FET/IVF/ICSI July 2023

[Olivia199]

Hello!

Just wanted to start a thread and see if anyone was going ahead with a transfer in July.

I've just had my nurse consult and hoping to have my second FET in July (my first was successful in Jan 2021 and I had my wonderful DD).

The first time around I was of course beyond nervous, excited, terrified it wouldn't work etc. This time it feels like that's doubled! I'm a private patient so I've saved everything for this but should it fail, it'll be a long long time before I could afford to try again.

To add some nerves, I'd need to be cycle day one no later than the 6th July to go ahead, as my clinic is moving locations. I'm currently due on the 5th...! So every chance it's moved to a Sept cycle.

Would be nice to have some company!

:)

@Lauralozzle glad to hear your work are being supportive and using discretion re trigger. And thanks for explaining your experience of the pessaries.
Sorry to hear things are hitting you hard, it's a whirlwind of emotions before even adding in the hormones. I hope you have some days of feeling better soon, it's nice to be excited about it but I know from being super excited about my IUIs to them not working that going into IVF I can't get myself too giddy about it all. There's so much financially and emotionally riding on it that I have to almost see it as a process and steps as a way to protect myself.

@Walker12 my TL is male and although really approachable I did worry about telling him but his been amazing, probably better than most of the female TLs would have been. I did wonder about embryo transfer and if that had any protection so that's really interesting to know, thank you!

Is there any certain things you lovelies do during your IVF cycle to make you feel better/keep you occupied/self care -definitely looking for suggestions. I'm someone who struggles to sit still, likes to swim on a morning (will only be able to do after AF stops and before egg collection) and do classes in the evening, although defo not a fitness person as I happily love the sweet treats too! 🤣 Trying to cut down on sugar is probably the hardest part

@Olivia199 I've just remembered on your first post you mentioned about your clinic closing so your cycle has to start by a certain date, has that happened and is it looking like you are good to go ahead then. Will you be able to see the full cycle through to OTD with your clinic? Fingers crossed for you. I truly get the saving so hard for it and everything being down to this. For some aspects it's nice doing it solo, not sharing the decisions or having to consider someone's else's wishes but it does feel like all the more pressure and financial challenges

@Walker12 - Horray for AF doing her thing!! How exciting. It's all a go now.

So glad it sounds like work has been amazing for most of us. I'm fairly sure mine would be, but it's such a small team and everyone's quite close so I just feel like I wouldn't cope with people asking, especially if it wasn't the outcome I hope for. However, likely I'll tell them as soon as I get my result, either way. As I'll need some sort of support and in a patient facing role I may appreciate a bit of awareness that I'm somewhat distracted!

@ttcsolomumtobe - Yep everything's in perfect time. In fact, I couldn't have asked for it to be any better to be honest as I've come on a day earlier, giving me enough time for a rescan should my lining not be thick enough on the first scan.

OTD will be the day before they close. But there will still be nurses around and able to chat.. just no treatments happening. Will have to check about the HCG blood test if I do end up having a rescan and going longer though. Also need to ask on the call today what happens re scan and when it's reopening.

Call in 1 hour. Eeeep!

@Olivia199 so glad it worked out, love it when I feel like a plan has come together. That's good that there will be nurses etc after treatment even though some of the services are closed. Hope the call goes well!

@ttcsolomumtobe - Thank you. I'm super excited to talk to them and get started with meds today. All feels a bit unreal. It honestly couldn't have worked out better. Doing a Sept cycle would have been almost impossible. October the same. It couldn't have been better than this month.

So I had the phone call. To start progynova tonight. I was expecting a scan on Friday next week as it'd be day 11 and normally it's 11-13. But apparently because of the closure, they're scanning everyone a bit earlier so if meds need increasing etc, they have time to do that. So I'm being scanned Tuesday next week. All feels a bit soon on the progynova but trusting their judgement and they did say I'd probably do a repeat scan at the end of that week (which would be day 11) or early the next ... which would be a pain as Monday is the only day that'd cause big issues work wise!

