Cycle day 9 follicle count/size? First IVF cycle

[whatajourney23]

Hi. I had my cycle day 9 scan today and flying to Brno tomorrow, I’m really worried about the size/number of follicles for this stage. It’s my first cycle. I’m on 125IU Bemfola and Cetrotide. The clinic have asked me to go for another scan on Saturday.

They all seem to growing at different rates and some look really small given I am on cycle day 9 as some don’t seem to have grown that much since my day 7 scan (is that normal?) but not sure if I’m panicking with it being my first cycle!

Left follicles in mm (x 9)
19.9
9.3
10
10.4
13
9.7
15.2
11.5
9.8

Right follicles in mm (x 7)
8.4
9
10.2
6.7
3.5
6.7
3.7

Does this look okay? What should I expect next?

Any guidance/reassurance appreciated!

Thank you in advance x

Hi @whatajourney23

Funnily enough I'm day 9 today and had a scan! This is my second egg collection and yes it's totally normal to be growing at different rates (and some staying quite small)

Mine had a growth spurt in the beginning then haven't really grown since Wednesday so my Gonal F has been increased slightly. If the clinic thinks you need an increase they will do, but if they haven't you're moving in the right direction!

Best of luck to you 🤞🏼 my next scan is Monday! Xx

Ps meant to say the sizes look similar to mine in variation but I haven't got any over 12 yet so you're doing good! Xx

Thanks so much! I am having another scan tomorrow morning. Mine hadn't grown much since Tuesday either!

Good luck to you too xx

No problem lovely, hope I was able to put you at ease even if only a little bit! You've got a really good number of follicles too. Looks like we'll both be having egg collections next week, sending you all the positive embryo vibes! Xx

You did, thank you! Off for my scan today at 11am! When's your next check in? Feel bloated and anxious!!

Good luck! xx

I think these look good! You have lots of follicles and hopefully they’ll increase in size over the next few days. I had a scan on a Friday and they were all about 12/13mm, by the Monday they were ready for retrieval. When are you meant to be having your retrieval?

Hello!

I had a scan this morning, they said the right side are growing slower than the left at 12/13mm and some smaller, compared to 17mm on the left side.

They have booked me for egg collection on Wednesday.. does that feel too late?! I am only on low dose stims (Bemfola 125 iu)

So they've said:
Sunday - normal meds (Bemfola 125 iu) and Cetrotide
Monday - Cetrotide only and then trigger (Ovitrelle) at 7.30pm

Does that look okay? Do you think it will be too late by then? Can you tell I'm panicking?!

Haha xx

@whatajourney23 I’m one day ahead of you and I think it all looks fine, mine ranged from 8-15mm on Wednesday and they can grow about 2mm per day so I would assume Wednesday is giving your smaller ones a chance to catch up. I’m also in on Wednesday (presumably) but another scan on Monday first, this is my third EC cycle.

Thank you, that's reassuring. My scan yesterday was only about 2 mins max and he didn't measure them all. The scan yesterday was quite uncomfortable too, probably due to the bloat? Hope you are feeling okay. Good luck to you - hope all goes well!! I'm a bag of nerves! I'm in Czech Republic. Keep me updated xx

@whatajourney23 are you having treatment in Czech? Or live there?

Yeah he’s just looking to see if they’re still on target probably. My scans have not been uncomfortable yet, maybe tomorrow. But I was generally a bit uncomfortable and then it wasn’t uncomfortable anymore so I’m slightly worried I’ve ovulated them all 🤣. This is very unlikely but it’s the sort of thing that springs to mind when anything changes lol.

Thanks, we need the luck, have MFI and the first cycle was good but not successful, and our second cycle was a complete waste of time with nothing to show for it, so much more nervous about the third.

No we are having treatment there!

Don't worry; I felt exactly the same before my scan in terms of feeling uncomfortable and then not again etc and all was ok..

We are MFI too! What's your plan this time? We are doing PICSI as well as Zymot and the time lapse incubator thing. Going all in. Have absolutely no idea what to expect and can't stop researching and questioning every little thing!

Hope your scan goes well! Xx

@whatajourney23 plan is to do IMSI and last minute sample for him because he has anti-sperm antibodies and PGT-A testing of any excess embryos, because of my/our age now, I’m 40 next month. It’s been a long old slog with no guarantee for us at this stage!

What variety of MFI do you guys have?

I keep hearing about IMSI, maybe I should look it up!

