FET / IVF August 2023

[KG1244]

I’m due to start my second round of FET in August so thought I would set up this group for some treatment buddies ❤️

@GCS34 thanks for this but what does SEGS stand for? 😂

@GCS34 i haven’t heard of the BFN podcast before but I’ll definitely check that out, thank you!
So my clinic told me to up my progesterone pessaries to 3x a day and they’ve booked me in for a BHCG blood test on Friday morning. Fingers crossed the results are positive and the spotting stops 🤞

@Ellenn has your spotting stopped / cleared?

@ttcsolomumtobe how are you getting along today?

@Purtyburty did you hear back from the embryologist in the end?

@Doughnut89 how many pessaries were you on before and what mg? Hope you are feeling better after speaking to your clinic and hope things go well Friday. Do you clinic provide same day results on bloods?

I'm feeling fine, no symptoms today, or just too busy with work to notice but not letting it concern me either way as we've said symptoms or lack of doesn't always mean something. Feel so zen and positive at the moment that I think Mondays test outcome will be a shock either way 😂

Almost don't wanna test, wanna live in this blissful bubble of hopefulness 🤦🏻‍♀️ Don't think I can face testing before I've woken up a bit more though and had a brew so guna this pop my sample to one side till I'm a bit more alert.

@GCS34 So good to know. I'm with Maidenhead, and they've been really good, most of the time!

Hi all... i've just started my cycle today and had my GONAL shot.

This is my second IVF round having had a failed first round in March (6 eggs all mature, only one made it to day 5 and was of average quality. The others not good enough to freeze. The transfer didn't take and had my period 3 - 4 days before test day. Took a 4 month break and at it again now).

@ttcsolomumtobe im on 400mg of Cyclogest and was taking it twice a day so 800mg, I’m now up to 1200mg. I don’t know if that’s a lot or not or what most people are prescribed. One of my issues and why I’ve had trouble with a baby sticking so far is that I have a short luteal phrase. But hopefully this will help.
Yea my clinic provide results the same day if it’s a weekday so I should hopefully hear back in the afternoon.
Speaking to the clinic has made me feel a bit calmer about it all, thanks.

That is such a positive attitude to have, I’m pleased you’re feeling zen and hopeful. Yea make sure you’re in a good mindset when you test. Having a cuppa beforehand sounds lovely. I’m keeping everything crossed for you for a positive result on Monday

@KG1244 oh soz thought I wrote it in full before. “Simplified Embryo Grading System” ☺️ not so simple ay 😂

@Doughnut89 what will the added progesterone do? Will it improve your chances or will it stop the spotting? Fingers crossed anyway. Really hope it’s just a bit of implantation or early pregnancy signs. My sisters fertility clinic said that it could be a pocket of blood formed when the embryo implanted and then it came out during the first few months.

@kirstysmbc ditto - nottm have been great. But few times their lack of comms isn’t great. Like yours am sure! Glad it makes sense anyway. I wrote it like 8 times to try word it better 😅 was today day 1 of stims?

@Ellenn my friend is in Scotland and she’s the same. and she said that the wait for treatment from when you’re added to the wait list, has now been extended and is 18-20 weeks!!! 😱 can’t believe it. So sad. Once you were added, how long did it take you when you started round 1? And do you have to have a break between rounds etc? Haha I have no suggestions - you’re ahead of me on this train. I’ve never even hinted at being pregnant. 😅

yeah they’re actually super kind. I didn’t realise but apparently they’re trained in how to be compassionate when talking to patients. And I think you can tell!

@GCS34 I generally find I can get an answer quickly if I send a message on the portal, especially when no one is answering the phone... First day off stims tomorrow - straight on to max dose 450 ovaleap, double what I did on my first round. Hope it is worth it!!

@GCS34 supposedly both. Apparently progesterone prevents spotting and makes the lining more “sticky” to help keep the embryo there.
That’s interesting what the fertility clinic told your sister. I do know that spotting is meant to be quite common in early pregnancy. It’s just past experiences that make me more nervous about it but hopefully the extra progesterone helps

@Doughnut89 i hope the increased progesterone helps 🙏 I had a tiny spot of brown on pad this morning and was worried as had a little cramping. So far nothing else, I mentioned to the nurse and she didn’t seem concerned about it. I really hope there isn’t anymore, it’s so hard to remain calm about it isn’t it!

i collected my lubion now so at least I’m finally on progesterone so maybe that might help too. The injection was fine but wow OUCH afterwards super painful and still can’t really touch the area. I’m going to be a proper pincushion 🙈

@GCS34 yeh super long wait my first appointment was 6 months after referral (and that isn’t even starting ivf just a weight check etc). Luckily I managed to pay for my first cycle privately so I did it at just over 2 years and then second cycle was on NHS when I reached the three year mark. The break between cycles is purely because you have to follow the timing protocols and everything is so slow ie consents one month, then bloods the next and so on.

@ttcsolomumtobe loving the vibe, you don’t have long to go at all now 😁 I hope that embryo is getting cozy xx

@kirstysmbc yeah I get that vibe too. They push the portal a lot so I assume that’s their preferred method of comms! Though I did send a message this morning and got a confirmation it had been forwarded to embryology then the lady called me 2 hours later. So can’t fault them!

have you done ovaleap before? Least you know the injection is super easy and short and sharp! What antagonist you got? They gave me ovamex with ovaleap - think they tend to couple certain drugs with certain antagonists

@Doughnut89 yeah I get that. During fertility treatment, blood is a big red flag so I get your worries. I’d be lying if I said I’m not worried about all that. Just feel like it is so far away from us right now that I can’t even imagine it. Even tho our apt for planning is next week, then we’re starting FET meds. Just doesn’t seem in reach yet. I really hope you don’t mind me asking a really personal question, and feel free to not answer, but were your previous MCs late or early? And was there any similarity int he 2?

