IVF April 2023

[charja100]

Hi all,

I'm about to start my first IVF ICSI cycle. I expect to start my stims next week and all being well will have a fresh transfer in April.

Looking for buddies to come on this journey with me.

@charja100 thanks very much for your kind words, I might join the other thread as well 😊 I've just had egg collection this morning, when I went for the day 10 scan on Saturday they said they wanted to give it an extra day and I took 2 trigger shots on Sunday night. Went in for 8am today and out around 11, feeling a bit crampy but overall it was fine and I don't remember anything about the procedure! Just going to have a cracking bruise on my hand from the cannula 🤣 they got 3 eggs which is what they were expecting and husband did his sample, so now it's just a waiting game to see if they fertilise and if we can do the fresh transfer on day 3 or 5 🤞 should get a call tomorrow morning so have everything crossed now.

Sounds like your follicles are progressing nicely! I know what you mean about things seeming ages away, keep busy if you can to take your mind off it but remember to rest as well. What stims are you on? Hope you're feeling ok and the next few days fly by!

@Flowerlover010 sorry about the delay, it's a hard enough process to go through without having to wait longer. Do you have a coordinator or similar at the clinic who can help with the communication? It's so frustrating when you're having to chase for info and updates!

Hey @Bims2019, how did it go?

Hi @girljulian, only the one fertilised so just praying that one makes it to Friday!

@Bims2019 it only takes one, sending you lots of baby dust! ✨. Did you do ICSI or normal IVF?

I had my second scan today and follicles have progressed. Had 20 follicles from 9 to 25 with most around 11 - 16. I was on 300 Meriofert for the 11 days they told me not to do any more tonight and then Fyremedal 0.25 from CD 6 until today which was my last dose this evening.

I do my trigger shot at 9:45 tonight. I'm equally excited and nervous I'm going to mess it up! I've been booked in for egg collection on Friday morning.

Thanks @charja100! That's what I keep telling myself, trying to stay positive 🤞 Normal IVF for now, if we do end up needing another cycle will be interested to see if/how they change anything for the next round given the low numbers.

Good luck for the trigger shot, you'll be great! And sounds like you've got a good number of follicles for your egg collection. Are you hoping to do a fresh transfer as well? Enjoy your injection free day and take care of yourself after collection, lots of rest and fluid. The post-procedure cup of tea was amazing! 💞

@Bims2019 definitely stay positive ✨
From all the stories I hear I feel like every round is an experiment, and they learn so much from each one. So I'm sure they'll learn lots if you do need to.

Thank you! I'm hoping so, I was so surprised to have so many. My AMH was 8.9 though so not too low. I think I've reacted well to the stims. Let's just hope that the follicles all have egged in them and they're at the right stage!!

Yes we're going to do a fresh transfer on Wednesday all being well. Are you doing a fresh?

Thank you 🙏🏼 really looking forward to an injection free day tomorrow! Keep us updated on how you're progressing 💞

@charja100 hope your egg collection goes well today!

I'm booked in for a day 3 transfer at 1pm today, was told they would call if there were any issues and so no news would be good news... And no call so far! The wait is so nerve-wracking but feeling positive.

Hi all just been reading everyone's journeys. I was on another thread -February IVF, but it's been shut down as I think we've reached our Max number of messages on a thread ☹️ so hope you don't mind me joining this group! @charja100 good luck your egg collection today. Bims2019 hope Ur day 3 TF goes well. Today. And hope everyone else's IVF journey is going well. Im on my 2nd round. First round had 3 Eggs collected but no fertilisation. This time only 2 but 1 made it to day 5 and was T/F Monday. So on the dreaded 2ww now. Xx

I wondered if I could join too ❤️ @Carly05 I'm at exactly the same point in my tww as you! Had my first ever transfer (after 4 cycles) on Monday 🥹 it still feels very surreal after waiting so long!

Good luck to everyone with transfers coming up, and to those in the TWW xxx

Hi Jx3303 ! U were on the Feb thread for a while too! 😃. Congrats on making it to TF u deserve it after 4 rounds ! ..Ur right it feels very surreal knowing there is a little embryo inside trying to do its thing!. Not sure how you felt but I've been up and down over the last week. Was on a real high straight after the transfer felt very optimistic then felt pretty low for few days just thinking the odds are so low.Our blastocyst was too early to grade- stage 2 so don't even know if it was good quality. It's an emotional rollercoaster! Also feeling frustrated I can't exercise which is what I normally do to keep calm. Might go to the gym today and just do a gentle walk on the treadmill and a bit of stretching to stay sane. how are you coping? How u finding the progesterone? Any spotting ? Xx

@Carly05 I was on the feb thread! Unfortunately that cycle got cancelled (that was meant to be cycle 2 of a 3 cycle package) and we only just fully did cycle 2 end of March / April! We did our first cycle with our new clinic in November and froze embryos and this time transferred one 💗

Thank you so much, congrats to you too! I am doing ok, to be honest it's taken so long to get here I am just trying to enjoy it. I would happily stay in this hopeful bubble for the foreseeable 😂 I'm terrified of testing! We're going to get bloods done (my clinic would do that if I lived close by but we don't) and could take 2-3 days for results but I just would way rather that.

