IVF/ICSI June/July

[CakePigeon30]

Hi, couldn't see a thread for June yet so thought I would start one.

I'm on long protocol so actually starting down regulation on 28th May, egg collection not scheduled in until 8th July.

I am on NHS and this will be my first round. Was referred less than a year ago now and have managed to loose 2 and a half stone to get my BMI down.

Anyone else due to start around June?

@Toon49 welcome! Glad you can start soon! What meds are you on?

@SamVan i thought it wouldn’t be any different but didn’t realise how junior she was. I thought she was going to just observe if I’m honest. Oh well, I hope it helped her - first experience of pcos patient so that was a shock for her 😂 oh god yes that’s not fun! Does your clinic do bloods when you have scans. Or do you just have scans? What day of stims are you today and did you hear from the clinic on triggering?

im feeling okay still sore but think space is just getting limited. Also doesn’t help I’ve not been to the loo properly today (tmi sorry) so I feel like things are pressing on everything more. How are you aside from bloating? Do you have any discomfort / nerve feelings? Oh bless you! That’s a well random thought 😂 is your partner mixed race then? I don’t think your eggs are racist - I think you’re all good 😂 I have worries today that because I’ve got a load again, the quality is still gonna be rubbish.

@Toon49 wow that time has went quick glad you got sorted!

@GCS34 I'm on day 10 today and back in for another scan on Monday

@SamVan my egg collection on Wed, if all goes to plan, will be day 15

@CakePigeon30 oooo 1 day ahead of me! Plan is for me to be in for collection Wednesday too so fingers crossed. How are you feeling?

@GCS34 I am feeling bloated not going to lie, what about you?

@GCS34 I do bloods and scans what about you? I’m on day 12 of stims today. I will trigger tomorrow but they’ll call me tomorrow to let me know which trigger to use and the time.

have you been taking fiber? I’ve been taking optibac pregnancy which has friendly bacteria and fiber and I think it’s been helping keep me regular. Maybe you could try that? I think the drugs can cause constipation. My sonographer did say I was gassy today, little did she know I was desperately holding it in while she was scanning 😂

neither of us are mixed race but we are just different races. I was thinking no one in my lineage for like, ever has encountered another race of sperm so maybe my egg will just be like “wtf is this and what am I meant to do with it?!”

Does having more mean the quality will be bad? I thought it was just more chances for one to work? I can understand your concerns after your last experience though. I think we worry either way tbh this process just brings out the anxiety

Omg! I’m part of the constipation group now. I can’t remember the exact day I went. It was before egg collection on Wednesday. Maybe even it was Sunday/Monday. Suggestions please?

Also, if the clinic is ringing tomorrow I hope I don’t sit there looking at my phone all day. Ahhhh. Relaxation does not happen does it? Haha

@SamVan did bloods last time at every scan but haven’t done them this time. Oh that’s good that they’re ringing in the morning to let you know what time. Mine was at 11:30pm at night i was shattered! 😂 i hope you have an early collection Monday!

I have been taken fybogel as well as ducolease the odd day. But I’m not really going fully then I’ll go and be pretty ill with it (tmi again!) it is either one way or the other 🙈 hahaha I asked my nurse once if she could see poo when doing scans and she said yes. Which terrified me for not going to thr ‘loo’ before a scan since!!

oh I see sorry I just thought you meant mixed race. My bad. Where do you both originate from then? Or am I missing what you’re saying totally?

hmm the theory is out that higher numbers mean lower quality but I don’t know ins and outs. Generally pcos struggle more I think but I might just be reading too much crap on dr google in the middle of the night. 🫣 are you going to keep yourself busy this weekend?

@SlinkMcSlink oh bless you!! Well you can come join my club as I feel like a stinky seal atm - all bloated and bleh. Did they give any indication what time they’d ring? Maybe go for a walk to a) kill some time / distract you and b) get everything moving a bit more and hopefully help the bowel situation 😅🫣

@CakePigeon30 oh no!! When is your next scan? Or is that it now until collection? I’m feeling much the same as you. With pain too as everything is crowded now. Have you got many plans this weekend or largely resting up?

