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! :)

Hi @Honeybunie it’s so lovely to get your update, I wasn’t sure whether to ask or not, but I’m glad to hear you’re ok and that’s great that your transfer went ahead on Saturday. I hope I’ve understood you right and that’s what happened!
I completely understand your mixed feelings as I suppose everything became overshadowed by thinking about your total number of embryos and not knowing if the one they transferred would be the only one, especially if you didn’t find out about those ones until Sunday. This whole thing is such a headf**k.

I honestly don’t hold much weight on gradings.. I’ve had 1 x 5AA and 3 x 4AA transfers and none of them implanted. Plus I’ve read so many posts on here where people with so-called lower grade embryos have had more success than with higher grade ones. And like you say, they wouldn’t have frozen them if they weren’t good enough.

Anyway I hope you’re feeling ok and I hope the 2WW will fly by.

Thank you for your wise words about this mock cycle ❤️ I’ve emailed both overseas clinics with the specialist’s letter. He actually mentioned both of them in it, so I felt I had to explain our reasons for being in touch with them both. Hopefully it might spur them on in confirming they will accept our embryos ☺️ New Life have emailed back already to say they’ve put it all on file, they seem great with their communication. I’m very interested to see how this online appt goes next week.

I’m going down to London for my first scan this Fri and then provisionally the second one, Wed next week. Yes my family all know about the IVF in general, which is fortunate as it would be more stressful to have to hide it whilst we’re all in a house together 😏 They’re all very supportive although I know my Mum would like me to stop and just be grateful for ‘our one little miracle’ (my Mum’s words 😉).
The London specialist wants me to take Lubion at midday for the 5 days before the biopsy so some of that is bound to clash with the end of our holiday, but never mind. I’ve drawn it up in an M1 services car park in the past so I’m sure I’ll cope 🤦‍♀️☺️

Yes the Canesflor is supposed to promote good bacteria? It’s a probiotic. It’s supposed to help with thrush I think? I’ve never really suffered with that so I hope I’m not messing with something that doesn’t need messing with ☺️ but I suppose he knows what he’s talking about. Hopefully it might help but it won’t cause any harm. That’s the impression I got. I only took one and then my period started so it’ll be a bit stop start! Xx

Hi @KLM25 Yes the transfer did go ahead on Saturday. I just got totally caught up in worrying about the grades, thinking they don't stand a chance anyway so I just upset myself massively. I know there is a chance otherwise they wouldn't use them. Like you said it's just a massive headf**k and so I just lost it and got very upset until I calmed myself down again.. I can't change anything.. just have to wait. i guess with every new bit of information you have to digest it first. Feeling okay now that i got over it and just keeping myself busy with work and nice things. And started thinking about booking a holiday straight after in case we have negative news, so i have something to look forward to.

I'm curious to see which clinic you'll go with in the end. Like you say through the communication and online appointments you'll get a feel where you'll feel most looked after :) aww that's quite sweet of your mum. she's just thinking of you isn't she. But once we have our mind set on something there is no way back haha.
Haha that made me laugh. I've also injected myself numerous times in the car in car parks when on holiday or away from home hehe.
So how long does he want you to take the canesflor? it is for the mock cycle or for longer? Xx

Hi @Honeybunie I completely understand - it’s a lot to take in all at once especially when there’s such a build up to it all. I’m glad you’re feeling better anyway and you’re filling this week with nice things. I think that’s a great idea to think about a holiday and then whichever result you get, you’ve got something really exciting to look forward to ❤️😊

I’ve got everything ready for the trip to London tomorrow, I’m taking the train this time and planning on a bit of holiday shopping afterwards 😝 I’ve joined some FB groups about IVF abroad this morning which I hadn’t done previously - I wasn’t sure how private it was and didn’t want it showing up on my newsfeed, hopefully it won’t do 🤦‍♀️ I’ve found them quite helpful actually, there’s lots of info on there. I’m kind of edging towards New Life as I still haven’t heard back from IM since Monday when I sent them the consultant’s letter and asked again about transporting the embryos. I’ll see how this consultation goes with them next Tues, I’ve just had a trial run at setting up the Google hangouts thing and I’m glad I did as there was no sound or video to start with 🥴 Hopefully it’ll work on Tues as I’ll be home alone with Chris at work and not here to help.