@GCS34 My last cycle was with gonal F which is the same drug, different brand, so hopefully be ok. My dose is much higher this time though. I don't need an antagonist as I've done long protocol, so the buserelin does something similar.

@Ellenn I has quite a bit of brown spotting at 5/6 weeks and again about 9/10 weeks when pregnant with my daughter. It's always worrying to see any blood, but it's not always a sign of anything going wrong. Stay positive!!

Morning all, still waiting on my withdrawl bleed here.

Last night SIL rang to say she is pregnant so that has been a bit hard especially as it is in less than ideal circumstances so DH is incredibly worried about how she will cope. She only broke up with her long term partner 4 months ago, has been with the father a few weeks and they have had a break in that time. She lives in a house share and has only just started a new job after a long time off for mental illness. She has always been incredibly unstable and I really hope this brings stability. I have a horrible feeling she may have done it as a massive fuck you to her ex however.

@Ellenn blimey! So once you hit the 2 year mark and had your initiall appointment, it was another 6 months? That’s bonkers. Probably not going to tell my friend that 😂 how did you self fund - I remember my friend saying something like there are only 2 clinics in the whole of Scotland and they have huge waits too? When was your nhs finally approved? It’s so backwards isn’t it.

What do you meant re timing protocols? As in, they don’t have enough staff or is the wait so they can give others a shot in between? I’m hoping TFP aren’t too slow after the planning apt. @Steph186 / @kirstysmbc / @Lowo21 - on your FET protocol, how long did it take to set up from planning apt to tf? Sorry if I’ve got it wrong anyone one of you hasn’t had a prev cycle before.

@GCS34 I was ok to start my fet on the cycle after planning. I have regular periods, so just had to wait for day 1 after the nurse planning appt, then transfer both times was on day 19. Not sure how it works if they need to do something to induce a bleed.

Morning @Hopingforno2in2023 I’m so sorry 😢 it’s such a gut punch isn’t it? Even though you’re happy, you also feel really shit. And then guilty for feeling that way! Is it her first child? Assuming so based on what you said.

I know how you feel and it’s quote unquote “not fair” how she has got pregnant after only a few weeks! How old is she out of interest? I’ve had similar lately - my sister is pregnant (IVF so not sad about that one), my friend is pregnant (natural) and Al only been together a year, my BIL had his baby at the weekend (been together with her partner for Jusy a year too, and 9 months have been pregnant!) and it’s a lot. My OH said to me that we have to fucks on the positives that we can bring to a family that they can’t right now. Stability. 2 good paying careers. Owning our house. Married. Strong relationship and family. Physical health etc. so maybe try think of everything you and your hubs have that will make it even more perfect for you? Jusy and idea. Helped me anyway. X

@kirstysmbc thanks hun. Yeah I don’t think they’ll induce one as I have a very poor / thin lining naturally so I’ve always don’t randomised start. So I guess as soon as the admin is done we can start. We’re on holiday a week on Monday now, so we can do the consents super fast while away on my iPad etc.

am I right that you did a natural?

@GCS34 No, they've both been medicated. Seems to be the standard at my clinic. I have fyremadel for 7 days from day 2, oestrogen patches from day 2 then progesterone for 5/6 days before transfer. Luckily my lining has always been ok, but they do sometimes extend the oestrogen if the lining isn't thick enough.

Yeah it is her first so she is only getting what I already have @GCS34 but it still hurts weirdly. I think in this case it is more that her situation is so unsuitable for a child. I have two friends pregnant at the moment and I am really happy for them but this feels like a disaster waiting to happen. DH has said we should be ready to take over if needed which I think is an exaggeration but shows how worried he is.

She is 31 and until 4 months ago was adamant no kids as she recognised that she is too chaotic to give a child a stable life. Since the break up (which was not initiated by her) she has been much much worse and I can’t help feeling that this is a reaction to that rather than what she actually wants. I really hope for the sake of the child that she manages to get herself stable soon.

It hurts as well as she has said previously that it would be nice for her parents if she had a baby as they would then have a real grandchild so it is also the knowledge that DS will probably be forgotten once this baby arrives. I assume she meant because she is a daughter so her parents will be closer to her DC.

@Ellenn thats good it was only a little bit of spotting and has now stopped and great you’ve got your progesterone now 😊
My progesterone is a pessarie thankfully but when I had to inject Fyremadel I remember that being particularly difficult one. I hope it gets better for you and less painful 🤞

@GCS34 No I don’t mind talking about the chemical MC. It was super early on but yes very similar which is why I think I’m paranoid about the spotting now. Last time it was with IUI rather than IVF and I started spotting a bit earlier 5/6 days after the insemination and it continued everyday for the next two weeks. I then got a faint positive line, tested again about 3 days later and was another faint line, then about five days after that I got a proper bleed / period and a negative test. This time round the spotting has started slightly later and the positive line came up much quicker and stronger which gives me slightly more hope but I am worried still.
Do you mind if I ask how many frozen embryos you have and their gradings? I hope everything goes well for you with the FET 🤞 x