BFP after IVF - anyone want to join me in the wait for first scan?

[HopefulllHolly]

Sensitive

Hi everyone,
I’ve just had our first cycle of IVF and although we had very slim odds of it working (low AMH, low AFC, male factor, which led to only 2 mature eggs which thankfully led to one perfect day 5 blast). We are absolutely amazed and over the moon that it worked despite everything, but I am really struggling with the wait for first scan. I almost feel with infertility (we TTC for 6/7 years) that it does make you anxious and I’m finding the wait to my first scan (6th June) unbearable. I don’t want to seem ungrateful but I really wish I could enjoy it or relax a little but instead I am worrying about miscarriage and things I can’t control. For me this has been the worst bit of IVF so far, and I’d love to just be able to be happy so I don’t look back (if it does work) and wish that I hadn’t been so anxious and scared.

Is anyone else in the same boat who wants to keep me company? 🥹 Or can provide some tips on how to distract myself and cope better? I know there’s nothing I can do to change the outcome and what will be will be, but I don’t think I’ve ever worried so much in my life.

Thank you 🙏

@hopefullsosbry sorry you are having such a tricky time of it. Definitely call them for an early scan if it will put your mind at ease! Sending a big hug to you! 😘💜

@HopefulllHolly that's fantastic news about your scan! So pleased that everything is still going well!! Such a cute scan picture! A little like a jelly baby!!! My 10 week scan yesterday definitely looks more baby like which is making all the more real.

@hopefullsosbry how frustrating you have to wait even longer!!! Really hope you get some answers soon.

Welcome to all the newbies too. Trying to catch up with all the new posts today.

I'm going to hop in here to say that I heard back from the doctor and my initial hcg is at a good level and he's happy with it, but as always, I have to take another test on Wed and I assume that they'll be looking for it doubling - not stressful at all! Then we can discuss potential reasons for my spotting. But I'll take this as a win for today and I'll go decompress as I've definitely reached peak levels of anxiety today. Thank you to everyone for your messages of reassurance and support.

Thank you @SETTC87 @DippyDuck19 @DogMummy87 and yep @Edf it’s so cool seeing it grow! I read the Bump every week anyway to see how big it is and what’s growing each week, it’s so amazing!

@ThePeachGoose Yay I’m glad you’ve had a good first reading and can relax now! Hope you have a restful evening ☺️

Oh my gosh I just watched this and am absolutely bawling my eyes out: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8mDGZaolOZ/?igsh=MWhnNzlsZjgxMnowZQ==

So beautifully put 😭

I love him but not seen that video! Thank you for sharing...had me sobbing too now 😭💕

@HopefulllHolly that’s so sad .. made me cry also !!! It’s a tough journey for sure. 🥺
@ThePeachGoose wonderful news for you .. you can relax a bit I guess knowing your starting number is ok ? Will still be stressful the wait for you, I hope it will go quick till you get your next beta, I am sure the spotting is just normal as it’s very common.but that doesn’t stop you worrying, 💖

@DogMummy87 @hopefullsosbry Sorry for the tears! I will cry at anything at the moment! It’s so lovely though I couldn’t not share. I could tell as soon as he started talking that it was about him. 😢 It’s just so well put for what we all have felt and feel.

Yes and nice to see from a man’s perspective, it’s usually the woman that gets the support and empathy from friends etc but then men feel it just as much, I know my fiancé would give his right arm to be a dad .. but the men feel like they have to be there to support us but they are hurting just as much as the woman I guess , thanks for sharing 🥰

Hi everyone - hope you don’t mind me jumping in, have been following this thread in the background! Got my first ever positive test last Thursday after two failed attempts (one from first IVF, one from FET). We just did a 2nd round of IVF and transferred a 5AA and have a 5AB in the freezer - am now 4+4.

I don’t have a scan now until 7 weeks - which really feels like ages away! Second guessing every symptom and twinge - getting very mild cramping that really feels like a period so it’s hard to stay sane. Counting down the days to some more reassurance 😖

@ThePeachGoose I'm so pleased your initial test level was good! Keeping everything crossed for Wednesday but hope it has helped ease some worries.

Welcome @CrossingMyFingers and congrats on your BFP! Do you have a date for your scan? I feel you on trying to keep sane, the wait does feel endless Xx

For those who have already had booking appointments, do you know whether your hospitals automatically class you as a high-risk pregnancy as it’s an IVF baby? And do you know if that means you will have consultant-led care in that case?

And have another question, has anyone else been getting crazy strong heart beats? For the past 10/12 days or so my heart feels like it’s beating so hard I can feel it through my whole upper body. I’ve googled it and increased heart rate can be normal in pregnancy but it’s starting to worry me a bit. I’m also soooo fatigued and get breathless just climbing the stairs (I used to run regularly before starting ivf). I’m going to try see my GP, but appointments can be hard to get as it’s one of those 8am phone races!