Aw yes you’re so right about my Mum. I know she’s just worried about me going through it all with all the disappointments and ups and downs. I try to keep it to myself a bit more now and only talk about it when I have to. I won’t be injecting the Lubion in front of her, that’s for sure 😂

They’ve said to take the Canesflor for 7 days, then 7 days break and so on. I’m going to ask tomorrow about whether I should do it when I’m on the progesterone pessaries, as it says to do it last thing at night, like one of the progesterone doses. I’ve got a whole load of questions for tomorrow. He just said estrogen 6mg a day so I’ve done 3 x 2mg at 7am/2pm/9pm 🤷‍♀️ My period started Sat sooner than I thought so I was caught on the hop a bit, couldn’t get many answers as it was the weekend and haven’t had much time to think this week. If it was a real cycle I think I’d be a bit more OCD about making sure I was doing everything perfectly. Will see.

Anyway, I hope you’re doing ok and you’ve got a nice weekend planned x

Hi @KLM25 how is your test cycle going? And how was your last consultation? Any decision yet on which clinic you’ll be going for and how the embryos will be transferred? And how is the holiday?
I had my test day today and I didn’t test early but I also didn’t need to as my period started on Monday so I already knew. I also had a feeling it didn’t work over the weekend. I kinda knew after the transfer there is a very slim chance. I read up a bit on slowly developing embryos which was the case with all three embryos this cycle. I think it would’ve been better to not to transfer the early blast but give it a bit more time to develop and then freeze. I read grade 3 embryos in a fresh transfer don’t have good odds. It’s better to give them another day to get to stage 4-5 and then do a FET. Oh well I’ll know for next time! I’m gonna ask to transfer my two frozen ones together next time to save me time. I doubt either will stick. I hope they’ll allow it. Then I can hopefully do a third cycle before Christmas. Otherwise I’m busy in work again January till April next year with little time to squeeze in a cycle 😩
I’ve booked our holiday as well! Going to Mallorca on Saturday 🥳 and I found out my brother and wife went there today so we’ll be seeing them which is very exciting. Not seen them since January 😊
Hope you’re all good and the cycle is going well xx

@Honeybunie I'm sorry this one didn't work, hope you get a dual transfer of your little frosties next time xx

Enjoy your holiday, sounds lovely!

Sorry to read that @Honeybunie. For what it’s worth, the three embryos I have in the freezer are all day sixes and one of them is a 5CC. Hopefully both our clinics can’t be wrong!

No update for me really, I’m hoping for my endometriosis surgery later this summer and then it’ll be transfer time at some point before the end of the year.

My surgeon said he thinks the reason my previous transfers didn’t take isn’t because of the adhesions and my uterus being in the wrong place etc, but because of the “general inflammation caused by the endometriosis.”

Sorry it didn't work this time @Honeybunie

Hope the holiday takes your mind off things and you have a great time out there. Fingers tightly crossed for next time 💖

Hi @Honeybunie, I’m really sorry that it didn’t work this time. I’ve been thinking about you but I didn’t want to ask, I knew you’d update when you were ready. That’s great that you’ve got a plan and I’ll keep everything crossed that you’re able to transfer them both. I’ve read loads of stories of people transferring two lower grade embryos and having success ❤️

Your holiday sounds lovely too, I’ve never been to Mallorca but would love to. Booking that was a great idea, a change of scenery always does me the world of good.

We feel like we’re in a bit of a quandary really 😏 Our consultation with New Life was very detailed but they don’t believe in the protocol I’ve previously used which has included Clexane and prednisolone. Their ethos seems to be to use a basic protocol unless it’s proved that I have immune/thrombophilia issues which require those medications, whereas my previous clinic prescribed them on an empirical basis and to be frank, we achieved implantation twice on that protocol. I spoke to Mr Lower yesterday and he said he would throw the kitchen sink at it, as I only have limited time left, so he would recommend I take them.

The doctor we spoke to at Institut Marques is of the same opinion as Mr Lower and would do the same re the medication as it has worked for us in the past, we’re just still waiting for news about transporting the embryos 😏 She did say on Saturday that she would email that particular department herself and I’m going to email the coordinator again today. I just wonder if it doesn’t bode well for communication going forward. So many things to consider 😏 I’m also wondering about contacting Institut Bernabeu but someone I’m talking to on another forum said they may only treat me until next May when I’m 50, they’ve said a doctor will decide if I can go up to 51. Plus you have to pay €140 for the consultation so is that a waste of money 🤷‍♀️ Sorry I’m probably waffling but I’m just thinking it out in my head at the same time!

