly hope you got a laugh out of this. Now it's funny, this morning I was livid 😡

@AM08 - congrats on the 12 eggs. I'm crossing my fingers so tightly for you that there will be embryos!!!

@TheGlitterFairy - yay so you are all done then with the injections ?

Also I think you did it the right way. I should have done it they way I wanted to, call in sick like you did, that would have been smarter.
Teacher guilt took over me I went clean about a medical procedure and here we are. I lost my mind! For real!

Back to earth again! I had my egg retrieval and I had 10 eggs!!!! Went all well, I was hecka loopy this time after the procedure and had a lot more stomach pain right away, but now later it's all better.

Cross your fingers for me 🥰 - also hope I didn't offend anyone with my crazy story of losing my last nerve with my boss being insensitive.

Hope you are doing well. Looking forward to hearing from everyone!

Ive been abit quite the last day or so ago but I think this round is over for me 😞. Im just getting a BFN. I know my test date isn’t till the 14th but I thought I’d be able to see something by now seeing as though I had the transfer the 1st. Im just seeing everyone post positive posts that’s had it around the same time as me. Im absolutely gutted and we had nothing to freeze either. I’ll get off my Debbie downer now. So how is everyone else doing?

@22Mama that's great that you got 10 eggs. I hope they all make it.