BFP after IVF - the journey continues (part 2)

[HopefulllHolly]

SENSITIVE CONTENT

Continuation of previous thread for anyone with a BFP following IVF to support with anxieties and other worries that come along with pregnancy after infertility.

@AnnieStar12
@DippyDuck19
@DogMummy87
@Edf
@Fluffyted
@Leaf86
@LouP87
@Natty2
@SETTC87
@ThePeachGoose
@jas1996
@lemonyfox
@oliviagrace2307
@summerchild92

Please tag anyone else I’ve missed accidentally!

@Leaf86 lovely update, pleased everything is going ok so far and sounds like you a being well looked after.

@AnnieStar12 good luck tomorrow! Hope you get some sleep tonight! At least your scan is nice and early so not too much waiting in the morning!

@lemonyfox worrying when you have a bleed but glad your clinic was able to scan and all looking well. Heartbeat is a great milestone to reach!

I'm 15 weeks today. In quite a bit of discomfort and heaviness in my bladder. Going to speak to gp tomorrow to see if I have a UTI. Also had a weird "fizzing" sensation just under my belly button today. Wonder if that's baby? On a count down now til my next scan (next Tuesday). Still finding these waits between scans unbearable. Once I start feeling baby move hopefully can relax a bit more. Scans are the only thing giving me reassurance.

Thanks @AnnieStar12 ! Hope everything goes well with yours too - the next few hours will fly by (sleeping will help 😂).

Thanks @Natty2 13 weeks exactly, so measuring four days ahead.

Great news @lemonyfox so lovely you got to see the heartbeat.

Thanks everyone for some
reassurance 🥰

@lemonyfox sucks to get a bleed as I‘m sure it stressed you out, but so great you had a scan and saw a heartbeat. My first scan was too early to see a heartbeat, so that’s the main reason why I’m so anxious now. 😬🫣

@DippyDuck19 Yay for 15 weeks! For some reason I thought you were just 6 days ahead of me, have adjusted my little list of everyone’s dates for things 😂
Is it like a weird heavy pulling feeling? I’ve had that from the start and I think it’s just your uterus messing with it but definitely worth asking about! So exciting about your next scan - I bet baby is so different again! I think it’s the size of an avocado then. Then you’ll only have 4 more weeks and you’re halfway! That’s crazy!!

@AnnieStar12 Oh nice and early - not long to wait! Get a lovely early night in and then it’ll come around in no time.

@lemonyfox Awww so glad your little bean is all ok! I haven’t had bleeding but I think it’s much more common than maybe we are led to believe.

@summerchild92 Definitely totally normal! Annoyingly nothing to do but keep yourself as busy as humanly possible is the only way to get through it. The waiting for appointments and scans has definitely been the hardest thing for me throughout the whole of IVF and pregnancy. I don’t want to wish it away but I also just want to get to a safe zone. I am
definitely enjoying pregnancy a bit more now though! Hang in there ☺️

@HopefulllHolly they adjusted my dates at my 12 week scan so jumped ahead a little.
Yeah the pain is hard to describe. Agony yesterday to empty my bladder (after a quick google round ligament pain can happen when emptying a full bladder) but midwife wants me to check with GP.
Crazy how time is flying now until it's scan week when it drags!!! 😂 once scan confirms it's a boy am going to start sharing what we are having as everyone keeps asking.

@DippyDuck19 Oh definitely - if i don’t think about the next scan I can get through it easier. But hard not to think of them when you feel relief and excitement of them! I actually realised we’re away the week of my 16 week (thankfully midwife is the following week) so I’m just going to have to wait to have a scan at 17 weeks instead. But I’m sure I can manage it! Eeek so exciting being able to tell
everyone about your little man - I told friends yesterday as we had a spa day (obvs couldn’t go in half the things but was still lovely) and they were so giddy! Telling my partners dad this weekend too - although when we told him I was pregnant he just shouted “you’ve conceived” and that was it 🤣🤣🤣🤣 he’s very excited now though. Can’t wait to see your scan next week 😍😍

@HopefulllHolly if you're away that will make time fly. I am away for week 17 so having a scan before and then have a consultant appointment when I back at week 18. Then it's 2 weeks til my 20 week scan. So hoping these next couple of steps will fly by! Our immediate families know what we're having. DP told his and my family were jealous 😂 so it's just extended family, friends and colleagues I need to tell.