The scan went well yesterday anyway and the first thing he said was that the fluid had gone since last Friday’s scan, so that was good news. They’re testing me for estradiol and progesterone every time too. I’m staying on 6mg of progynova for now and then start Cyclogest and the other meds next Wed/Thurs. I feel fine at the moment. I also asked him if he thought I should have a hysteroscopy, which is what another doctor recommended and he said no, as his scans have shown that my c section is fine and I have no adhesions. He’s the Asherman’s expert so I feel I can trust his opinion, and I’m pleased as I don’t want to keep having invasive procedures for no reason.

We’re going on holiday tomorrow so today is going to be packing and last minute washing! The weather doesn’t look great in Devon but that’s ok, hopefully we’ll get a bit of sun at some point! Whereabouts in Mallorca are you staying? Lovely to see your brother. I’ve not seen mine since December so it’s great to have 3 weeks with them all x

Thank you @Imisscoffee2021 and @MinBins xx I hope you are both doing well? xx

@Decaffe I know it's odd reading in some places that 5CCs would not stand a chance. I wonder if there are slightly different grading schemes out there, or if they are actually the same and some clinics would freeze a 5CC and other discard them. anyway, I do believe a 5CC does have a chance if it's genetially sounds, it's just not as pretty anymore due to our age (that's how I'm explaining it in my little head - I said to my mum i was probably a textbook AA grade embryo, as I was conceived when she was 22 😂). I'm more worried about my frozen grade 3 now after what I've read..
I hope you'll get your surgery date soon now! will the surgery help take away the inflammation? or will they give you meds to sort this do you know? it does sound positive it's not due to adhesions and your uterus doesn't it. the inflammation you can tackle more easily i would have thought x

Thank you @KLM25 I'm curious to see what they will say about transfering the two. Well I will definitely give them my reasoning for it. Yes we are super excited about going on holiday now. I think that really saved my mood recently. I'm just constanly on booking.com checking out hotels and planning the holiday ☀I've booked two nights in Paguera to start with, that's south-west-ish of the island and where by brother stays for the week. I booked a rental car and I like to explore and stay in different places, so we'll book places as we go along. I've already seen some beautiful ones along the west coast. I love places where we can watch the sunset. very excited :) yeah today is my last big laundry day too!

Mh that sounds a bit tricky that one clinic does not want to accept your old protocol, which was successful, and esp. if Mr Lower said not to change anything. I'd probs go for the clinic that agrees to your old protocol. Until which age would Institut Marques treat you? I hope the embryo trasnport will cause no issues. Great news thaty you don't need a hysteroscopy either 😊glad everything is going well so far! have a great start to your holiday! xx

@Honeybunie I’m so sorry to hear this embryo didn’t implant :( This is quite a journey isn’t it?! I hope you’re able to get some rest and relaxation on holiday!

@KLM25 sounds like you’ve got a few decisions to make. It’s so hard when you receive conflicting information because you then need to consider who you trust more. I hope you’re able to make a decision soon and have an amazing time in Devon!

@Decaffe i hope your surgery comes round soon so you can focus on next steps!

xx

@Honeybunie Your holiday sounds wonderful. I’m exactly the same, a beautiful island, a car and the open road sounds like heaven to me ❤️ We did similar in Sardinia about 4 years ago and ended up on the west coast. Like you say, the sunsets were beautiful. I love holiday planning too. I’m sure you’ll have an amazing time. We’ve just set off for Devon, we managed to get everything in the car so I feel a bit more relaxed now!
We had a bit of positive news yesterday. The doctor we’ve been in contact with at Institut Marques had emailed the ‘embryo movement’ department for us and she said they’ve confirmed they’ll accept our embryos and if we don’t hear from them by Monday, let her know. She’s been extremely responsive so far, especially considering we’ve not paid them a penny yet. She’s very supportive of Mr Lower’s dummy cycle protocol and happy to work alongside him, so I think we’re going to go with them 😊 I won’t be completely happy until I know the embryos have made it there but I feel much more positive now.
They’ll treat me until I’m 51/52 I think. Definitely longer than Institut Bernabeu but not as long as a Greek clinic. Their waiting time for a new donor cycle also sounds like it would be quicker than New Life, so it all seems like the right decision, providing there are no curveballs with the embryo transport!