Thanks everyone. I feel much better today - less gloomy. I think this whole shit show just rears its ugly head at times. I’ve had a mammoth headache today though, glad I’ve finished work for the day. Early night tonight me thinks, I’m knackered. For no good reason.

I’ve just taken my last norethisterone, albeit a couple of hours early because the brain fog is real. So, at least no more of them! Still cramping today but not as bad as yesterday morning by a long shot!

@ttcsolomumtobe I tried and failed to cut the sugar habit! I have days that are better than others. I didn’t really do anything much different during ivf cycle last time. Probably go for a few walks if the weather is nice.

@Olivia199 Oh exciting! It’s great things are moving along now!! Hopefully it won’t mess with your work that Monday!

@Walker12 Great news about AF. How are you feeling about injections?

@Lauralozzle - So glad you're feeling a little better and no more of those blasted things!
And hey - not exhausted for no reason. Whether we are continously thinking it or not, it's hugely exhausting going through these cycles. Hormones, anxiety, worry, hope, uncertainty... it's a massive play on body and mind and we are entitled to a little extra exhaustion.

And thank you. I'm really excited but can't deny the early scan really threw me. I was so sure it'd be cycle day 11 and then all would be grand and I knew the next steps. Feel like the change firmly put me back into the "now I've no idea whats coming" side of things.
Which is silly because it won't make a huge difference. It's an extra scan, that's all. Maybe I'll get lucky and won't need a second scan (though unlikely on cycle day 8 vs 11-13!!
Just didn't appreciate the change in what, in my head, was the perfect plan.
Especially as Tuesday isn't a nursery day and although I'm on annual leave, I quite quickly had to find childcare for DD.

Weirdly, though I've not started meds yet as I take them in the evening, DD has smelt different today. She smells like she did when she was a baby. It's delightly. Thankfully she's finding it quite hilarious that I keep taking great big sniffs. "Mummy, smell me!" ... well okay then because you smell DELICIOUS.

Clinic confirmed I am to start meriofert tonight, feel both daunted and positive about it really. I feels a bit strange that we are just left to it, I've been booked in for a scan on day 9 which seems ages away as I was expecting a few more monitoring scans. What do I know though!

@Lauralozzle glad you are feeling a bit brighter- the mental rollercoaster really is exhausting, hope you can have a restful evening.

It's lovely that the timing has worked for you @Olivia199 I know what you mean about wanting a clear plan given there is so much beyond our control, so I can imagine the early scan has thrown you off a bit. Really hope you get to give your little girl a sibling! And enjoy the baby smell 😂

@Walker12 - How exciting!! Both starting meds tonight!
It's so daunting but we can absolutely do this. Thank you, so so hoping for you BFP!

Littlest has now gone to bed and I'm missing the smell already. 😂

Thank you too ☺️ first injection done!

Tablets taken here! Well done on first jab. I'm now sat reading the little leaflet and wishing Google could be my crystal ball.

Hello everyone! Happy to be able to join in at last. After months of trying with for a natural cycle FET, we're finally booked in for a transfer on Monday after a medicated cycle. So excited and nervous too. Test day will be on my DS 2nd birthday party which isn't ideal but hopefully a good distraction either way!

Hey! Just joining in!
Doing a FET this month, probably next week!
Doing natural cycle and had my day 9 ultrasound today, but while my endometrium is looking great (drs words) she could see no eggs developing just yet!
So Im going back on Monday for another ultrassound, and on Sunday Im having some bloods done to check me LH, progesterone and estradiol.

My vit D was low, so Im now on a big dosage of it (as well as taking a pre conceptional supplement!)

We shall see what next week brings!!!

Hi everyone,
I've just started my first round - currently on day 5 of injections.
I've previously had an ectopic, a few chemicals and a missed miscarriage at 12 weeks so really hoping for some good news this time!
Crossing my fingers for you all as well :)

Welcome @BananaHammock23 @ASGIRC @AnaS86 crossing my fingers for you all with your cycle.

As a first time IVF'er it's interesting to hear the different stages people are at. Feel like there's so much I don't about other parts of the process. Part of me wants to know it all but then I also feel like I want to focus on the stage I'm at and put all my hope and energy into a fresh cycle working so stay a bit distanced from next steps if it didn't work.

