IVF/ICSI May or late April

[AnnieStar12]

Is anyone else gearing up to do IVF/ICSI in May?

My meds have arrived and I start my down regs next week to start a long protocol ICSI cycle, my egg collection will then be mid-May.

Had my first ICSI cycle in Feb which resulted in only 1 embryo which was transferred on day 5, but BFN. I found the support group on here super helpful with my last cycle, so wondering if anyone else is in a similar position?

@EggsFrozenNow welcome 👋

@HopefulllHolly I’m on the other thread too but feel a bit behind everyone. I know it’s very similar journeys but I haven’t come across anyone else ever doing IUI. Feeling a bit alone at the moment 😔 I start stims tomorrow though so not that far behind you. Have your clinic offered counselling? Totally get where you’re coming from, sending love ❤️

@HopefulllHolly hello, we were on the March thread together. So glad to hear you finally got started as I remember you kept being delayed before. Really hoping your scan goes well on Friday and you have lots of follicles growing. How are you finding the injections so far? Any side effects?
I am doing a long protocol this time and am still in the down regulation stage, but I am hoping to start stims on Friday as long as my period arrives by tomorrow, eek! If all goes well I'll be about a week or so behind you.

@2tuxedocats I did 3 rounds of IUI before moving to IVF. But I only took 5 day course of Letrozole with those rounds, rather than injections. One of them was successful but ended in miscarriage sadly. Good luck starting your stims tomorrow!

@Sierra26 hope your EC went well this morning xx

@2tuxedocats awww I’m sorry you feel alone. You’re not though! We all need a helping hand here. Hope the stims go well for you! I feel like it goes so quickly once you start them. Yeah my clinic have offered counselling but I am honestly fine, first day having a wobble and I think it’s mainly down to hormones plus getting closer to egg collection.

@AnnieStar12 ah hello! Thank you! Yeah took a while for us to get started mainly because of the clinic being too busy and the fact I couldn’t take the pill to get my cycle to when it would work with their dates because I get migraines. But anyway! All started now which is the main thing. How are you getting on? Hows down regulation been? Hope it’s been smooth sailing for you.

Not had any side effects at all for the stims, which makes me a little anxious, but then I haven’t got loads of eggs anyway so maybe the symptoms wouldn’t be as pronounced? I dunno! Either way I’ve been in a really good mood, had minor headaches on the first day, a bit tearful at really stupid things on TV (think married at first sight 🤣) and I’m usually not a crier at all! And today I’ve started getting little cramps a bit like I get around ovulation, and generally feel a bit achey in my uterus/ovaries. But it’s been no where near as bad as I had built it up to be in my head. I actually look forward to doing my injections every morning and night 🤣🤣

Thanks @Ashleighlouise I hope your first injection goes smoothly! I was told this time around that numbing with an ice pack for 5-10min before can help if you have any trouble. I must confess I don’t bother and just go ahead and stab myself but I have to inject for other non fertility medications so I may be a bit blasé ;-D

@HopefulllHolly I think we are the same schedule I’m day 7 of stims today too :-)

Today I had my day 7 scan to check for follicles after starting stims and currently only have 1 follicle which is disappointing. However, they said that when I had my first ivf round a few years ago I also had a low count for this day 7 scan… and that ultimately led to my son so I won’t be too anxious about the lack of follicles today. I will instead think positive thought for lots of follicles for my day 9 scan on Friday! Grow follicles grow!

@Ashleighlouise Hi there, I felt fine my first cycle, a bit tired and bloated but not nearly as bad as I imagined, results however were not good so we are trying to take it seriously this time (lifestyle, supplements, researching on clinic/drs etc.). This round the new Dr will put me on pergoveris instead of Menopur, which the Dr believed was better suited for someone like me with low AMH, also he will do a duo trigger for me, as well as a month of growth hormone priming before treatment.

I looked it up and it seems Ovaleap is also recombinant tech like Pergoveris

@2tuxedocats good luck with stims tmr!

@wishfulbean Yay cycle buddies! I’m glad I’ve got someone to do it with! 😊How many eggs did you get your previous cycle? Definitely good to stay positive! I’m not expecting big numbers because I have a low follicle count number so I’m managing my own expectations. I’m intrigued for Fridays scan to see what we have to work with. Quite strange my clinic don’t do scans before day 9! How many days of stims did you do last time? (Also whispering grow follicles grow!)

@HopefulllHolly I managed to get 8 eggs last time, 4 fertilised but only one developed enough to transfer. I’m not expecting to get as many eggs this time as my AMH is significantly lower - less than half what it was last time and it was lower than average then!

I’m not entirely sure why my clinic does a day 7 stim scan? Maybe to check the dosage is ok and not overstimulating??

I did 12 days of stims last time and expect to do at least that this time too!

Fingers crossed for your scan on Friday too!

@wishfulbean thank you!!! It went ok 🤣 I ended up not pressing the button for long enough so didn't end up getting the whole dosage so had to do it again with the rest! Learning curve for the next ones though! Definitely not as bad as I thought!!

