February/March FET

[Willard89]

Hi all, looking to start a chat with anyone transferring February or March time. I have my baseline scan booked in next week and if all goes to plan then I'll start treatment & have my second frozen transfer on 4th March. My first FET in September 2024 sadly failed 😞
Any transfer buddies?

@KenIsAnAccessory I'm using Easy@home, you can get them from Amazon. I find them quite reliable, I used them in all my pregnancies. I had an ectopic, a late miscarriage and a successful pregnancy. Looking back at my tests, they only showed good progression when I was pregnant with my son.

I'm saving my last FRER for my OTD tomorrow. It's nerve wracking! My lines are looking good but I don't have many symptoms and I don't feel pregnant. I had terrible cramps the day after the transfer, they were taking my breath away. Since then I haven't really felt anything, except maybe increased thirst and slight light headedness but I put it down to the massive amounts of medications that I'm on. This is worse then stims, I take 3 injections, 3 pessaries, 7 tablets and 2 patches per day.

If this transfer doesn't work then we have one more euploid embryo in the freezer. That would be our last try, I won't be doing any more egg collections. I've done 3 rounds just to get my 2 euploid embryos and I'm now 40, I can't face doing any more.

Good luck to everyone doing an official test or embryo transfer in the next few days!

Yeah it was tough, and the 2nd attempt very touch and go too - have had about 6 scans and been on meds for 3 weeks! Lining got to 6.8, they had initially said 7 as a min but as I have a history of scarring and thin lining, they'd accept slightly under and said let's go for it! Wondering what might be happening with it in the week between the last scan and the transfer but just got to put faith in thr clinic at this stage I guess

@Orangewillow i have everything crossed for you! 🤞🤞
Good luck to those on OTD too!

I'm wondering if i can hold off until Wednesday. Which will be day 9. I would hope by then there'll be no ambiguous result.

@Orangewillow hopefully it will have grown in the past week a bit too! I wouldn’t have thought that was too thin if there was still a week left to grow but I don’t think they ever actually told me what mine was previously just that it was looking good so I think I will ask what it’s actually at today but not sure if they’ll be able to see that during transfer. I have read that the trilaminar shape is the most important thing over thickness also!

have you been doing anything else alongside your treatment to try and help? I’ve been doing acupuncture and drinking beetroot and pomegranate juice. I also had an endometrial scratch but it feels so long ago now but they said the effects can last for 3 months

Blood test done! Results tomorrow 🤞🏻.

@paintfairy I really admire your patience and willpower! I caved after day 4 🤣. Hoping for the best outcome 🙏🏻

These tests are all different sensitivities so the line progression is better than it looks. It’s my OTD today so it looks like I’m provisionally pregnant. Good luck to everyone else for your OTDs!

Hoorah! Official congrats @Feliciacat!

My OTD isn't til Wednesday, even though we had transfer the same day. I tested onn wondfo again this morning and the line is slightly lighter, but so is the control line compared to yesterday so I'm choosing to believe there is just less due in the test this morning than yesterday. It's still a very strong and definite positive. Proud of my self for being sensible and not wasting a FRER 😇🤣

My OTD is today but it's a bit anticlimactic because the clinic doesn't have any available nurse appointments today so I have to wait until tomorrow.

I did get a dye stealer on FRER though so fingers crossed

Yes @KenIsAnAccessory, they can vary and it sounds like the line was good relative to the control line. That’s really good news.

@GreenLemonade that’s really annoying! Are you NHS or private? At least you got a dye stealer so you’re not particularly in doubt.

@GreenLemonade I'd just take your dye stealer as your official positive. My clinic doesn't do bloods at all, just relies on at-home pee sticks.

Brilliant lines @Feliciacat ! Very happy for you! 😊

@KenIsAnAccessory I'm also very impressed you've not jumped straight for the FRER!🤣 Also good news that the control line is a little lighter! Got everything crossed for your OTD!

@KenIsAnAccessory I'm private, I'm not eligible for NHS funding because I already have a child.

It's ok, one day is not a big deal and as you said, the FRER is positive anyway.

Yeah they said triple layer more important and that was fine! All booked for 2pm tomorrow, off for a progesterone blood test now

Yes have been doing acupuncture, have an appointment today and tomorrow post transfer. Loads of beetroot and pomegranate juice (so much my pee was pink which was alarming!)

Will be getting some McDonald's fries on my way home tomorrow, why not haha

Good luck @BellaRosex, let us know what you blood test shows! Do you know what they are testing? Is it just hcg or also progesterone or estrogen?

@paintfairy I admire your willpower, I started testing 3 days after transfer 😅

@Feliciacat congrats, great lines!

@Orangewillow did they adjust your medications in any way to try and get your lining to thicken? I had the same issue, my lining was only 6.5 mm so they added Evorel patches and Inhixa injections for a few days, which got my lining up to 8.5 mm. Once you start taking progesterone the lining stops growing so maybe that's way they only check it a week before transfer.

