IVF/ICSI May or late April (Part 2)

[HopefulllHolly]

Starting a new thread for us!

@AnnieStar12
@2tuxedocats
@Clairehbear
@Cloclo93
@EvaA17
@Feelingmindful

@Ginie2024
@Gnatalie16
@Hollielouise
@PurpleRayne89
@Seasidegirll
@SS2022
@hopefullsosbry
@positivepetal

Cant remember which girls who have already got their result wanted to leave - so have added the majority just in case! ☺️

Hey everyone, hope I can (re)join. Just had my baseline scan, saw 7 follicles which is similar to what I had during the failed cycle in Jan. Slightly reassured as it hasn't gone further down massively.

We will have to make a decision later today whether to go ahead with the originally planned ICSI, or egg freezing first to be fertilized later after my DH's procedure, as it turned out my husband needed embolization to improve DNA fragmentation issue. Skipping this cycle and wait is not really an option as my ovarian reserve is low and ive already made plans at work for this cycle... Dr couldnt give suggestion one way or another and said it was a tough one, since it's not clear which would lead to better outcome on net basis considering potential loss of egg from thawing process vs potential improvement of his sperm

Hey @EggsFrozenNow of course! Sorry I only added people who were posting regularly and recently. 7 follicles is great, glad it’s not gone down. Annoying your doctor can’t give you advice on what’s best - what do you and your partner want to do?

Thanks @HopefulllHolly for starting this new one.

@PurpleRayne89 I’m so happy for you getting a day 5 blast. So exciting! I’m hoping I will be in the same position tomorrow morning. Let us know how the transfer goes?

@EggsFrozenNow sorry you’re having to make such a tough decision. 7 is a good starting point, I’ve never had that many at the baseline scan.

@HopefulllHolly No worries at all as I wasn't active for a while! Dr couldn't give guidance as it's really a tough one, no one can say for sure what would happen to my eggs after thawing, and if the embolization would improve my DH sperm quality significantly... We are still 50/50 at this stage...

DH DNA frag % is 33%, marginally above normal range, but % is healthy sperm is less than 50% which is considered significantly less than normal range. It's not for sure ICSI or enhanced ICSI could bypass this issue.

On one hand, I don't have that many eggs and I'm worried about wasting my eggs with suboptimal sperms, and money of course, especially considering our failed cycle in Jan where we couldnt get any viable embryo. But I am also worried about how the additional thawing could affect my eggs... But i'm probably leaning slightly more towards freezing my eggs first this cycle

Thank you @HopefulllHolly for setting this up.

For all those that have their transfers and EC today, sending you lots of luck!! I hope it goes well. 🤍🤞

I am feeling so bloated today, and crampy. Really hoping when I go in for my scan tomorrow they say I am ready for collection!! Really worried il get OHSS too.

@EggsFrozenNow that sounds like a tough decision, have the docs given any guidance at all as to what will give you a better outcome?

@AnnieStar12 Thank you! I had 3 follicles when I scanned in March, which left me devastated as it was half of what it was in Jan, so now that it's come back to 7 I'm definitely not going to waste this cycle and will at least freeze eggs for sure

@EvaA17 I feel Dr is leaning slightly more towards me going ahead with ICSI because my DH sperm stats are not that bad, but doesn't want to give a clear suggestion since anything could happen. Seems that it's literally throw of a dice

@EggsFrozenNow ignore me! Just seen your other response.

Sounds like a good plan you have there, going from 3 to 7 follicles in 2 months is good! Hopefully you can start soon and have those eggs frozen xx

Hi everyone, thanks @AnnieStar12 for the link to this thread. Just to introduce myself, I have a DW and a 2 y/o DD, and we're trying for a second. I had a round of IVF last year, three transfers in April, July and October, and none were successful. Two early losses, one never took. We had 4 embryos initially but the 4th didn't survive the thaw.

So now we're trying again with DW doing this round as we know she has successfully carried DD, hoping she might have more luck. We were told initially she had great stats and were hoping for lots of eggs and embryos, but she didn't respond quite as well as we hoped, so got 6 eggs at collection yesterday and heard this morning that 5 have been fertilised.

Fingers crossed for all of you in this rollercoaster too!

@EggsFrozenNow That’s a tough decision for sure. Surely the point of ICSI is half to select the best swimmers? We had it with ours as my partners nemo’s aren’t the best in terms of both motility and morphology, and the embryologist reassured that his parameters didn’t matter with ICSI.
I got my other half taking Impryl for quite a while and it did dramatically help his sperm, and I’ve heard it’s good for fragmentation. Not sure if you have the time to be trying new supplements though as you’d need atleast 70 days for it to get through to the sperm I think. I guess in this situstion
you are just going to have to go with your gut if the doctor can’t tell you either way.

