IVF warriors - journey continues

[Tinkerbell098]

Have created this as our old one has maxed out. Let's continue to support each other in this challenging journey of IVF.

@Imisscoffee2021
@Decaffe
@seekingbabyk
@MinBins
@acaciabluebell
@MammyandAva
@Spin101
@1stcycle

@Tinkerbell098 awww thanks - sorry I missed your other message!

Thank you for creating the new thread @Tinkerbell098 and I love the thread title, warriors we indeed are! 🛡️⚔️

I’m hoping to finally have a lazy day tomorrow so I can catch up on everyone’s news and where we’re all up to. I think about our little crew a lot!

As for me I’ll be having my frozen transfer on Thursday. Feels like it’s come around rather quickly after all that worry!

Wow that's amazing @Decaffe - how have you found the meds in the lead up?

Just about to do my last menopur jab 😁😁😁

@Tinkerbell098 brilliant group name:)

@Decaffe wow not long now, got all the positive vibes for your transfer day!

@seekingbabyk well done on getting through a menopur cycle! will be thinking of you on Tuesday, are you less nervous about sedation now you've been through it? xx

@Imisscoffee2021 yes definitely I just want to get it done now so I can get back to normal life and feel myself.

Are you feeling a bit happier this evening now you've had that reassurance?

@seekingbabyk yeah I am, I'd kind of kicked myself this morning about yesterday already so was feeling more myself when I went to the scan, and seeing a flickering little heart beat was just the added reassurance. Obviously not now thinking it's all plain sailing but feeling happy and reassured that a bit of blood doesn't have to mean MC. My husbands colleague announced she's pregnant again as she was 13 weeks and felt safe, only to have a MC two weeks later, just feel so awful for her - so my hubby is hyper aware of things that can go wrong too.

We're actually now thinking of not saying anything to family at xmas even if things are still good, as 12 weeks isn't til NYE anyway. Will just be easier to not have to tell them any bad news, may even wait til 16 weeks though my mam might not forgive me! I spoke to my husband tonight and he said he felt dreadful yesterday, I'd told him about the bleed when it happened on Thursday as he works from home, then put myself to bed early so it had been playing on his mind, poor fella. He's really happy I saw the heart beat, hopefully he sees it too next Friday at the clinic :)

@Imisscoffee2021 aww don't beat yourself up I think we would all have been the same. It must have felt magical seeing that! Hopefully that's it for you both now and you can relax more and enjoy being pregnant instead!

I completely understand that - I wouldn't want to announce until I was further along although it depends on how you're feeling too doesn't it. If there's really bad sickness it would be hard for me to hide from family. Hopefully you won't feel too bad in the first 12 weeks. Although if you had a scan a couple of days before Xmas and everything was good, you might feel differently!

Thanks for setting up the thread @Tinkerbell098 & what a fab name 💪🏼

Ah hope the transfer goes well on Thursday @Decaffe! Yess to the chilled day tomorrow! I'm leading a workshop on Monday in our org that was sprung on me last minute - and even though I want to stay chill tomorrow I'll no doubt be nervous about work. 😭

Congrats on the last menopur jab @seekingbabyk - hopefully things will be back to feeling more normal soon.

@Imisscoffee2021 ah I can imagine the need to just want to protect ourselves and loved ones. Amongst all of the caution we present ourselves, having a little life inside us is definitely worth celebrating, but it's so tough isn't it. We're here to celebrate and to listen in the meantime 🥰

Totally do whatever feels right for you! From my own experience, one thing I've realised is there's no set way of approaching how we share the news with loved ones, but that they're mostly there for us whenever we need them, whether it's to share in our happiness or sadness. So totally do what feels best for you - and congrats again! Totes happy for you. ❤️

Thank you for tagging me @Tinkerbell098 !

Hope you ladies are all okay! I realise I am quite a bit behind all of you. I had my FET consultation and planning appointments and signed the papers. My clinic have told me that if my next AF arrives before Dec 2nd I will be able to transfer in December... Very nervous because AF is due on December 3rd as I'm ovulating today/tomorrow. I'm taking Provera for 7 days in the hopes it might bring it on slightly earlier.

Also, I got my protocol for transfer which includes estrogen pills, progesterone pessaries AND intramuscular injections which is a bit scary.

@acaciabluebell I'm keeping everything crossed for you that it's before 2nd. That does sound a lot but if you get a positive at the end it'll be worth it

@acaciabluebell I’m in the same boat as you actually as my cut off to get AF is the 2 nd so they can fit me in before Christmas shut down. I’ve only just had a LH peak (even that’s a little questionable) as my cycles took a while to regulate after my early MC. I usually get AF 2 weeks after a peak so I could be just out. My protocol also has five ganerelix injections for the first five days followed by oestrogen tablets after the baseline scan plus lubion injections and cyclogest pessaries before and after transfer. Hope AF comes early for both of us so we can get started X

@seekingbabyk happy trigger day today X

@Imisscoffee2021 totally get why you’d want to delay telling family. It was heartbreaking having to tell my mum when it ended (she knew about ivf and I kept her up to date with everything). I’m thinking not even telling her if I transfer next month and waiting until we know the outcome for sure. Aww bless your OH, it would be lovely to have him at the scan on Friday and see the heartbeat together X

hope everyone’s had a good weekend so far!