I was told higher numbers mean higher percentage of poor quality but can still mean better chance of good quality eggs overall. E.g you get 4 eggs all 4 might be good quality, you get 20 eggs 10 might be good quality. I think really it's all chance and high and low numbers can be good but my thought are if you get more eggs surely at least a few should be good!

I'm on meriofert this round a bit more complicated with mixing this time compared to bemfola which I had in march but all okay first injection! Just desperate for my first scan which isn't until next Friday!

@Toon49 I've hated mixing the meriofert - I'm on four of the little powder capsule things - but actually I'm much quicker at it then I was at the start.

@GCS34 have another scan on Monday where they will confirm egg collection Wednesday but they said that they were pretty much positive it would be then. When is your next scan?

@SlinkMcSlink is this your day 3 update? Good luck!

@CakePigeon30 i was the same - at the start it took me ages to mix and draw meriofert but now seems really easy altho the drawing up from one goal and putting in another only to draw it up again is repetitive! And I only have to do 2 never mind 4.

I am in Monday too where they’re hopefully gonna confirm trigger and collection weds too 🤞 what was your last count on Friday?

@Toon49 yeah think percentage wise it works out less quality but if you have high numbers then percentage will mean higher numbers but who knows. Put it this way, they say 1/3 of your eggs will make embryos, so 10 eggs roughly 3 embryos on average. But I had 40 last time and got 5 embryos, so 1/8 of my eggs. But my friend got 24 eggs and got 9 x grade A’s the jammy bugger! 😂 think a lot of it is luck as you say and diet based too. Better your diet and lifestyle, better the eggs. And yes meriofert is a bugger to mix but gets easier. What dose you on / # of vials?

@SlinkMcSlink hope your day 3 update comes soon! 🤞

@GCS34 oh why haven’t they done bloods this time? I know some clinics just go off scans - no bloods. Tbh I’m not sure what’s the point of all these bloods since they seem to base timing off follicle size anw.

yes my weekend is packed! What about yours? I was a bit worried making plans as I didn’t know how uncomfortable I would be. But aside from the constant gas and slight bloating I feel ok. I just my final fyremadel injection woohoo!!! I’ve broken out all my low rise jeans from 2008 so that it doesn’t rub against the injection sites. I knew hoarding them would come in useful one day.

@SlinkMcSlink Ive been taking optibac women to avoid constipation but once you have it the simple remedy is fruits and fiber digestive cubes. You can get them form holland and Barrett they are pretty natural (made of figs) and mild. I would start with half a cube then build up as you need it. Don’t go straight in with one whole cube as I did that once and almost pooped my pants on the tube.

@Toon49 i think basically they have no idea and it’s largely just luck! What day will Friday be for you?

@SamVan i asked yesterday and they said that they didn’t really tell them anything that the scans didn’t and it was to check estrogen level rise but they always just correlated with what the rises in size were on the scans and found that not many clinics did them so they stopped. What have you got on this weekend? Not much really this weekend. Moving house in 3 weeks so packing and going to go b&q today to look at slat wall panels and floor tiles - rockstars. Footy layer and going to ikea tomorrow - all the boring middle aged things. My SIL has a cute ass new puppy so gonna go play with that too.

haha I am just going for shorts and open shirt vibes. Embracing my festival wardrobe. Apart from it’s raining today so I look slightly mental in shorts but hey!

@CakePigeon30 I have had fybogel sachets to help which they recommend for pregnancy so they’re safe. They help me!

I officially started stims last night so glad to finally be started. But this bleed is like on steroids I’m in so much pain I can’t wait for the bled to be stopped.
I’m def feeling a lot more anxious this time and a lot more apprehensive. First scan next Friday at 8am which is a pain cause it’s like 1.5 hours away but sure hopefully it will all be worth it.
Hope everyone else is keeping well

@GCS34 I had 11 follicles on Friday, but just needed a few more days to grow a little more

@CakePigeon30 come on follicles!

