IVF/ICSI February 2024

[Sherr33]

Hi all just wanted to a thread for anyone starting February ✨ 😊

Im 33yrs old by the time my eggs are collected I'll be 34 😆
AMH = 17.9 all other parameters fine.
Partners S.A - test 1. Low morphology. test 2. Borderline everything
CARE Fertility add ons to be used - zymot and embryo glue

Starting northisterone on the 24th Jan
15/2 gonal f 225
20/02 Ganirelix joins in
23/02 scan
And potential egg collection 26/02

That's my plan 🙈
And this is our first cycle

@Prabs7 I hoping I can get some sleep during the weekend. I'm incredibly bloated and SO gassy. I feel so awkward and embarrassed because of it ☹ I've been like this since I was on norethisterone and now its much worse.

@Bnichols89 thats so good to hear. Cant believe how fast everything comes around when you get started.

@buttonfour embryo glue is just a culture that they put the embryo in and helps make it stick. Dont do that to yourself. Honestly I opted for that and then came on the forum to read the various other additional treat.ents others had opted for I second guessed everything and then stressed out for not choosing anything else etc but then I calm down and tell myself I read up on whatever information I had and made that decision it wasn't something on a whim. Dont second guess yours. You can speak to your clinic if that helps :-)

Hey all hope everyone’s doing well! Just (mostly) caught up I think.
@Cat191 good luck hoping for good news tomorrow 🤞🤞
Hope those with egg collections over the next few days have good results!

@Lasagne30 how are you getting on and are you managing to keep busy enough to keep distracted?

@Btowngirl It is proving difficult.
I keep getting spotting every now and again and my thoughts are swirling with what it could be or what it couldn't be.
It's bloody terrible.
My partner left for Singapore for work so not being able to talk about it is hard.
Normally we sit here together in detective mode googling away haha
Currently day 5 after fresh transfer
Sometimes google just confuses you more. 2 days ago I found an article that said spotting days 2-3 was a good sign. Now it says days 5-7. Then I just found another one that says days 7-10. Well which one is it???? Grrrr

Isn’t it just tragic how much it makes you second guess everything! The spotting sounds like good news tbf, like implantation? Did you test the trigger or anything or are you holding out for 12pt? How longs your partner away for and are you still in work? Sending good vibes, it’s a long 2ww!

Great to hear everyone is progressing well, isn't it crazy how quickly the final bit goes. You go from tablets, to wishing for your period to blinking and being at EC & transfer.... then the slowest 2 weeks of your life haha

Well m still just about on track, gonal has been increased again, but trigger tonight and collection Monday, excited about bloody terrified too, my clinic used the lightest sedation so it's quite painful, but on the plus side recovering is very easy. How has everyone found their collections? Strange how clinics vary so much. I feel sick every time I think of it- just want the next week to be over now x

@Lasagne30 I honestly think every person and every pregnancy is different, it's so hard but try not to read into it, are you going to test early? I have always got true results on day 5. I'm a serial early tester haha x

@Btowngirl I thought it was positive too but now I just don't know. I am going to try my hardest not to test early because I'm not sure if a negative result will mess with my head too much. He comes back in a week. He actually just messaged me off his work phone so I'm glad we can still communicate.
Yes I am still working, back on Monday. I guess it's a good distraction but I find myself staring off into space thinking about pregnancy stuff 🤣
@ExhaustedPigeon1988 Now I really do believe everyone is different! My EC recovery absolutely sucked!! 🤣 I ended up needing 8 days off. How many times have you done the EC?

@Lasagne30 Monday will be my 3rd EC... I get myself worked up so much every time. I've been really lucky with all my recoveries and have been back at work after 1-2 days, just hope this time will be the same.

@Lasagne30 you are a better person than me for holding out I just can’t help myself! They do say light bleeding isn’t a worry and to contact the clinic if it’s heavy and/or painful so 🤞 impossible not to over think when it’s your own body though isn’t it. Also can’t believe you had such a rough EC, I found the whole process so much better than I expected!

@ExhaustedPigeon1988 cant believe they use the lightest sedation! Do u know what it is? I have a vague memory of wincing a bit but can’t remember the actual pain if that makes sense. Also I am a nightmare patient so remember trying to tell them I would move across the bed myself instead of them doing it for me and in hindsight I absolutely was not capable bet they were like 🙄😂

@Btowngirl I really can't remember what it was, but it's rubbish! I just stepped straight out of the chair (not even done on a bed), they insisted on using a wheelchair, but I would have preferred to walk out tbh. I was out of the clinic within 30 mins last time.... trust me if there is a nightmare patient it's meeeee haha, I have to apologise to the staff all the time as Im a bloody challenge lol x

@ExhaustedPigeon1988 that is wildddd! I guess like you say, it’s good to be out of there quick but I do also feel like it’s mad some of these procedures with no/minimal sedation & pain relief. I would have liked minor sedation prior to ET tbh, although the actual procedure ended up being so fine. The 2 times I had IUI were horrible, but it was a different doc for the IVF so maybe that played a part 🤷‍♀️

@Btowngirl I want to say it was fentanyl, it was a mix of 2, times remember them discussing it during EC, but it was ages ago and I really can't remember exactly what it was. I do think a lot of it is who does it, I'm lucky I have my fav consultant Monday, I couldn't have faced EC with anyone else tbh. X

Hi all. The two week wait is always long but symptom checking in and of itself is stressful! I would probably be an early tester but not bother about symptoms, and many of them are same as when you’re about to start a period.

@ExhaustedPigeon1988 I also got positive 10 days post ovulation with my first pregnancy so it makes sense 5 days post 5 day transfer is about same time.

