IVF/ICSI June 2023

[countrypunk]

Hello, I'm starting a June thread for IVFers - I couldn't see one on the board. Please join!

I'm 39 and this will be our second round. The first round in November resulted in 2 blastocysts from 10 eggs. First transfer failed, got pregnant from the second transfer but miscarried at 9.5 weeks at the beginning of April.

Now raring to go again!

Had a day 2 update today to say that the embryos have divided and are good quality. Get another update tomorrow then 🤞 a transfer on Saturday

That's great news @Gryffindoratheart!! So nice that they can tell the quality already.

I had my day 5 update and both are still at morula stage 😞 Embryologist is going to call again tomorrow to let me know if either make blastocyst and if they can be frozen. Bit gutted as I'm not sure how many reach day 6 if they're not a blastocyst at day 5.... feel like the odds will lessen. Does anyone else have experience in this?

But the positive news I guess is that they reached day 5. The wait for the call today wasn't easy and now have to wait another day 😂 Plus I'm working from an office tomorrow with some important meetings so hoping bad news won't affect me x

Fingers crossed for you @Gryffindoratheart . It’s a great start!

Bless you @Lebe14! It’s such a tough wait. I don’t have experience of morula but I have two still at that stage and my embryologist sounded positive that they’d progress by tomorrow.

I’ve just had my fresh transfer which is crazy. IVF is such a rollercoaster. I was fully expecting a call this morning to cancel because we had nothing to transfer but we have 3 top quality embryos & the A was transferred. So currently two frosties, two that are lagging behind but might make it to blasto tomorrow and a poor quality embryo. I’m totally thrilled & grateful. Fingers crossed this transfer works 🤞🏻

That's amazing @FiddleLeaf - glad it went well and that you have some frosties just in case or for the future. Hopefully your morulae also make it to tomorrow. Fingers tightly crossed that your transfer is successful! X

Thank you! Feeling on top of the world at the mo and trying to not think about the 13 day wait ahead too much 😩

@FiddleLeaf what amazing news, congratulations! Fingers crossed for you can I ask how they grade your embryos at your clinic? Do they give a number and 2 letters? X

@Lebe14 I'm sorry you're having to wait another day. I've heard some of the slow coach embryos can be the best . Hoping you get good news tomorrow x

Thank you! They just gave one letter for the top 3, A, A- & B. Our low quality one was a D.

Congrats on your transfer @FiddleLeaf

My day 3 update was good - both little eggs are doing what they need to do and still good quality.

Transfer is booked in for Saturday morning, so really hoping I don't get a phone call on the Saturday morning to cancel. Keeping my 🤞 and thinking positive!

So I've had a call from the embryologist this morning and both have made blastocyst stage and will be frozen today!!! I'm so so pleased!!!

Their grading isn't amazing but the embryologist said they're average. We have a 2BC and 3BC. She's going to keep them going today to see if the 2 gets a little bigger but then freeze at the end of the day. She seemed pleased with them but then when I read online Bc isn't great... she did say they're average though so I'm going to go with her opinion. Surely if they were bad quality she wouldn't be freezing them.

I'm still so pleased that both made it as I thought we'd have none! They were the 2 out of 4 to be fertilised so we have no drop off after that stage. Means at least we'll have 2 goes when we're ready to transfer so hopefully even though quality isn't amazing, 1 will stick.

Xx

@Lebe14 I've been stalking this thread (I started it but stopped posting a while back) and I've just read your update, that's FANTASTIC news!! You must be thrilled.

Don't get too hung up on the grading. They don't freeze them if they're not capable of becoming babies. Two out of four is excellent.

Enjoy cloud 9!

Xx

@Lebe14 congratulations that's fantastic news! My clinic said they wouldn't freeze an embryo if it was not likely to work and I've seen success stories where it's been an average or low grade embryo that have turned into a wonderful baby so yea, try not to get too hung up on the numbers x

@Lebe14 wonderful news. I've heard many success stories with BCs. I also have a hunch that most women get around 2 genetically normal embryos from each EC -often the body self selects. I have 2 aswell and feel as there are only 2 hopefully these are the genetically normal ones xx

Thank you so much for all your kind messages. I'm so pleased we're through this stage! Now to have a break and can't wait to transfer the frosties at the end of the year xx

Oh @Lebe14 , I’m so pleased for you! I was watching some ivf YouTube videos last night & there are a few videos from Chrissy Peeks. I think she had the same grading and it ended very happily for her. Worth a watch!

Thank you and good luck for Saturday! Keeping ridiculously at work helped me a little bit mentally. I didn’t know the hardest thing about ivf would be the waiting between each stage!

