IVF/ICSI February 2025 🌟 ❤️

[ivfjourneyandme]

Hi ladies,

Starting early with this thread in hope some are on a similar time frame!

36yo, been trying to conceive for 2yrs. Severe MFI as well as AFC of 3 and AMH of 1.9pmol/l

First IVF cycle with ICSI ended with a total failed fertilisation - 4 eggs collected, all mature but no fertilisation.

We have now switched to long cycle and added in DHEA, COQ10, melatonin, vitamin D, omega 3 alongside our fertility vitamins.

I should start my period end of Jan; and then start down-regulating February with transfer hopefully late February if I’ve worked it out right!

Anyone else on this mental torture of a ride?

A little update from my egg collection today. They only got 3 eggs 😕 apparently one of my folicals was much bigger so we missed that one and they found a large cyst on one ovary too. I'll hear about fertilisation tomorrow and have to call on the first day of my bleed so they can book me in for a scan to check on the cyst. We are having a freeze cycle for pgta so hopefully we will get a couple of embryos to say 5 for biopsy.

@Allnew2021 hopefully you’ll get some embryos to test, it only takes one 🤞 sorry to hear about your cyst, do they go away or do you have to have treatment for it?

@RainbowFluff those are great numbers! @Allnew2021 hopefully the cyst won't prove to problematic to your onward treatment and your 3 eggs fertilize nicely and make it to day 5.

@Twittwoo2020 glad your feeling a bit better you had quite the ordeal!
Regarding a FET Iv done one in the past and in my clinic it's trigger (ovitrelle) on day 10-16 (based on scans if lining) ET then 7 days after that.
So when Iv done one in the past it ended up being ET on day 17 of my cycle but I think it could be like you said up to approx day 23 max if you have a thin lining or slow follicle development.

Here's the diagram! Hope it helps.

@Allnew2021 we only retrieved 4 eggs and we had ET this afternoon and also have another embryo to freeze so don't give up hope. Keeping everything crossed for good news tomorrow 🤞🏻

Feeling very grateful I made it to ET today when this time last week EC wasn't even guaranteed to happen. Now to start the 2WW... I'm worried about not doing much exercise as that usually keeps me sane but I don't think I'm supposed to do anything moderate / high impact. Planning on lots of walks to keep active but no more running / weight training.

So sorry to read this @Cherryblossom90

Well done to all who have successfully had EC, fingers crossed for fertilisation and embryos.

im day 13 of down regulation with busrelin and my goodness, the dreaded mood swings I’ve read about hit yesterday. I’ve never felt so low, disheartened and angry all in one and for someone who suffers from anxiety and depression, I never knew it was possible to feel worse than that!

Wednesday can’t come soon enough to hopefully start stims (I’ll still be on busrelin as well but hoping knowing I’m working towards EC will help)

🤷‍♀️😭

@RainbowFluff thank you. I think that's why they want me to go back for a scan soon, to see if the cyst goes down now I've stopped the meds or not.

🤞For a good result from your transfer today x

@ivfjourneyandme sorry to hear you’re feeling this way, if it helps I’ve been completely the same and I have a history of bad depression/anxiety etc and honestly thought I would be used to it but it was just crazy how much worse it was than my “normal” depression?? I was questioning whether I even wanted kids anymore it got me that low! I’m feeling better today so hopefully it won’t last too long for you as well and all throughout mine I kept reminding myself “this isn’t really my thoughts this is the medication” and that helped a bit too. Good luck for Wednesday stims!

Everyone else sorry for not replying individually I’ve had a really long shift at work and just seen all the new updates but hope everyone is doing okay, well done and good luck all who’ve had EC now and transfers, 🤞🏻🤞🏻 for you all! Sorry for those who’ve not been successful this month but I have all my fingers and toes crossed for your next cycles whether it be March or April or later 🤞🏻🤞🏻

@Cherryblossom90 thank you, you’ve been so supportive even though you haven’t had success this time for yourself. I hope your luck will change very soon.

@ivfjourneyandme I hated buserelin, I’m usually fairly stoic but I felt completely despondent. I had it for my trigger shot in early December and didn’t start to feel normal again until this cycle, it had such a negative effect on my MH. Hoping it’s finally worn off now, in my Jan cycle I felt ok for first half bit then after ovulation I was so low again.

