Starting IVF/ICSI March 2024

[AnnieStar12]

I'm planning to start my first round of ICSI with my next cycle - anyone else in the same boat and want some online company? Or anyone already been through this and got useful tips/advice?

Had my day 3 update this morning.
My one embryo is thankfully still going and is luckily high quality - 8 cells. Apparently my clinic just say high or low, rather than the number/letter grading.
Now just got the loooong wait until Monday. From what I’ve read only 40% make it from day 3 to day 5 so hoping I get lucky🤞🤞🤞🤞

@Beka245 good luck with your transfer today, let us know how it goes!

@Cathycatcat @2024forthewin good luck to you both if you’re getting Day 3 updates today.

@AnnieStar12 awwww amazing news! Go little bean! 🤞

@AnnieStar12 great news!!! Having everything crossed for you x

Good luck today @Beka245

Fantastic news @AnnieStar12

I've got the day 3 embryologist call and out of the 5 that fertilised:
1 at 4 cells, 2 at 5 cells and 2 at 8 cells. Not really sure what this means and if the lower numbers have little hope of progressing? Hoping for good news on day 5 🙏

Fab news @AnnieStar12 and @2024forthewin !!

Out of the 3 we had, 1 stopped growing and 2 are at 8 cells, so I’m booked in for Monday for a transfer. Fingers crossed at least one will make it🤞

@AnnieStar12 yay!! Go little emby! What positive news. Keep busy over the weekend lovely so it doesn’t drag too much. It’ll be a long one no matter what you do.

@2024forthewin woweee! Amazing! I bet you’re relieved.

@Cathycatcat yes!!! That is excellent

bring on Monday for you all, I’ve got everything crossed and sending you so much positivity xx

@Beka245 hope you’re feeling ok and ready for your transfer. Good luck lovely, let us know how you get on.

@Capybara95 how are you feeling?

xx

Back home from the transfer, all went well got 1 in the freezer and the embryolgist is going to give the other 4 a another day to see if any can catch up and are able to be frozen.
Now the 2 week wait begins! 😬
Hope everyone else is doing well ❤️

@AnnieStar12 @2024forthewin @Cathycatcat excellent news on your embryos! Hope they keep going strong until Monday for your transfers.

@Beka245 glad it went well, I bet the 2ww are going to feel like the longest weeks ever! But that also means only 2 weeks to get your BFP! I'll have my fingers crossed for you 🤞

I had my first scan today afterstarting my stims (today is day 8 of stims) and they've told me I'm being booked for EC on Monday morning so tonight is my trigger injection. I got really nervous because I was expecting 10 days of stims and then trigger. All those who have been trhough EC, how long have you been doing your injections for?
They told me I have 4 big size follicles , 3 medium and a few small which won't make them so I don't think I'll be getting a big number of eggs although I kind of expected it as my AMH was close to low level

@AnnieStar12 @Cathycatcat @2024forthewin great news for all of you!! Good luck for Monday!

@Steph2345 I’m feeling ok thanks! Have a bit of a headache today but could be totally unrelated! Just nervous for next week now and wish would hurry up! Have to started your stims yet?

@mlruirod I did stims for 11 days (trigger was on day 11) but everyone responds to them differently so I don’t think only needing 8 days would be a bad thing! Good luck for your transfer 7 could still be a really good number to get and sometimes the smaller ones do catch up

@Beka245 exciting you’re booked in for Monday! I did do 10 days of stims but my follicles took that long to get big enough. It was only on day 10 that they could even see enough to go ahead. Try not to worry, 8 days is also totally normal if you’re a good responder. Sounds like there’s plenty of follicles to look in for eggs, so hopefully you get a decent number.

@mlruirod I was scheduled for 8 days stims with a scan on day 9 to see if I needed further stims, which I did because I wasn’t responding as well as they’d hoped. Ended up doing 11 days in total. So 8 days should be totally normal and looks like you have a few follicles that are ready to go!