@EggsFrozenNow that's good to hear! I think we fear the worst and thankfully never seems to be as bad! I'm on a low dosage of the Ovaleap as I had higher AMH so at risk of OHSS but hoping it works its magic 🤞🏼🙌🏻 that all sounds really promising that you have a new plan, fingers crossed it all goes well for you! I did first injection tonight and that seemed to go as well as it could have! Not as bad as I thought it would be haha

@HopefulllHolly Yes, luckily down reg has been pretty straight forward for me, no side effect really. On my last cycle I also didn't feel much from the stims similar to what you say, but my body was growing 5 follicles so something was happening in there I just couldn't feel it! I guess I should feel lucky that I don't get lots of side effect but in some ways having side effects can reassure you mentally that something is happening!

@wishfulbean hopefully there'll be more growing in there by tomorrow, but you're the hopeful example that it only takes one!

Seems a few of us are booked in for scans tomorrow!

@Sierra26 how was your EC yesterday? Hope you got a good batch and are now able to rest.

Hi all,
Joining this chat as I was on the other one for April but not started yet.
Waiting for my period to start due in the next couple of days.
I have had my protocol chat with the nurse and have all my meds ready to go! I am not looking forward to the needles but hearing it's actually not that bad I am feeling less anxious.
We have a little break booked next week (not on purpose) which I'm hoping will help to keep me chill and calm. My work have been really good too and have been told when I get back to just work from home until probably egg collection has all been done.

Hey @Gnatalie16 exciting that you have all the meds and ready to go! Fingers crossed your period starts soon and you can get going! I just did my first injections last night and honestly was not bad at all! Definitely feels worse in your head haha! What protocol are you doing?

A little break away will be amazing! Where are you going?

Glad work have been good to you, mine have as well and honestly it's made so much difference in how i am feeling stress wise!!

So I’m on meriofert to start along with inhixa as I have high blood pressure. Then I add in ganirelix on day 5. Zivafert is my trigger injection.
We are off to Lincolnshire which will be nice just for a change of scenery. we will have been together 18 years on the 5th May so it’s our yearly break away!
How are you feeling today after the 1st one?

I am on Ovaleap at the moment but i also add in Ganirelix on day 5 and my trigger shot is the same as yours too! Is this your first cycle/have you done any other fertility treatments?
That'll be lovely, even just a change of scenery will be good for you both! 😍

I feel ok.. i have a headache and feeling a little crampy? However i do have high AHM and high follicle count so i am wondering if it's normal to feel something so soon?? Or is it all in my head haha!

This is my first cycle so I have no idea what to expect. We started years ago on the NHS but we didn’t get anywhere then Covid happened and so did life so he we are! How about you?

First cycle for me too - i do have a daughter who was conceived naturally however had a ectopic pregnancy last year which ruptured so lost my right tube. We tried for a few months longer after and nothing was happening, so went and paid for a HyCosy test which confirmed the left tube was also fully blocked!

So we are here now - feels like a rollercoaster of a year but thankful for being able to start now! But like you have absolutely no idea on what to expect. Do you have a date for potential egg collection or anything?

Ah I’m sorry. We have never been pregnant nobody can tell us why either.

i think egg collection will be about 13th May at a guess x

@AnnieStar12 I’m sorry to hear the IUI ended in miscarriage. This is my third round of it and have been told if this round doesn’t work I might as well move to IVF.

I did my first injection this evening by myself as I was getting myself stressed waiting for my wife to come back. The ice pack worked a treat and I hardly felt a thing! Scans all booked in for next Wednesday and Friday.

Hope everyone had a positive day 😊

My period still hasn’t shown so I’m guessing that means my start day is going to be postponed and I won’t be able to start tomorrow after all :(
Am still going in for my baseline scan first thing in the morning and will see what they advise. But I’m already feeling totally bummed out about it.

@2tuxedocats well done on the first jab. The first is the worst!

@wishfulbean Good luck at the scan tomorrow! Let me know how you get on. I’m full of nerves tonight, so anxious!

@HopefulllHolly good luck to you too! Grow follicles, grow!

Good luck to others who have various scans/appointments tomorrow too ☺️

Feeling really gutted after our day 9 scan. I had a follicle count of 7 at baseline scans but I only have 4 follicles growing. One lead one that’s 12mm and the others are still 8mm. Feeling really upset. The poor nurse didn’t know what to do because I was crying so much. Carrying on with stims for a few more days and going back on Monday for another tearful scan no doubt. 🥺😭😢 really was hopeful but feel crushed now.

Sorry your scan wasn't as positive as you were hoping :( a few more days might make the difference so try and not lose all hope, as hard as it is not to dwell and think of the worst! Did the nurse say anything encouraging? Or just to wait and see what happens over the next few days and review at the next scan?
I have my first tracking scan on Monday and i am really worried that the meds haven't worked or i havent responded well to them.

@Ashleighlouise Thank you. I thought to myself this morning, if it doesn’t go well it’ll be ok, it’s quality not quantity but when it happened I just crumbled. I feel like a failure.

She didn’t say much, just to carry on with stims, that I’m still early in my cycle (which I thought I’m not really as some people do stims just for 9 days and then trigger), and that my uterus looks great at 8.5mm already. That’s the only bit of good news we got.

Im sure yours will go fine. I just haven’t responded well to drugs. I wish they’d put me on a higher dose from now but I guess maybe it’s too late to bother now.

Going to let myself cry today and then pull myself together and get on with it xx