July BFPs after IVF

[lemonyfox]

Hello! I wondered if anybody else has recently tested positive after a transfer and would like to chat and pass the next few nerve wracking weeks with me? 😊

I had my FET on 27th June and my OTD was yesterday 🎉

I know there's other similar threads out there at the min with really lovey ladies on there, but they all seem to be 8-10 weeks ahead so I thought it might be nice to share a new one.

@Always28 I'm so sorry to hear you're going through this worry, especially when on a holiday with your DS. I would say try not to worry but I know you'll worry until you get that scan 🙈 I hope you get the appointment soon, please let us know how you get on xx

Oh gosh I'm sorry to the ladies who are having some bleeding, but echo previous posters please rest and look after yourselves - and keep us posted.

How is everyone doing? I e been absolutely floored by bad nausea and such extreme tiredness the past 2 weeks. The nausea is so bad and I never had this in my first pregnancy so its really knocked me.

I'm also not sleeping well at all, in fact I'm pretty sure it's the estrogen and progesterone because I've not slept well since transfer. It's hard to fall asleep and then stay asleep. Anyone else?

On the plus side I have my booking appointment for next Saturday when I'm 10 weeks! And we have another private scan this Sunday when I'll be 9+1 ❤️

Thanks @hja62 and @lemonyfox

The EPU called and offered me an appointment at 2pm tomorrow. Which I’m now really scared to go to, but it’s probably better to go and know what’s going on (although part of me wants to just not go). I still have a little bit of spotting on and off when I wipe but it’s pale brown and has almost gone. I don’t have any cramping now.

@lemonyfox sorry the nausea is so bad. Mine is bad too - I’m not being sick but I feel constantly sick, all day long, especially in the evenings. I can fall asleep fairly easily but then wake up a lot and sometimes can’t get back to sleep for an hour or two during the night which is exhausting. I too wondered if it’s the medication.

@lemonyfox Oh, In definitely the same with sleep. I was just saying the same thing to my husband today that I didn't have a proper sleep since the transfer. Every night, I wake up at 3ish and I can't go back to sleep for at least 2-3 hours. And I wake up not later than 6 am with no alarm. For me, it's the most difficult symptom as it makes me very tired and sleepy all day long.

The not being able to get back to sleep is so horrible isn’t it? I’m the same with the early wake up too. I’m sure the tiredness then makes my nausea worse!

@Always28 @GOL in a weird way I'm glad it's not just me from a solidarity standpoint 😂 but I'm sorry to hear you're also experiencing the weird sleep disruption. I was awake for about 2 hours in the early hours of this morning, exhausted but just not able to fall back asleep!

I've been told to stop meds completely at 12 weeks, is everyone else doing the same or been told different? I can't wait for 12 weeks, partially for the next milestone but also (mainly) can't wait to stop all these bum tablets and injections!! I want to sleep for a week!! 😂

@lemonyfox you're definitely in the thick of it! I felt awful from 7-9 weeks. I'm 11 weeks tomorrow and have really turned a corner! Still a tad nauseous, still a bit tired, but nowhere near as bad as the previous weeks! So the end is in sight...!! I've been told to stop all my meds next week, only one more week of injections!!

The other symptom I've been having (TMI) is loads and loads of watery discharge. I'm having to wear a panty liner every day as I've soaked through to my jeans a couple of times 🙈🙈 I don't remember it with my last pregnancy. Anyone else have same?? On Sunday I was making breakfast and suddenly felt a small gush, it soaked onto my PJs. I went to bathroom as I feared the worst. I wiped and all was clear, just discharge, but I did notice later when washing PJs the discharge had left a slight pinky/brown stain 😕😕 I'm trying not to worry too much about it as I have had absolutely zero bleeding before or since and no cramps etc. But no idea what it would have been.

@Always28 Yes, not being able to back to sleep is worst as it brings about all the anxieties, worries and negative thoughts for me. I can't just turn my brain off. Last night I ended up leaving the bed at 4:30ish and start to ready my pregnancy nutrition book :))
@lemonyfox Yesterday I attended my 7 week scan and was discharged by the IVF clinic. I was also told to stop both estrogen and progesterone at 12 weeks. I'm a little bot worried though as I know progesterone pessaries are being prescribed to most of complicated pregnancies, so I always find it assuring to use. And I don't think that our sleep would get better after stopping the meds as our body just takes over to produce them and the hormones will keep surging till the end...👀

I thought it was just me with the tiredness and nausea ! Totally floored by it. The nausea gets worse by evening and the smell of cooked food has me gagging, no actually vomiting which I'm grateful for. I have managed to fall asleep and stay asleep the last 3/4 night's, I've been doing meditation and reading an easy read book. Apart from the few nights I've woken up multiple times to pee and feeling cramps and nausea it's got better in the last few days.

I've been advised to stop progesterone pessaries and injections at week 9 (1.5 weeks to go !) And clexane at week 13. Grateful that the meds have got me here 🙏

I’ve been told to stop oestrogen at 10 weeks, progesterone at 12 weeks and clexane at 16 weeks. They’ve said to keep taking low dose aspirin right the way through the pregnancy.

