First cycle - IVF / ICSI - Day 4

[Koalie]

My hubby and I are on day 4 of stims - our first IVF cycle. Just wondering if there's anyone else in the same boat who might want to share the journey? :)

@User491 how are you feeling today? If the clinic won’t do bloods I would book to speak to your GP. They can do two hcg bloods 48 hours apart and that’s a really good indication of how things are going.

I'm waiting on a call from the lab today. Day 3 post egg collection and I’m so nervous! Hoping we will have a good number still in the game

So I just had my first scan and the lining is looking good, I didn't hear how many follicles or really listen to anything the midwife said said because she thinks I may have fluid in my fallopian tubes and said they may need to be removed but not to worry because she couldn't be sure! Now very worried.

@Bran90 oh bless you. What’s the next step? Is the consultant going to be calling?

So I had my day 3 call, not sure what to make of it. I was hoping to have a few more grade 1s but not sure what’s normal and what’s not. All 19 that were fertilised are dividing:

Grade 1 - 3 embryos

1 7 cell
2 8 cell

Grade 2- 8 embryos
4 8 cell
1 9 cell
3 6 or 7 cell

Others (not great quality - can ignore)
2 6 cell embryos grade 3
2 4 cell grade 1
3 5 cell grade 4

@Bran90 that’s odd. Is that all she said? Are they going to investigate further? Hopefully she was mistaken … keep us posted? X

@Strawberry08 great day 3 update! I wasn’t given the gradings on day 3, I was just told how many were still going strong. I think it can change between day 3 and 5 anyway but so far so good! ☺️ how are you feeling? X

@User491 thinking of you x

Sorry for the late reply, I've been at work all day.
I'm still bleeding but rang the clinic early on, and following their advice managed to get a blood test done, and get another on Wednesday, so at least from wed night/Thursday morning I should know the definite answer!
No more clots and not as heavy and not many cramps now either, but the heavy period feeling is still there. I suppose I'll just have to wait and see 😢

@Izzie94x thank you xx this is what I was thinking too, but my clinic have advised that I shouldn't need them; I feel like pushing for them but don't wanna annoy them 😬

@Strawberry08 that's brill news, plenty good ones there! But yes it can still change and some of the others may still be moved up 🤞🏻

Did something silly this evening, I accidentally closed the lid of my sharps box when moving it... will the chemist be able to give/sell me another?

@User491 thats good news that you’ll be able to get some answers. Do you have the result from the first bloods? Hope you’re feeling OK xx

@Bran90 i did that too but hubby was able to force it back open with a knife x

Morning @Koalie I've just had it back this morning and it's only 47, so looks like it's a miscarriage. I should be at least 200 by now 😭

I've emailed my clinic to see what the next steps are, I will let you all know 😢

@User491 I’m so sorry! 🤍 I expect they will still want to do the second set of bloods to confirm. Sending love & hugs xx

@User491 oh sweetheart, I’m so sorry!! Life is so cruel. Thinking of you xx

I am feeling sick with nerves about day 5 update tomorrow. I had a dream last night we paid all this money and went through all of this to get no blastocysts and I just have this feeling that’s going to happen 😩

@Koalie and @Strawberry08 thank you both.

It's so so rubbish, but we will get it there eventually!
Had the second bloods done, so once they are back, I've to ring the clinic and go back in for a talk about when we can go for the next round, there's a bit of a waiting list, but I'll need to a cycle to happen naturally first anyways. I just wanna get back cracking with it so I have something else to focus on.

@Strawberry08 aww I'm sure that won't be the case at all! good luck for today! Let us know how you get on, 🤞🏻🤞🏻

I just had the call!
We have five blast is in the freezer. One is excellent (4aa), one good (3ba) and 3 average/poor.
We have 2 they are checking later today as needed a bit more time, and 6 that they are leaving until tomorrow.
But at worse we have two good ones and 3 average/poor so that’s a good result, phew!

@Strawberry08 thats great news hun!👏🏼 I really wish my clinic did PGT-A testing, as I feel

@Strawberry08 oops, accidentally hit send 🤦🏻‍♀️ I was going to say I would feel so much more comfortable being able to discount any abnormal embryos from our 7 so that we know going into any transfer that we have the best possible chance. It stresses me out knowing that even the best graded embryos could be abnormal, like, how do we decide which one to transfer?! 🤯I think the fact I’ve had 2 miscarriages in the past doesn’t help my anxiety around it, as I couldn’t bear to have another 🥺 I’m currently waiting for my period and apparently down reg will start on day 21 and then transfer will be the cycle after that. So much waiting ☹️

@Koalie ah I’m so sorry to hear about your miscarriages. It’s horrendous isn’t it, I’ve had 4. IVF is hard after loss because on the one hand you have to get to the pregnancy bit but then you’ve also got to have a successful pregnancy so double whammy!!
I think our transfer will be around the same time, I am also waiting for period and then wait a month and start on following cycle.

soo much waiting!!

