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..

@Serendipity24 thank you, just a nervous wait until the scan, just hope it goes ok until then. Hope you're ok

@lemons44 thank you, yep this was my 3rd FET, 4 embryos in total as this one was a double. Hope your next cycle goes ok

@Sunflower360 ah I forgot you had a double! will they know at your scan if one or two has stuck? x

@lemons44 I would be surprised if it was twins, hcg is not really high enough for that. But the scan would confirm it. As I said though I really don't think that is the case!

@Sunflower360 That is a very good start😊Congrats! Slowly and steady now, I would be keen to get them to do another HCG test in 2 days to monitor. Hope it's all smooth sailing for you!

@lemons44 Thanks. I have been bitter about how I was treated. My colleague shared her news today and it's scary to listen to... she had a 14 week loss and they asked her to go home and wait it out! This was pre-covid.. and she is still mentally and emotionally traumatised by it. She had a rainbow baby so I'm hanging in there. I hope it's something you never have to go through. Good your symptoms have eased, my colleague said to me the pain/cramps we experienced during a miscarriage are similar to labour pains.. but only a fraction of it. So it's sad to feel I have had that feeling but without the joy afterwards..

I haven't booked a scan yet, I plan to do it later this week + HPT to confirm negative. Prague hasn't gave me a plan, they are waiting for a scan image. My Flo app says I ovulate in 4 days... it doesn't register a loss so I'm all over the place... imagining getting pregnant naturally after all that!

@blahblahetc they said they were happy with the levels at this point so decided not to retest (they were originally going to if it was lower). In all honesty I can see from the urine tests it was progressing it just looked fainter thanehat the blood results showed (kind of shows urine tests can only tell you so much), but I think with betas at some point you end up having to stop testing and if things are going to go pear shaped they will even with a decent HCG level as it'll just start dropping. The next milestone will be the scan if all goes ok to get to that point. If I don't get to that point I'll likely know as I'll start spotting or see signs of my period starting

@blahblahetc sounds like you've had an awful experience with that hospital, was it NHS? Is that where your other embryos are?

Hello all, I see now that we are on the last page of this thread soon it will come to an end. I just wanted to thank you all for your support, advice, and kindness during the last few weeks. It was lovely to get to share part of this journey with you. I wish the very best to those who were successful in getting pregnant, hope the rest of your journey is smooth 🍀. And to those of us still waiting for our time, hopefully will see some of you around next month. Thanks and love to you all ❤

I just wanted to echo @Serendipity24 's words and thank you all. As I've said before, this thread has been such a great handhold during a stressful period - thanks to all of you for sharing, advising, encouraging, comforting, and just being there. The more time I spend on here, the more I appreciate how difficult this all can get, and admire everyone's strength.

Congratulations @Sunflower360 and to everyone else who has found luck this month. I'm so happy for you and I hope all continues to go well!

Big hugs @lemons44 (I'm sorry I missed your previous message) and to everyone else who is still waiting, and struggling, on this terrible rollercoaster. I'll be keeping an eye out for all of you on the threads and I wish you the very best of luck next time round.

I also would like to thank you all for your support. I’m trying to tell myself that it’s out of my hands, just taking it each day. My miscarriage last year was so awful and drawn out that I’m terrified of going through it again, but there is nothing I can do. Except try go private and not to NHS -

Booked a scan for Saturday - will be 6 weeks + 5 so will see. Then get another at Care the week after for official diagnosis/confirmation for my clinic.

Hope everyone is okay. Positive vibes all x

@beachbum85 thank you!

Thanks all for the support, echo the sentiments and wish everyone the best for the onward journey!

@Sunflower360 Yes, well it's all different departments. My embryos are with CRM where the doctor works (in both NHS and private capacity); they did my HCG but said they can't do scans unless I did the transfer with them.

I also reached out to Tommy's clinic for scans but they turned me away and told me to go to my GP to get a referral to the EPU.. which was what I did after much challenges.

I dont think there is a private option for early pregnancy? I have asked my Aviva doctor but it always points me back to my GP..

Thank you everyone on here for the support, I echo the sentiments too and what a month it's been!

Good luck to all in this very difficult journey, and I'm sure we will chat again in the months to come!

This thread has been a great support to me so thank you all as well. I wish all of you with a BFP the best of luck 💗 and keeping my fingers crossed for us who are still trying.

I had my follow up consultation and tbh I feel quite disheartened, although not 100% sure why. He said the fact our blast didn't work is because it's like a flip of a coin with if it will work or not and that although it didn't take this is 'normal' aka nothing to worry about, however if our next one doesn't take its then classed as bad luck and they'd want more investigations. If the next one doesn't take he recommends doing another round and getting our blasts chromosome tested (PGTA I'm assuming). I guess I wasn't expecting this as I'm under 35 and although we have technically had 3 transfers now, only one was a day 5 blast the other transfers were day 3s and probably arrested soon after transfer due to our sperm quality issue at that time. So I suppose it's just taken me by surprise and I'm not sure id want to go down that root at this point in our journey.