@hja62 i have been getting more discharge than usual and it’s quite watery. Not as much as you’ve described but definitely more than usual. I don’t think that sounds like anything to worry about, even with the pink/brown tinge.

I had an appointment at the EPU today, and all was ok thank goodness. They couldn’t see a reason for the bleed, so it may have been from the cervix. The baby is measuring just one day behind now. So I can breathe for a while.

@Always28 I'm so so happy to hear that 💕💕 I hope you can breathe and enjoy the rest of your holiday with your little one now xx

@Always28 so glad that the EPU appointment was all good news, it's such a scary time when you have bleeding, must be horrible being away from home as well. I hope you can enjoy the rest of your trip with no more scares.

@lemonyfox sorry you're struggling with the tiredness and nausea, it's horrible isn't it. Sounds like quite a few of us in the same boat.

@hja62 I think my discharge has become more watery now, not quite as much as you describe but occasionally I can feel the dampness in my knickers from it (sorry for TMI!) Hopefully nothing to worry about and just the hormones doing their thing.

I am on progesterone til 12+6, the clinic did tell me there's huge variation between clinics though so not to worry if other people have different lengths of time on it.

I hope everyone is doing okay today! I had my booking appt yesterday, midwife seems nice and IVF isn't treated as consultant led in my area so no extra scans but hopefully also means I don't get hassle at the end either. The only thing I have flagged up as needing is the glucose test at 28wks because of PCOS. I'm really hoping I don't get GD and am going to be careful with my diet (once the nausea stops and I don't need carby snacks 24/7!), but I'm hoping because my BMI is in the healthy range it shouldn't be too much of a risk. Does anyone have any tips or reassurance on this please, as the thought of insulin injections is filling me with dread!

I've booked a scan at WTTW for 10+3 (on Thursday), really hoping little one is okay and we see a nice baby shape as our 7wk scan was quite blurry.

@hja62 If you want to be on top of your nutrition to prevent GD, I really suggest reading Real food for GD by Lily Nichols. I'm reading her other book, Real food for pregnancy after seeing that it was suggested in all forums and it's like an encyclopedia.

I was thinking glucose tolerance test is a common practice for everyone. That's a shame that it isn't.

I also have a few questions to everyone:
-Are you guys doing any kind of exercise? I was doing pilates reformer up until to my transfer but I'm scared of starting it again because of the bleeding that I had a couple of weeks back. I'm very inactive at the moment.
-Are most of people going for a private scan between their 7 weeks and 12 weeks ones? I haven't decided yet.
-And is anyone planning to do a private NIPT test before the NHS 12 weeks screening?? Xx

@GOL I think you meant to tag me there, but thank you so much for the recommendation for the book I'll get a copy and get up to speed!

GTT might be standard in some areas but I believe in others (such as mine) it's based on BMI or other risk factors like previous GD/PCOS/family history.

With swollen ovaries and also a sore SI joint, I've also been very inactive but I want to have a look for some first trimester yoga videos to ease me back in then do a pregnancy yoga class soon. Do they offer pilates for pregnancy classes?

We're doing a private scan at 10+3 but only so we can time telling family, some of whom are going away for over a month so won't be here when we'll have the 12 wk scan. I don't know what I'd think if we didn't have that reason, I read a very wise comment that said a scan only shows you that baby is fine at the exact time of the scan so it's more about learning to cope with uncertainty than relying on them for reassurance all the time. Whatever works for each person I guess!

I'm a bit confused about the benefit of the NIPT? We get it on the NHS if the screening comes back as not-low risk. And I believe you can have it done at any stage, so even if you don't qualify on NHS but still aren't happy with your screening outcome, you could just opt for NIPT privately after NHS scan anyway? Is it because the NHS screening isn't as accurate that everyone likes the more guaranteed reassurance of NIPT?

I think with me being 33 and no history of chromosome issues, we are comfortable with the reassurance of the NHS screening, but I'm not sure if I'm being a bit naive about it all!

I had borderline GD in my first pregnancy, but because of my BMI I didn't even do the glucose tolerance test they just went straight for a blood HbA1C test then I was doing 3x daily blood sugar readings. I controlled it entirely through diet, though it did become very obsessive and took over my life it felt like. I can imagine they'll do the same with me this time. It's also why they pushed for an induction for me first time too which was incredibly annoying, we settled on induction bang on 40 weeks. I'd really like to stand my ground and avoid induction with this pregnancy because I had a horrendous birth experience with my son with induction.

@GOL we've got a private scan this weekend when I'll be 9+1. We have two scans included in our IVF package, one at 9 weeks and one at 16 weeks.

I was debating whether or not to do the NIPT, mainly for reassurance and to find out the gender earlier. But we have no concerns over chromosomal issues so I'm finding it hard to justify the £300 price for it, given how much we've spent on IVF this year! In the end I've decided to just wait for the 12 week NHS scan.

