IVF / ICSI November

[bubu24]

Anyone starting stims in November?

I started stims last night. I'm on a long protocol. Started in October with norethisterone and then Buserelin. This is my second IVF cycle.

First cycle I didn't take the Buserelin, had 8 eggs collected, 3 blasts, none normal (1 high level mosaic in the freezer)

I'm on a 2 cycles package, so hoping this one is the lucky one 🙂

Thanks so much for your well wishes @Elena3 , and @Cosyseason1234 , it's been great to have you as a buddy too! Will keep updated on here how things go..

@bubu24 so 13/20 eggs were mature and 6 fertilised. I thought that fertilisation would be the biggest hurdle for us but I was disappointed about the immature eggs. I've not done any research on this yet, do you know what can affect this? I suppose first cycle will always be a bit of guesswork too?

@tpeas and @Cosyseason1234 that's all good news, sorry @tpeas to hear you were a little disappointed with the drop of rate but as someone else has said 6 is still a good number, when will you both get another update ? My scan is on Sunday to see how things are growing. EC next week sometime, does anyone else on the thread have EC next week at all? I finished my antibiotics so infection should be cleared up now, I really hope that makes a difference to implementation if I ever get that far again. 🤞🏽💫 hope everyone else is doing ok, what stages is everyone else all at ? @Elena3 sorry youv had such a rough time of it, hopefully you are on the mend now!

@bubu24 I think the mainly to do with getting the meds and timing right .. if they overstimulated you for too long the eggs will be ‘over cooked’ and if the follicles are not quite big enough then they will be under mature .. I was told on my last cycle that they hope follicles to be between 18-21mm for the most mature eggs , but on the day they will empty all the follicles over 10mm .. so some of these smaller follicles may have an egg but not a mature egg, but they take them all anyways just incase as on some rare cases they can be mature at a smaller size 🤷🏼‍♀️
Can you remember what size your any of your follicles were on the last scan before EC at all ? I had a sheet where they wrote each size of folicle , every time my scans were and I could see the follicles growing and they judged the best time to trigger , to get most follicles within the 18-21mm range, did you have this at all ?

@tpeas sorry the last message was meant to be tagged to you, but I accidentally tagged to @bubu24 sorry .. just up rushing about getting ready for work 🙄 .. I have next week off for EC so looking forward to time off (as well as EC haha) !! 😝

@hopefullsosbry yes I'm also due for egg collection next week!
I had my first scan yesterday and I'm now worrying about follicle sizes.
My AFC last month was 8. Yesterday's scan showed about 14 or 15 which was great news. I have one at 14mm and 3 at 13mm and some smaller ones at 8mm. This was after only 5 days of stims and I have another 5 days to go. I have one more scan tomorrow but then nothing until egg collection on Thursday.
Are the bigger ones too big for only 5 days of stims? I'm worried they may be too big and over mature by the time egg collection comes round...
Can anyone on here help me understand this please?

@hopefullsosbry got everything crossed for your EC next week! Hopefully this is your time,you have been through so much so far on your journey ❤️ I have been off work since Tuesday and it’s felt like serenity,I didn’t realise how much of a toll IVF was taking on me mentally and physically. They won’t disturb the eggs until Monday now and will call and tell me what they can freeze 🤞

@Magix86 14/15 is amazing news! I was in your exact situation last week,the nurse said she was 90% sure they would reduce my dose and do EC early because some follicles were so large. When they looked at my scan and bloods at the MDT, they agreed to carry on with the dose and leave my EC where it was. I was worried but it worked really well as I got 18 eggs. At the multidisciplinary meeting they look at your blood results and scan results and make a decision, they literally do this everyday and are the experts so try not be worry ❤️

Thanks @Cosyseason1234 I was really happy to see such a good outcome for you 💕 did they tell you what the biggest ones were measuring?
Unfortunately my clinic don't do bloods and the nurses just make the decision at my scan appointments so I'm not sure I'd have the same discussion. Hopefully I can see what's happening tomorrow and will raise this with them

Thanks so much 🥰 still a long way off but feeling way more positive.

to be fair the nurse said we can pretty much guess what your estrogen levels will be without the blood test so maybe your clinic find them unnecessary? I can’t remember exact numbers but when I stopped the meriofert on the last scan (day of trigger) a few were defo over 20.

