IVF warriors - the journey continues 2

[Imisscoffee2021]

@Decaffe
@seekingbabyk
@MinBins
@acaciabluebell
@MammyandAva
@Spin101
@1stcycle
@KLM25
@ralno2
@acaciabluebell@Tinkerbell098

Another thread needed ladies! Please tag if I've forgotten someone! :)

@Imisscoffee2021 she didn't say too much to be honest just that they are all a bit behind but they're keeping all 4 on and see what happens on day 6 or maybe even day 7. It's making me think they're a bit further behind if she is thinking maybe day 7. Last round they were slow too and we ended up with two. It's so frustrating that there's literally nothing I can do but wait. Just have to have some faith and trust the universe. The good news is that there are still 4 possibilities there. She didn't say there's only one or two that could grow so that's good x

I’ve pushed for a different protocol and am going to be doing mild stimulation, so low doses of FSH every other day. I hope my body will produce enough estrogen to thicken the lining. (It didn’t get thick during stimulation for EC or on my first FET with Progynova).

The meds included version for access fertility doesn’t seem to exist anymore :( it probably was making a loss for them

@Honeybunie we were the same, drinking our of water bottles when away and lots of sugar. I think we need to allow ourselves to relax when on this journey and enjoy the break.

@KLM25 HRTs aren’t for everyone. If your lining isn’t getting thicker on 8mg estrogen a day, I would push for patches or a different protocol.

@seekingbabyk that sounds really painful! I hope you’re feeling better now. I’m so sorry to hear about your latest update. I have everything crossed for you for your day 6/7 update! x

@seekingbabyk just read your last post. Fingers crossed those 4 make it to blasts!! x

@seekingbabyk aww sorry it wasn’t the update you wanted today but you’re right. The fact that they’re keeping all
four still going is very positive. Got everything crossed for you that they catch up and you get some lovely blasts X

Happy Easter 🐣 everyone!! Hope you’re all having a lovely Easter weekend

@seekingbabyk I’m very sorry to hear you’re day 5 call wasn’t what you had hoped for. But if all 4 are still in the race I think that’s very promising. Like you said your last ones developed slowly too so maybe all 4 will make it 🤞😊
The restaurant didn’t say anything about the plastic burning they just looked sheepishly. Two older ladies went up to tell the guy off. Then he threw water on it which made it smoke even more 🤦‍♀️ we’re going to Singapore on Tuesday, then fly back on 23rd April.

@KLM25 yeah you’re right. You can test and try and preempt so much but at the end of the day it either sticks for whatever reason or it simply doesn’t. The Spanish clinics sounds very good. Do you have to fly out a lot then or how does it work doing it abroad? Flight prices have gotten quite expensive too haven’t they 🙈
Speaking of cocktail I had a pina colada the other day and thought it tasted a bit funny. Turned out it had arak in it with is the local spirit made from methanol! 🙈 May as well drink terps 🙈 Jesus it’s very dangerous out here 😂

@Spin101 ah yeah I was thinking a meds included option wold be amazing but I bet it was a bad deal for them! I hope your new protocol works well for you! What does the low fsh dose do?

Yes we are having a lovely time despite the plastic and other stuff. It’s very beautiful even if the beaches are littered with plastic 😫😂 im just being sarcastic. Just makes me sad to see a beautiful island like this.
The last two days were quite hardcore. The cuts on my feet were quite bad and walking on them was super sore. So I ended up with crazy muscle ache in my calves becoz I was walking stupidly 😂 I’ve also had Bali belly for two days now. Luckily im not feeling sick or vomiting but diarrhoea all day long 🙈luckily it didn’t stop me from doing stuff. There is enough toilets around 😂 and it doesn’t come on too suddenly 😂 and im not weak from it yet which is surprising. Off the pharmacy this morning to get some stuff for it. I thought it would clear after a day or two but doesn’t look like it 🙈