Welcome @RunningOnHope! 5 is a great number. There’s a few girls on here who have just had or are having egg collection tomorrow on here so you’ll have some company waiting to find out about your embryos. Good luck! Will you get your next update at day 5?

@HopefulllHolly thank you for setting up the new thread xx

@RunningOnHope I'm having egg collection tomorrow morning so will be a day behind on the embryo progress! Keep us updated xx

@EvaA17 Hope you're not too uncomfortable - when is your next scan? I'm so desperate for egg collection to be done tomorrow and get past the OHSS fear as well. I had 24 follicles yesterday (18 over 12mm) and they didn't seem concerned about it at all and have booked my fresh transfer for Monday so fingers crossed. Everyone is so different I guess.

thanks for tagging me in the groups @HopefulllHolly

@EggsFrozenNow hi , sorry you are having such a tough decision, have they retested the sperm since the last test ? I have heard lifestyle changes can help boost the sperm so things may have changed ?? Sorry I am just curious as to what embolization is ? My DP also has simular numbers but we didn’t get anything other ICSI I’d recommend? We didn’t really get an explanation of what it means etc ? Hope you’re ok and can both decide what will be the best decision for you.

There is a lady here with me, she has EC on the same day. She’s 45, AMH 9. She got 7 eggs and 2 blasts in the end which is great. Just thought I’d share that.

I am still waiting for my transfer. Topping up on water. Please send positive thoughts 🧘🏻

@EggsFrozenNow it really does feel like everything is up in the air with IVF. It almost feels like it all just comes down to chance. It can always go either way, that's why it's just so much to process and decide on!

@Hollielouise I have my next scan tomorrow morning at 9am, I have everything crossed I can have the retrieval before the weekend, but let's see. I am just feeling really crampy and bloated, just feels uncomfortable to walk after I've sat for too long. I think coz I'm quite bloated, I felt the fyremedal more this morning, feeling a bit down today 😢 I just hope there's no OHSS so I can at least have a fresh transfer - if I get to that stage.
Fingers crossed for your collection tomorrow!! Hope it goes well, keep us posted.

Ahhh that gives me hope!

Good luck for your transfer!! Let us know how it goes 🤞

My bladder is not having a good time. 🕰️

@PurpleRayne89 Good luck!! Dont have too full a bladder! I barely needed a wee and she said it was perfect. I drank 500ml the half hour before going in.

Hi everyone,

I am new here so looking some advice in terms of prep for upcoming IVF ICSI we have in front of us.
My other half had a vasectomy reversal last year and I just had my AMH come back at 31. They did say I have a lot of follicles however I don’t have any symptoms of PCOS.
Anything you guys recommend in terms of lifestyle/vitamins? I’m currently taking folic acid, vitamin D and other half is takin CoQ10 and vitamin D.

its an exciting but nerve wrecking experience!!!

@Sineadttc Hey 👋 No I think you’re ok apart from you should be taking Coq10 too - my consultant recommended 600mg, it promotes egg health. I’d probably maybe say a fertility multivitamin too but if you have a good diet you shouldn’t need it really. I still took them even having a good diet though because I’m a worrier! ☺️
When do you start your stims and things?

@HopefulllHolly Thanks. They be checked and it wasn’t full enough, I’m not being plied with cups of water. 💧

@PurpleRayne89 argh! The bladder business is so horrible, not looking forward to that if I get my transfer tomorrow! Good lucking, rooting for your little embryo!

@PurpleRayne89 @AnnieStar12 they told me yesterday to come with "half full bladder"
I said to them what do you mean by that and she said 2 glasses of water 1 hr before?

Sorry I’ve been MIA as things have been hectic as I have my Mother in law over to stay!

from my egg collection, I had 15 eggs of which 11 fertilised via ICSI and 9 made it to day 5. Thankfully all of them were good quality so we were able to freeze.

My fresh cycle was cancelled so I have been told to wait 3 cycles before they will be willing to transfer.

@Sineadttc My AMH was 7.6 so I have been working on improving my egg quality for approx 2 years with acupuncture and for the last year have been working closely with a nutritionist who recommended the following for my fertility:

• Myo-inositol to support egg maturation
• Omega 3 to support egg quality, SHBG and also reduce inflammation
• Pregnancy multivitamins in a methylated form (I am a chemist but basically methylated forms are the forms found naturally and are therefore absorbed better)
• Pre and pro biotics and everything usually starts from the gut health

Hope this helps.

@PurpleRayne89 all the best for your EC .. hoping all will go well and you get lots of little eggs 🤞🏽🥰

Great news @PurpleRayne89 and good luck🤍