Thanks @Cosyseason1234 that helps. I was worrying that by the time of my trigger - scheduled currently for Tuesday, the biggest ones would likely be around 24mm - that's if they grow 2mm per day. And they would still grow for a couple of days before the collection! I'm hoping the bigger ones might slow down a little and the smaller ones have a growth spurt haha.
On the plus side the fyremadel wasn't such an angry injection this morning 😀

Thanks @hopefullsosbry , good luck with the egg collection, fingers crossed yours will be smooth and painless (mine was :) )

I am actually much better today. I think the ovaries are shrinking back slowly and gradually, finally my weight started to go down. From the beginning of stims to day 2 post egg retrieval my weight went from 57 to 60kg, finally I saw 59.4 today, so at least it stopped going up. Not really in pain anymore, can breath and move normally (still slow). Gosh, I really didn't expect that this OHHS will hit me hard. I was not prepared at all.

@Cosyseason1234 hopefully good news on Monday :) x

@Elena3 so pleased that your symptoms are improving! IVF is hard enough without additional issues 😂 hopefully you can have a lovely Christmas and then we go in January!

Hey All. Some had my EC on Tuesday. It was probably the worst pain iv ever felt in my life. I’m not usually one for pain relief but as soon as I came round I was asking them for codeine. I couldn’t stand up straight I was in the much pain. Luckily it’s died down a bit now.
i ended up with 17egg. 14 were mature and fertilised. We got our day 3 update today and 5 are doing good. 3 are average and the rest are poor. I don’t know how to feel about that. It’s so hard seeing the numbers go down and down isn’t it.
we were told all along we were going to have a frozen transfer but because I ended up with less than 20 eggs we’re hopefully transferring on Sunday. Fingers crossed for everyone!!!!

Hi @Anonneom I’m so sorry to hear it was painful,were you awake? Glad to hear it has died down today.
From what I have read they are really good numbers! I got 18 collected on wed and 12 fertilised,I won’t get an update until Monday now about how many will be frozen but I am feeling positive.

it’s normal to have numbers drop off at every stage,apparently this is also what also happens at natural conception. Try not to be disheartened,I am not the expert but think those numbers are good!

Hi @Anonneom , so sorry to hear this..! Weren't you sedated? The procedure itself was so smooth for me, but it is the 3 days after that were torture. Fingers crossed for your transfer on Sunday, 5 embryos made it! 😉

@Cosyseason1234 , yep, January it is for both of us :D

Thanks so much for your response @hopefullsosbry . I don't remember exact sizes but I know at my second scan they said one side was more developed than the other - I think one was more like 18mm on average but the other was more like 11mm from what I remember. So that probably explains it. Totally unscientific but I also reckon my downregulation shot may have shut things down a bit too much!

Good luck for Sunday @Anonneom , all being well I should transfer the day after you, though frustratingly my clinic doesn't provide a day 3 update so I'm nervous how things are progressing with the 6 eggs we had fertilised. Do keep me updated on how you get on. My EC wasn't too painful though I was awake but sleepy. However I was sick afterwards and spent most of the rest of the day asleep. Since then I've had abdominal pain but not severe. Hope you feel ok now.

@tpeas hope you are recovering well from your EC now and you abdominal pain will ease off.

@Magix86 that’s great we will be getting EC around the same time, I am provisionally booked in for between the 4th -6th dec, as we are getting any embryos PGT tested, we won’t transfer until we know if any are viable. Prob next year sometime , I am no expert at all but going from my last two cycles , and from going down the rabbit hole of Google-ing and research at that time - if I remember right there was suggestions of some research stating that some mature eggs were found in as low as 10mm follicles , some say they want as big as 21mm (my old clinic) and other sources online say up to 24mm ..so I think your follicles will be spot on and I am sure they will be doing just as they should be down there. I feel the thing with ivf is there is not just one set or definite ways that the process or practise is carried out by each clinic, there is lots of conflicting research out there and each clinic seem to follow their own understanding and policies at each stage. I guess every woman and body and fertility issues is different and so I think (just my thought) it comes to luck (as well as other things) if you get a clinic that works with your body /fertility issues ?! This is our 3rd clinic (we have changed each time) so fingers crossed this one works with us 🤞🏽

we bit off topic but I do remember reading at that time that the lead follicle , and especially the right side ovary lead follicle seemed to have better success rates with lest abnormalities and higher birth rates .. but when I asked the nurses at my next appointment she said it’s not true ? But there is lots of papers / studies online about this if you did want to look it all up ..(as I did last cycle 🫣) it’s really head pickling 🥴 and prob best not to ! 🙄 this time I am just hoping for the best as it’s our last shot then we might try donor eggs or donor sperm. Not thinking too much into all the noise that can come with IVF and just doing as the clinic say and hoping.