@Honeybunie With the low doses of FSH, they hope to enlarge the follicles but only get one to three mature follicles. Some people trigger so then you naturally ovulate and produce your own progesterone. The enlarging of the follicles also produces your own estrogen which hopefully thickens the lining. They then time the FET after this. People with thin lining who don’t respond to HRTs tend to follow a similar protocol. There’s other ones with letrozole too but I’m not too sure on how that works.

it is such a shame to see a beautiful island littered in such a way. I’m sorry you have Bali belly! 😣 Also glad it’s not stopping you from doing anything! For next time, if you remember take Imodium with you. I haven’t used it in years but I recall it helping massively.

with the alcohol, I recall you have to state you want a specific brand or they’ll keep using that poisonous stuff lol

None of them made it 😢

Oh @seekingbabyk I'm so so sorry. Sending lots of hugs and strength to you and DP xxx

Thanks @Imisscoffee2021 I'm ok actually just so frustrated that that whole round and everything that comes with it was for nothing. All the supplements actually gave us a worse result! But I'm trying to look at it as we have done three rounds and have had 3 blasts. Not ideal but we obviously have some quality issues with either eggs or sperm and I'm leaning towards sperm as the embryos are making it past day 3.

We have had a chat about lifestyle changes today and just going to take some time for ourselves now and focus on our new house to regroup and get a bit of joy back in our lives. Both going to get some weight off, eat as healthy as possible, try to reduce stress, and then maybe once the house is to a liveable standard we'll be more inclined to look at more treatments.

We have our two little blasts in the freezer too so it could be that's all we need but it's ok and we believe in fate and I'm sure there's a reason.

The embryologist said it's just a bad round and there's no reason. Honestly I feel like the increased dose was probably to blame. I read somewhere that the slowly slowly approach is better with stims and it is better to aim for less but better quality. The extra medicine seemed to give us lots of follicles but struggling on quality/size.

Sorry just waffling out loud here but thank you all for your well wishes and support. Honestly don't know what I would have done without this group x

@Spin101 I'm so glad you got a new protocol and it sounds like you'll get a good result with the FSH too. Keeping everything crossed for you!

@Honeybunie oh no I'm sorry you're not well! Hope the meds kick in so you can enjoy the rest of your trip! Which islands/areas are you doing? My friend used to live in Gili T x

Hope your holiday gets better @Honeybunie - the sore feet and burning plastic do not sound like fun 😩 but glad to hear you're having a fun time overall!

Oh @seekingbabyk I'm so sorry, and hope you're okay. I think there could be lots of reasons and as the clinic said, maybe just the round itself. Focusing on the house and your well-being over the next months sounds like a great step forward and it's great you already have some frozen!

@Spin101 I wonder if it's clinic specific, via access fertility, for the clinic we were at, as they had a meds included option. I can pop a screen grab where they had it listed as an option - might be worth asking them if that's a route that's of interest! We did the non-meds option though which was still okay - (probably worked out the same with the added cost of meds-included option). 😅

@seekingbabyk I’m so sorry. To go through a cycle and put your body through all that to have no blasts is really frustrating and sad. I’m glad you have the two blasts and have talked about lifestyle changes. I hope you’re able to stay positive whilst you work out the next best step for you x

@MinBins I just saw this in their FAQ:

”What is not included in your Programmes?
The main exclusions not covered in our programme are your initial consultation, any investigatory tests the clinic requires prior to treatment and your drugs.
Medication (progesterone and oestrogen) is covered up to the first clinical pregnancy scan for both donor and recipient on our Donor Refund Programmes at Fertility Fusion, London Women’s Clinics (except for Wales) and Manchester Fertility. Medication on our donor programmes at CRGH and Fertility & Gynaecology Academy would be paid directly to the clinic.”

