Abc ivf 2023

[Sunflower5858]

Hi all,

Just did ER at Abc over weekend and waiting for embryo update. Very nervous as the fertilised rate is not as high. This journey is so stressful and sometimes I feel so alone.

@Sunflower5858 Yeah been for another scan today and they're growing, left side more than the right. I've started cetrotide this morning. Egg collection will roughly be this time next week, feeling bloated and tender today!

@Sunflower5858 dreadful haha, my nausea is so bad I can barely do anything but despite all that I’m so grateful as I’m taking it as a sign that things are going well. Eating kind of helps but only for a short period of time 😞. What about you, any symptoms yet?

@Nic64 what worries you the most about egg collection?

Hi folks, I hope you are all well, please may I join?

my partner and I (same sex couple) had a consultation with create a few weeks ago and have had a quote for a round of mild ivf with them, but have now realised I qualify for abc. By the looks of it this would be the same procedure but at least £2k cheaper than going through create, despite being in the same clinic.

Does anyone know why this is? At this rate it would make more sense for us to do a brand new consultation to have the more affordable treatment via abc - I’m just wondering if there is any more chasing you have to do for things outside of the clinic if the service is more scaled back? I do intend to call them as well, just wondered if anyone else had found this during their initial stages.

wishing you all the best for your ongoing treatment x

hi @Nic64 don’t worry about the egg collection. Personally I found it the easiest part of the process. I found the embryo transfer to be the most painful part but that was purely because you need a wee and you have the pressure of the catheter & the ultrasound. The actual process isn’t painful.

@1987ClaraBrown my sickness has got slightly better now, i still feel nauseous but not half as bad as i did. How many weeks are you now?

Hi @Quickdraw23 I went straight through ABC, I didn’t realise there was a price difference with Create, thats odd as its the same company.
I found it pretty easy with abc, but theres a few extra add ons, if you have a successful transfer, you have to pay for the pessaries until 12 weeks and they are £34 a week at the clinic and if you want any additional blood tests etc. I would probably call up and ask about the price difference, i thought it was all the same x

@Quickdraw23

ABC is cheaper as is a standard protocol for pretty much everyone, and nurse led, rather than consultant. Egg collection and transfers are done by create/consultants etc.

They have strict criteria as it is a ‘standard’ protocol, so it needs to be applicable for the people using it. Since you are a same sex couple I assume that is why you are having IVF, rather than any known fertility issues? In which case i would have thought ABC should be able to provide what you need. More complex cases need different drugs, more consultant input etc.

Ive found ABC fine, occasionally had to chase a bit, but I think people have to sometimes with other clinics as well. Consultants oversee the cases still, and if things don’t go as planned (we had a very high drop of from fertilisation to day 3/5), then you have a consultation with a consultant to debrief/discuss it.

Thank you @cat234 and @LR94 for the info. It does seem a little odd. Further research/chats required definitely! The price we have been given following a create consultation is around the £6800 mark, not including donor sperm, which is very different to abc. We are very much saving up and although not hard up we don’t have lots of money so every little helps really!

yes no known fertility issues; I’ve never tested my reproductive system I suppose 😳

Your input and info has been much appreciated and I wish smooth and successful outcomes for everyone x

Had scan today, left ovary doing better than the right, think we've got about 11 follicles and got around 3 that are 17mm. This is our first round of ivf so hoping that's all a good sign. Think egg collection will be Wednesday, just hoping everything goes smoothly after so many years of trying just hoping we get some embryos and we get to meet them❤️

@1987ClaraBrown yeah the nausea got to me last week and it has been not easy to manage work and house chores. Good luck with the scan next week xxx My scan is the day after your scan. Quite nervous 😅
@Nic64 the numbers look great. Good luck with the egg collection on Wednesday. Keep us updated xxx

Good luck @Nic64 for collection day and @1987ClaraBrown @Sunflower5858 for scan days!

Thanks everyone.

I've got a cough and sore throat this morning, making me worried if it's going to affect anything with the collection coming up and then transfer. I'm trying to drink honey and lemon etc. just want it to go away my chest is hurting.

If anyone has any suggestions on how to banish it 😂 please send them my way. Hope everyone's having a nice weekend.

Hey guys, hope you are well and don’t mind me joining.

we have been ttc for 2yrs now and have decided to go with abc ivf. I have booked my initial scan on Tuesday - hopefully it all goes smooth. All tests on NHS came back normal however there is a male factor involved.. what can I expect for my initial scan? I haven’t had a smear test done, do you think I would need this beforehand? Really just want to get started now. Feel so anxious

my initial scan is booked at Wimbledon, has anyone been there? What is it like?

thanks

Hi @Galaxys18 for your first scan they just check how many follicles you have on each side which will be a factor in deciding whether you qualify for abc and whether there are any obvious issues you might have that could explain why you’ve been having difficulty conceiving etc. They also check your AMH and thyroid through a blood test if you haven’t done that already. Don’t think they asked me for when my last smear test was done but I’m not 100% sure I remember this correctly. Once your scan is done it’s valid for 3 months.

