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?

Yea it is def harder when it’s a female issue I think cause on top of everything I feel so guilty for my partner. I mean I’m only 35 so it’s devastating to think that I don’t have any eggs.

Thank you so much. It’s for 8am in Dundalk again so up at 5:30 to leave at 6:30 the joys! i don’t know. Last time 1 of the follicles on the Monday was 18mm which is why we triggered and done collection Wednesday, I don’t know if this time if there is an option to keep going til Wednesday and have another scan and go for collection on the Friday. We will just have to see at the scan. Just so anxious.

I also have an interview at 1pm for a promotion in work so my head is all over the place. Don’t know how well the interview is going to go lol. Life sucks sometimes haha

Ahhh @Clairehbear that’s a lot for a Monday!! Just remember a job is just something that pays the bills. You’re the most important thing and need to be relaxing and just concentrating on keeping yourself stress free.

@Clairehbear Hope you managed to have a good sleep and the scan has gone okay this morning, despite the drive?
I really hope there's 1 or 2 more that are able to yield an egg. And best of luck for 1pm. It's understandable that you can't concentrate on that when you have this going on, but I sometimes find focusing my mind on something else helps the obsessional thoughts. I am in the final stages of buying a new house, so that is occupying my mind and I focus on that when I find my mind going.

I'm driving myself INSAIN this morning waiting for my day 5 update on what I have; I can't believe it's only 11:24am 😂

Hope you have a positive Monday all round and wishing you luck for this afternoon.

Hope your transfer went well this morning @CakePigeon30

@GCS34 sad news for me, neither of my eggs made it so transfer was cancelled. Was literally in car on way when they phoned. Follow up appointment 19th August

@CakePigeon30 oh I’m so sorry and sad to read this. You’re in my thoughts. How do you feel about going to the consultation next month? Be kind to yourself x

Hi @GCS34 the scan was pretty much the same. 1 follicle was 14/15 the other one was only 9 so just got word plan is to continue meds and go down for another scan on Wednesday in the hopes that we will have 2 usable follicles. So disappointing it to be expected! So just have to have everything crossed for Wednesday now.

Have you had any word yet on your update? Are you doing a freeze cycle?

I thought my interview went just ok and that I could have said more but I got a phone call on the way home telling me I had got it so at least that is positive so I’m hoping that sets my week up lol 😂 and hopefully the rest of the week is positive.

Awh @CakePigeon30 im so so sorry it’s a horrible call to get. Happened to me last time.

hope you are being kind to yourself and you take some time over the next few days to grieve and come to terms with it.

Hope you’re ok. Wishing you all the best

@CakePigeon30 Im so so sorry!! Actually angry for you. I hate this process and what it does to your life. Any idea what they’re going to talk about on the 19th?

@Clairehbear I'm really pleased they're cooking you a little longer and then hopefully with the extra 2 days, that will bring that 9mm over the 11m 'mature' threshold. I think they say 1-2mm per day, so I really hope it does. Had it grown much from Friday? Sending positive vibes - it's such an unsettling time.

That is fantastic news!!!! Awwww I'm so pleased, lets hope it's the positive start to a positive week ahead. Really pleased for you!

Sorry to just jump back in (I posted a week or two ago I think it was), but just wondering how many days most people did stims for? (On the short protocol). I'm due my period probably later this week and will be starting stims on day 2. For those with a higher AMH/AFC did you tend to respond faster and need fewer days of stims for example?

I'm nervous but excited to start soon! Wishing everyone the best of luck with their IVF journeys!

Just review my protocol and talk about what went wrong I think. They said they are booking in a multi disciplinary meeting to talk about it before then.

@CakePigeon30 is that to discuss internally? So sorry you didn’t get to transfer. Honestly my wishes thoughts and respect to you for being such a fighter.

Hi @strawberrylaces12 I had stims for 14 days round 1, and 11 days round 2 (this current round)

My AMH is 64 for context. But the drugs were totally different the second time hence better / faster response.

I hope that helps

That's really helpful thank you! I had a couple of medicated IUI rounds and even on gonal f 75IU really responded well (perhaps a bit too well!) and ovulated quite early (day 10 or 11 I think) so I'm hoping the 112.5IU ovaleap will be okay. I know I'll be due to start the injection to stop me ovulating from day 6, I just hope that I don't ovulate super early with the slightly higher dose😅

Also (again anxious thoughts!) does anyone know if it's possible/how likely it is to have a good number of follicles but none of them/very few of them contain eggs?