Are you going anywhere nice?

@DippyDuck19 Just have a week off so going to Brighton to see some friends and their little ones and do a tour of friends down that way (went to secondary school in the south). Looking forward to time off work but also it quite helps to keep my brain busy. Where are you off to again? I know you’ve told me already 😅😵‍💫 I honestly cannot withhold info at the moment!! I’m sure your time will fly by with appointments all spaced out and time away! Here’s hoping anyway.

Using my pregnancy pillow for the first time tonight to try and train myself to stop sleeping on my back. My dog is going absolutely bonkers for it though. Hope he calms down and isn’t like this with a baby 🫤

@HopefulllHolly that sounds like a nice little break! We are off to Cornwall for the week with my parents and dogs.

I bought myself a bbhugme been using for the past 2 weeks. Sleep has definitely improved but my left hip hurts from lying on it! I'm usually a front sleeper, I watched a video on YouTube and they tied it into a doughnut shape so you can lie on your front with bump in the middle of it! I might try it tonight 😂 did you get a bbhugme in the end??

@DippyDuck19 Oh yeah I do remember now - fingers crossed you have lovely weather! An excuse to test if baby boy like pasties! 😊 Yeah I got the bbhug me - it’s comfortable, I like it, might have to try the donut hack when I get bigger. All my sleeping positions I basically can’t do so im going to be a monster if I can’t work out sleeping on my side properly. I think I’m going to end up paying off on the pillows though- my dog likes to nibble on toys and things and he’s really wanting a taste of the pillow as he can hear all the little balls in it 🤣🤣

Good luck @AnnieStar12 thinking of you x

Scan was perfect!! Baby was standing on her head but we got to see her jump around. My hospital said they won’t change IVF due dates, but baby was measuring exactly as she should anyway.
Now just waiting for screening results which I should get later today 🤞 Due to my age it might come back high risk but at least that means I’ll get another NIPT via the NHS.

@AnnieStar12 Yayyyy I knew it would be ok. Sounds like an active little lady! Mine is a lazy girl. I keep panicking something is wrong with her because she doesn’t move much at all. Fingers crossed for the results later but I’m sure they’ll be ok, although I know you’re after another nipt 🤣

@AnnieStar12 amazing news! Congrats for getting through another milestone and hope it relieves some anxiety!! Enjoy the moment 🧡

@HopefulllHolly haha! Another nipT would give me more reassurance for sure. Was helpful talking to a doctor about the results we got, she said that there’s nothing to worry about with the FF being low, it’s just happens sometimes. But it can mean the results are a bit less reliable. Will see what this afternoons results say.

The doctor also reassured me that there’s no risk to having multiple scans, and said I can come in for extra scans if I’m worried. She was lovely and amazingly she was the doctor who delivered my last baby!! It’s a huge hospital in central London so chances of that happening were very small and she said she thought it was a good sign :)

And I’ve got my 20 week scan booked for September 20th. When is everyone else’s?

@AnnieStar12 Ah how lovely you had the same doctor! Definitely a sign! I’m sure everything is fine and after this you can relax a little more and enjoy your pregnancy.
My 20 week is 4th September- I can’t wait already! I’m off that week as my birthday is the 2nd so hopefully it’ll be a lovely week full of nice plans ☺️ Doesn’t feel horribly long away either really!

I just got my screening results through and they're very confusing, they are very low-risk, but quite borderline. I will ask mumsnet about it, haha! As I find people on here seem to know a lot about this stuff.

Also noticed in my results there is another due date based on the scan which puts me 2 days ahead, so I have two due dates on my file now! But I think they go with the IVF dates as it's only 2 days in it.

@AnnieStar12 What do you mean very low risk but borderline? 😂 Mine all came back low risk - so not even very low! I really wouldn’t worry!!

@HopefulllHolly Sorry, I didn't mean to say "very" low risk. It just says low-risk. Not sure how/why I added the 'very' part, lol!

In the the NHS they have a simple cut of at 1/150. So if your risk level comes back from the combined screening as 1/150 or any number lower than 150 then you are considered as High Risk and will have the extra tests. If your result comes back as 1/151 or any figure higher than 151 then you are considered low risk. So there's no mid-level risk, you're either high or low.