Hi everyone, new to the forum and wanted to say hello as a fellow IVF'er as it seems a very supportive and positive community and let's face it, we all need that in navigating IVF!

Am on round 4 now, after two transfers over the last year or so. Finding staying positive hard, but doing my best. Am awaiting results from our latest collection cycle, but feeling pretty scared as my AMH has dropped substantially since we last did IVF - we have 2 fertilised eggs this time around (on day 2 now). Praying they make it! We have one frozen embryo in the freezer and know it will be a big deal when we choose to transfer our last one. What are others doing to stay positive & optimistic? And how are others dealing with feeling fat & swollen the entire time?! Feel rubbish about not being able to be active or fitting into my clothes! IVF - so glamorous isn't it...:)

@Summer223 hope your 2 little eggs continue to divide and develop!

I had 2 fertilised too, and heading in for a day 5 transfer in 1 hours time...

This is my first round of IVF - not loving the bloated feeling. Trying to keep a positive attitude and not think of the worst. Think positive and positive things will happen, I hope!!

Good luck with the transfer @Gryffindoratheart and @Summer223 I know the feeling of trying so hard to keep positive. I actually just said to my OH the other day- I’m completely mentally exhausted with constantly thinking about IVF, spiraling to starting considering worst case scenarios and then pulling myself back and trying to focus on being optimistic. It’s a draining cycle that requires so much mental power.

I put an update on here a while ago to say that we are doing IVF due to male factor so I thought I would fly through IVF itself. Turns out I was a very poor responder first time round and had my cycle cancelled on day 10 of stims. I am now on my second round and they have almost doubled my follicle stimulating drugs. I had my day 7 scan yesterday and things are looking much better. Last time I had 12 follicles and most of these were 7mm or less. This time I have 23 and lots of them are 8/9mm or above. So I am trying to keep positive and tell myself this is a good indicator but I also feel like the cancelled cycle robbed me of any joy in the whole process as I’m just so nervous going for any scan or anything!

sending love to you all- we are all such strong women and will look back and feel proud of our strength in time!

Thankyou @IslaO and good luck with your cycle!

Transfer went well, I now have two day 5 blastocysts on board! One grade AA and one AB

Now for the dreaded TWW

@Gryffindoratheart congratulations on the transfer 🎉 xx

@Gryffindoratheart congrats on the transfer! Hope the 2 week wait flies for you x

@Summer223 fingers crossed for yours developing and making it. This will be my first IVF cycle and I've delayed it from June to July so haven't done it yet but definitely dreading the bloating and just not feeling good as in those times I just want comfort food but trying to be in the mindframe of eating as if I'm pregnant.

@IslaO I completing understand that feeling robbed of any joy because of things not going how we hope. For Me all the initial tests coming back fine I was super excited and hopefully for my IUIs, my sperm donor looked great but when they didn't work for me and I saw confirmed pregnancies on his profile I felt gutted so my approach to IVF is definitely more private and seeing it as a process, some days I defo have moments of excitement but try to protect myself by not letting my get carried away. So hard isn't it. Will keep fingers crossed for you x

@Gryffindoratheart massive congratulations that's amazing news! More proof to my theory that most women get 2 good embryos regardless of how many eggs collected Good luck xx

@Summer223 2 eggs usually means they are good quality. Fingers crossed for you! I totally understand what you are saying. I range from being fine to going through worst case scenario daily. It's exhausting. I wish I could stop obsessing. Hope helps us cope. But then we worry to have too much hope xx

Congratulations @Gryffindoratheart on your transfer. Those grades sound amazing! I’ve got everything crossed for you that they get all cosied up in there :0)

@IslaO excellent news on your last scan results! Sounds like you’re responding extremely well to you treatment plan this time round. I’ve got everything crossed that they find some good quality eggs on collection day :0)

@Summer223 staying positive is so hard and it’s ok to have bad days. It’s completely natural. In my past rounds I’ve always stayed off work until test day but often find I just drive myself mad and reluctantly start searching the internet for any slight feeling or symptoms which should be avoided at all costs lol! To be honest the bloating side of things doesn’t really bother me much. I’ve always found the physical side of things manageable, but for me it’s the emotional effect that hits me the worst.

This is now our 6th round of IVF and I’ve surprisingly felt the most chilled about it, leading up to and throughout. I decided to go back to work (but took things easy) during my 2WW.

I posted to you all the other day about where we are on our journey. I had my bloods on Friday and received some excellent news that they were at 1203 12dpt! I’m in for my first scan a week on Thursday but given the levels I’m kind of preparing myself that there’s a strong possibility that both of our embryos have held on! :0)