@Spin101 Thanks so much, yes I think it’ll be a lovely break and at least I won’t have to start any injections until Thurs so it won’t be too intense meds wise! Hope all good with you, I’ve been lurking on the Emma/Alice/Era thread a little bit so might join in once I’ve had the biopsy.

@Decaffe That does sound positive, I’d have thought inflammation would be easier to treat? I hope so and also hope your surgery comes around quickly. I suppose we’re halfway to December already so with any luck it won’t seem too long until you can start treatment 🤞 x

@KLM25 glad to hear you’ve found a clinic that is supportive of Mr Lower’s protocol recommendation.

I’ve not heard of Mr Lower before so just looked him up. What’s your experience with him been like? Can you remind me what you initially went to see him about? Was it immune issues and what is the biopsy for again?

Have you taken pred and clexane before?

I’m currently on a medicated cycle with Progynova and patches. I’m going in for a scan this week to see if my lining has thickened at all. Trying to stay positive even though it’s tough to do so x

Thanks @Spin101, yes it definitely seems like the best fit for us right now.

It’s actually the protocol that our previous clinic (Gennet in Prague) used - I’ve always taken 5mg of Prednisolone daily from CD1 (up to 10mg for the week after transfer) and a daily Clexane injection too. They prescribe it empirically, I’ve never been been tested for any immune issues etc. Mr Lower said it made sense to follow this for this dummy cycle as I had success with it on my first transfer (and achieved implantation with my second) - he basically said he would throw the kitchen sink at it if he was me, as I’ve only got limited time left.
He’s actually raised the Pred to 20mg daily for 5/6 days around the biopsy, I’m not starting it until the day I start the progesterone. I’m a bit nervous as I haven’t taken that dosage before, but will see how I go.
I’ve done 6 or 7 FET cycles with Clexane and the lower dose of Pred and I haven’t noticed any major side effects up until now.
Our doctor at Institut Marques was supportive of our previous protocol and now seems happy with Mr Lower’s recommendations too.

We’ve been very impressed with Mr Lower so far, he’s very thorough and I feel we can trust him (as much as you can tell 😏). I made the appointment originally as there was the suggestion that I had a niche in my c section scar and he’s regarded as one of the UK experts on that. He said there was no problem with it and it didn’t need repairing (phew) but he suggested Alice/Emma/Era testing instead as he said the fluid that has sometimes been reported on scans could be a problem if it was carrying bacteria. That’s what the biopsy is for. I’ve not been tested for immune issues before.

I’ll keep everything crossed for your scan and your lining. It must be so frustrating. How much progynova are you on? I’ve never had the patches before so I don’t know much about those x

I wonder if we have had some IVF babies on this thread by now? @Imisscoffee2021 @seekingbabyk @MinBins @acaciabluebell
@MammyandAva@Spin101@1stcycle@KLM25@ralno2@Tinkerbell098

Well, six months after I was unexpectedly diagnosed with stage 4 deep infiltrating endometriosis, I finally have a date set for removal surgery, next month. It will be a very complex surgery with a rather long recovery period.

I have been in medical menopause for two months. I have a month to go before the injection supposedly wears off. You ladies have no idea how much I want my period to arrive so we can start trying again. It will arrive by the end of October, if I am lucky. I really hope it does.

My consultant said he thinks the reason my two transfers didn't work last year was due to the 'general inflammation of the endometriosis.' So there you go. @Decaffe my darling, you were right when you said 'unexplained infertility is the absence of a diagnosis, not a diagnosis.' You were right when you knew there was something wrong. You knew from day one. I was right.

I don't want to head straight back into more drugs and a transfer of one of our three frozen embryos this side of Christmas, I am done with being poked and prodded and meds and scans. Done with it for now!

So the plan for the rest of the year is - operation, recovery, return of periods, trying naturally for a while and seeing how it goes. I know I am the wrong side of 40. But I suppose there is still a bit of hope.

@Decaffe there's still hope, and I've got everything crossed for you that 2024 is your year. You're throwing everything at it and taking such a logical path, and going through so much you deserve it all to pay off! Hoping October is period month! Isn't it mad when you actually want a period, I felt like that between transfers. I think its amazing how resilient you are in your patience :)

I'm actually on the ante natal ward now, 1 week overdue and induced this morning as he seems to be a big baby and my blood pressure has gone up. So, hoping by end of day tomorrow at latest to have the little lad earth side :) xx

There's definitely hope, @Decaffe, wishing you all the best with the operation and that recovery goes smoothly for you.