In my results I got two risk levels for T21 - the first one says my risk is 1/145 (which would put me at high risk) and then another one that says my risk "at term" is 1/207 (so low risk). And apparently the "at term" risk is the one they will work with, therefore they're classing me as low-risk.

My risk level for the T18 and T21 were all in the many thousands so not worried about those.

So you can see why it's confusing and not totally reassuring. The results also say feel free to contact us if you have questions but there's no contact details, grr! I've struggled to find any online. I've emailed a midwife enquiry line as that seems to be the only contact details I can find, but not sure they'll be able to help.

@AnnieStar12 glad your scan went ok but I see why your screening results are confusing. I don't know why they've broken it down like that if they only go by the term risk.

I found this on the government website:

"The cut-off is based on a chance at term, rather than a chance at the time of the screening test. The chance at the time of screening is not known because there is significant pregnancy loss between the time of screening and birth. This loss rate is not known"

@AnnieStar12 huge congrats 💕 what a lovely experience! I know it is easier said than done but I wouldn’t worry too much, esp if your nuchal fold measurement was “normal” I know age and ivf add points to the matrix they use to work this out and 1/207 is less that 0.5%, coupled with your private nipt it all sounds very positive.

@AnnieStar12 That is super confusing. Like the others said - age and IVF will often tip the scales in to a higher risk. I’d definitely feel at ease with your results though - like @Edf said, all taken together it’s a very low risk. I know easy for me to say don’t worry (because I worry too!) but I think you have every reason to relax a little and try and lower your anxiety around it. All of your results point to the fact your little girl is likely perfectly healthy. 🥰 super pleased for you!

Thanks all for your reassurance, it's really helpful. I also managed to speak to the screening midwife who was lovely and she said just what you found @DippyDuck19 that the figure they are concerned with is the at terms risk as sadly some women wont make it to term from 12 weeks. And she said the other number is the raw data from the algorithm.

So my risk factor is 1/207 which appreciate is a low risk result at 0.5% - the midwife shared details of a charity that helps women understand screening results which I'll check out. She said it's really about learning to live with risk levels. And if I'm not comfortable then I can always get another NIPT in a couple week when the fetal fraction will be higher. But there's probably better things to spend £300 on!!

I'll see how I get on, but for now I am happy the baby is alive and well and there are no alarm bells. I've not been able to get any work done today! Just sinking in that this is really happening now

@AnnieStar12 glad you managed to speak to someone. I think the fact the nhs screening is low risk and your NIPT is also low risk, I would take some reassurance from that. As hard as it may be. Everything is looking ok so far so try and enjoy it! I'm a worrier too and really trying my hardest to enjoy being pregnant and not think of all the bad stuff that can wrong (easier said than done right?)

@lemonyfox Woohoo! Congratulations on the heartbeat. That's a huge moment! Once you see your heartbeat your success rate shoots up a bit, and then a bit more every week yay! That's what I keep telling myself to calm myself down lol

@DippyDuck19 sorry to hear you're struggling with your bladder. Hope your GP check-in will be helpful!

Fantastic news @AnnieStar12 And hilarious to read that your baby was tumbling in there today. Definitely a good sign to stumble across the exact same doctor as last time. I'm learning a lot about NIPT and trisomy I assume? reading everyone's your posts but it's all going over my head. I need to look into it a bit more.

On my side, my IVF consultant has agreed to see me next week for a final scan, and I assume to discharge me from the clinic. And he said he agreed with the EPU's recommendation of 2 x Cylogest a day for weeks 12-16 and that it might even go up to 18. It depends on how my haematoma evolves. I think he may give me the prescription which would make my life so much easier than knocking at my GP's door and hoping they'll write it for me, which isn't always a given.

I've also checked my MyChart account and it looks like I've gone through antenatal care triage and my first obstetrician appointment (and scan I assume?) will be on 22 August, at my 12 + 4! Is this where they might do the trisomy thing? And should I be doing my NIPT test ahead, from week 10 onwards? I'm still wrapping my head around this. And if anyone is in London, who did you use for the NIPT and gender?

I think that they still need to book me in for my first appointment with the midwife, which needs to happen by the end of next week according to the info on the account, as I assume they have to do it before week 10. Things are definitely moving here!