@Cosyseason1234 thank you so much for your kind words, all the best for Monday .. it will feel like forever away am sure ? yes it really takes it toll mentally and physically, also on the other half, it’s hard to see the man you feel is so amazing and strong - be so vulnerable and lost sometimes .. and I feel any friends or family that haven’t been through fertility issues , just don’t get it ?! Does anyone else feel the same? That’s why I feel grateful for these groups everytime as we are all going through the same feelings / worries / stress /ups and downs at the same time.. 🧡

@Elena3 thanks for your well wishes , glad your symptoms are fading and your feeling a better ..

Also .. sorry for the really long message everyone 😂

@Anonneom best of luck and hope you can transfer on Sunday !! That’s super exciting !

@hopefullsosbry your long posts are fantastic! How are you feeling on the meds now coming up to EC?
Monday is very daunting but I am keeping very busy this weekend,having a few drinks at brunch today and going to a Christmas market with friends tomorrow ☺️ you are so right about the pressure on the partner, it’s hard to consider them when you are doing all the ‘work’ but it is hard on them too!

like you I am so grateful to these mumsnet groups,really makes you feel less alone to be able to connect with people who are going through/been though it.

hope everyone is having a nice weekend xx

@Cosyseason1234 that sounds lovely, lunch and drinks and then your day out tomorrow .. Hope you enjoy .. Monday will be here before you know it .. everything crossed for lots of euploid embryos for you ! I’ll be able to have a wee mulled wine next week at the Xmas market too .. after EC 🤗

I feel ok thanks, bit more tender yesterday and today in my tummy area but just as expected and nothing unbearable.. tomorrow morning we have our 1st scan to see whats going on in there so just chilling today waiting for tomorrow to come!

@hopefullsosbry thanks for all that, really helpful info and is what I've ended up seeing on my Google searches! I'm also loving the support on here, definitely helps to know you're not alone 💕
2nd scan today and we've ended up with another 4 follicles somehow 😅 have gone from AFC of 8 to now 18! 12 are over 11mm with the biggest now 18. 6 are 9mm and smaller. Kept me on same dose of stims and brought egg collection a day earlier, so all booked in now for 4th December! I cried when they told me lol its all becoming very real very quickly.
They said they don't advise to trigger until you have 2 follicles bigger than 18mm if that helps anyone! Triggering today would have been too soon for the smaller ones but triggering Monday would help give the smaller ones a little longer and the bigger ones still shouldn't be too big 🤞🏻

@Magix86 amazing news 👏🏻 good luck to both of you for EC @hopefullsosbry xx

@Magix86 wow .. that’s amazing .. well done you !!! You will be over the moon .. super happy for you, I can’t wait to find out tomorrow what’s happing .. my AFC was 7 on right and 4 on left so will be interesting to see how it’s developed (hopefully 🤞🏽) I am doing ‘random start’ stims so I started down reg on day 10 of my natural cycle and stims on day 13 so my body would have been gearing up to ovulation naturally at this point .. not sure if this will hinder or help in anyways but the clinic says with this method it doesn’t matter where you are on your cycle to start? So I hope it’s true and it works 🤷🏼‍♀️😂

@hopefullsosbry I've not heard of that! Is that a new protocol for you? Sorry to also see you've changed clinics a few times. Hoping this is the right one for you this time. Wishing u all the best for the scan tomorrow, hoping for lots of lovely growing follicles!

Yes I'm super happy 😄 each stage we seem to be getting through really helps see the progression so really hoping everything stays on track now for Wednesday. There's not much more we can do as we won't be seen by the clinic until my egg collection now!

Really sorry if this is TMI but I've had quite a bit of CM today - does anyone know if this is normal at this point?! I'm scared of ovulating even though I'm taking the fyremadel. Worried perhaps it isn't working or if I've injected it wrongly then it won't do it's job. I'm sorry, I seem to have a new worry every single day 😅

Hi @Magix86 i also had this 😂 google it it’s not only a sign of ovulation it’s a sign of high estrogen! Made me feel much better 😂

Ahh thanks @Cosyseason1234 you seem to be answering every anxiety I have atm 🙏 I shall have a quick google, been trying to stay off it as I think I'm driving myself a little bit crazy 😅