October is around the corner and will be here soon, and you have a diagnosis which reduces the unknown.

I often wonder about how much we get fobbed off by doctors and we have to battle to get answers. It shouldn't be something we go through, but I'm glad you've got clarity on next steps following your diagnosis.

@Imisscoffee2021 oh so exciting! Best of luck to you, and I hope it goes smoothly for you!

One extra week! Fingers crossed it won't be too long before he's in your arms!

I'm at 33 weeks on Monday - have had anemia/GD rolled into the final trimester but thankfully everything has been okay - if I close my eyes and concentrate enough, I can try to pretend the spinach I'm eating is chocolate that I'm missing 🤣😭😭

@Decaffe there is always hope! Wishing you the very best of luck with your operation. It's sad how much we as women have to fight for doctors to take us seriously when we know our bodies best and we KNOW something is wrong. I'm glad you have answers now and hopefully the laparoscopy will help big time.

@Imisscoffee2021 I hope induction goes well! On the final stretch now!! How exciting!

@MinBins I am the same as you with anemia and GD 😭 No fun.

I'm 28 weeks at the moment and have had a quite a difficult pregnancy so far with multiple hospital admissions. But all worth it for this little baby ❤️

@Decaffe Lovely to hear from you and I’m so pleased to hear that you’ve got a date for your surgery. I know it’s not a nice thing to have to go through but this sounds like it could be the missing piece of the jigsaw. There’s plenty of hope - you’ve got some answers and once you’ve had the surgery, you’ve got those three embryos waiting for you ❤️ There are plenty of women who become mothers on the wrong side of 40 (myself very much included ☺️) so I’m sure the same can be true for you. Keeping everything crossed that 2024 is your year ❤️

@Imisscoffee2021 How exciting! Live from the maternity ward ☺️ Hope everything is going well and your little boy is here/arrives soon.

@MinBins @acaciabluebell All the best for the rest of your pregnancies, it’ll all be worth it ❤️

Not much to report from me. I’m still waiting for the results of my Emma/Era/Alice - I’m hoping they’ll be here tomorrow as it’ll be 2 weeks and they said 10-12 days. I’m very keen to find out. Might have to have a course of antibiotics and another biopsy, will see what happens. We’re filling out all of the paperwork to transport our frozen embryos to a clinic in Barcelona so I’m hoping they’ll be able to get there by the end of next month 🤞 I’d be really happy to be able to go for another transfer by the end of the year x

Thanks @MinBins and @acaciabluebell , lovely to hear from you guys, I've often thought of you and everyone on here though pregnancy, especially as its about a year since we all commented on that first thread!

@KLM25 still no baby, getting my waters broken tomorrow as the delivery suite is full and there were only a few Dr's on the weekend so they have to limit induction patients as its a high maintenance birth pathway, typical I was hoping for one thing not to be high maintenance 😅so hoping tomorrow.

Not long til your results then! Has it been very tricky to move embryos overseas?

Hi girls!

Sorry for the complete radio silence. After our last round with no embryos I just took myself away from all of this to get some perspective!

We had a follow up with the consultant who says it's likely an egg quality issue. I could see we have some embryos on the last cycle but the grades were too low to keep. Hubby had a fragmentation test and that was not too bad a result but consultant suggested lifestyle changes too.

Half way through the book. I need to have a plan of diet/supplements/avoiding plastics, etc but can't seem to get my head into gear. Have been making small changes like swapping all of our kitchen bits for metal/glass and ordering the supplements I need.

I think in hindsight the DHEA was to blame for our last round result as we had two embryos the round before. I followed the consultant advice but it really messed with my cycle too so I have stopped that now and things almost back to normal. We have been trying naturally since last month as we went to USA for a holiday so couldn't have kept on top of diet etc there.

Completing on our new house on Friday and hopefully will be able to move in within a month as it's needs a bathroom etc so then I can 100% focus on everything.

I think we are initially thinking one more round following 3 months of throwing everything at it and see where we end up. If we still have bad results we may call it a day on retrievals as the money pot isn't endless!