The progesterone has been ok. I don't really have any symptoms, what about you? I'm consciously trying very hard not to symptom spot and I'm also avoiding looking at loo roll as I know seeing anything will cause me to spiral haha so I'm remaining naively in the dark 😂😂😂 I hope your walk helps, I've also been doing some meditation. Stay strong 💪🏻 you've got this!

Jx3303 eek it's so nerve wracking!! Can I asked why you changed clinics? I haven't had very good experience with mine think we will switch if this cycle doesn't work .
My clinic just gave me a pregnancy test for day 12 ( next Fri) I guess they do bloods after that to confirm? Are u doing bloods cos it's more accurate?
I'm feeling very bloated on progesterone, headaches and really sore swollen boobs. Do you have lutigest?
I wish I could keep myself nice and relaxed like you... I'm neurotically reading about every symptom and every research article out there
... It's not good ...just stressing myself out! Perhaps I shud try some meditation ☺️
Have u been in work since TF? Luckily I don't work a Fri so will be at home for pregnancy test next week. Hope u have a nice relaxing weekend planned X

@Carly05 of course - first two were NHS and I really didn't respond well at all to max stims. They weren't able to offer me any more rounds due to this. So we then went with Create and did mild ivf which I've responded so much better to! My clinic would do bloods and yeah, I just would hope for a definitive answer with bloods. I also prefer the idea of the clinic phoning me to tell me rather than me having a heart attack waiting for a urine test to be ready 😂

I'm on utrogestan 3 times a day! I read they can give less side effects than others. I do feel bloated and have done since transfer really though! Google stresses me out too much to put myself through that, I know I would constantly be doing it if I started. I only googled what to not eat, and about herbal tea and that was bad enough haha cos there are far too many opposing views!

Meditation is really good, and there's yoga, I was going to do one specific to the TWW yesterday until the lady said they advised after day 3, so I'll maybe do it this weekend. Yeah I've been working from home, I think I'll go in 2 days next week though to keep me occupied! What about you? Xx

Jx3303 ahhhhh just got back from gym ...feel soo much better😃. Gentle hill walk and bike and a little stretch. That's interesting with the mild IVF ....I did look into that but my clinic thought max stim for me. Only getting 2/3 eggs each time but my AMH is only 6 so mayb that's all I will get anyway.
I had the day after TF off, went back in wed. Working mon- Thurs next week. Dreading testing day 😬. Keeping nice and busy over weekend seeing friends to keep distracted 🙂
Are u taking any supplements? I was taking folic acid, vit c , d and coenzyme Q10 .... But not sure if I still shud.... Think I'll just stay with folic x

Hi @Carly05 , good to have you here! I'm joining you in the 2WW now, transfer went well earlier with a good quality 8-cell embryo. It's our first round and we also had just the one to transfer, as people keep saying it only takes one though so being positive! Pregnancy blood test booked in for 26th April which feels like a lifetime away. When's your test day? Do you have anything planned to keep you busy?

@Jx3303 welcome! We have done mild IVF at Create as well, how have you found it? Found it interesting that they only do the blood test, going to try really hard to not do a sneaky test at home!

Wishing you both all the luck and baby dust over the next couple of weeks! Just need to try and stay sane 😬

@Carly05 really glad to hear you are feeling better! I have low amh and not many follicles - I never got to transfer with high stims so we wanted to try something different and I'm so glad we did. I am dreading it too! So nerve wracking! Just trying not to think about it! I just take vitamin D and folic acid. In the past I've taken lots of different supplements but not for a while x

@Bims2019 congrats on being PUPO! I have loved my clinic. We signed up for a 3 cycle package but as we got 3 embryos into the freezer first cycle (we had aimed and hoped for one!) we decided to use our included package transfer after cycle 2 instead of waiting until after cycle 3. They were totally fine with this. We don't live near our clinic at all, it's hours away so I was away from home for almost 2 weeks! How have you found it? I've organised to have my bloods done up here at a private clinic who will then pass on the results to create for them to call me. For some reason I have a huge fear of doing a test at home! Wishing you a very speedy TWW! Xx

Bims2019 soo glad ur transfer went well today. 👍. Now the dreaded wait for us all! My test date is next Fri... A home test 😬. I'm keeping everything tightly crossed for all of us 🙏
Jx3303 were u just not getting any/ many follicles growing on the max stims? I may spk to the new clinic about mild IVF if this round fails xx

@Carly05 I had follicles but really bad egg retrievals. First cycle one egg that did fertilise but stopped growing day 2 I think it was. Then the second cycle it was a struggle to get the 3 follicles they needed at the right size for NHS, I ended up stimming longer and then got zero eggs - it was heartbreaking. I tend to have maybe 5/6 follicles at the start but never all of those at collection.