Random question for those who’ve used the cyclogest pessaries/suppositories. I realise I’m nowhere near this stage yet but I’m trying to figure stuff out beforehand. So when I have to take them twice a day after EC and during 2ww etc, do you really have to lie down for half an hour after you insert them to stop them falling/leaking out?
Since they’re meant to be 12hrs apart like I just can’t feasibly think of a time I could do that on work days? I leave the house at 7.30am and don’t get home til 9.30pm so it would mean either the morning dose would need to be taken first thing when I get to work or the evening dose while I’m still at work! And work aren’t going to let me lie down for half an hour every day lol 😂 I can’t even sit tbh my job is really manual and I’m on my feet literally all day.
I’m already dropping my hours down on Friday for a couple of weeks for stims so that I can be home in time to do 7am/7pm with the injections needing to be 12hrs apart and I can’t afford the loss of wages if I had to do that for potentially weeks more 😱
I also saw if you use them rectally instead of vaginally you don’t have to do the lying down or anything? If I can do that then fine not a problem with me lol, just want to make sure I’m not losing any dose of the medicine! I’m not squeamish so it doesn’t bother me which way I put them in as long as they’re going to do their job lol.
Sorry guys, can you tell I’m having a late night google/panic lol 😂

Hey, So for me i started cyclogest 5 days before ET, 7AM & 7PM is what the clinic gave me the time for, I tried vaginal but too messy for me & yes laying down this way so i've always used back passage no mess no lieing down (double check with your clinic) & its good to know!Side effect from this way for me is loose bowel movement after an hr may not be the case for everyone though x

@Cherryblossom90 really sorry to hear of your bfn, wishing you all the luck next time

@Nads2210 congratulations! How’s the line today?

@captainsmal i also tried vaginally at first. I didn’t lie down (didn’t know you were supposed to!) and they didn’t come out but I did find them disgustingly messy so also quickly swapped to rectally which is much better once you get used to it. Just pop it in and forget about it. It has made me half constipated half the opposite lol but other than that ok. I have to do them 3 times a day, I’m not sure why as that’s different to the packet instructions.

fingers crossed for all you waiting on day 5 results. It really can go either way so try not to be too dispondent by low numbers although I know it’s hard.I had 8 fertilised and only 1 made it to blast where others only have 2/3 and they all make it.

my resolve is being tested at the moment. Now on 7dp5dt. Awake super early and really want to test but going to hold off until the weekend when I can have some space if I need time. My period would be due Sunday so I’m worried about it starting. For some reason I feel like it’s so much worse to find out you’re out through AF than a test

Thank you 💖 tbh the line is still visible but I wouldn't say its darker. I thought by now id have a "dye stealer" so keeping myself guarded OTD is 02/03 x
Tested with clearblue & a boots test
Clearblue can see a + (again not darker)
Boots it's there but faint

The wait is horrible & i hope you get your BFP when you do test
Ive had cramps since the day of ET (18/02) & felt like AF is coming but so far it hasnt, although i've read it's unlikely while on meds. Are you feeling cramps?(is that why you feel AF might come?)
I also worry after all this I really dont want to see a scan with no heartbeat etc id rather know beforehand x
Sending you luck & a virtual hug x
Good luck to everyone ✨

@Nads2210 @LuckyFlash thanks for the reassurance guys! I will definitely just do it that way if I don’t have to lie down and it’s less messy lol. I don’t mind about any side effects of constipated/upset stomach cos I have ibs anyway so that’s just my life tbh 😅
I hope you guys both get a good outcome on otd 🤞🏻🤞🏻

@captainsmal hated them for the first few days but I’m used to them now. I put mine in first thing (rectally) and sit in bed with a decaf coffee 😂 for a hour doing some bits on the laptop. Might not be possible given your early shifts - but perhaps you could get up a tad earlier just to give yourself 30mins at least? My clinic said an hour if you can just to give it time to absorb. Or do you drive to work? Perhaps just before you leave so you have some sitting down time?

I then pop the evening one in when I’m going to bed so that’s all fine.

