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?

@captainsmal for me the worse part has always been the two weeks of stim meds leading up to egg collection because so much can go awry. I think once Iv got past EC and found out wether there's embryos the stress levels drop dramatically for me anyway! But maybe that's becuase Iv had two ICSI cycles with no embryos. I always feel there's not much anyone can do to effect outcome in the 2ww so feel more relaxed. What will be will be sort if thing!

@spttc Not pinch pinch like with two fingers! But you know the fat under your belly button, just hold that whole roll of fat in your whole hand and inject at 90 degrees into that. If you inject firmly and quickly straight in with no wiggeling movement it will cause less bruising and stinging.
Did your clinic not give you a demo video, teaching session?

@Cherryblossom90 yeh there's a video. The person didn't pinch. Injected straight into a perfectly flat abdomen with no fat 🤣 looked very uncomfortable. I guess I'm just wondering if it makes a difference. I'm going to watch again and phone them I think just for my own peace of mind

That’s actually a really good way of looking at it tbf! I’m probably gonna be the sort who’s like thinking every little symptom could be pregnancy and going to really have to resist testing earlier than the date they give but then I’ve always been like that on natural ttc cycles as well so I’m going to really try and behave myself lol.

The ones I’ve seen it’s not a proper pinch but they hold a piece of skin in a gentle pinch if that makes sense? I actually might message my nurse when my meds get delivered, it sounds really stupid and dumb but I want to ask if it’s okay to inject through tattooed skin and/or scars 🤦🏼‍♀️ Cos you’re meant to move around each day to avoid too much bruising but I’ve got half my stomach with a big tattoo, and then the middle part of my stomach has 3rd degree burn scars from years ago (accident while cooking- hot oil spill lol) so I’m thinking I should just inject on the smooth blank parts which doesn’t leave me much space lol

@spttc I just find it gives me more control to hold the fat I'm going to inject into firmly. Lol to them in the video just injecting straight into a flat abdomen 😂 I think most people probably have a bit of fat below their belly button the can gently hold to inject into!

@YellowTack I have my first one on Friday 24th and my second is booked for Monday 27th. If need be they will book one every other day until they tell me to trigger.
I don’t blame you for asking for one on the 27th.. 29th seems ages away!

Ive been told to start taking Fyremadel on the 25th.

@Allnew2021 I’ve had that reaction with Buserelin and Fyremadel. I’m not sure about the Buserelin but the Fyremadel needle is a little thicker and I think that’s what it caused that reaction.

@spttc i pinched my fat and jabbed in that - plenty of it!!

Called my clinic, they don’t offer zymot 😞

@spttc Just like @ivfjourneyandme I just pinched my fat and done the jab.
With my first IUI last year I was worried as all the videos were of ladies with flat tummies so I asked my nurse and she said it made no difference on the tummy type and to just pinch/grab the fatty bit and do the jab.

@ivfjourneyandme that’s a shame about the zymot, I think it’s pretty new/experimental (hence why nhs doesn’t cover it) 🙁

@captainsmal im private so would like to think if there was sound science behind it, they’d offer it. I have to try my very hardest to put my faith in them 😨

@ivfjourneyandme I guess it varies by clinic? We’re with Care Fertility which is private but takes nhs patients too

@ivfjourneyandme you definitely do need to just try have faith 💯 It's only 1 tool. It's specifically for icsi patients. The idea is to recreate that natural competition between sperm. So they pick the "best" of the bunch - as if you were doing non icsi ivf where the sperm fertilize by themselves. It's definitely not a make or break thing to worry about & now you've heard of it so if you do need another round in the future you can consider a clinic that does have it if you want to. It's good information to have but I wouldn't worry about it.

I'm not doing icsi, so we won't be using zymot either- it's included in my package but the consultant said it's best not to unless we need to and they'll see on the day what the sample is like.

@ChyLL I start Fyremadel tomorrow! Not looking forward to it as I remember from my last cycle that it is quite painful!

@captainsmal I am also with Care. Is it your first cycle with them?

@YellowTack yeah first cycle! First everything really since we went straight to ivf, I ovulate by myself so they said trying anything like clomid/iui wouldn’t be much point. It’s weird because I feel like I’m both a long hauler in terms of how long we’ve been trying/struggling with infertility, but also a total newbie with it being our first round 😅

I really like them there, they’ve been really good so far! I know others who’ve used that clinic too and I’ve only heard good things about them

@captainsmal and @YellowTack I'm also worth Care Fertility. This is my first time doing IVF but have found the staff at my clinic really nice and they were very thorough in all my investigations. Fingers crossed they continue to be good.

@YellowTack it is isn’t it!! The first time I did it it was so sore! I was told to hold the needle like a pen (there is the higher but if the needle).. hold the higher bit towards the top of your tummy. I did that after the first time and it seemed a bit better.. Hope that make sense. Like a fountain pen with the pointed bit at the top.

I also feel like we’re finding Care so good compared to some bad GPs etc we’ve had on the nhs and how long the referrals took etc- they lost my husbands sample twice at the hospital! So to go from 18 months of dragging on and constantly chasing up that every appointment and paperwork and results etc to then get with Care and go from first consult 9/12 and protocol given by 14/1 felt so quick and amazing 🤣
(nothing against the nhs I worked for them for ten years but yeah, the bar was low lol)

@captainsmal @Allnew2021 this is my second cycle with Care, they are not perfect and there were things I didn’t really like during my first cycle but all the nurses have been really nice, and the embryology team at our clinic is great. We decided to stay with them for our second cycle as we wanted to start asap and didn’t want to have to re-do the general consultations and tests with another clinic. Our first cycle was NHS funded and we are now self funded but for now it hasn’t made a diffference.

@ChyLL thank you, I will try the pen method tomorrow 😅

It's Day 1 of stim!!!!! I'm injecting in the evening so 🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀

@spttc ❤️❤️ Good luck!!

@spttc Good luck! Let us know how you feel after!

Good luck! Iv just had my meds delivered today to start stims next week! When do you start your stims and which are you taking @Happibara I vaguely seem to remember you saying your starting similar time to me? My stims start hopefully on the 30th if period is on time and it's gonal-f and menopur.

@Cherryblossom90 yes, we should be on very similar timescale 🤞
Do you take both your meds together and at the same time? Or are you supposed to administer them at different times?

I'm just finishing with the Norethisterone tomorrow, then wait & bleed.
Next I'll have 1 shot of Prostap which is supposed to turn off my ovaries, that's on Wednesday 29th.
And then, finally, stims begin on Friday 31st!
Very excited now, it's so near!

@Cherryblossom90 have you taken Gonal-F before? I will be on Gonal-F and Luveris when I start my stims (which won’t be until mid-Feb now) and wondering what it’s like, any side effects or sore to inject etc.?

Good luck everyone who’s starting stims today or soon!

I’ve had cramps since yesterday so AF must be on the way but I just want it to start already so I can get my meds delivered! I’m CD28 today of a 32 day average cycle so it’s “due” Monday, clinic have me down as starting next Wednesday 29th as they go by my longest cycle, but I’m thinking it’s gonna come early cos these cramps are so bad 🙃 I guess early is better than coming late but probably still have to change my protocol dates if it’s too early before next Wednesday!

I’ll be on norethisterone then Gonal F and then Ganirelix has anyone done that combo before or doing same as me? I’m on pretty low doses I think, only 150iu for the Gonal F