@GCS34 sounds like a good weekend! Especially the puppy! Very optimistic with the sports though. It’s freezing where I am. I’ve just got an art class and some meals with friends planned but everything’s just back to back. It’s good to have the distraction though and I’m lucky I feel totally fine to go out and walk around. Tbh aside from the periods of panic when something doesn’t go to plan the ivf process doesn’t feel too hard on my body.

Yes definitely think mostly down to luck! I had 9 eggs and ended up with no embryos last time so hoping luck is on my side this time!
Friday will be day 7 I'm on 225 meriofert so 2 vials although they've also given me the 900unit multi dose I'm guessing because it's cheaper where you mix it then take out 225 units on the syringe from the made up vial every time which actually looks easier in a way!

Sounds like we're on the same timeline! Hopefully your bleed will stop soon so you're more comfortable at least!

So day 3 update. They told me 12 eggs on Thursday morning were fertilised but later than day this turned to 13 (not an unlucky number anymore for me)! The embryologist said that they would currently classify them as 7 good quality, 3 average quality and 3 reduced. I asked her to explain what ‘good’ meant in idiot’s terms. She said that it was to do with how many times they had split on day 3 and this would put them into a category. This could change completely when they ring me on Tuesday (day 6) for an update of how things have further progressed. So I’m not focusing in on the terminology as ‘good’ means nothing 100% anyway. A bit like in teacher terms that if you hear that a school has been graded outstanding according to Ofsted, I just laugh- means nothing!

Positive mindset here xx

@SamVan i meant watching it … the England game you muppet 😂 I certainly am NOT playing football. I’ve a) got no coordination and b) have grapefruit ovaries so it’s not for me 😅 lush on the art class. I used to be a graphic designer, slightly similar! Glad you’re being distracted and feeling good to carry on relatively normally. I’m all good today. Think the ducolease eased up some space and relieved some pain 😂

@CakePigeon30 oh excellent. That’s a nice haul. Fingers crossed you’re all cooked on Monday! Were they close yesterday?

@Clairehbear congrats on starting but sorry your period is coming at you with a vengeance. Just think, that could be the last one for 9 months!!

@Toon49 that sounds good with premixing then drawing up what you need. I’m only on 150iu of meriofert so have to do 2 x 75ius every time 🙄
were you on different drugs last time? So routing for a better result for you. Are you doing icsi or ivf?

@SlinkMcSlink ahhh that’s awesome. Bakers dozen - one for good luck 😉 7 good is really good. I had a bunch fertilise dodgy so thats really good. Are they keeping them going for 6 days then rather than 5? Are you doing freeze all? Fingers crossed they keep doing their thing nicely the next few days 🤍🤞

well done x

@GCS34 Thanks! They ring on day 6 because that’s when they’re in the freezer I guess. They let them develop the whole of day 5 to give them the time apparently. Bit like the late one on Thursday. Haha. Yes I’m doing a freeze. Just waiting on the withdrawal bleed and then hopefully can do it the following cycle. Wish I knew a date already!!
How come you’re on less meriofert? I can’t remember what you said. You must respond well.
Also, ‘muppet’ that’s one of my favourite terms of endearment. Ahahaha

@Toon49 you must be starting to get tired of waiting by now. So frustrated for you.

@SamVan definitely a good idea to keep busy.

In other news, I have finally had a poo! Yay!! Had some pineapple which seemed to do the trick.

I’m sat with the calendar trying to figure out what could be possible transfer dates depending on what happens next/when. Ridiculous I know!!

Yes different medications this time round and long protocol so hoping for a better result. Doing IVF no problems with my husband's sperm, all 9 fertilised last time they just didn't make it past a couple of days annoyingly so hoping my egg quality of better this time round!

@Toon49 ahh yeah me too just doing ivf as my husbands sperm is ‘above average’ he regularly tells me 🙄 what is it with men and their sperm. They’re so proud! Fingers crossed for you. Meriofert seems to be the one they give for quality so let’s hope for us all 🤍