@GreenLemonade my clinic only tests hcg but I'm going to try and see if my GP will test my progesterone. Very much doubt it!

@Feliciacat congrats! Those lines look great!

@Orangewillow i didn’t realise the lining stopped growing once you started taking progesterone so i was thinking my lining would still have another week to grow. I’m starting to think mine is maybe a bit thin too as I thought he said 7 something but he just said it looks good. I will have to ask later on.

my clinic doesn’t do a progesterone test which is really frustrating. Will they not transfer if it isn’t at a certain level? I was considering getting one at another clinic to show them but haven’t.

yes I’ve been doing acupuncture this time too! I’ve been really annoying it. How are you finding it? I have an appointment tomorrow morning as my transfer will be this evening. I had the pink pee with the juice too! Was very alarmed as thought I was bleeding lol. Glad to hear it isn’t just me that’s happened to.

@TSHconfusion I was wondering about progesterone testing too. My clinic tests it on the day of the transfer and the results come back the day after, which doesn't seem very helpful. They also aim for a very high number, over 100 (not sure about units) and if it's lower than that they put you on additional medications.

I was so glad my progesterone was over 100 so I didn't have to take even more meds! I'm already on 3x cyclogest and 2x lubion per day and I feel like that's a lot.

@GreenLemonade did your clinic give you the lubion as standard? I am on just the 3 Cyclogest a day and asked at my last review about possible low progesterone since they weren’t measuring the but they just said that it won’t be low if taking the 3 pessaries and if not bleeding before stopping them but it feels like everyone else is on lubion also!

that is good your result came back high enough anyway!

@TSHconfusion yes, they put me on lubion as standard. Although now that you mention it, I did say to my consultant that I had a short luteal phase and I was worried that my progesterone was naturally low. He said not to worry and that it didn't matter on a medicated cycle. But maybe he kept it in mind.

@GreenLemonade its so hard to know what’s best isn’t it. I go between wanting to ask a million questions and do other things and trusting the clinic. We’re nhs funded so I just worry they’re less likely to do things that will help us. They’re very much oh you’re young just keep going and one will work but I don’t want to waste embryos doing that!

@TSHconfusion It’s so hard! I had the opposite worry: since I’m private, I was wondering if they were recommending expensive treatments and add ons because they were really worth it or because they wanted to make more money. Because of my age and low AMH the consultant recommended a 3-cycle embryo batching package with PGT-A testing at the end. I was a bit taken aback initially but ultimately decided to trust the clinic and do whatever they ask me to. If I didn’t and the treatment didn’t work I would forever wonder what if.

@GreenLemonade yes I suppose that would be the worry in the opposite direction, can’t win!

that is so true once you have your baby the money won’t matter. I’ve just realised you’ve said above you got a positive test too congratulations!! Was the embryo you transfer pga tested then?

I messaged my clinic to ask what my lining was on Monday and they said it was 7.2 and anything above 7 was fine but it will have kept growing since then. Bit disheartening and seems to be the thinnest it has been and I’ve did acupuncture this time too which I thought would have helped but hopefully it has continued to thinken and will be good enough for implantation 🤞🏼

@BellaRosex surely nothing shows on day 4? 🤣 I've not got enough tests to waste. But I also had a trigger so wouldn't have known if it was that showing.
@KenIsAnAccessory what day is today then for your OTD? It's really bizarre how clinics all do different days!

On the progesterone - not all clinics test. Which isn't ideal. They didn't do mine but he claimed because it's a natural cycle that it wouldn't be too low. (On 3 pessaries a day). They apparently did a study (in clinic) and of 50 people only 1 needed the injections. But on medicated cycles he said it was much higher. I think 37 of the 50 he said were OK and the rest needed injections. So it's very short sighted not checking IMO because it doesn't cost much? Not compared to the several thousand you are paying them for a FET, for it to go wrong for that reason?

As for official test day my clinic don't test your blood levels. Or give you a test. So they just take your word for it. 🤣

@paintfairy today is 13dpt, OTD for me is Wednesday which is 15dpt, though I do wonder if they got that wrong as they actually told me it should be 16dpt. Feels a bit silly to me but it doesn't change anything really so, whatever 🤷🏼‍♀️

@TSHconfusion my clinic also says anything over 7mm and ideally trilaminar (trilaminar being more important!). I also think there is lots of natural variation across the population in terms of lining, progesterone levels etc. My progesterone is always low for some reason- this cycle I am on 2 utrogestan 3 times a day and 2 lubion as well as my progesterone was 60 something before transfer. In previous cycles it's been as low as 20 something and we've gone ahead as that seems 'normal' for me. I did have a live birthday as well so it can happen! Hopefully you lining is just naturally thin-ish but normal for you. I'm sure with the focus on success rates the clinic wouldn't be encouraging you to go ahead if it didn't have a chance at working 🤞