Ive Suffered with IBS too so it’s a little gross down there for a bit but I’m used to it now.
Also, just make sure you push them up a fair bit 🫣 if they’re right on the edge much more likely to be uncomfortable and come out.

@Quaver9 yeah in the mornings it’s not as much of a problem because I could sit for a bit before I leave, I don’t drive. But I catch a bus so again I’ll be sitting for a good 45 mins which is fine. But then it would be the evening one- say I got up early to sit after the morning one that would be 6.30am but at 6.30pm I’m still at work- or did you just do yours morning and evening and not worry about being exactly 12hrs apart? I’ll check with my clinic how important the 12hrs thing is because if it’s not I could do the evening one at 9.30 when I’m home and then I’m sitting down having dinner etc.
with the norethisterone they weren’t bothered if I didn’t leave a 12hr gap but obviously with stims I need to be doing them at the exact times

@captainsmal no one said to me about 12 hours, just morning and before bed! I’d say you’d definitely be fine waiting till you got home - I think absorption is more important than timing so if you know you’ll get some sit down time when you get in then go for that! X

My test is complete stark white this morning so now having an absolute panic that I should be seeing at least somethingggg today. I’m 4dp5dt so if anyone else was writing this I’d be like, get a grip it’s too early 😂 but just feel sick with dread now. Asked ChatGPT and it said 5AA embryos usually implant quicker so that’s sent me into a meltdown.
I’m going to wait until sat or Sunday test together with partner, probably send myself insane in the meantime x

@Quaver9 ah okay thanks, I’ll double check with the nurse closer to the time but morning/evening would be way easier!
I think you’ve summed it up yourself if it was anyone else you’d be saying don’t worry about the test yet, you may be too early and you still have time! But I know how easy it is to get in our own heads and also we tend to be harder on ourselves than others! When is otd? Try not to panic too much 🙏🏻

@Nads2210 a faint line is still a line and it’s still early so fingers crossed it keeps going. I think both testing early and testing on OTD are both full of stress tbh!
Ive been having some cramps although not major. Sore boobs too but assume that’s all progesterone. I am always an early spotter so just assuming that because I’m 2 days from my usual period date that I’ll start spotting. In my last pregnancy (natural and quite straight forward - so I was blissfully naive) I had alllll the AF symptoms and was so sure I was out. This time I actually feel much less like in about to come on and I think that’s what’s worrying me.

@Quaver9 i think 4dpt is still very early but it’s so hard not to worry isn’t it. Implantation would have to have been done in 2 days for you to have a result by now and given the timeframe is 1-5 there’s still hope 🤞

I hope everyone is doing ok today. I've got everything crossed for all of you who are in your TWW and I hope everyone else is managing with the various stages/side effects of treatment.

I just had a call from the embryology team to say all 3 of my eggs fertilised. Next update will be Monday when they will let me know if any embryos have made it to the stage for biopsy and freezing.

@Allnew2021 best of luck - everything crossed for you get some good blasts.

@Nads2210 these early weeks are so hard, line progression is so nerve wracking, really hoping you see some good lines next few days

@LuckyFlash I don’t have much going on symptoms wise either, just sensitive nipples 😂 and eating a lot which is nothing unusual.

thanks for the hand holds all x

Virtual hand hold @Nads2210 and @Quaver9 2ww is brutal.

@captainsmal honestly if I was you I would ask for utrogestran pessaries and not cyclogest. You don't have sit down or lie or anything with them. They are inserted vaginally and come at the end of tampon like applicator so you can get them in deep enough not to slip out. They are much smaller too. Do you have the cyclogest already? If not I suggest you tell your nurse about your IBS and shift pattern and ask for the utrogestran pessaries. I got them with my NHS cycle too when I asked so I know it's possible for the NHS cycles too (even though slightly more expensive) save you a world of bother!

@Allnew2021 congratulations, that fertilisation rate is amazing! Goes to show it’s definitely quality not quantity that matters.

@captainsmal I had utrogestan 3x daily, it does say you should lie down after but I explained that I would have the middle dose at work and they said just sitting still for 15 minutes was fine. Some of the days of the week I don’t have a lunch break so those days I didn’t always sit down either, it didn’t seem to matter.