FET February 2024

[kirstysmbc]

Hi, just thought I'd see if there was anyone else doing a FET cycle in February that is looking for a cycle buddy?

I'm due to start meds at the end of this month, hopefully with transfer mid Feb. This will be my first donor embryo cycle after final attempts with my own eggs failed last year.

@kaydevo7777 oh no way I didn’t realise you were based in Canada. What’s the temperature at the moment?
I totally get the unecessary expense when everything costs so much money. If it’s not Chinese medicine, it’s supplements, healthy food, superfoods and bloody pomegranate juice! It soon adds up. Glad you’re managing to keep active amongst the house — for your mind if anything.
yeah I’m leaning towards DET too but I’m kinda scared too if they both fail, it’s £10k+ for a 2 cycle package, plus drugs, it’s just a lot isn’t it? I know in America and Canada though it’s a lot lot more. When is your OTD?

@girljulian thanks for the info. That defo helps as that was my biggest worry that they’d fight for space and for one another. We’ve asked for a cal with the embryology on Friday to discuss what she thinks and the quality of the remaining. Have you had a DET this time?

@seekingbabyk thats interesting on girls. Where did you find that from? That’s really interesting though. I’ll speak to embryology on that Friday. Thank you 🤍

@MaybeBabyTwo welcome and I’m so sorry for your 3 Failed FETs. I am 3 failed in too, with 1 of them being a missed miscarriage so I feel you 🤍do you mind me asking what your last 2 are?

@MaybeBabyTwo welcome! we are in a similar step in the process. I am 3dp5dt (or 2dp if you don't count the day of as 1). I transferred 2 and according to google i think mine are good quality, but I see a lot of people talking about level A and 4 rated embryos - mine are both 3bb - I don't know how seriously to take the grading system. Sending you support in this continued process you are in <3

We're with Oxford and they do a strange grading system which isn't the usual number-letter-letter thing - my daughter was an A, the first failed was an A-, two miscarriages were a C, this is a C, then two C-s in the freezer still. Apparently their system doesn't correlate at all to the system everyone else uses so that's great 😅

@kaydevo7777 yes we're on exactly the same day, I transfered Monday so day 2 not counting transfer day itself. I'll be testing on Sunday morning, OFT isn't until an absolutely ridiculous 13dp5dt but I've never waited that long!!

@GCS34 someone on here told me but I think it's quite widely reported - www.fertstert.org/article/S0015-0282(18)30809-4/fulltext

@kaydevo7777 I'm also leaning towards not testing - I'm quite enjoying blissful ignorance right now tbh!

@MaybeBabyTwo welcome and best of luck for a BFP for you! There are plenty of success stories with 'dodgy ones' so I wouldn't write them off just yet!

@MaybeBabyTwo im with nurture who are TFP too and I’m on the same grading system of A-C. And my 2 remaining are c too.

@GCS34 they just keep telling me that they only freeze things worth freezing and therefore they're all 'good enough'... but I can't do double embryo transfers because I have a uterine abnormality than means I can't risk twins, and they say they normally transfer C- in twos, so I think we'll leave those til a last ditch attempt!

@GCS34 I didn’t have two left, this is my last one, but I think I would have done DET this time if I’d had two!

@MaybeBabyTwo yeah they tell me that too. ‘Good quality embryos’ I think they just tell me that to make me feel better. I’m like mate… they’re C, they could be better let’s not beat around the bush. They’re just not bottom of the barrel F’s or something 😂 speaking with embryology might help me understand more and also get a gauge on SET or DET. Theirs a lot of evidence that grading means nothing anyway and a lot of doctors even say it means nothing and it’s just a beauty contest. They don’t know anything by the ‘look’ down a microscope on 10000 x zoom. But doesn’t help the stressing does it?
oh any my clinic is 13dp5dt test too. Must be TFP crappy policy.

Thanks for the link @seekingbabyk i will check it out now!!
sorry @girljulian i got mixed up. How you feeling on this round?

@GCS34 my doctor was very very clear that she basically thinks the grading is nonsense - that it's dependent on one embryologist's opinion etc. I know that this one was '100% alive and starting to expand' whatever that means. My doctor said they usually offer double transfers with C- embryos.

I don't ever wait til 13dp, it's ridiculous!!!

@MaybeBabyTwo hi and very sorry to hear about your previous losses 😥I hope this is the embaby that sticks and stays for you!

@GCS34 good luck for tomorrow's call. I still haven't spoken to my clinic but I'm drafting an email with all my questions that I'll send tomorrow when I notify them of the negative, and then they'd usually call me back.
So stressful thinking of stimming again and I hadn't even looked at the prices yet. But I'm leaning towards going to Spain or similar if we need to start from scratch - a fertility specialist I spoke to back home (which is none of those places😊) said that they're the most advanced with their approach to IVF, and I've been hearing that it's a lot more affordable, and I have a couple of friends who have done that and not found it too stressful. @kirstysmbc may be bombarding you with questions later down the line...
I had also read the same as @girljulian and @seekingbabyk shared. For those who are all into the stats and studies, there's this website (which also has a newsletter) that I spend wayyyyy too much time on: https://www.remembryo.com/

@kirstysmbc have you tested again? I hope it was good news 🤞🏼

Thinking of all you ladies in the tww and sending you the best of luck xxx

@beachbum85 oh you know me too well — already on remembryo but don’t pay so I’m limited to my 3 free articles a month or whatever it is. 😂🙈
who was it who said that Spain was more advanced with their methods etc for ivf? And probably one for @kirstysmbc but do you have to go overseas a lot or just for the transfer? How does it work if you’re a freeze all or stim monitoring etc?

thanks! So I spoke to the clinic today and booked in for my scan a week tomorrow — 1st March — which will be my scan to start (we have a random scan start for me as I have amenorhea and also anovulary so I have a really thin lining and never need an induced bleed), and then we’ll be starting the next day. So not long really. Any advice for diet / lifestyle to get optimum linings?! 😂🙈 how do you feel about speaking with the clinic and do you mind me asking what you’re asking them? I had loads of questions too and it helped writing them down.

