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?

Thanks @Lucylaughing just a bit crampy hoping it will arrive tomorrow or I’ll be anxious for timings

virtual nurse discussion Wednesday then should be all ready for the weekend to start stims

Hi everyone,
I was hoping I may join in too for a bit of support and to help you all along your way too.

i am a little different to you all in that we had a successful ICSI pregnancy 2 years ago which resulted in a little girl and we are now trying for our second. I know this isn’t our first but I was hoping I still may be able to join in as I found the group was really comforting before.

we have 1 frozen 5 day embryo that we will be using all being well with the thaw. I’ve just had my nurse appointment and will have the zoladex implant popped in on Thursday, then waiting for period etc.

Hi @Steph2345 congrats on your daughter! Was that your first transfer?

good luck for your upcoming transfer. That’s great you have a frozen embryo to use. What does the zoladex implant do please? I haven’t heard of it before

Hi @Capybara95

yes she came from our first transfer. We had tried 3x IUI before trying IVF so we were in and out of the clinic for quite a few months.
I had 12 eggs retrieved, 8 good ones, 5 fertilised and 2 made it to day 5 so we used the better quality one first and now we have a middle quality one frozen.

i have a low egg count and my partner has poor motility.

the Zoladex is the down reg this time around. Previously I’ve used buserelin (my IUI was in the form of a nasal spray and I had it as daily injections for the IVF). The Zoladex will then dissolve over time once we are done with it.

@Steph2345 thats so lovely to hear of successful first transfers. I have just started my stims so love hearing positive outcomes. I don’t know too much about IUI but its success rate seems to be quite low unfortunately.

oh that sounds handier that you won’t have to take it every day then. Will you have to do any injections for your FET?

we are doing ICSI for MFI. My husband has Antisperm antibodies which attach to his sperm and stop fertilisation so I think the idea is that when they wash the sperm it gets rid of them but we’ll see how it goes.

Hi everyone!!
We’re both 35 and TTC for 3 years. Unexplained infertility.
I’m starting in March too, I’ve been on oestrogen priming last 10 days, I’m taking my last dose tonight and period should be due tomorrow. I didn’t respond well to stims on day 6 scan in February so cycle was abandoned with plan for down regulation this month.
all the best to everyone

@Lucylaughing thanks for your message. I feel a mix of emotions. Partly feel quite excited actually which I wasn’t expecting. But we’ve talked about this for a while so pleased to just be getting on with it.

@Steph2345 welcome! Great to hear you had first transfer success, great to hear it can happen as we all get ready to start. For me this is a secondary infertility issue, so this is isn’t my first either. Hoping I will be as lucky as you. Good luck getting ready for the FET.

@Capybara95 IUI has really low rates but I needed to give it a go for my own peace of mind.
And no, no injections this time for me. I’ll be taking Oestradiol tablets to thicken the lining of my womb rather than injections this time as I don’t need to stim my ovaries.

i never knew you could have antisperm antibodies! Have all of your tests for you been ok? That’s amazing that washing them will get rid of the antibodies and allow you to go ahead with ICSI. Fertility specialists blow my mind!

Hi @AnnieStar12 How are you feeling about your first assisted cycle? How old is your LO?

Hi @Drzoem I hope this time around the stims work better for you. Were your clinic able to offer explanation as to why you didn’t respond as planned? In the previous chat I was in there were a couple of ladies who hadn’t responded well before but did just fine in another cycle so I have everything crossed for you that you will get through exactly as you need to

Tbh they didn’t really say but asynchronous follicles essentially and I was told oestrogen priming solves the problem… so I’m really hoping and praying this won’t happen again. Thank you xx

@Steph2345 yeah I totally understand wanting to give it a go, I definitely would have too if it were an option for us. That’s good you just have to take tablets, hopefully you won’t get any side effects from them then.

we never knew they were a thing either! lol. I don’t think they’re usually tested on routine NHS SA but for some reason they did on my husband’s so we found out about them quickly thankfully. Yes all my tests came back fine so I’m hoping that means our chances are pretty good but really just seems like you never know what else could crop up until you start. Will be interesting to see how my eggs are growing at my scan during the week.

@Drzoem im so sorry to hear about your first try. Hopefully this one will be successful for you. Will you be on a higher dose this time?

@Capybara95 Thank you!! I was on 150 bemfola. I’ll be on 300 units this time. 🤞🏼

@Drzoem hopefully you will have a better outcome on the 300 then. Fingers crossed. I am currently on 150 gonal f

Did my first cetrotide this morning. What a faff compared to the preloaded pens! Especially having to do it in the morning.. but hopefully the first one will be the worst

@Capybara95 good luck starting today. I am new to this. What is cetrocide for? I don't have that on my meds list.

