Anyone else preparing for FET April 2024

[blahblahetc]

Hello, wondering if anyone is preparing for an FET in April?

This will be my 3rd transfer. 1st one implanted but early loss, second (euploid) and third (untested) did not implant. I'm waiting to do a hysteroscopy next week + an ERA following week prior to transfer in April.

We decided against testing this time, and are wondering whether or not to do a double transfer. Our embryos are AA/ABs so want to feel hopeful but fully aware of the possible failure(s) ahead of us..

@Sunflower360 yes first FET 😊 this is my third round of ICSI but first time we have any day 5 blasts to transfer due to extreme male factor. Very excited but also nervous.

Why are some of you using triggers? I thought that was just for getting the eggs? 🤔

I'm a bit nervous about my baseline scan tomorrow as I once had a cancelled ICSI round due to a cyst on my baseline scan. Do you know if they can just do a FET even if you have a cyst? Hopefully I don't have any but you never know.

Hi everyone!

I'm waiting for AF to start so I can start medication for my first FET, I will be on Elleste solo 2mg 3 times a day. I had my egg collection in Feb and had to do a freeze all due to risk of OHSS, turned out out of the 21 eggs collected only 1 day 5 blast grade 4CC could be frozen, gutted! But keep telling myself 1 is better than 0!

Any tips on preparing for FET? Sorry I haven't read the full thread!! X

Also I'm CD41, anyone else feel like they waited forever for AF??

Yay @lemons44 ! The countdown can officially
begin!

I have a scan booked in for 11th, then will
be told when to start progesterone. Unsure if I need to take a progesterone test (on scan day) again this time as not be told to…

Re. Cyst, what did the doctor say? Have they advised to get it removed?

Im also unfamiliar with the surge and trigger.. I’m assuming that is for a natural FET but unsure how it works?

@waitingforourmiracle vitamin C (and orgasms 😂) to induce period.

@lemons44 triggers are used for natural FET to push/ ensure ovulation once your lining/follicle is ready. The aim is still to get the lining ready. Doesn't tend to get used in a medicated cycle as the ovaries are asleep, from my understanding.

@waitingforourmiracle Hi! Prep wise I've just been using supplements, will stop CoQ10 today during the FET as I've read mixed things about it during pregnancy-if the FET doesn't work, I'll start them again (want to keep them going in case I need another EC). Other than that, I'm trying to stay calm, got reflexology- more so to help relax. Oh, and I've made up some watermelon/ginger/beetroot juice to have each morning from tomorrow as my transfer is Friday, will keep that up until OTD. I'm not sure if it actually works, but I'm going by this research...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10712821/#:~:text=Therefore%20our%20evidence%20suggests%20that,antioxidants%20bioavailability%20favoring%20embryo%20implantation.

Of course, if you have an abnormal embryo it wouldn't help regardless, and I haven't had the embryos PGTA'd, but may as well give it a shot in case it was a normal embryo

I need a bit of reassurance. I’ve been on progesterone pessaries since Saturday but yesterday and today I have more of it coming out than I did before. Do you think it’s just a case of product build up? It doesn’t happen straight away, maybe after 3 hours and it’s a paste not the whole pessary. Transfer is tomorrow so I think I’m just getting nervous

@Steph2345 Mine comes out all the time (even with the first morning pee) and I just assumed it's normal. Could you get a progesterone blood test done?

Also, how much are you on? I'll be on 400mg 3 times a day.

@Steph2345 what pessaries are you taking? If Cyclogest you can take that through the back way and it stays in much better. Also as @blahblahetc suggested a Progesterone test could be worth doing moreso for peace of mind

@Steph2345 I think pessaries are made in such a way so that you will get your dose even though some of it will come out. Can you take it at a time so that you can lie down for about an hour after taking it? I used to get up early, put it in and go back to sleep in the morning. At night I would take it when I went to sleep. It still leaked, but less. Good luck with the transfer tomorrow 🍀

@Serendipity24 thanks! Yeh I take the evening one as I get into bed and my morning one about 20 mins before I have to get up

@Sunflower360 Thanks. We didn’t have this embryo tested. Did you test yours? I try to think ahead but don’t want to give up hope on this one just yet. You social commitments might not be a bad thing, I think s break is needed after a failed round. Hopefully the current one will work for you though.

@lemons44 We actually went to the clinic last summer to use our last embryo but they found polyps on my womb lining so had to get those removed. Last weeks scan showed a potential one but on the cervix not lining, very small but consultant was happy to go ahead, and I had transfer last Thursday. I think it depends where the cervix/pulpy/fibroid is and how big it is. I thought my transfer wouldn’t go ahead this time but it did,

@Steph2345 The pessaries are a nightmare, mine always fall out of I move about too quickly, re tally is much easier and less messy. Like @Serendipity24 said about you getting your dose is right, I find bits of mine throughout the day. My understanding is your body absorbs what it needs pretty quickly. Might be a good idea to get the blood test like others have suggested if you’re worried.

@charliegirl77 no haven't had our embryos tested so could be putting an abnormal one in for all we know! Suppose will find out sooner or later! How is your tww?

@Sunflower360 I thought the testing was a pretty new thing. We have never been offered to test ours til this round. I’m not sure if it was previously offered more in specific circumstances. Our thoughts are to just go with it, naively maybe.