@MaybeBabyTwo yeah exactly but it’s so hard not to worry isn’t it?! Even though the doctors even say it’s matter of opinion and ‘art’, still can’t help obsess can you? Are you 3dp5dt today? And yes I actually did wait till day 13 to test ok 1&2 but this last one I tested at 12. What’ll you do?

Hope everyone’s doing well and @kirstysmbc do let us know how that faint line is doing….!! 🤍🫣

@GCS34 haha no I don't pay either, but I feel like you can still get so much info on there... love Embryoman 😁
It was a relative of mine who's a fertility consultant back home that said so. Apparently they started mainstreaming assisted fertility a decade or so before everyone else and are a way ahead still - I didn't fact check that myself! From my friends, I understand that there are agreements between clinics here and there, so you can do some of the scans and stuff here and the more important stuff there, but surely @kirstysmbc would know more.
So glad they've booked you in so quickly! The stuff I've heard for optimum lining: Vit E, L-arginine, pomegranate juice, acupuncture, yoga or other light exercise, brazil nuts, possibly castor oil packs (not if bleeding, only before transfer). Not sure which are myth though! 😅
I feel OK about talking with the clinic really - i feel like I mourned this round early in the week and just want to get tomorrow over with! I think I'll ask them: if they're good with me trying another natural cycle since we got to transfer OK; what they consider the optimum time between transfers; if there are any additional tests they'd like to run before transfer, including progesterone bloods which they don't check with natural cycles; whether they think pain/discomfort can negatively impact the transfer and if there's anything they recommend for that (because this time was by far worse than I remember it being the other twice); just generally if they think there's anything I can do to improve my chances based on what they saw this round. Anything you think I should add to the list?

Sorry for the long message, again!

Sending love to everyone on here xxx

@MaybeBabyTwo Welcome, to the group. This is transfer number 5 for me, 1 amazing daughter, 2 miscarriages and 1 failed implantation. Really hope this is your lucky number 2.

@beachbum85 @GCS34 Thanks, did test again this morning and the line is a little darker, but not enough to stop my worrying. I def couldn't wait until OTD to test, but the stress of an early bfp is potentially even worse after 2 previous mcs. When I'm home I'll go and get bloods done privately, but for now I'll just stress a bit more.

In terms of overseas treatment, my experience will be a bit different from yours, mainly as I was doing donor fet, so no egg collection. I don't know how that works in terms of visits to the overseas clinic. I had to do all the pre treatment scans and bloods privately, and they tend to ask for way more than the UK clinics do. I know some people actually travel to Spain to do them as it works out so much cheaper. My clinic in Portugal don't have any links in the UK, so I've been using ultrasound direct and a local blood test centre. I think you would need to be there for a little while, prob for final scans, trigger, egg collection and transfer.

I know Spain have a great reputation and are cheaper compared to the UK, not an option for me as I wanted open id donors which they don't have. The Czech Republic is also highly rated and even cheaper still, but you have to be married to access treatment. Fingers crossed you don't need to find out 🤞🤞

@kirstysmbc our stats are the same! Congrats on the line, I completely understand the worrying though.

@GCS34 yes 3dp5dt today - unsurprisingly my test this morning was negative 😅😅

@MaybeBabyTwo - morning! I am 3dp5dt as of this morning and going quietly mad over the 2ww... gosh, it's tough times, isn't it?! I am symptom spotting in full force (which is impressive, as I have zero symptoms other than that stomachache feeling you get from progesterone). I can't help compare to my successful transfer in 2021, when I swear I felt implantation.

My OTD is Thursday, and I'm doing my best not to test until then. It's taking all my strength, eeeeeek!

@muddlingthrou it's so hard! I had no symptoms at all with my daughter, in fact I actually had a bleed and was so convinced that I was out that when I tested the next morning just to come to terms with it being over, I was so shocked! With both my 'successful' cycles since (both ended in miscarriage) I knew that I 'felt' pregnant on about day 6/7... but clearly I then lost both babies so I'm not convinced that was necessarily a positive sign!

4dp5dt this morning and negative.

BFN for me this morning girls 😢 OTD is Monday so I'll keep trying til then but pretty certain I'm out

So sorry @seekingbabyk! How many days since your transfer? xx

@seekingbabyk I’m so sorry my love. Be kind to yourself x

I'm sorry @seekingbabyk, I hope you can take some time to yourself this weekend to look after yourself.

Ohhhh @seekingbabyk that's so shitty, I'm really, really sorry! 😓Sending you lots of strength and love xxx

Oh no @seekingbabyk, sorry to hear it -- could still be a chance of late implantation?

Thanks everyone. I'm ok I have had quite a lot of period style cramps last couple of days so had a feeling. I only had CB tests so have ordered some FRER coming tomorrow. Yes @girljulian a very small chance but I'll keep on with the medication just in case. My OH seems to be taking it a bit worse than me. I think because I had a feeling so had a couple of days of being upset about it whilst he's been trying to be positive. There's nothing we can do about it either way so you just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other don't you x