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?

@Cherryblossom90 I think I'm on short? I have a week on femera pills day 21-28. Then I have stimulation for about 10 days I think 🤔 they still want to confirm dates after scans I think. But egg collection is Feb 5th (provisionally), just started pills yesterday. We actually *technically aren't suffering from "infertility" as such on either side- we only started ttc in August, got pregnant first cycle. Miscarried. Ttc sept-nov. Then decided to do ivf instead as we want maybe an extra embryo for a 3rd child. We're 38.5yrs old so thinking by the time we want the 3rd child it might be tougher to conceive etc. Our clinic said this is becoming common, people essentially trying to lengthen their fertility.

@Cherryblossom90 the whole long and short protocols confuse me as it’s nothing my clinic has ever spoken about.

I have been told that on day 1 of my cycle I call for a baseline consultation and start taking Ovaleap on day 3 of my cycle. Then I think after 5 days of Ovaleap I go in for a scan and also start using Fyremadel. I’ll have scans every other day until they instruct me to trigger and then I’ll have my Egg Collection a certain amount of hours later (I can’t remember the exact amount).

Is anyone doing similar? My period is due this weekend and I’m getting g excited yet nervous!

@Cherryblossom90 I will be on short protocol. We have low Amh

@ChyLL it sounds like you're doing short protocol.

This is what I'm doing! Two sets of injections gonal-f and fyremandel and no tablets at all. I think this is what is considered short protocol. But I could be wrong. I wonder if taking suppressant tablets like @spttc mentioned is more effective though.... But I'm probably over thinking it.
@spttc thanks for your reply and if you don't mind me asking did they mention why they gave you those tablets? Is it bc your periods are not regular? or maybe age related I'm 30. Just trying to guess why. It could just be a clinic prefrence!

@Cherryblossom90 I know a few people with successful IVF outcomes who did the same protocol as me so hoping long or short just depends on circumstances to each Individual 😊

I have no known fertility problems, I just single and 39 so using a donor. I have a 3 year old also who was conceived naturally

@lovelivelaugh63 thanks! So when is your cycle due to start? Mine is due the 29th. I know what you mean @ChyLL both excited and nervous!

@ivfjourneyandme we can keep each other company 😊
my period wasn’t actually due until Saturday but I think I willed it to come early (my clinic isn’t open weekends for booking calls) just to get this show on the road.

@Cherryblossom90 I don’t know about others but I think the reason I’m getting tablets is so the clinic can control when my period is to plan it with the dates they’re available for egg collection etc, I also heard it helps give a ‘blank slate’ for stims but they didn’t really explain a lot.
It’s funny isn’t it, the last 9 and a half years I’ve never wanted my period to come each month but now I’m like desperately wanting it to come so I can start! Mines due 31st but it’s a bit weird sometimes so could be a few days either side. The nurse did also say that most people are either late or early the month of treatment cos of nerves/excitement and just sods law really! Hoping mine isn’t too different to expected in case it messes up the dates for retrieval but trying not to stress too much!

For those worried about short vs long, try not to worry (easier said than done!) My clinic first did a short protocol for me - which is when you start injections on day 3 of cycle, usually inject 10-14 days and then egg collection.

We have changed to long this time, I think mainly to give something else a try to be honest as nothing fertilised. My consultant was said it’s unlikely the protocol will be better (in terms of amount of eggs) but will not be worse than short. I think they’re hoping my shutting off my ovaries (which is essential what a long protocol is), they may produce better quality eggs.

He said the long protocol has been around the longest, with the short being ‘newer’ and short is what they put everyone on first (unless indicated otherwise) as most people are successful on short cycles

@ivfjourneyandme good explanation!

@Cherryblossom90 so this is my first rodeo so bear with me this may be all wrong! Apologies all 😅 The reason for the tablets.... as I said we actually havnt been suffering with infertility as we only ttc for 4 months (I got pregnant 1 of the 4 times but miscarried). So initially at the consultation my doctor was saying short protocol because as he put it "you're not infertile, you're looking to bank embryos for later" (I still don't even know what I'm on, maybe what I'm on counts as short?). And I said to him that yes that was true in that I can get pregnant etc but I had done lots of reading and mentioned to him I was worried I ovulate late in my cycle - Day 19 in a 28-30 day cycle which is borderline luteal phase defect. I've always been that way, same when I conceived my daughter naturally, 2nd cycle. Perfect pregnancy. So it's fine but I felt I wanted to flag it. He said how are you getting pregnant then? Essentially saying I was wrong about the day I ovulate. I showed him my premom app with all the ovulation tests, month after month ovulating day 19, even on the months I got pregnant. So I said..... I really want this to work, and he said - yes so do it. So maybe he decided to add the pills, in case. Initially he didn't seem to believe the day 19 thing but maybe I convinced him and he wants to move my ovulation forward to lengthen that luteal phase etc.

