Anyone doing FET/IVF in November 2024?✨

[MrsBP15]

Hello MN

I started a thread for ivf in September but ended up having a freeze all cycle and lots of people on said thread have moved on to BFPs etc. Due to have FET at the start of November so hoping to chat to others in a similar situ ☺️

Bit about me: first ever round, been trying for 2 years, have blocked tubes and have 14 embryos in the freezer thanks to successful egg collection in September.

Sending baby dust and good vibes to one and all!!✨✨✨

Hi @Confusedddddddd thanks for that 😊 I'm taking proceive max and omega 3. I was taking wheatgrass too for a while as I needed to reduce my fsh but haven't had that in a while.
It's funny you say that with the acupuncture - I haven't had it for a couple of weeks now as I also wasn't sure it was actually doing anything. But I'm restarting as I think my body may have gotten used to it so don't want to stop when we're just about to go ahead with ivf. I've also seen my fsh go from just above 9 to now around 4. Obviously I'm not sure what's contributed to that tho. I'm going to plan some high protein meals for the next few weeks. Did you have any advice about dairy at all?

I'm really confused which thread is for which timeline now! We seem to have two for people starting in October and going into November? Not that it matters but it might be more supportive if we're all in one big group - or is my stupid drug-addled brain missing something (always possible!).

Other thread is here: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/infertility/5172895-ivficsi-october?page=3&reply=139204492]]

@MrsBP15 @Confusedddddddd

I also had to lose weight for BMI. My BMI was 35 and got it below 30. Went back up by half a stone after my first cycle so had to lose that again. Find dieting soooo difficult.

@MrsBP15 thank you! Ok so far thanks, just a bit of joint ache, but early days so far. Hope things are going ok with you? Anyone else here had the prostap injection for downreg?

@tpeas I'm on the prostrap injection, got my injection tomorrow. Had the same one last time for my first cycle, didn't find it too bad apart from hot flushes (but that was in June so hoping Oct/Nov will be better!)

@CakePigeon30 thanks for your response, hope your injection is ok tomorrow and you feel similarly alright this time around!

@Magix86 tbh I haven't had any advice whatsoever from my clinic other than don't catch Covid.

@CakePigeon30 that's amazing weight loss! Well done!

Thanks @Confusedddddddd thats so great and well done. I feel like maybe I should have pushed a bit harder but I have been eating much better for the last six months so I think it has made a difference!

Hello @Magix86 and welcome! How exciting that you’re about to start your first round! I’m half way through as my fresh transfer was delayed due to ohss should be having frozen transfer in the coming weeks once my period starts.

Our specialist gave us some really good advice and tips as did some friends though of course everyone is different. That being said we had a successful egg collection and now have 14 embryos in the freezer so who knows 🤷🏼‍♀️

• low carb diet (not no carb as you do need glucose but just make them rare and the good kind)
•Mediterranean diet. Vegetables, olive oil, fish, white meat, legumes etc.
• no fried food
• 600mg Coq-10 a day. I think this helped with egg quality but again who knows! I also take wild nutrition fertility, omega 3 and vit d.
• try to avoid microplastics….easier said than done so we didn’t worry about this one too much.
• I switched to natural deodorant on the advice of a friend who has done ivf. Again who knows but I prefer it to the stuff I used to use.
• I have acupuncture as others have said may not make a difference to ivf outcomes but I find it relaxing and you never know.
• I do yoga three times a week
•I now speak to a fertility therapist and I practice mindfulness when I can.

Lots there and like I say this just seemed to work for us so far. We still have the transfer to go so we’ll see. Sending you lots of baby dust and positive vibes ✨✨✨

Well done @CakePigeon30 tgats seriously impressive. Are you with nhs then? I feel like I really should have lost some more weight but here we are…got to work with what I’ve got for now!

Also @Magix86 they also mentioned about alcohol units a week, I think it was something like 2? I decided to cut it out completely. I have had a few glasses of fizz over the last six months for various things. I still have one cup of coffee a day, the rest is decaf or herbal. I’m sure others cut out caffeine but I figure if pregnant women can have two cups a day then I should be ok 🫠

Thabks @tpeas im doing ok currently not taking any meds as just waiting for period to arrive for transfer. Are you on long or short protocol? Is this your first round? Sorry I’m not having that injection (I don’t think)?

Thanks @MrsBP15 that's so helpful! I've been having 1- 2 coffee's but trying to cut down as much as I can. Alcohol isn't an issue for me, can happily go without!
I've been told by our doctor that I'm on short protocol but I've also been given norethisterone so I'm wondering if it's actually long protocol. I'm so confused by everything lol. Collected meds yesterday and have so many I'm really worried I'm going to do something wrong with the injections 😥 also worried about side effects.
We have a provisional egg collection booked in for 5th December. Is this the right thread for me to be on? I wasn't sure so sorry if I'm in the wrong one.

I'm wondering how much to tone down while we go through the meds, like not go into the office, not do too much strenuous exercise etc. We also have a holiday booked which will fall in our two week wait and thinking about whether to cancel or still go....