@Imisscoffee2021 wow that's amazing you are hopefully now holding him in your arms! Best of luck if you aren't and can't wait to hear about it!

@MinBins @acaciabluebell @Tinkerbell098 I hope you're all progressing well - it will fly by and all be worth it in the end!

@Decaffe im sorry this has been so rough for you! It is actually quite reassuring for me that im not the only one still trying and waiting but I really hope you have a miracle story of falling naturally once your ops are out of the way! When is your op booked in for?

@Honeybunie im sorry you were disappointed with your last round and didn't get your positive! What are your next steps?

@KLM25 hopefully your next transfer will come around quickly for you too!

Sorry if I missed anyone!

Hello - nice to hear from everyone ☀hope everyone is doing well!

@KLM25 have you had your test results back yet? How did the mock cycle go overall? Hope no nasty side effecs? And I hope you had a lovely holiday with your family! Glad you decided on a clinic and the embryo transfer is happening now too. Fingers crossed for a transfer by the end of the year!

@Spin101 how did your medicated cycle go? Did the lining thicken up? Did you increase the progynova dose for this one? I'm thinking I'll probs need an increase again for my next FET as the last increase only just achieved 7mm. hope it went well for you!

@Decaffe so glad you finally got your surgery date! sounds like you're going through a hell of a lot with the medical menopause and lack of period. Hope you're keeping well considering. sounds like a good plan to have the op and recover this year and then start again next year. keeping my fingers crossed for you!

@Imisscoffee2021 I hope your little dude has arrived safely by now and that you're both doing well! 💙

wow @MinBins @acaciabluebell you're both so far in already. it's crazy how time flies once you get preganant isn't it. well it might not feel like that from your end? all the best for the rest of your pregnancies 💛

@seekingbabyk lolvey to hear from you. I've been wondering how you're doing, and i thought you have probably taken a break from it all. I know too well myself. so what did the consultant suggest to improve egg quality for you? supplements? did they recommend anything? as you know I'm in the same boat. just all the supplements we took for the second round did not result in better, but worse, embryos (in terms of grading and they all developed slowly which was weird). So it's been quite disappointing that all the changes we made didn't improve anything, but things seemed to have gotten worse. it might have been other factors too of course, or just the wrong day. you just never know. you sound like me a few months ago after I was half way through the book hehe. most of these changes are really good long term anyway. we've gotten so used to drinking green tea and lose leaf tea that we don't even drink coffee anymore, or not on a daily basis like we used to haha.

So I'm a bit in limbo at the moment which is not great. my NHS clinic seems to have been hit by staffing issues and strikes plus the summer holiday season. So after my negative test, noone called me on the day! they were always really good in the past! So i rang them the day after to let them know.. then someone was supposed to ring me back on a friday or monday to make an appointment for a follow up consultation. by monday we were on holiday, nobody had rang and i decided to just enjoy my holiday and chase this after. so rang them again the week after, again nobody rang back. i rang again. at last someone told me that they had issues with staffing, strikes and consultants being on holiday, so they were waiting to be given availabilities by consultants, and i was on the list to be rang. and they said i will probably not get an appointment until late August/early September now. I'm guessing the list of people waiting must be super long by now. I do totally understand that the NHS is overrun and overworked and I support strike action. but it is disappointing for myself as I'm getting older every month, and there is nothing I can do at the moment. it's been 4 weeks since my negative test and my period kicked in bang on time as usual today, so i could have started with the next fet today if things had worked. but now it looks like it'll be september before i can start again. it is very disappointing. but nothing i can do as we still have two to transfer. and there was me thinking that maybe we transfer the two straight away and have a third round before christmas, but that plan is out of the window now obvs.
so I've been wondering whether to go to a private clinic after we're done there. i do like the clinic and service and people, but all these factors that are out of everyone's control that impact and hold back patients just feel awful on a personal level. i have no more time to waste. i had a look which private clinics are within reach and I think there are clinics from CARE fertility, CREATE fertility and ABC ivf.
Are or were any of you ladies with any of those clinics and can you tell me if you are/were happy with their service? Thanks very much xx

@Honeybunie yes sorry I feel awful for not being there to support you through your last round but sometimes you just need some distance from it all.