I was feeling fine earlier today as I was distracted but now feeling quite anxious and over thinking it all 🙈

Really sorry to read this. What a rollercoaster journey IVF is. I hope your next appointment goes okay and you can look after yourself in the meantime!

Yea hope so. I think on Friday it was 6/7 mm it’s growing slower than the other one so I hope it can catch up. Even if we can just get 2 mature eggs this time would be amazing! We only got 2 eggs last time but only 1 mature.

Thank you so much I’m on night duty atm so it will bring me off nights and onto days which will be so strange!! I just hope it is a good omen for the rest of the week. The injections are getting really brutal now and I’m sore.

@strawberrylaces12 it’s a hugely anxious time - it’s horrible. For what it’s worth, I don’t think comparing helps anxiety. I know even for me comparing one cycle to another has Just added more anxiety and every cycle, body, person is totally different. So what works for someone else hasn’t worked for me so I don’t really know on doses / wouldn’t like to comment. I think the fact you have the antagonist in an IVF cycle will almost definitely stop you ovulating, so hopefully that isn’t something you need to worry about.

I don’t know on empty follicles. I think we all have some — I certainly did on both mine.

Thank you. I think I'm probably carrying some anxiety from previous IUI attempts too. For example on my last cycle I had an LH peak one evening and by the next morning I'd already ovulated one of the follicles. So the fact there are 36 hours between trigger injection and egg collection also worries me that I may ovulate too early. I think my body just likes to do things at a fast pace sometimes 😂 anyway I'll just have to see how it goes!

How are things with you? 😊

Hi @strawberrylaces12 . I had stims for 12 days then took my trigger on day 12 and egg collection on day 14.

That's really helpful thank you! Did you respond pretty well to the medication? Were you on a high ish dose? Sorry please only answer those if you are happy to 😊

I was on 225 of meriofert and responded a bit too well as I was very bloated and at risk of ohss so then they had to change my trigger to buresilin. I’ve had to go on a frozen cycle because of the ohss risk. I have my next consultation on the 12th August to tell me more about my transfer. Hope this helps! X

@strawberrylaces12 absolutely and your so wanting to be pregnant like yesterday, that it’s just added stress, pressure and anxiety. I am exactly the same and was / am so anxious and scarred from last time throughout this round as I’ve had an unsuccessful previous round so it’s hard not to obsess. I had 3 x ovulation induction rounds prior to my 2 IVF so it’s a lot of weight for you / me / everyone to carry. Just Where you can, trust the doctors, keep off dr google (I am terrible for this!!!) and know that things like ovulating early is rare as you’re on the antagonist this time. And you take that with the trigger so you don’t ovulate before collection. Are you on ovaleap again?

im okay thanks just recovering from mild onset of OHSS. I’ve been pretty rough since egg collection and actually had to go in for a scan on Saturday to check my insides and ovaries aa I was not good. Hopefully on the way out of it now — elected for a freeze all as i wasn’t up to transferring today. But aside from that, all good and glad to be off the meds … for now until the FET prep starts😅

Thank you! It's so reassuring that other people feel this way too, even though I wish lots of calmness on you all of course! Yeah I think because this will be my first round of IVF I'm just very anxious of the unknown. I'm an anxious person anyway so this all feels like a lot. I think I have some counselling sessions included in this NHS funded cycle (recap: same sex couple that self funded 6 IUI rounds) so I'll try and make use of those if possible. I went to one during the final IUI cycle and just cried on the poor therapist for most of the hour (I was PMSing and pretty sure that attempt hadn't worked and I was right!).

Yeah I'll be on overleap for this first cycle, not been on it before. I was on gonal f for our last two IUI cycles which were medicated.

Oh blimey I hope you're as okay as you can be! Did you get many eggs then with the OHSS? Yeah sounds like a good decision so that you can be in the best position for the transfer. Was that advised or just given as an option? What was the egg collection like? Weirdly I had a dream last night where I was being sedated and they were starting the collection.

@strawberrylaces12 i had my collection on day 16 of my cycle. I panicked that I had ovulated early too as I had ovulated very quickly on iui but all was fine in the end! I think worrying all the eggs have ovulated early is a very common fear but it’s very rare on an antagonist cycle. I was on between 75 62 to 150 gonal f (it fluctuated). Good luck for your round!