IVF/ICSI/FET May 2023

[Sj2505]

Hi, I don't think there's a thread for May, not that I could find anyway.

I've just started Norethisterone to bring on AF ready for my FET. I had my ICSI cycle in Feb but was high risk for OHSS, so after retrieving 24 eggs, this clinic decided to freeze all.
Luckily, because I ended up very unwell with OHSS for around 6 weeks and ended up in hospital for a little while!

But I've recovered and soooo ready for my embabies! We're aiming for transfer week commencing 22nd May unless AF comes earlier than planned then it might be the week before. It's likely as I'm on CD46 with all the signs of imminent AF 🤞🏼

If anyone else is cycling in May please feel free to share the journey ✨

Thanks @Sj2505 I've really not got any expectations, will just see it as part of the 'investigations' if anything. EC is on Wednesday, so will take the trigger shot tonight

@Sunflower360 goos luck 🤞

Thanks @LF82 Hope all is ok with you. I'm already planning to go to Create after this cycle...am thinking natural modified may be the way forward for me with my follicle numbers, and they seem the subject matter experts on that with research papers 🙂

Did my first injection today

Hi there, wondering if anyone can help as going out of my mind.
I had my first FET a couple of weeks ago and got a BFP on Wednesday. I had bloods on the following Friday which were all good
HCG 167
Progesterone 175

I've had more bloods today (4 days later), and unfortunately they haven't increased as I would hope:
HCG 288
Progesterone 140

Do you think this is signs of MC or ectopic?

Any advice welcome

Good luck @Sunflower360, hopefully it’s a really positive process.

good luck for the next few days @kingster1, pleased to hear a positive outcome of your EC.

I’ve done my first bemfola injection today, I think it went ok! I followed the instructions very carefully plus watched the video again just to make sure. There wasn’t anything visibly left in the pen at the end so it must have gone in. A tiny bead of the liquid was visible on my skin when I took the needle out, but it was the tiniest bit - has that happened to anyone before?

the whole thing feels totally bizarre - looking at the pen it looks like such a tiny amount of drug to create such a big internal change 😳

Sorry @tara17x i missed your post before I replied. I don’t know enough about the numbers and things so I’m not helpful but didn’t want to ignore. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will be along soon! Best wishes x

Thanks @Quickdraw23 Also ref the drop on the injection site - I got that occasionally too, it was no problem I don't think 🙂

Hello everyone! I have started my injections today, I am so paranoid! I am afraid that I did not injected the meds properly, but trying to keep it positive! Next scan on 23 May, fingers crossed

Hi @Marisadea well done on doing your first injection. I did mine today too and have been feeling the same! Im sure it’s just because it feels like a lot of pressure to get it right, unless there was anything specific you noticed that made you think it went wrong. Good luck for your scan on the 23rd! My first treatment scan is on Friday, I will have done four injections by then.

Thanks @Sunflower360 thats sounds reassuring 🙂

Hi there, wondering if anyone can help as going out of my mind.
I had my first FET a couple of weeks ago and got a BFP on Wednesday. I had bloods on the following Friday which were all good
HCG 167
Progesterone 175

I've had more bloods today (4 days later), and unfortunately they haven't increased as I would hope:
HCG 288
Progesterone 140

Do you think this is signs of MC or ectopic?

Any advice welcome

@TheBirdintheCave that's great news, how are you feeling?

@Sj2505 thanks for tip, been drinking lots and the fluid has gone! 🎉

@Sunflower360 it sounds like you have a really good attitude to it all. Hopefully one is all it takes 🤞 but like you said it will give them a good idea of how to change things for next time.

Hi @Marisadea definitely feel the same about the injections and I have been doing them for a week!

Scan today and the fluid has gone 🥳 and the follicles are growing slowly so hopefully they will speed up! Currently 20 follicles so will see what happens but I know that at this point that doesn't mean much. 🤞

@FlapJackered Weirdly sad as we'll never get to try naturally again and also feel like I've lost the chance of ever having a daughter as I know most IVF babies are boys as the embryos develop faster. I actually don't know anyone who had a girl from IVF, just boys 😂

Hi @TheBirdintheCave don’t know if it will help but just wanted to say that my friend had a little girl last year via ivf, and I’ve got a work colleague who is currently pregnant with a little girl via ivf as well 🙂 I actually don’t know anyone in my friend circles who has had a boy via ivf or iui yet!