Morning ladies! Can't believe it but another gush of red fresh blood this morning! More than last time too! Had mild mild twinges last night but couldn't be sure where they came from, dotting this morning then just going out the door for work and loads of fresh blood, always such a horrible gut wrenching shock!! I'm so so hoping this is like last time and all is well, perhaps a scan dislodges it or bruises the cervix as they've both been transvaginal. Sigh! Feeling more hopeful this time that I'll still see a heartbeat on Friday, fingers crossed x

Oh no @Imisscoffee2021 I'm sorry this keeps happening. Like you say though I'm sure it's nothing and just part of the process. There seems to be a lot more of this kind of thing in IVF pregnancies- I never realised that before. A girl I follow on IG had clots and everything but was fine. Really hoping this is the end of this for you and it's plain sailing from here xx

@Imisscoffee2021 oh no! so sorry this is happening to you. But hope having had the scan a couple of days ago, you're feeling a little bit more reassured. I think for as long as you are taking cyclogest/lubion, this might happen as it can irritate all sorts. Try not to worry too much and keeping everything crossed for your scan on Friday X

I have just picked up my meds for the frozen cycle. I have definitely ovulated now finally (confirmed with BBT), so AF should come the following weekend, so maybe a day or two late for the clinic's cutoff, but I'll see what they say.

@Tinkerbell098 thank you, I think its also from internal scan prodding about in there, and the sonographer did say there were a few small pockets of fluid in there, hopefully baby is robust and safe in its little bubble!

Hope you get in before the cut off! That adds another layer of tension!

@Imisscoffee2021 ah yes definitely it could be that. Yes thanks I hope I get in too as I am off for a couple of weeks in December and will massively help with the TWW.

@seekingbabyk hope you're enjoying your jab free day. What time is EC tomorrow?

@Tinkerbell098 it's at 11. Feeling a bit anxious now - nothing like last time but I think everyone feels like that when you have a procedure to go through. Also one of my ovaries was high up so I'm worried they won't be able to get to it or that it will cause a problem. Nothing I can do but I'll be gutted if that's the case!

Keeping everything crossed you get to do your transfer. Again not much you can do to change the day but hopefully the gods will be on your side!

@Imisscoffee2021 yes I think all the prodding etc doesn't help. Not long to wait until your scan too which is lovely to know that's booked in! Has bleeding stopped now?

@seekingbabyk How many are you hoping to get tomorrow, did you get an estimate from your clinic? Will be thinking of you at 11, let us know how it goes when you feel up to it :)

Yeah just a little bit of brown now on tissue, seems to be like a watery clear red gush and then just the oxidised remnants after both times. Feeling tender in the pelvis area too, hopefully just growing pains of a uterus not used to having something in it! Had really bad nausea yesterday and again today, was gagging trying to prep dinner just now just hopefully that'd a good sign. I'd happily take I months of acute nausea if the bleeding would just let up!

@Tinkerbell098 you may be right about the pessaries, I might ask my clinic if I can have cyclogest instead as they can be used ... elsewhere...and wont irritate the cervix 😆

@Imisscoffee2021 yes the pessaries irritated me too so definitely ask about those! All good signs with your nausea though and the bleeding slowing down.

I have no idea to be honest. They had 5 or 6 each side at scan so hoping at least 12 follicles but I think once they found those they kind of moved on. Seemed more about having a minimum amount than anything else. Last time we got 7 eggs and 4 mature. I honestly don't know what the outcome will be but hoping for more because of higher doses this time. Panicking some will go over too as I feel like it's been ages since I started! It's just a guessing game isn't it :(

@Imisscoffee2021 The vaginal pessaries irritated me so much, I actually had an allergic reaction to them on my vulva. Definitely swap to the other ones! Much less hassle!

Someone asked how I’ve been responding to the FET meds. Well the oestrogen tablets have been absolutely fine, no side effects at all. The steroids are giving me terrible insomnia. I’m up til 3/4am, wide awake for the past couple of nights. It’s been awful trying to work today, I’m shattered!

Currently veering between optimism that the steroids will make this transfer a success, and terror that my 3BC embryo will not survive the thaw. Websites all over define a 3BC as poor quality, some sites say only a 60% chance of surviving the thaw. The next few days are going to be horrible 😔

@seekingbabyk Best of luck for tomorrow morning, the end of injections is always wonderful!

@Tinkerbell098 glad you have ovulated and I hope the timings align for you! So much of IVF is just waiting, eh? 🤞🏻

@seekingbabyk best of luck today! Will be thinking of you at 11! Xx

@Decaffe statistics don't always play out, we had a top quality hatching blastocyst first transfer and looking back don't think it even attempted to implant! I've read lots of successful threads where there's been a 3 graded embryo and it'd made a home, one recently actually where it was the ladies only embryo and she was so pessimistic about the odds. Got everything crossed it works, your body is less frazzled on a frozen cycle too so odds are higher in that respect :)

Thanks @Imisscoffee2021 - feeling nervous now but just need to get this out of the way! I'll report back once I feel more human x

@seekingbabyk all the best for today. will be thinking of you. Let us know how it goes when you're up to it. I know I slept most of the afternoon after. Hope it goes all smoothly X

@Decaffe don't worry about the grading too much. I know it's hard not to. There's been loads of stories of lower grade embryos making healthy babies, so it's not an exact science. They wouldn't have frozen it if it had no chance. Stay positive!

@Imisscoffee2021 hope the bleeding has stopped now. Which pessaries are you on? Yes, you can switch to cyclogest, that's what my clinic uses and you can use it rectally if it irritates too much. What grade was the embryo they transferred this time? The one I've got in the freezer is a 4AB, I don't know why the doctor said the stats are about 20% for a frozen cycle. It's really been playing in my mind that it wouldn't work. But I know loads of people do frozen cycles and internet says frozen's better than fresh. It's probably the clinic's stats than general stats.