Tbh this has moved very quickly and I was googling the pills as I started taking them. My first consultation was Jan 8th 🤣 now we are here.

@ChyLL good for you! I have 2 single friends who I have been trying to convince to do this. They both need to just do it!

@spttc Thank you ❤️ any advice I can give is if they really want to do it then don’t wait around. I wish I had done it sooner as age is not on my side.

@ChyLL this is what I wish they knew. They hear of people getting pregnant at 42 and think ok that's fine I'm ok. But neither have ever tried to get pregnant so they have a totally inaccurate idea of how easy/hard it is. I don't want to scare them. But I kind of want to say to them.... you need to do this now or never. One of them is 37.... still reckons she's having 4 kids..... is single 😬

@spttc I guess there could still be time for her to have 4 kids but like anyone going through fertility knows, there are so many aspects to it, so many things that have to line up and people have allll kinds of different outcomes depending on their own circumstances.

I know I can get pregnant so that’s good, last year I was pregnant with IUI but unfortunately had a loss. I’m just keeping everything crossed and trying to be a positive as I can 😊

@ChyLL yes there's time.... just. If she had them back to back with no fertility issues. Got pregnant first try every time. if she starts now. But she's waiting for mr right still & putting it off. I'm going to have to gently speak to her on this again. Tough to find the balance of being pushy and being apathetic. The easy route is to just say nothing but I'd hate for her to wait too long and then it's suddenly too late. I've told her I'm getting ivf to help her see it's not as scary as it seems 🤞

IVF is scary, especially for those it doesn’t work for. I appreciate this is an open forum, but please think about those who, even with IVF, are being faced with the prospect of being childless forever.

@ivfjourneyandme It's not scary enough to not do it - which is what I was referring to.

@spttc I hope it all works out for her ❤️

This mirrors my plan and I’m on short protocol. I’m due to start either 21st or 22nd so I’m a week behind you. Keep us posted on how you’re getting on!

So exciting! Good luck x

@InGodsHands I will do 😊

I’m due to start medication today 😬

What would you do….??

Today is day 3 for me so I’m due to start using Ovaleap 300 units daily.

I called the clinic for my Baseline consultation and they don’t have any availability until 4pm!! They said not to take any medication before I speak to them but I’ve done the injections plenty of times before and I know I’m on 300units.

I just feel worried that 4pm is late.. especially as I would normally have taken them this morning if I had already had my baseline.

I’m tempted to just take the 300 this morning and then speak to them at 4pm.

Has anyone had this or similar before?

Hello everyone, can I please join this thread?

I was in the January thread but I think I should join the February one as I will only start my stims today. I have my baseline scan hthis afternoon.

A little background about myself, I have low AMH and a blocked tube due to suspected endometriosis, and my partner has MFI. This will be our second round of IVF, we did our first round last September which worked but unfortunately ended in a MMC.

For this second round, I will be on Menopur 375IU (short protocol) and I am a bit apprenhensive because it is quite a high dose. I was on Gonal 300IU for my first round.
I am excited to start this second round and am crossing my fingers for all the ladies in this thread.

@ChyLL your clinic sounds like mine! I wouldn’t start anything without the green light from the clinic but I understand the frustration! Could you do your injections in the evening so that you can start treatment after the baseline scan?

I called them on Friday as my period had started and because of the weekend I could only do my baseline scan today which is my Day 4. I asked if I could start stimming on Sunday and do the baseline scan on Monday but they refused. Same here, I know how to do the injections. It really frustrates me because the consultant made a comment when reviewing my previous cycle outcome and said for this round they would really want me to stim for at least 10 days (I did 9 for my previous round). This now won’t be possible because otherwise EC would fall on a weekend and they are closed, so I will likely have to stim for 9 days again.

Hi, @ChyLL and @YellowTack that is so frustrating for you! It's not great when your period starts on or just before the weekend is it.

I'm due to start my period next Wendsday the 29th. So also fairly near the weekend if delayed😬it is what it is unfortunately.

@YellowTack I'm on Gonal F 225 with menopur 225. I done these stims together at this dose like this for 4 cycles already and never had OHSS or problems. The highest dose possible is 450 overall altogether so hopefully you will be okay on 375 as it less than the max.