Just having a down day I guess. Hope everyone else is doing ok xx

Hiya, how is everyone doing here? @blahblahetc @Serendipity24 hope you're both ok

I just had my 5rh failed transfer (3rd euploid) with one more round paid for. How is everyone else?

Hi @Sunflower360 i had a fet after my fresh transfer which was during this thread and both failed. We will be doing a 2nd FET in December/January but drs are convinced it’s just really bad luck that the first two didn’t take and no need to change any protocol which I’m not sure how I feel about. I am have an endo scratch prior to the transfer though. How are you getting on?

@kerrym87 sorry to hear about your failed transfers. Do you still have any left or when you said paid round is that egg collection again?

@Capybara95 yes, we paid for a 2 egg collection package as it worked out better and gave us a decent shot at it

@kerrym87 that is good you have already got it paid for. Do you know when you will be starting?

we are nhs so only get one full round but thankfully still have 4 frozen at this stage

I pm'ed you @Sunflower360 , not sure if you have seen it

Sorry to hear about your recent failures, @kerrym87 and @Capybara95

I'm on the same boat, two more transfers with total three embryos have failed since this thread. We don't have any embryos left. These were DE embryos so theoretically should have worked especially since apparently everything is okay with me. We are devastated.

@Serendipity24 I’m so sorry to hear that.

did you change anything in your protocol for your transfers? Our consultant doesn’t want to change anything as he thinks it will work and just bad luck but I’m a bit nervous about trying again without changes. Our embryos are untested so I think he just thinks they weren’t ones that would ever develop fully.

are you thinking of doing another collection?

@Capybara95 nothing was changed for the transfer following the April transfer. Clinic thought because we used DE, we didn't need anything additional/different. I also felt uneasy about not doing anything different. I think you should advocate for yourself if you are not happy with the protocol.

For the last one I had intrauterine HCG and used EmbryoGlue. It was a double transfer too.

We don't know yet whether we will go for a second donor, just taking some time off to think things through.

@kerrym87 sorry to hear the transfers haven't worked so far. Hopefully they could do more tests to investigate further, as they have been euploid transfers you've had. Early on I had miscarriage tests, although I only had 1 chemical at that point but I pushed for the tests still. Found out I had thyroid antibodies so was placed on prednislone during the transfers, so could be worth having more tests.

@Capybara95 I have to say I was in the same position in terms of limited tweaking of FETs and if this most recent one hadn't have stuck I would have wanted a review of the protocol. I did natural modified with a trigger shot with low dose prednislone and aspirin was introduced in the 2nd transfer, then 3rd transfer had a double and it stuck. In total I did 3 back to back FETs with the most recent being a double transfer so 4 embryos used overall (none were PGTA). So for my age (38 when I did the ECs) made sense stats wise as they say 1in4. What I would say I did was more my own tweaks; drank bone broth/pom juice/watermelon&beetroot juice everyday, did more walking, low carbs/high protein meals and added lactobacillus probiotics to my vitamin supplement mix each day. Not sure if any of this made any difference but I did find my lining was the best in the 3rd transfer where it stuck (was over 8mm, previously was 7mm). It's really hard to know!

@Serendipity24 sorry I haven't checked the PM, will look at that. Also sorry about your results. It's such an emotional roller coaster. Have to say I was starting to think about my long term plans with IVF during this 3rd transfer and had told myself I'd do 2 more ECs and thats it. Whether I would have felt differently after further treatment and wanted more ECs I don't know if that would have happened (I worked out I would be in my early 40s by that point), its a rabbit hole but you've got to do what works for you and there are women that have success into their 40s so its possible. Hope you find some resolution for next steps.

@Serendipity24 ah sorry I’ve just realised DE is donor I thought it was a double transfer. Good luck whatever you decide.

It’s not that I’m not happy with the protocol I don’t really know what else we could do so will probably go with one more before trying anything else. I might ask to add aspirin though as I haven’t had it before and I will be getting the scratch this time so I suppose that is a bit of a change. My clinic use embryo glue everytime and we are going to transfer 2 this time.

@Sunflower360 ah I didn’t realise you were currently pregnant, congratulations!! Love hearing the success stories

what was the test for thyroid antibodies please? I have only heard of these recently and am surprised because I have did so much research! We have transferred 2 so far but they are untested so maybe it is just bad luck. I was 28 when they were collected so I’m not sure what the stats should be for good ones.

@Sunflower360 I had all immune tests last july- everything normal. We have tried pred in past. I get given blood thinners in case of antiphospholipid syndrome and it works for any developing immune issues apparently. Not sure what else can be tried really

@Capybara95 thank you! It's a selection of immune blood tests and blood clotting tests. Most clinics will test for thyroid antibodies in those tests