@Capybara95 i start tomorrow! 🥳 first scan booked for the 28th to see how my lining is reacting to the medication. I’ve got no idea when the transfer will be yet, I guess day 19 would be the normal implantation day so maybe April 4th, we will see.

@mlruirod thats great your EC is so soon!!

@mlruirod my stims were 12 days, I think once you have more than 2 follicles large enough, they arrange EC. Good luck x

Thank you for your replies, it makes me feel more relaxed 😌 I panicked a bit as I wasn't expecting it to happen so soon and also I felt if I had more stims maybe the medium and smaller follicles would grow more and would have more more chances of getting more eggs in the end, but I guess the bigger ones are very ready now to come out (they said they messured 17mm).

What clothes do you recommend me to take for EC day? They said to bring warm socks as it's cold there 😅

@mlruirod I wore some comfy joggers and a hoodie, I wanted something I could get changed into quickly and something comfortable for the car journey home.
Wishing you good luck for your egg collection! ❤️

My embryo survived until day 5, had a call to say its an early blastocyst so they’re not able to grade it.
Had my transfer and now the 2ww 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼

@Steph2345 that’s great you’re getting started today! Good luck for your injection! Getting the first one over is the worst part but once it’s done you’ll be fine!

@mlruirod I would recommend shoes that you can maybe just slide on and off as I found it really hard to bend to put shoes on after! And just loose sweatpants and a jumper. I wore a sports bra under my gown but a normal bra would be fine too. I also brought a dressing gown just to wear before and after I you needed to go to the bathroom or anything. Good luck!!

@Drzoem that’s great!! Sounds like you made the right decision on Friday then. Welcome to the 2ww!

I have a really bad headache today, almost like a pressure headache. It’s not too bad if I stay still but if I move too much or stand up it feels like my brain is knocking about in my head 😖 I assume this is from the progesterone!! Has anyone else experienced this?

No headaches for me @Capybara95 but I’d recommend increasing your water intake if you haven’t already.

I have been struggling with abdominal pain since EC. To the point I took a load of painkillers last night but couldn’t sleep with the pain. Standing up and then sleeping upright helped but I think I got 3 hours sleep.I Couldn’t speak with a dr last night but spoke to the nurse on call who thinks things still need to settle down, that the ovaries are inflamed, but if it continues this way I’d need to go to hospital for review. Has anyone else experienced pain 4/5 days post EC? I’m still v bloated too. Thinking this puts a fresh transfer tomorrow into question.

@2024forthewin thanks for the suggestion. I have been drinking quite a lot but will try to up it again and hopefully will help.

sorry to hear you’re still sore after your egg collection. I was still pretty delicate and swollen for 5/6 days after mine too but doesn’t sound as bad as yours. Sounds like you have over stimulated and letting your body settle and doing a FET might be the best option. I found that standing up helped too. It felt like everything had more room when standing up.

Yeah that’s how it feels @Capybara95 weirdly last night the pain peaked 2 hours after taking the progesterone gel so not sure if it’s linked. Bloated and sore boobs too. Not feeling as bad today thankfully, but feeling pretty gutted that fresh transfer might not happen. Even though consultant said FETs can be more successful

@2024forthewin I didn’t start my progesterone until after transfer so it could maybe be a bit of still be sore and swollen from the collection and then the progesterone adding to that too. Hopefully if you don’t feel as bad today you might be ok for the transfer by tomorrow? I’m not sure how they decide if it’s ok to go ahead with it or not!

@2024forthewin sorry you’ve been experiencing pain. I’ve felt some discomfort since EC, and if I move too quickly can feel a sharp pain, but it’s got better gradually over the last couple days. Fingers crossed you’re okay for tomorrow 🤞

@Drzoem congrats on getting to transfer day! How many have you transferred? Did your other embryos make it to freeze?

Im so nervous about tomorrow. My clinic will call in the morning to let me know if the embryo has survived and whether or not to come in for the transfer. It’s so intense having everything resting on one!