@BananaHammock23 & @ASGIRC with a natural FET do you require any medication and do they still allow your body to ovulate an egg during that cycle but also place the FET in at the same time?

@AnaS86 I'm sorry to hear of your previous losses and hope your first cycle brings wonderful news

@ttcsolomumtobe definitely just focus on the stage you’re at at the moment is my (unsolicited) advice. It’s such a hugely overwhelming process from start to (hopefully) finish. I stressed myself out so much last time and got so ahead of myself that when the outcome wasn’t what I had hoped it would be, I was completely crushed. I’m just taking it one step at a time this time, and just trying to enjoy the process as much as possible. Though I’m not going to lie, I got some spotting today (pale pink/peach 4 days post FET) and it took everything that I have in me to not instantly turn to google. Also the urge to test early and every day this time is so strong, which has taken me totally by surprise as I definitely didn’t have that last time!!

Hope everyone is doing well!

@IVFfirsttimer91 yea, even the steps I'm at now feel so much bigger than when I did IUI, and I know they are and sure it will hit when I have to start the injections but in some ways it feels easier not having to limit water intake to do the LH test, and also hopefully being able to get more information out of it.

You did well to not go into a Google spiral, I feel like it just gives us more concerns than we had when we first googled! I hope the spotting stops and you manage to hold off on that testing. What date is your OTD?

@ttcsolomumtobe yeah, yesterday I got a script for ovitrelle and progeffik.
Basically, from what I gather, I have to ovulate and THEN they'll transfer the embryo. I'm assuming the meds (which I haven't started taking yet, nor have I been told when to) are to boost the hormones during that time.

I'm also a solo mom to be!! Though not undergoing IVF. My AMH was on the low side, and I'm a carrier for a genetic illness (on the X chromosome, so 50% change of transmission!), so I decided not to risk it and have adopted an embryo!

Luckily for me, it is a double donor embryo!

@ASGIRC hopefully your clinic give you an outlined plan of when to take meds and hopefully your next scan will give more of an insight.

Wow that's wonderful that you could adopt an embryo and it be a double donor. May I ask is that in the UK? I did wonder how embryo donation/adoption worked as I've had to fill out consent forms about how any of mine are used in certain circumstances and I did wonder if embryo donation was an option, but thought it may be ruled out as I've used a donor.

Did you get to pick your embryo and know details amount the donors, like when looking at sperm donors or are they matched for you?

@ttcsolomumtobe my OTD is the 15th, so… very… far… awayyyyy! But I’ve jumped head first into box sets and managing to keep myself in check.

Google spirals are actually the worst, so many symptoms of early pregnancy are exactly the same as symptoms of your period so it’s a bit of a head fuck really!

I didn’t do IUI and went straight for IVF so I don’t know the steps to take for that, but honestly as hard as it is, just stay as relaxed and as positive as you can. Everything is so much harder when you’re stressed and miserable.

xx

@ttcsolomumtobe Im not in the UK, no.
Even in the clinics websites and price tables, embryo donation/adoption is not really mentioned.
I heard about it on another board. And enquired about it and the price is almost ridiculous, compared to other treatments!
I was looking into double donors anyway, and that would set me back about 8k, plus another 1k per additional transfer.
Embryo adoption will cost around 2.5k. I only get one embryo, but still!

You can always donate your exceeding embryos. It doesnt matter how they were formed.

As for the matching, no, you dont get to pick. Or rather, you can say no, but its not like donors, where they have loads of samples for you to choose from.
It is basically a case of what the lab has available that matches your characteristics. For me, that was brown eyes and hair, blood type A+.
When they said they had a double donor embryo that matched that (at a 3AA quality) I said yes straight away!
As for details, I also dont know much. Just that they are young, and have no genetic anomalies (as they did genetic testing before donating), and have no family history of cancer or mental illness.
Otherwise, only when the baby becomes 18 will they be able to find anything else about the donors (unless theres some sort of illness that gets uncovered, and then the donors can be contacted by the doctors, for investigation)