For context I have a 13 year old son from a previous relationship. He was born at 32 week due to me having pre-eclampsia, he has cerebral palsy and epilepsy, so I think things happen no matter what. As in his problems were related to birth. Unless testing is something I really wanted or think would help I just wouldn’t. I have a 3 year old daughter too.( I always feel incredibly lucky and a bit awkward on these threads) as this final embryo we just couldn’t not use. I will be gutted if it doesn’t work and have thoughts of going abroad, but I’m think it maybe fate saying our family is complete. I love the thought of them having a little team around them (providing they all get along as siblings as they get older)

Hey all this may seem a silly question but I’m not actually sure if I’m doing a medicated or natural FET… I’m taking progynova for 12 days from day 1, then when lining is right I then add progesterone and cyclogest in in prep for transfer. Is this partially medicated or fully? I wasn’t sure if this is considered “down regulating”? I am also worried that I am going to ovulate before my scan on Monday, I am due to ovulate on Tuesday, and I am having EWCM at the moment. I have told me clinic but they said that the progynova should stop ovulating but they can also double checked I haven’t ovulated at the scan… now I’m confused, as it’s unclear whether you can still ovulate whilst taking the progynova?!

who is currently on their 2WW at the moment? X

Hi @Eljane34 since you are taking Progynova from Day 1, you are definitely not doing a natural cycle. It's medicated. From what I understand Progynova inhibits follicular growth, so ovulation can be prevented but it is not guaranteed and ovulation can happen in a small number of cases (around 5% according to Google). In order to definitely stop ovulation sometimes Prostap injection is given before the cycle starts. It was the case in my last cycle, it was a fresh DE cycle and in order to synchronize my and donor's cycle I was given Prostap in the cycle prior. Once the cycle began I started with Progynova.

Having said that, I still had EWCM and was worried that I was about to ovulate before the transfer. My clinic assured me that it's normal to have EWCM because of the estrogen (Progynova) I was taking. So I would say don't worry, it's probably just the Progynova working.

@Serendipity24 @Eljane34 this may seem a silly thing to ask but is it bad if you ovulate whilst doing a FET then?

@Steph2345 like others I also found rectally better for pessaries when I have my fresh cycles (if your pessaries allow this) as it's much easier to forget about them once inserted. I also find vaginally can cause me irritation.

Just heading to my baseline scan now. Hoping all looks fine and I have no cysts. The one I had before collapsed in on itself so disappeared but I am prone to getting them after a fresh cycle as a few times my follicles have turned into cysts after egg collection x

@lemons44 Ovulation is necessary in a natural cycle FET. I honestly don't know what happens if you ovulate in a medicated cycle. I have been reading online but haven't found any clear answers. Apparently it reduces your chances of success but why I am yet to find out.

On my way back from the clinic and gutted. On the scan they saw that I have a few cysts so they have taken my bloods. If the cysts are producing hormones they will cancel my FET.

This happened before my last ICSI cycle I had a cyst and they did a blood test and it was producing hormones so they said it would impact my stims. I had to take meds for a month so it collapsed and then start stims a month later than planned.

Just will be so annoyed if this FET gets cancelled 😩😢 I don't know anyone else that gets these stupid cysts

Clinic will ring this afternoon with blood results so I'll know then

@Eljane34 I’m in my tww. It feels like forever. I test on Monday.

@Sunflower360 my tww feels so long, you forget how long. I naturally symptom spot, it’s probably pointless and unhelpful though. I’ve never been one to test early. I know some do. Sometimes I’d like to just test and know, although only 7dp5dt today, so not sure if I’d see anything anyway.

@lemons44 really sorry about your scan, have you considered doing natural FET if the cysts did delay things? Perhaps the meds are impacting your hormones? I got a polyp through back to back ECs so have stuck with natual FET for now. Regarding your ovulation question, I think that is monitored because you need to start Progesterone in line with when you ovulate to try and synchronise the body to be ready to accept the embryo

@lemons44 so sorry they found cysts. Hopefully they are not producing hormones. I agree with @Sunflower360 perhaps you can explore natural cycle in the future if this indeed gets cancelled.

@lemons44

i was just about to say good luck for your scan and saw your update.

I had a similar issue with polyps on the lining last year, had to have them removed then the scan before transfer this time they said I had a potential one and they had a meeting. They were happy to go ahead as they were not sure what it was, it wasn’t in the way and this time It was on my cervix not lining. Last time consultant said no way as on the lining and they resembled a polypod structure. My transfer went ahead a week ago.

where are your cysts? Hope it disappears for you, so frustrating.

@lemons44 i thought of doing a natural cycle if this cycle got cancelled due to them. Randomly I’ve had a previous FET 3 years ago and I had no polyps, nothing. Go figure. The natural FET others have suggested sounds a good plan. The nurse in my clinic said for some women they are a real pain and only noticed as we are scanned so often.

Thanks all I'm literally just on the train home crying (and probably looking like an emotionally unstable woman) using a flipping Pret serviette as a tissue. 😭😭

I'm just going to be gutted because I did so much in the prep cycle like a scratch and then took provera for 3 weeks and waited 2 weeks for my period to finally arrive, also had to travel all the way to the clinic on a Sunday (takes me 1.5 hours on a good day) just to have stupid prostap injection in my bum. Not to mention the no alcohol, no caffeine etc. so much effort. So much waiting.

I think I'm just feeling hormonal and sorry for myself. Going to eat loads of pasta when I get home because why f*cking not, I feel hormonal and sad, followed by a whole Easter egg.

Not considered a natural FET before i will look into it. Im prone to thin lining so I wonder if that's why my clinic put me on the medicated cycle.

Just trying to be positive that we have TWO BLASTS. After the first 2 ICSI cycles where we got 0 blasts I just need to focus on the bigger picture. I began to question if we'd ever get any blasts so just need to be happy we have two and do what's best for them.

Sorry for the rambling I think I just needed to let it out a bit.

IVF SUCKS.