I am enjoying a day without injections. Had the trigger shot last night and EC tomorrow morning. The sedation was the best sleep I had last time, and insomnia has been bad last few weeks with all the meds so I am looking forward to that part.

@Faith2024 ahhh that sounds like bliss, enjoy today, your sleep for tomorrow and I look forward to hearing your egg count :) wishing you all the best x

AF finally arrived and I've had my baseline scan - 12 follicles on the right and 6 on the left. My left ovary is hard to scan, the nurse said it's tucked behind my uterus. She's hoping as it's stimulated it will become more clear and will hopefully see more follicles. Starting stims this evening. Am on Gonal F 225 then am adding in Fyremadel in 5 days time. Soo nervous to be injecting myself! DP said he'd do it but Fyremadel has to be done in the morning and he's not around.

Hi everyone I got my phone call today the egg didn't fertilise so I'm out for this cycle and I don't know what I'm gonna do next I just feel so down cos I can't understand why it didn't get passed fertilising stage as I could get pregnant and miscarry
Good luck to everyone with there egg collections and transfers hope ye all get all positive tests

Can I join? I'm doing PGT-A ICSI this month, I've just done day 2 of stims. I'm late 30s and have PCOS so I'm worried about poor-quality eggs. AMH 50+ but they didn't see that many follicles at baseline.

I've done 600 Gonal F today and tomorrow it goes to 300 every morning. I've been on Ganirelix every night already as I started just after I ovulated to fit in with the lab. I still can't believe I've given myself so many injections, I don't like it at all and freak out a bit each time!

I'm dreading EC as sedation and painkillers don't work typically on me.

@Cat191 I completely understand the feeling of never wanting to do this again, but when you're ready you will. I have done 5 rounds this is my 6th, and also 3rd EC- every single round has been completely different from the others.... it's horrible but the first couple of times are an experiment, now your clinic will no those drugs don't work for you they can either use higher doses or another protocol..... take some time for yourself, and when you are ready book a consultation- atleast you can discuss what your clinic recommends and then decide what's best for yourself. Sending love x

Sorry for the radio silence for a while, just caught up on all the messages and it’s mad how different our journeys all are.

@Sherr33 how are you getting on with the injections? Have you had scans yet?

@Lasagne30 how are you getting on with the wait? Are you working at the same time??

@waitingforourmiracle how are you and have you any updates with the freeze all round? What’s the next steps?

@Btowngirl have you been testing anymore? How many days are you now?

@Cat191 i am so sorry, it’s the new that you just don’t want to hear and it’s just so unfair. But as they say the first round is sometimes a bit of an experiment, a bloody painful and expensive one, but hopefully they have learnt from this cycle and will do all that they can for the next cycle if you go ahead. It’s just shit, I’m so sorry.

I had transfer yesterday, against all odds and I don’t know how, but all 3 eggs made it to day 5, even the nurses were shocked. So I got 1 put back in and 2 in the freezer. We have to do a Preg test on the 28th Feb, so 10 long days time. I’m on half term now and I won’t be going back into work until I know the result, so be going back on the 4th march I think. I definitely needed this time off working from home. My job is so full on it just would have been hell.

I hope everyone is ok and managing this horrible process as best as they can, looking forward to hearing the updates xx

@MotherOfShihTzus how are you doing? Did you test already today? If not, good luck!

@Cat191 so sorry to hear that. Some great advice from people much more experienced than me, hope you are feeling as ok as you can and have some time over the weekend ❤️

@Lasagne30 @camelinastorm hope you are doing ok post transfer (sorry if I’ve missed anyone else in 2ww?)

@Eljane34 thats amazing congratulations! Must be some piece of mind. How you doing post transfer? My clinic told me to test 12dp5dt which is tomorrow. I’ve tested every day since day 7 and all is well so far 🤞 I also tested the trigger day 4 which had a neg result. I am not sure how I’ll feel not testing after tomorrow I feel like it’s a bit of a crutch.

@Cat191 so sorry to hear that, it's such a rollercoaster and an expensive one at that, sending virtual hugs

@Btowngirl hi yes I'm doing great, a little too great no symptoms at all nothing, I caved and tested 4dpt (I know hopefully too early, but people on tiktok have had positives this early) unfortunately mine was negative I'm hoping it's just too early,, but with no symptoms I'm not holding out much hope

I'd be happy to do more and more rounds as it's been a pleasant experience (no side effects at all) but my bank balance is showing otherwise 😔
I personally feel they need to lower the price of treatments 😔

How are you getting on @Btowngirl

@Eljane34 congratulations on all three making it that's great news and shows you must have had some good quality eggs there . Hopefully you're feeling ok after transfer I'm 4 days past transfer

@camelinastorm so much easier said than done but try not to focus on the symptoms, if you hadn’t had ivf you would have no clue now probably! If it makes you feel any better I’ve had no spotting or anything, just cramp which I usually would pre AF! We were neg at 4 days too, so we decided to wait until 7 to test again. Sending positive vibes 🤞🤞

@Btowngirl I have had the mother of all head aches the last 2 days and I'm still spotting.
Sometimes it's heavier spotting, then will go away for the rest of the day and then lighter again the next day. So I've been spotting for 5 days now. I'm not sure it's supposed to last that long so I'm all up in my head about it.

So you've had positive test results since day 7 after transfer?
@camelinastorm You are 2 days behind me. So maybe expect a head ache soon? Haha
I am trying my hardest not to test but I think not knowing is stressing me out more, so might think about it tomorrow.