He's got low count, motility and morph. He had a double varicocele embolisation in October not had much improvement - the last test was 4 million TMSC and didn't want to just keep aimlessly trying and regret not starting sooner?! Although now I'm actually doing it, I am having the niggling 'should we have waited a bit longer' feeling, but I know I'm being irrational as the odds were probably ridiculously low at that level, maybe 5% chance?! We don't know if he as bad DNA frag or not, we never got that tested with Mr Ramsey, but hoping if he did/does then the embolisation and Impryl may have helped behind the scenes! Just so unknown with it being our first cycle, what will the drop off be at each stage, etc.

Ahh; well I'll be rooting for you! Hope all goes okay - sounds like you have got a plan, so just take one day at a time xx

@whatajourney23 i think getting on with it is a good idea. We wasted a lot of time thinking it might happen and it just hasn’t happened, and ivf does work for most people so it’s likely worthwhile.

Impryl will help, yeah, how long has he been on it? If for some reason ivf doesn’t work (and it often does) you can always see Ramsay after that.

Fingers crossed you get a decent outcome! Yeah we will hopefully be able to do IMSI this time, we couldn’t in November because the sample was too poor, hoping for a better result this time.

He's been taking Impryl for about 3-4 months ish I'd say!

Random one.. is breast tenderness a thing during stims? Mine have started to feel tender today and I don't seem to have the volume of ewcm that I've had every other day.. I'm probably overthinking and/or panicking!

I just want Weds to get here; but then I know I'll be worrying straight away?! Ahh!

Fingers crossed for a better sample this time. Have you been able to do anything to improve any of the numbers? x

@whatajourney23 definitely overthinking. My boobs are a bit tender which is unusual for me, probably just all the hormones flying around.

3-4 months of impryl is pretty good, it should help.

Our only issue is motility, the most crucial one really. His numbers are good, DNA frag is good, his morphology is average, but the motility and vitality are very poor which, we now think, is because of antisperm antibodies that no one bothered to mention to us until 4 years of investigations. They attack the sperm so the chances naturally are incredibly slim. We wasted a lot of time and I get pretty angry if I think about it too much.

Thanks for reassuring me!

How did you find out about the antisperm antibodies? What test is that? Sorry to hear it took so long to get an answer, really rooting for you this time around. What a rollercoaster. Sending hugs and positive vibes.

X

@whatajourney23 essentially we had a totally failed cycle. 12 eggs collected, 6 mature (so not great for me) and DH had had infection and fever from wisdom tooth the month before. We didn’t realise the impact it would have, the sample was terrible, and they couldn’t do IMSI. Fast forward to day 5 and there’s two embryos but they weren’t blasts, so transferred them both but it didn’t work. Not a surprise, but a waste of a cycle really.

So we asked the clinic to prep a sample as if they were doing ivf and the embryologist came back to say she thinks it’s basically 100% antisperm antibodies. The test you can have is a MAR test, but I think it explains why it was only motility and vitality that was an issue for us.

What time do you have to trigger? Mine is 11.30 tonight so that means a lot of hungry, waiting around in the clinic for me on Wednesday.

Ahh I see; thank you. One to consider depending on outcomes.

We had to do it at 8.30pm so it's all good. Need to be at the clinic at 8am on Weds! What time is your ec?

Hope you are doing ok! Xx

@whatajourney23 oh god you’re lucky, you’ll be over and done early. If it’s NHS I found it to be fast. I have to be there at 10 but this is my second time at the private clinic and I know they will stick me in a private room from 10 until 1.30pm/2pm. I hate it because you can’t eat or drink, just sat around getting annoyed.

Oh no, really? It's not NHS, I'll prepare myself for some waiting around then.

Is there anything else I should do on or in prep for ec day? Do they say not to wear any makeup/perfume/Deod etc?!

Xx

@whatajourney23 yeah, no makeup, perfume, nail varnish etc, it’s a surgical setting when you go down for EC.

Oh it’s in CZ, right? Yeah of course it’s private. No idea how they do it but if you’re triggering early it means you should be over and done early. I always seem to get the late slot with my private clinic and end up leaving at rush hour in London after getting there at 10am 😴.

Just pack a change of underwear and a spare top etc in case you need it. I bled all over a top when they removed the cannula the first time, second time in their hospital bed, I’m a bleeder.

How are you feeling this evening? I'm a bit nervous now!! Xx

@whatajourney23 yeah I am too, but sort of more worried about how long we have to wait around before I can eat and go home so mixed up with annoyance! Hopefully all is smooth for you.

Good luck today, I'll be thinking about you. I'm all done; came round about 1 hour or so ago, don't know any more yet, waiting to speak to the doc. Take care xx