Consultant said there's not lots we can do with poor egg quality except improve our lifestyle. Yes the things they recommend to change are good things to change anyway so I'm happy to do it it's just we are in chaos at the moment with moving, etc. but fingers crossed we'll be in by mid August and I can have a bigger fridge back and more kitchen space to be able to get organised! Another thing was they increased my menopur to 300 last time from 225 and he said they would reduce it back down for next time as we had a better result. We had lots of smaller follicles so maybe that's why? They said sometimes it's just a bad round too.

I am with london women's clinic. The team are lovely there and every part of the experience has been really good to be honest. We bought a 3 cycle package which includes unlimited transfers too. They are quite flexible though with extending dates, etc.

It's really disappointing about your nhs clinic. This whole process is stressful enough without all of that going on! Fingers crossed it all gets sorted for you by august. Could you not still fit another round in before Christmas?

@Imisscoffee2021 Hopefully the little fella is here by now ❤️ Hope you’re both doing really well and you’re home or at least soon will be. Yes I got the results today and had an online appt with my doctor! Our embryos are actually already overseas, in Prague. It’s not been too complicated, I think because both the Czech Republic and Spain have similar laws regarding donors and by complete coincidence, both clinics are in the same umbrella company (I didn’t know that to start with). Having said that, there’s been a lot of paperwork and waiting around and they’ve not actually made it to Barcelona yet so I don’t want to count my chickens! We spoke to a clinic in Greece too but that seemed much more complicated and part of the reason why we chose the Spanish one.

@seekingbabyk Great to hear from you, I completely understand about taking some time away - you have to do it sometimes for your own sanity. Very exciting that you’re completing on your new house on Friday 😊 We moved this time last year and it takes up a lot of energy doesn’t it, but all worth it once you’ve moved in. Will be lovely to get your new kitchen organised!

@Honeybunie Aww lovely to hear from you, I’ve been wondering how you were doing. How was Mallorca? Hope you had a lovely time. We had our week in Devon which was fantastic but I imagine you had better weather ☺️

Thank you. I rang the consultant’s office ystdy and got the results sent to me this morning just ahead of an online appt. The mock cycle was fine actually, I was on that higher 20mg dose of prednisolone which worried me beforehand but tbh I didn’t really notice any side effects. I thought my face was possibly a bit puffy but I think I might have just been imagining it 🤦‍♀️

I’m not sure whether it’s good news or not! I don’t need antibiotics or a repeat biopsy. The Emma showed I’ve got 87.5% lactobacillus and apparently if it’s above 80% that’s ok. The Alice showed I didn’t have endometritis or any sign of bacteria. The Era said I’m pre-receptive and need an extra day of progesterone. So I suppose that’s something that can change with the next cycle. I’m happy really, I didn’t want to have to keep taking antibiotics to get rid of a possible infection. I suppose I feel a little bit like we still haven’t got a reason for all the failed transfers. But on the whole I’m grateful I think.

Mr Lower said he was happy to keep seeing me once I started treatment in Barcelona and he could scan me mid cycle if my Barcelona doctor wanted him to. They both seem quite amicable and open to each other’s opinion if that makes sense! I’d be happier to have a day 11 scan with him rather than Ultrasound Direct I think, because I feel like he knows my history now and I think his scanner is a bit more high tech than some of them 🤦‍♀️😂
I’ll tell myself that anyway to justify the higher price 😆

Things seem to be moving along with the transportation of the embryos thank goodness, quite a lot has happened today, which I suppose is fitting as it’s World IVF day isn’t it?! We had an email tonight to say do we want to transport Chris’ sperm too as there’s 3 straws of it stored there too. We decided that it’s probably sensible to say yes and have it as a back-up. It was frozen in lockdown at their sister clinic, so it’s already been transported from London to Prague! I suppose it’s quite funny when you think about it. The things we do ☺️

I’m sorry to hear about the delays with your clinic. I can imagine your frustration. We have to wait around enough without adding to it because of being short-staffed.. I really hope that you hear you’ve got an appointment soon. You never know, we might both end up having a transfer in Sept. That’s the earliest I think is realistic for me, I’m just hoping the embryos can get there by the end of next month, plus we need to have quite a few more blood tests for the new clinic. I’ve got a smear booked for next week which was due this month anyway, so that’ll be one thing out of the way, hopefully it’ll be ok 🙏
Sorry I can’t help with any advice on UK clinics, we never actually had any treatment over here.
Also sorry this is such a saga!! I didn’t mean it to be such a long message 🙄 x