@seekingbabyk I’m so sorry lovely , that’s devastating to go through all that to not get anything. Probably the higher dose wasn’t the right approach as you said but it’s all trial and error and no one could have known I guess. Massive hug to you and your OH. focusing on your house and lifestyle changes is a good idea and you can work on yourself and bring some positivity into your lives. You’ve also got the frosties and hopefully they’re all you need. Hope you can enjoy the rest of the bank holiday. Sending love X

Thanks @Tinkerbell098 - yes I'm so glad we have those ones in the freezer I would have been a lot more upset without them!

Hope you're all having a lovely weekend x

@seekingbabyk Aawww I’m so so sorry to hear none of them have made it. I’m sad for you. can’t believe the supply didn’t seem to make a difference. But yeah it might just have been this round. You just never know. Respect that you’re already thinking of the future and what to do next. You’re very strong. I really hope one of your frosties will be the one x
we’ve only stayed in one place and did trips around. I didn’t fancy moving about and having to pack my suitcase all the time. Got ourselves an amazing villa with private pool which is just beautiful. So we’ve only been to nusa penida for a snorkelling trip yesterday and explored Bali really. I heard the Gillis were super beautiful. Maybe next time. Although I hope there won’t be a next time if hopefully we’re successful soon 🤞

@Spin101 that sounds like a very interesting approach. I hope this will be the one that works great for you and gives you a nice thick lining! When do you start again with all this?

my belly is better thanks! I googled what would help and we found everything I needed. Activated charcoal, yakult and rehydration salts. Took it all and am better since 😊 I also bought Imodium in case I need it for travelling. I’ll defo add it to the travel meds in the future! Went to our local beach again and had a fun surf so happy again. We’re both sea people and are happiest when on the water/beach really. Day tripping is nice and well but all we need is the sea 😊 and then we end up ready for bed at like 9pm like an old couple.

Thanks @Honeybunie - yes we're like that with the water too! Actually making me think a little trip might be good medicine for us to regroup tbh!

Im definitely not strong I feel completely broken today but I don't have any choice but to keep going. I don't think you can make any decisions this soon after bad news but hopefully it'll just come to us what we need to do. I've asked the clinic for a follow up with the consultant. Hoping he might feel bad for increasing the dose and offer us a very cheap extra round if we choose to do that but let's see how we feel once everything has sunk in x

@Honeybunie also just googled nusa penida! What a beautiful place!x

@seekingbabyk I was so sorry to read your news over the weekend, it’s a lot to have to go through. Lots to be positive about though, with your embryos in the freezer and I think that’s a great idea to have a few months to focus on the house and maybe a little trip away ☀️😊 I feel much wee better for having even a few weeks off the meds. Plus it makes me happy to feel that we’re moving forward with the house and I bet it’ll be the same for you.
@Spin101 Great to hear that you’ve got a new protocol. My lining has still been thickening on 8mg - it’s been between 7 and 9mm on the run up to those last 3 transfers, it’s just that it was more like 10mm when I was on 6mg. I know they say that 7mm is enough so I’m just going to trust them with the dosage for this last transfer.
@Honeybunie Glad you’re feeling better and glad you could find everything you needed! I’m expecting we’d have probably have to go out to Spain a couple of times for a fresh transfer and if we were lucky enough to have any frosties, probably just once for the transfer. I’ve always had scans over here at Ultrasound Direct and sent them directly to Prague. It’s worked quite well but it does take a bit more organising! I work for an airline so I’m quite lucky that I can book flights last minute and have the flexibility of swapping times and dates. It just costs us a set price depending on destination, so it was really a bit of a no-brainer to go abroad for our IVF. Otherwise it would definitely be more stressful with all the uncertainty of whether a transfer is actually going to happen! x

@seekingbabyk I’m so sorry that they did not make it! I totally understand it’s upsetting going through it all and feeling like you have nothing to show for it. But like you said at least you have the two in the freezer and have my fingers crossed for them 🥰 like you we are going to enjoy some time to regroup and get our lives back to normal ish before deciding what to do next.

