So. We got 2 embryos from my collection. Unfortunately neither of them took. I'm quite devastated. One thing that I wanted to share with others is about "difficult transfers". I don't feel this was properly explained to me by my clinic. Both of my transfers were "difficult". Difficult transfers lower the chance of pregnancy by quite a bit, from something like 39% to 26%.
I had IUI last year and there was no problem getting the catheter in and so I wasn't offered a mock transfer ahead of my first transfer. The first transfer took 3 attempts and 2 different catheters, a fair bit of pain and uterus contracting. When we found out that it hadn't worked I was offered a mock ahead of my second transfer and sedation. However it wasn't explained to me why I might want these. To me I thought, why would I want a mock, we have just done a transfer I know what's coming, and I can handle a bit of pain why bother sedating. What they didn't explain was that the mock helps the consultant know how to approach the transfer and the sedation will help with pain and it's the pain and your uterus contracting that will cause problems with implantation.
So I went ahead with my second transfer the usual way and same problem. This time two attempts, two catheters and they had to use a tenaculum to hold my cervix open. Painful again.
I've since been told that with a freeze all cycle that it is possible to refreeze the embryo and I wish I'd stopped the procedure and done this. There is a small chance of damage but it's small.
So I just want to say if you're going in for your first transfer ask for sedation (you're unlikely to be offered it) and ask for a mock transfer.
We are going to look at my partner getting a vasectomy reversal which perhaps is what we should have done to begin with. From reading up it seems that because of my age we will either need IVF (which we can't afford) or we have a 50% chance of it working. So no guarantee but potentially higher chances than with IVF.