@AnnieStar12 my midwife didn't say I was high risk but because of being IVF I am "shared-care" between midwife and consultant. I will see a consultant at 16 weeks (instead of midwife) because I have a raised clotting risk (over 35, higher bmi and ivf pregnancy) which means I will probably need blood thinning injections from 28 weeks up until 6 weeks after birth.

@CrossingMyFingers congratulations on your bfp!!!

@oliviagrace2307 yep it’s 11th of July. Might as well be 2025 😂how far along are you?

@HopefulllHolly just watched that video too and am also bawling 😭

@AnnieStar12 just seen your second question. My HR has been high since my bfp. I usually range between 60-90. But since bfp I'm around 80-100. If I walk my HR is 130-140. I googled and found it's normal and possibly due to increased blood volume.

@CrossingMyFingers hahaha! Your comment about it might as well be next year really cracked me up. Very relatable! You’d think that after doing fertility treatment we’d all be experts in waiting, but I think it actually makes us worse. I feel like I’ve been pregnant forever already! Im not even 8 weeks, lol!

Can I ask, how are you measuring it? Do you wear one of those watches that measure your heartrate?

@AnnieStar12 I have an Apple Watch. My job is also patient facing in NHS so have access to blood pressure machine, oxygen probe which also measures heart rate. So if I don't feel right (I've had multiple episodes of low blood pressure) I just check myself over.

@hopefullsosbry I know it’s so lovely. My other half gets really watery eyed when he sees kids and babies and talks about it constantly. He’s going to be the best daddy.

@CrossingMyFingers Welcome! Congratulations! God yes the waiting is horrible at every stage. No one talks about this bit, but I don’t think many of us got our heads in the place that we expected it to work either. You’re in good company here ☺️ Sorry for initiating you with tears!!

@AnnieStar12 My resting heart rate has gone up by 10bpm since I fell pregnant, and also massively out of breath. I can often feel my heart pounding but it has calmed down a little now thankfully. I think it’s down to increased blood flow so your heart has to work harder. I’m going to mention the out of breath stuff to my midwife tomorrow and I’ll let you know. Mines gotten slightly better since stopping cyclogest so hopefully yours will too. It’s not fun though as both combined make you feel really anxious!

@CrossingMyFingers Haha 2025 I feel ya...Ooh that's the same week I'm having mine my scan is on 9th but I will close to 8 weeks. My scan should be next week but we are away as We planned a holiday to France thinking our first round of IVF would be so stressful and we may not get much positive news so need a break to take minds off things so grateful things turned out differently! Hoping it will take minds off just waiting for the scan! I'm 5+4 today!

@HopefulllHolly just watched that poem from Harry Baker and I've literally cried the same amount of tears I normally reserve for the films Steel Magnolias or The Notebook lol such a beautiful poem, it cuts deep! V talented guy! Thanks for sharing

@oliviagrace2307 Oh god I’ve set everyone off! I’m sorry! It is lovely though. I like it when you see things online that acknowledge that TTC isn’t always straightforward, as usually it’s just pregnancy announcements and mum spam. I am definitely not in the right frame of mind for steel magnolias or the notebook - I’d probably explode from crying too much. I cried at Mrs Doubtfire last night, I cried because my dog looked cute this afternoon - I’m very emotional 🤣🤣 It’s quite a funny pregnancy symptom when I’m usually never a crier at all!

@oliviagrace2307 oh you’re a week ahead of me, nice to have someone in a similar timeframe. France will be lovely and hopefully a perfect distraction!! I work from home and things are quiet at the moment so I am now the CEO and expert of pregnancy googling 🤦🏻‍♀️

Can I ask what kind of symptoms everyone had in the first few weeks? I’m on progesterone, so am a bit terrified it will mask anything bad… I’m bloated, a bit cranky / twingey, and definitely very tired (but it’s also really warm weather here so hard to tell what’s what!).

@AnnieStar12 totally agree - I said it to my husband yesterday that (all going well) this pregnancy will feel SO long given we’ve been TTC for 2 years. Feels like we should get some credit (months off!) for all the hard work so far 😂

@CrossingMyFingers That cracked me up CEO and expert of pregnancy googling 😂😂

I made a list of symptoms for fun from 3dpt until 5+3 and they basically are:
nightsweats (think progesterone though I’m still hot at night), frequent peeing, hungry all
the time (I woke up at 3am starving), nausea when hungry, insomnia (would wake up in the middle of the night and not be able to go back to sleep), tiredness, sore veiny boobs and bloated. They’ve all basically changed now though! I think it’s pretty common for them to change and come and go. Mine certainly have! (Also wouldn’t put much emphasis on symptoms - I have had melt down after melt down worrying before my scan as all my symptoms went but everything is ok so far!)