@Steph2345 I am feeling so many emotions - depends what time of day I swing between feeling sad that we have got to this point and pessimistic that nothing is going to work, and then other moments feel quite excited and positive. You say you have low egg count, but you got 12 retrieved - that's a good number if you have low reserves! Can I ask what your AFC or AMH was before you did that first round?
My AFC has been between 4 - 6 so I think we are looking at very very low numbers. We'll be lucky to get one embryo from that I think.

Anyone else been put on Rekovelle for their stims? That's what I'll be starting this week as long as they are happy with my baseline scan and the cyst has gone. once my period starts.

@AnnieStar12 cetrotide is used to stop ovulation so is usually added on around day 4 of stims I think. I have heard of other drugs being used for this too so you probably just have a different one, not sure why different ones are used!

I am the same I constantly go from being so negative about the whole thing to being really positive and excited. Think I will feel better once I have my first scan on Wednesday and hopefully get told that the injections are actually doing something!

@Capybara95 first one is out of the way! 🥳 how long will you be doing these for?

@AnnieStar12 my AMH was 5.4. I had to stim for more days (I think I did 10 extra days in the end) which was frustrating at the time because it felt so close and then a massive delay when I hoped to be getting my eggs retrieved 48 hours later. I did end up getting a lot more eggs that the team expected.

a delay could well happen to any of us and when you’re going through it it can feel like the worst thing because you’re mentally getting ready for the next bit but it happens to give you a better chance of success. It’s so hard to keep that in mind though.

@Steph2345 at the minute I think I will keep taking those until next Monday with potential collection scheduled for Wednesday but obviously that could all change! Fingers crossed I get to stick to the plan.

That must have been really frustrating having to stim for the extra days but sounds like it was worth it in the end!

@Capybara95 ah, okay. I just checked I'll be taking Ganirelix for that stage. Yeah, I think once I get started I will feel a bit better. Just feels like I'm at the bottom of a huge mountain right now looking up at the peak which seems so high and impossible to reach.

@Steph2345 thanks for sharing. Well it seems that extra 10 days was well worth it as you got your baby!! Good to know that may happen to me, best to prepared for all outcomes. Hoping I am as lucky as you :)

@AnnieStar12 yep I know exactly what you mean, I’m just hoping the next few weeks go in quick. At least you are almost there with starting, end of this week is it?

@Capybara95 period due on Wednesday and baseline scan on Thursday morning so all being well, I start on stim injections Thursday evening.

Hi everyone. Hope you don’t mind me joining in. IVF/ICSI to start on 8th March when period is due, However…. My 8th Feb period didn’t arrive. Was prescribed Provera from 17th Feb for 5 days to induce bleed. Had been spotting since day3 of taking it and still spotting today 5th day since taking last pill and still no full fresh flow. I’m worried my treatment will get postponed and concerned why I’ve not got my period-not pregnant. This is our first cycle with NHS with Care. I will be calling them today but just wondered has anyone experienced the same? Thanks.

Hi everyone ☺️
Bit slow to reply to reply as decided to give myself a break from reading about IVF constantly, actually managed to have a day without thinking about it which was nice.
Hows everyone doing? Welcome @Capybara95 @thirtyandmore and @Vparisi thanks for the advice, definitely hoping I have good quality eggs but age isn’t on my side (37) so I’m panicking about the unknowns. Guess I’ll find out soon if my insides are dust 😅
Well done @Rebekah77 on getting through the pills, I reckon that’s the bit that feels like a drag!
@AnnieStar12 fingers crossed that pesky cyst goes!
@Lavendermarshmallows those stats of
yours are such a good improvement! My other half’s swimmers are bad and he is going to have a second test in March as he’s stopped drinking and caffeine and I’ve got him on every supplement going, hoping they’ll be better than they were in November! He’s been good for the last 3 months so fingers crossed.
@Lucylaughing Yeah I feel the same. I would give anything to be the ones that don’t have to do 7 cycles to have a baby! I’d definitely run out of time 😔 other people get lucky on the first cycle so it could be us, we can stay as hopeful as humanly possible, whilst being realistic so we don’t break our own hearts.

Whats everyone’s schedules looking like? So I can try and remember where everyone is and wish you luck 🍀🤞

Been on pill for months had a nice respite so now I’m just like … is it coming 😅

mini fridge arrived now just waiting on meds ! Doctor opted not to even try gonal with me as can only access one ovary

try and ring the pharmacy later

hope everyone is having an ok Monday

Hi all,

Would love to join. I'll be starting my 2nd ICSI cycle this month when AF arrives. Hopefully 2nd week of March. Last cycle failed after a chemical unfortunately - we only had 2 embryos and we transferred them together.

Medication is arriving on Wednesday - I've got Menopur and Gonal F this time (previously the nice and easy Bemfola) as well as Fyremadel. Just want AF to arrive so I can get started!!

Xx

Hello lovelies!!!
cycle day 1 today…. All scans booked, starting injections tomorrow evening 🤞🏼
both excited and nervous 😬
having a scan on Wednesday just to make sure follicles not asynchronous again.