@IWouldRatherBeOnHoliday also please don't worry about insulin injections, it's highly unlikely to get to that stage with GD. Metformin will typically be the first thing they'll try, and it works well 😊

Morning everyone

@Rosequartzz hope you’re ok. Has your spotting stopped now? Have been thinking of you.

@lemonyfox thats lovely that you have another scan - tomorrow?? Hope you get some nice images.

@IWouldRatherBeOnHoliday glad your booking appointment went well. I think you’ll see a huge difference on your scan at 10 weeks. I had a 10 week scan with my DS and it was amazing the difference from 7 weeks.

@GOL I’m not having any extra testing done - although I had PGTA testing so know that a euploid embryo was put back. But even so, I don’t think I would as I can’t justify the expense with how much we have already spent and are continuing to spend on meds etc.

I haven’t been doing any actual exercise, just trying to stay generally active! But I might start doing some pregnancy yoga. I’m wanting to stay fit, but be careful! Especially after the bleeding I had earlier this week.

I’m personally not going to book any additional scans - partly because of cost, and partly because I find them so nerve wracking and although they are reassuring, that reassurance doesn’t last long for me. But it is lovely to see the baby on the screen, and I can totally see the appeal of booking in extra ones. I also reserve the right to change my mind later 🤣.

Sorry if this is over sharing a bit, but I’m very anxious about the birth at the moment. Very long story but had a very traumatic experience with DS, and I ended up having life saving surgery when he was two weeks old. This time I will have a planned c section, but I have so much scarring from other surgeries, I’m just so frightened of something serious going wrong. It’s keeping me awake at night. I’m hoping that once I have my first consultant appointment, he can help us come up with a plan that sets my mind at rest a bit.

@Always28 gosh I'm sorry about your previous birth experience. Was it a natural turned emergency section? I've been told planned sections are completely different experiences, calm and little reason for it to go wrong. I wouldn't worry about the scarring either, the surgeons will be completely used to it. Ladies who have had multiple sections, women with endo surgeries etc. Fingers crossed your consultant can put your mind at ease too.

Does anybody have any strong gut instincts for what gender you're having? We have a boy already, and everyone who knows we're pregnant thinks we're having a girl. I had a really strong feeling with my son that he was a boy, but I don't really have any particular gut instinct this time!

Our embryo was a 5AA and I read that statistically they're 70% more likely to be a boy, so I think I'm just expecting it to go that way!

@IWouldRatherBeOnHoliday you may not need to take anything for GD my sister controlled it through diet her entire pregnancy

@always28 thanks for checking in, we got a same day appointment at EPU on thrusday and found to have a subchoronic haematoma, they could see it on screen leaving my body. It appears to be quite common for ivf pregnancies so nothing to worry about frankly.

I wouldn't worry too much about the scarring, i had a cut made where c section typically is for a flishie clip and I used the silicone scar sheets. My sis had emergency c-section and she also used the silicone scar sheets.

@lemonyfox good that you managed to control via diet, but I am sorry to hear that you got pushed into an induction and had a bad birth 😢 out of interest, was your son even a high weight at birth? Fingers crossed you avoid GD this time, or if it does happen I hope the doctors will be more receptive to you going with what's best for your own mind and body with the birth. Thanks for the reassurance re insulin - metformin I can definitely get on board with, and like you my first line of defence would be diet (although we were quite strict with diet before IVF round 2, so I know what you mean about it becoming a bit obsessive!)

@Always28 don't worry about oversharing at all, we're all here to chat through the hard stuff 🥰 I'm sorry you had such a bad experience with your first birth. This is my first baby so I don't have any personal experience, but like Lemony Fox my understanding is also that a planned c-section is very different to emergency and women tend to find them a nice experience. Maybe mention your worries to your midwife, it's very valid to have fears based on past experience and perhaps having a chat with a counsellor might help, as well as making sure you have plenty of time with the consultant to talk everything through 💓

@Rosequartzz really glad to hear your bleeding was just a haematoma, that was the same for me but very scary at the time! Hopefully you don't have anything more from it, but just to warn you I have had some light brown spotting on and off. I believe they can break down and go away, but the brown spotting is the result of that - I'm hoping that's what they will confirm at my 10wk scan anyway! Thanks also for the reassurance re GD controlling with diet, it's great to hear so many women manage it without drugs, I'm sure the thought of avoiding needles will motivate me to steer clear of the sugar and carbs!

@lemonyfox ooh we're also going with that 70% statistic as our embryo was 4AA! I have no 'feelings' yet, but DH would love a boy (although happy with either- he mainly says it to wind me up) and has given little one a 'boyish' nickname so we say 'he' all the time now 🙈 no plans to find out either so little one might be very confused on arrival!!

Where are people having extra scans? Our clinic only offer them up to 8+6, but I’d like to have one around 10 weeks. I’ve seen lots of people having bad experiences through places like WTTW (being told no baby etc & there is) although that does tend to be early so not sure if I’d be okay going at 10 weeks?