@Nic64 hope you’re feeling better!! Just lots of rest, water and vitamin c, plus rinsing with salty water always helps a little for me.

@LR94 thanks! Had my scan today and it all looked perfect, little one measured exactly as expected at 7+6, heartbeat, all good! Just need to continue with the pessaries now until week 12, can’t wait to stop those 😅. Nausea is getting worse, can barely do anything but work from my bed, literally. Hoping it’ll get better in a couple of weeks 🤞

@1987ClaraBrown thanks for your reply. Scan seemed to have gone okay, I’ve got my consultation next week. We are aware there is a male factor involved and consultant was aware of this and said icsi would be the better option…she did check my follicles and I had about 20 in total so she said all is good on that side and scan was all normal…just feel so nervous and anxious now

Hi all. Sorry have been away for a while.

I had my 7-week scan with abc and saw a heartbeat xx will have the 10-week scan soon to see how things are going. How is everyone doing?

@Sunflower5858 thats amazing, congratulations!
i’m currently 13 weeks and had my 12 week nhs scan yesterday’s xxx

@Sunflower5858 such a relief when you see the heartbeat! I will be 11 weeks this Thursday and had the NIPT (blood test only) done last Saturday, waiting for the results of that. Also have a private scan booked for Friday to check for any anomalies as my 12 weeks NHS scan won’t be until I’m 14 weeks and I’m visiting family next week and would love to announce!
@LR94 such great news! I’ve read some feedback from some other women who recommended weaning yourself off the pessaries rather than stopping them cold turkey at 12 weeks in order as the symptoms in the few days from stopping them completely can be a bit much. What was your experience with stopping them if you don’t mind me asking?

@1987ClaraBrown i’m actually still taking them, tomorrow is my last day however i never thought about gradually coming off them. I might continue the rest of the week only taking one xxx

@LR94 great. 12-week is a big milestone. How was the scan? What did they do in the 12-week scan?
The nurse from abc told me the timeline of weaning of oral pill and pessaries instead of suddenly stopping them.

@1987ClaraBrown I am thinking about Nipt too. Did you do the private one? There are so many options with different prices I dont know yet which one to choose. Any advice?

@Sunflower5858 they check the fluid behind the back of the neck and a few different measurements, they also look for the nasal bone because if it isn’t formed thats a sign of Down syndrome apparently.
I also had a private NIPT test last week and i got my results back within 4 days and they are all low risk but in my private scan she told me to keep my nhs combined screening anyways so i’ve had both xxx

@Sunflower5858 oh wow really? They didn’t mention anything to me. Could you share that timeline? 🙏 in terms of the NIPT, I indeed did a private one. For my first baby I went with ultrasound direct, they did a scan + blood test (scan is pretty much identical to the NHS 12 week one). Had a good experience there, scanning person took their time and results came after 4 working days. This round I went with Concepto Diagnostics for the blood test (they test for the standard 3 major chromosomal issues: down and two others) which will also tell us the gender. They seem new but my experience so far with them has been good. For the scan I wanted a very detailed one because of the IVF so I’ve made an appointment for that this Friday. I’ll let you know how it goes!

Thanks both. Good to know about the information. I will book nipt test after my 10-week scan then.

The timeline for me is: from 10 weeks reducing oral pills from 3 to 2 a day; from 11 weeks, reducing oral pills from 2 to 1 and pessaries from 2 to 1; 12 weeks stop everything. Of course you should email the nurse to make sure it is suitable for you too x

Hi girls,
do you know how long you have to wait after your egg collection/ transfer to be able to have a bath or go swimming etc?
when i was 7 weeks my ivf nurse said not to have a bath or swim yet because of infection.
I’m now 13 weeks and i asked the midwife in my last appointment and she said to contact the IVF clinic because she is unsure.
I’ve just spoke to my IVF clinic and they said because I’m under the care of the hospital now they can’t advise.
I feel like i’m always getting shoved onto others and nobody will actually give me an answer xx

@LR94 sorry I missed you post. Did you figure it out? I think that after being discharged from ABC we will be under NHS care. I would like to do a bath soon too.

@LR94 @Sunflower5858
This is exactly what’s happening to me, but with advice about whether to continue taking Levothyroxine 🙄. NHS say to check with IVF clinic, IVF clinic say I’ve been discharged there and they can’t advise about medicine once pregnant so I need to check with NHS. So frustrating, just want to know whether I should stop taking it or not! Either of you happen to know? I’m 13 weeks today.

Hi all, I’m currently with ABC ivf and just did my EC. Do you know by experience how D3 or D5 freezing is decided? Is this up to the embryologist’s decision or we have a say in this? If the fertilized egg number is low (<5), will they freeze 1 or 2 good quality embryos on D3 or depending on the embryo development- they might try to culture all to D5? My previous clinic’s practice is that if >5 fertilized then no D3 freezing, all will be cultured to D5/6 and see if any good enough for transfer/freezing. Just wondering what’s the practice here at ABC/Create ivf. Thanks in advance for your replies.