I was feeling quite low this weekend think maybe change in hormones etc and being around babies all weekend with family. I stopped bleeding like heavy on Thursday but I’m still spotting now. I did a test on weekend and it was still really dark positive I was hoping it would have started to fade by now. It was quite triggering doing it to be honest and my hubby got a bit upset seeing it. Just can’t wait to get away for a week now just the two of us for a chill!

@1stcycle awww I totally get it. Had to come on train up town today (don't visit london very often) and coming to Victoria thinking "last time I was here" was quite emotional too. I feel like everyone is pregnant, with babies, etc too - I wonder if you just notice it more when you're going through something like this? Do you have another scan booked to make sure everything has gone?

We have a follow up appointment with the consultant on Monday via zoom/teams so hopefully will find out more. Hubby has been a bit blasé about lifestyle changes (diet, drinking, etc) as he's always been congratulated on his amazing samples. I'm hoping the consultant might suggest this could have been the cause to get him to reassess things.

I'm feeling a lot more positive now though. Firstly we have two frozen which is great and it could be they're all we need anyway so putting our trust in them for now. Then secondly if we need to go again we will. It isn't the end. I'm 38 but still realistically got a couple of years to keep going and as much as I'd rather not do that, if that's what it takes then we might have to do that. But right now I want to just get some normality back and get into our new house and feel settled.

The house we are living in now belongs to my mum. She bought it as an investment but now wants to move in so there's pressure on us, plus she seems to be round all the time at the moment so it's been so hard hiding stims, scans, EC, recovery. I'm thinking once we move we can get more privacy and much less stress if we do decide to do any more rounds so hopefully that would help too.

Also restarted all of the supplements today. Still had a pack of each left so we are going to just keep going and see what happens. We might just be one of those couples who needs 5-6 rounds for our miracle but we'll get there ❤️

Sorry for the long post just thought I'd update you all x

@seekingbabyk i know it’s hard all the memories etc, we are going away next week which would have been our 12 weeks so I know I’ll be a little like sad. No scan just said to test in 3 weeks and if still positive then call them. But I did a test tonight and it’s lighter than sat so I’m hoping by the weekend it will be negative.

ahh that does sound tough, I hated all the stress with stims making sure no one would find out, home in time when got things on, time off work for scans EC etc, we had my hubbys nans funeral in the cycle we had in September and we were staying at his parents so that was hard I had to hide the stims in a lunch bag and put in fridge and pretend it was my lunch for work the next day and hope no one would look in. Then we had to leave the wake early for me to take the stims and everyone asking why we were going etc. I sometimes think it prob would be easier to do one abroad and just go away for the time!

its great you have two in the freezer, do you have an idea when you might transfer them? I’m just going to try naturally for a few months then maybe look at another cycle in the summer depending on finances etc.

what supplements are you taking all together?

@1stcycle - wow that sounds a lot more stressful hiding it than ours was! We just hibernated for two weeks so didn't have to deal with anything social but that must have been tough.

I have no idea to be honest when we will transfer. The problem is that if it took both goes but we got pregnant, if we wanted a second one any next rounds would be in a couple of years and I'm thinking if our egg quality is bad now, it's not going to get any better so should we do any other rounds first? I need to chat to consultant I think. We definitely wouldn't transfer before moving so I'm guessing august/September if we decide to transfer first.

I'm taking a pre-conception multi vitamin, COQ10 and DHEA. These were recommended by our clinic but I think some of the other girls can give you more info as they've all read "it starts with an egg" which has a full recommendation.

I'm glad your tests are getting lighter and it's great you have a trip to look forward to. Where are you off to?

@seekingbabyk ahh yeah I’m sure the consultant will advise best, I guess trying to get as many frozen now would be good for future proof. We’ve never managed to get any frozen as I was thinking the same.

yeah I’m taking coq10 and procieve multivitamin not taking DHEA though so might get some now 😊

@1stcycle apparently it can really improve egg quality but then we didn't get any blasts this time so not sure if it worked!