@TheBirdintheCave I definitely get feeling sad about not getting to try naturally again. It’s so hard to feel positive about the small wins as it’s just such a rubbish situation to be in.
Although I agree with @Quickdraw23 of my friends who have been through ivf, more have had girls, so I don’t think it’s a landslide towards having a boy even if it is statistically more likely.

Thank you so much and good luck to us ♥️

@Sunflower360 hope the trigger went well ☺️ and happy no-jab day!

@ManchesterGirl2 yay! Such a milestone. Hope the first injection went ok.

@tara17x sadly the HCG should be doubling every two days, which would make your HCG around 668 four days later.
Do you have any more HCG bloods scheduled? Or have you tested any more?
I have seen it suddenly spike in some people before though 🤞🏼

@Quickdraw23 great news you've started stims! I had a little drop left on the skin sometimes, it won't make a difference. Are you keeping the skin pinched and needle in for 10 seconds? I also then slowly released the skin before removing the needle so I wasn't squeezing it out.

@Marisadea yay for starting injections! I think we all have that fear but I am sure it went well.

@FlapJackered that's great news, I'm so happy for you. Sounds like you have a good number growing too. The trigger gives everything a big boost, so even small ones can have a growth spurt between trigger and EC! Mine were slow and steady, I had to have my EC delayed an extra few days but had great results.

I have a med delivery today, just an extra box of Progesterone injections and Oestrogen and my trigger ☺️
Other than that not much to update. The only side effects I've had from the Oestrogen is increased discharge, a lot!!! But it seems to be calming down a bit now so it must have been just the sudden increase in Oestrogen.

Is anyone here taking clexane? I'm normally fine (as fine as you can be anyway) with injecting myself but I had to do my first clexane yesterday and that hurt a lot more than the normal meds!

Thanks @Sj2505 trigger went well last night!

@Sunflower360 good luck for your egg collection tomorrow. sending you love, been a tough week for you. My 2nd cycle was the short protocol, didnt respond. Long protocol with down regulation suits me best, even then I only get small numbers.
@Sj2505 Good luck on next stage. Hope symptoms are mild for your next round of meds.
@FlapJackered great news re your follicles. Its natural to feel ambivalent about reaching the next stage, we are constantly guarded and protecting ourselves. Just try see one stage at a time.
@Quickdraw23 a tiny bubble of fluid on surface of skin is normal. And also for some to be left in the syringe. They always put in extra into syringe to allow for this. I also queried this, checked with my sister who is a pharmacist, and it is completely normal.

I had update today, 4 mature eggs from 7 collected and 4 have fertilised. They used sperm sorting for my partners sample (MFSS) and ICSI. Next update is Thursday. Do not know how im going to last until Thursday. Briefly happy for 1 min, then back to the negative cycle that this horrible journey is. Trying to stay positive. Have to focus on the small wins.

Thanks @kingster1 Will see what happens but I was considering natural modified IVF with my circumstances as the next steps. I hadn't actually considered long protocol but was not sure if that would work with my circumstances with low AFC/AMH

@Sunflower360 My amh is 5, and only ever have 6 follicles on one side that respond. When I did short protocol, response was poor. Got no eggs. Hope you can have a good review with the consultant to analyse this cycle and what they recommend for next. I was also considering dual stimulation, so back to back egg collections to bank some eggs. And also check out Create, they will be my next steps if this does not work.
I have endometriosis, and down regulation is recommended for endometriosis. Good luck with next steps. Be kind to yourself. X

@LittleWeed82 I had Clexane and unfortunately they are stingers. I found injecting more toward the side in the softer area of my tummy and depressing the plunger at a steady slower pace worked better for me.

@kingster1 that's a great result! Fingers crossed they all continue to progress well for you. You're completely right about focusing on the little wins. We can only take this a stage at a time.

Thanks @kingster1 I am considering Create too! If this cycle does not work, I'm looking to have the appointment with them as soon as my AF starts following a withdrawal bleed. I also have considered dual stimulation, but I am not sure if Create does that.

I'm on short protocol currently and found as soon as the meds were upped to the max 2 extra follicles popped up but they are a fair bit behind the lead follicle size wise for the egg collection. So perhaps it is a case of balancing a steady flow of stimulation to get them to grow a bit more closer together next time 🤷‍♀️ Suppose the Consultants can advise on that, and hopefully there will be some data from this cycle to work from.