@User491 I'm so sorry to hear things haven't worked out with this transfer 😔, wishing you all the baby dust in the world for your next transfer.

@Koalie and @Strawberry08 it's so stressful watching all the numbers drop after collection and waiting to find out how many embryos you'll have. Great that you both have a good number to go forwards with though, all the baby dust wishes for you both too!

I haven't had a hint of a positive yet and on day 8 so I'm not hopeful things have worked on this round sadly. I'll test as requested at 2 weeks but, as I'm unexplained, I worry there's something just not receptive about my uterus. I know they say 95% of the time it's embryo failure, but without a reason I still have to wonder.

@ScottishRach ah I’m keeping all my fingers crossed that line appears for you. Still early days so there’s still a chance.
Did you have those specialist scans on your uterus? Hycosy or something? I saw some info on that and can be helpful to look at uterus

Morning everyone,
My story continues 🙈
So my first HCG was 47, second one is 73... I now have to have another tomorrow, if it's risen again, I then need another Monday!
I've to watch for signs of an ectopic pregnancy now 😬
I just wanted it to have dropped and then I could move on 🙈

@Strawberry08 thats great news! Fingers crossed for those other ones too 😊

@ScottishRach mine was only ever so faint on day 8, it's still so early, so I will keep my fingers and toes crossed for you 🤞🏻🤞🏻

@User491 I had a similar thing with one of my miscarriages, they called it a PUL (pregnancy of unknown location) and I was in and out of hospital for bloods. Hopefully it resolves itself - this can happen even if it’s ectopic and I believe HCG often goes up a bit before it starts coming back down. 🤞🏼 hope you’re feeling OK, I know how worrying it can be x

@ScottishRach … any luck today? 😊 x

Oh and just to update … AF finally arrived for me so transfer will probs be in about 6 weeks from now ☹️ going out with the hubby on Saturday night so going to take the opportunity to have a couple of drinks, as I’ve been alcohol free for about 3 months now 😱
x

@User491 oh no!! Poor you, so not what you need. Be really vigilant about ectopic, hopefully it resolves!

@Koalie snap!! AF arrived early this morning. Are they scanning you over the next few weeks? I was a bit confused as the clinic said to bring me in for a scan if I let them know when I had my withdrawal bleed but I’m not sure what for.. as they definitely said I need a withdrawal bleed and a period before we go ahead!!

@Strawberry08 oooh yours came much quicker than mine! Maybe because I started on the progesterone pessaries after egg collection before I had to cancel my fresh transfer. I’m waiting for the clinic to call me back re what happens next but from snippets of conversations I’ve had with the receptionist, I think I’ll just be having a Zoladex shot on day 21 of this cycle, then my period will come about a week after, then I will start on estrogen, then progesterone, then transfer. I’ve been trying to get to speak to a consultant or a nurse at my clinic about what options I have and whether I can do a more natural FET but nobody is ever available so the receptionist is trying to gather info for me. I almost feel like I’m being a pain wanting to ask questions which isn’t the best feeling tbh. Nobody has called me at all to talk about next steps and I’m still injecting blood thinners every day because of the OHSS and nobody’s bothered to check in on me or tell me when I should stop. 🙄 x

@Koalie I was told mine would come quickly because I was taking buserlin every day for 5 days after to keep my oestrogen levels down. May have been that.
I am going on a relatively natural cycle I believe!
Yeah that’s not great service. I think a lot of the clinics are like that. It bothers me though because we are paying huge amounts of money, and it is the most emotional/important thing people can go through and physically tough too so I think the customer service should be so much better!!

@Strawberry08 ahhh that does make sense! Have you told your clinic that your period is here? They should let you know what happens next … I’d be interested to hear your protocol when you know, if you don’t mind sharing? ☺️ some of the nurses there have been so lovely and empathetic but there’s definitely the odd couple who can be quite cold and difficult to talk to which just doesn’t put me at ease at all ☹️

Thanks everyone!
I'm ok just want it over now 😅
So strange, so my clinic want the other bloods tomorrow and I've to ring them, they told me to get in touch with our local EPU and tell them what we are going through, just incase I do need to see them. I have and they are marking tomorrows bloods as urgent; and said I could just have a late implanter... I find this really hard to believe as I've bled loads, had a positive test from last Wednesday, and my HCG should be so much higher than this! I don't like the idea of being given false hope now (although would be amazing if it all did work out)
I'll let yous know how I get on 😬

@Koalie ahh so it can go up first, no one has told me this 🙄 thank you! At least you have a date, 6 weeks will fly in, and you go and enjoy that date with your husband, it's a tough long journey!!

@Strawberry08 that's really bad, especially when paying lots of money for it! It's a difficult one, as you won't even want to complain as you want them to do their job with everything else. It shouldn't be like that tho 😭 I hope you are ok?
Same for you @Koalie it's shocking and it shouldn't be this way!