Mild cycle 1 we got 4 eggs, 3 fertilised, 1 frozen day 3 and 2 frozen on day 5. Then this recent cycle 2 eggs that both made it to day 5, best one transferred and the other frozen. Very lucky and did appear to be quality over quantity. xx

@Bims2019 thank you for your well wishes! Congrats on being PUPO! So glad your transfer went well today.

Welcome to the thread @Carly05 and @Jx3303 thank you for your wishes. Have either of you got anything planned to help the TWW pass by?

Sending you all lots of baby dust for three sticky beans. ✨

So little update from me, egg collection went ahead today. They collected 14 eggs, I'm so pleased. They said they struggled to collect them so had to push about a bit to push my ovaries down from my stomach and I might be a bit bruised. I'm in Corrine and can already feel the bruising. Has anyone else had similar?

I have low ish AMH at 8 but seem to have responded well to stims. Im certain it's because I've been taking all the recommended vitamins in it starts with the egg. Coq10 Ubiquinol 600mg, alpha lipoic acid, Acetyl cysteine, vita west vital DHA, Vit C, Vit D, Multi vitamin including folate. I've had hubby on all sorts too as we're male factor, really hoping it's helped his sperm. We were supposed to use Zymot to prepare his sperm, but unfortunately the concentration per million was too low. Now I'm nervous even though we seem to have good eggs numbers we're not going to get great fertilisation. Just hoping for good news on the maturity numbers and fertilisation rate when they call us tomorrow.!!

@Flowerlover010 how are you getting on? Are you feeling okay?

@charja100 thanks for asking. Feeling pretty low about it all really and since my egg collection is now not going to be until june now i am just sitting back and reading everyone's updates which are throwing some more doubts in my head about it all. Find it all a bit overwhelming

Hi all, do you mind if I join? I was on the Feb cycle thread with @Carly05 and @Jx3303 before it was closed. I'm missing the incredible support network! Bit of background, we had our second egg collection yesterday after 3 previous transfers and 3 losses (never pregnant naturally). We are also with Create (St Paul's) 🙋🏼‍♀️ and the nurses/Drs have been incredible! Wishing everyone the best for the next few months xx

@Flowerlover010 it's such a difficult journey, I'm so sorry yours has been delayed. It's taken me a year to get this point so I really understand the rollercoaster of exciting and disappointment.

Try not to let everyone's else's updates seat you one way or another. We're all on our own unique journeys with different challenges. It's better not to compare, if you can.

If you need to take some space away from the updates do, it can be overwhelming and sometimes a break helps create a bit of space and resets tone mind so to speak. That being said I've used groups a lot, I've used them as a learning opportunity, I've really learnt so much from everyone else's updates and the support from each other has helped so much too of course.

I'm always here if you need a chat 💕🤗

Welcome @VioletCookie of course, everyone is welcome! 🤗

congratulations on egg collection, how did it go have you had an update from the clinic today? I had my 1st egg collection today. I'm first time everything so everyday is a school day for me. Anxiously waiting for my update tomorrow xxxx

Hi @charja100 and thank you! 🥰

We've had a higher % fertilise this round but I know it doesn't mean much until we get to day 5! I'm feeling so protective over our little embabies just want to sit in the clinic and cheer them on 🤣 we're sending any blasto for PGT-A testing so hoping we get some 🤞🏼

How did your collection go and how do you feel? Fingers crossed for your call tomorrow! Xx

@charja100 thank you for the warm welcome ❤️ 14 eggs collected is great news! I hope you are recovering well and wishing you all the best for a really good update tomorrow! Ouch that sounds sore them having to push on your stomach, I hope it's not too sore now! Plenty rest and fluids and hopefully you'll feel good tomorrow x

@Flowerlover010 I'm sorry to hear your cycle has been delayed. It's so disappointing when things don't go to plan, I can completely relate to that. It's so hard not to compare but as @charja100 says, we all understand. It's also taken me over a year to get to this eventual first transfer. I hope you have some nice things planned whilst you wait to start in June x

@VioletCookie hey 👋🏻 how are you? I hope collection went well and you are resting too, and all the positivity for a good update day 3. Create really are great aren't they! I highly rate all the Drs and nurses at my clinic. Sorry I disappeared off the Feb chat, it was so rubbish when my cycle got cancelled 😞 xx