Hello @Magix86 bless you, I totally get the way your feeling and I’m sure so many others are the same. I think if you’re happy to be on this thread then you should stick around, I think someone else was having their transfer in December so it’s all good! Sometimes it’s helpful to hear about how other people are getting on 😊

one thing I have learned from doing this for a few months would be you absolutely have to advocate for yourself. If you’re not sure, ask. And if you’re still not sure, ask again. You can ask on here for sure but your treatment will be individual to you. Are you private or nhs? Either way just keep plugging away and remember there are no stupid questions. They may do this all the time but this your first go and it’s a really big deal!! They should certainly be able to explain the protocol to you.

In terms of the injections I found it so much better than I was expecting. The best thing I did was look up YouTube videos on how to do them, they should have ones specific to the brands you’ve got. I was very blessed and didn’t have much in the way of side effects. Slightly bruised tummy but no bloating, some headaches and maybe slightly hormonal. The trigger shot was a little more intense but only for like a day. I got my husband to do the morning ones because they were a little bigger and I did the evening ones. Genuinely once you do a few they become super easy.

Again we’re all different but I found being in work pretty ok for when I was on meds and I told work what I was going through just in case. They were fine about me just going for scans and stuff so that was good. I will be honest and say I have struggled the last few weeks. I was expecting to have a fresh transfer but because of ohss I had a freeze all and will have a transfer in a few weeks. As such I’ve actually been signed off for a few weeks which will mean I will be off from transfer and during tww. This is just what’s going to work for me with what is going on with work currently as it’s becoming quite stressful but I know a lot of people carry on. I would 100% go on holiday in tww if it were me. You won’t have any appointments during that time so I think anything you can do to switch off is good ✨

sorry so much info there and this is just me of course. Main things are advocate for yourself and listen to your body (including your mental health) only you know what your limit is and it’s really ok to say, I’m at capacity ❤️

@MrsBP15 thank you, again 😊 I will stick around on this thread as I'm sure I'll find it helpful hearing from everyone else, even if I am a little behind on timings. I think there's always some overlap too isn't there!
We're with the nhs. We're entitled to only 1 round so I think that's added to my anxiety to be honest. We've also been going through this for more than 2 years already, including surgery for my OH (we're severe MFI) and then having to find donor sperm so to finally have a starting point for IVF after so long feels huge.
I really appreciate you sharing your advice and experience ❤️ sorry to hear you've been struggling more recently. It really can take it out of you! Especially with what I've heard about OHSS. It must feel amazing to have that number of embryos in the freezer ready to go though 🙂

@Magix86 I'm on long protocol and started my downregulation today, and my egg collection scheduled same week as you

@CakePigeon30 ahh that's great we're on similar timings! I don't start meds for another 2 weeks, when I'm on day 21. But I'll be on norethisterone for 11 days and then ovaleap.

@Magix86 your timing is really similar to mine, egg collection is on the 4th Dec! And transfer 9th! Of course my works Xmas do is on the 10th (I haven't told work about IVF) so not sure what I'm going to do about that

@CakePigeon30 I'm confused, I assumed I was long protocol but I start meds 10th November, stims on 22nd then egg collection 4th dec. I thought short protocol just skips the downregulation

@MrsBP15 that's amazing to have 14 in the freezer, what was your Follicle count?

@Confusedddddddd I'm not sure about short protocol as only ever done one. The way my clinic works, my down regulation can start on any day of my cycle then I'm on it for four weeks. I know others that had to start on day 21. Not sure if that makes a difference as to how long you are on down regulation for?

@Confusedddddddd awesome to have someone else on the same timings 😁 I was told I'm on short protocol and start my meds on 7th November, injections on 23rd. I'm confused re. Long vs short but I assumed as it was day 21 of my cycle that's why it's called short. Or maybe they just told me the wrong thing! I think the reason I'm taking meds from day 21 is so that they can take control of the timing of my cycle so I can fit in with the clinic dates for egg collection.

@Magix86 you’re so welcome! It’s a lot to process so any help we can get a long the way is a good thing. I’m so sorry to hear about everything you’ve gone through in the last few years, you’ve dealt with so much already! Have you spoken to anyone I.e a therapist? I don’t know if that’s a possibility for you but I’ve been speaking to a therapist specific to fertility and I’ve found it really helpful. I’ve also had some sessions through our clinic but I’m guessing that’s because I’m going private (nhs never an option for me) happy to share deets if anyone wants them? Also found a Headspace app really helpful. Anyway that might not be your thing I know it’s not for everyone 😊 thank you for your kind words I know I am extremely lucky to have the number of embryos that we do and I do my best to remember that when I’m feeling down. Like I said, always here if you ever want to talk xx

@Confusedddddddd well when I had the scans they could only see one ovary as the right side one was kind of tucked away. They counted about 15 on the left side but turned out when it came to egg collection the right one was working pretty hard too as they collected 38 eggs! They were in as much disbelief as we were I think! 20 fertilised and 14 made it to blastocyst. For what it’s worth I do have a high AMH and we ended up doing ICSI which clearly worked! I feel so lucky that we got so many but am nervous about the next stage as I have adenomyosis and I’m not sure how that will effect implantation x