IVF/ICSI May 2025

[GamerGirl09]

Hey everyone!

Thought I’d start a thread for those of us starting everything next month :)

Personally, I’m from the UK and will be starting ICSI in Ireland. Just over the BMI limit for the NHS in the UK and have been trying for c.6 years for our first. Had final tests yesterday and consult. Going with ICSI as my husband’s sperm analysis came back teratozoospermic. Other than that, nobody can find any reason we couldn’t conceive naturally, it’s just not happened!

Currently phoning up pharmacies in the UK for medication quotes (struggling to source Bemfola at the moment though). I’ll be on the short protocol and they reckon it’s likely I’ll be a freeze all as AMH and AFC came back decent. If I get get the meds in time, looking like I’ll start at the very end of this month, with egg collection next month 🤞🏼

Would love to connect with others starting around the same time ♥️ Good luck to everyone ✨

Just catching up on the thread. I’ve not been on it for 3 days as work has been absolutely crazy (which has been a perfect distraction). Lovely to see so much has happened on this thread. I hope everything goes well for everyone.

I’m on day 5 of stims so far and I’ll be starting Fyremadel tomorrow. I have my first scan Friday to see how things are going 🤞

@DuskyMaisie how are you feeling? Have you had anymore side affects?

@lemonwrighty I’m doing good thanks for checking in ! No more side effects after last Saturday so I’m pleased things are going smoother. I started my ganirelix on Monday morning (day 4), have found it a bit nippier to inject and it leaves a red mark for a couple of hours but on the whole it’s fine. First scan Friday too so hopefully we get good news on how things are progressing for both of us!

Went from 6 embryos doing well on Monday (day 3) to one left this morning which has been transferred. Grading also feels it could be better so I need to cling on to all of the hope I can!!! 🤞🏼🤞🏼 🤞🏼

@OliveTurtle best of luck. You really only do need one. What grade did you transfer? Any embryo has a chance, regardless of grade. We only had a 5bc and 3cc ( poor quality and unfreezable quality) and my son is one of those

Thank you! She said our clinic grades differently to some others but it was a 2BB which she said is a ‘good’ embryo. She told me not to look online as other clinics use different systems but the number 2 part concerns me 🙈

@DuskyMaisie that’s good to hear you’ve had no side affects after Saturday. I have a phobia of needles so my DH has been doing every one of my medication. I read that putting ice on the area of injecting helps a lot. I had my first dose of Fyremadel, I had a little wobble I got myself so worked up when I saw the needle I burst into tears and had to take myself away and calm myself down but luckily freezing the area with an ice cube before really helped as I didn’t feel a thing! I felt so silly afterwards for how I reacted 😂

@OliveTurtle all the luck for the one transferred 🤞🏼 really hope you get your BFP. Will especially be looking for your updates as we have similar numbers and are fellow Yorkshire puds 🤣

@Bunnymum93 hope your final update went okay! We’re a freeze all too (if we get any to day 5). I was super at peace with a freeze all but now I’m finding I want it all to happen sooner 🤣

@VioIetMoon so sorry to hear what you’ve been going through with your clinic - definitely not what you’d expect from people in this industry who are getting paid so much. We’re still happy with Therapie - EC did seem a little like a conveyerbelt tbh and I’ve seen some feedback previously that said Therapie have more of a one size fits all approach (and I can defo see that tbh) however, everything has gone really well so far - everyone’s been so friendly and understanding and as helpful as possible. We were told after EC you get an update the next day then at day 5/6 but don’t be afraid to contact us if you want to during that time. We had our first update today and I asked if we could get any more updates during the 5/6 days and they’ve said of course! And will be contacting tomorrow with another update. So all been really good can’t really complain about anything!

I had EC yest. My day 8 of stims scan showed 12 and 14 follicles, day 11 of stims a lot of those follicles got big and juicy 🤣 so for that reason, and cos I had high oestrogen levels (>14,000 pmol/L), I was told to take the Buserelin trigger and I’d be a freeze all - and I was booked in for EC yest morning. EC went ok, I defo was at least partially conscious and remember feeling some pain, but don’t remember it being tooo bad. I thought I was fully conscious and fine as soon as I came out but hubby said nah you were pretty out of it mumbling 🤣🤣 Anyways, they told us we got 17 eggs out. Todays update they said 12 were mature and 11 fertilised so 🤞🏼♥️ we have one or more to freeze xx

Good luck to everyone wherever you are in the process xx

@GamerGirl09 they are great numbers of mature eggs well done

Got my beta back went from 95 (11dpt) to 270 (13dpt) I haven't tested today as yesterday's light then darker one stressed me out I'm hoping this means it's going well

@camelinastorm Thank you!

also @camelinastorm and @Toryory21 congrats on your success ♥️

Hope everyone is doing well and cycles are going smoothly, I’ll catch up on the thread in a moment.

unfortunately out of our 5 mature eggs that fertilised only one embryo has made it to day 5, graded a 4ab which is pretty gutting, but we can’t change it :/

3 week wait now for testing to see if it comes back healthy xx

@JDann It only needs one though and a 4AB is still really good! Fingers crossed the testing comes back good 🤞🏼♥️

@camelinastorm ah that's brilliant, it's definitely progressing and your lines are progressing too. Please stop testing 😆 I.know it's so hard to do but it's very detrimental to the mind constantly monitoring lines. I was testing every single day, admittedly some days several times . I nearly drove myself insane. Some days I'd get very different readings and after a certain point your hcg decreases after few weeks aswell and the lines get faint and levels fall, which is why they don't offer hcg tests after few weeks in. I completely panicked when that happened and convinced myself of the worst and had to book a early scan. Try to relax as much as you can. I'm sure you won't relax until you've seen the heartbeat, and even then you'll still not relax until the little baby is out.
I think especially with ivf, you know how hard it is to get pregnant, and when you do you put so much pressure on yourself for everything to be ok because it didnt come easy. I was stressed from start to finish. It was actually awful. I couldnt relax and didn't enjoy my pregnancy at all. I always imagined id scream it from the rooftops but in reality I was terrified to even tell anyone and we kept our whole pregnancy secret

@JDann if you look at the grading 4ab is actually a good quality embryo

@GamerGirl09my fertilisation rate was the same as yours, all but one, and we found out today that two thirds of them made freezable blastocyst stage. To be honest it's the first piece of good news we've had over this three year journey so I'm finding it a bit surreal! I'm really hoping we continue to share similar numbers and yours go the same way 💖 I got my withdrawal bleed today too (just under a week later) so I think we should both try and enjoy the downtime as transfer day will be around before we know it! Xxx

@VioIetMoon 🤣🤣 I know the tests are away, I am being sent for an early scan next week but I'm going ask the consultant to delay until the following week as I just don't want it too be too early and not see anything as it will be too traumatic. So I am just going to chill and enjoy it until then

@JDann that's a great grade, how long does it take for testing to come back, sorry if you have said,

@Bunnymum93 ahhhhhh that’s amazingggg!!!!! So you got about 7? That’s incredible well done ♥️ I’m so freakin nervous, just want it to be Monday (day 5) and NOBODY likes Mondays 🤣 Thank you for the good wishes ♥️ Are you doing the transfer this cycle or waiting til next one? I go on holiday 15-25 June so don’t think I can really start until after and I was cool with that until this week and now I’m impatient 🤣

Hi everyone I am new to this and reading through the thread has already helped. I am 33 and my Husband and I are about to start ICSI any day now (on my missed period day today). Fortunate enough to be able to go private through work insurance and using TFP. I will be on Ovaleap then Ovamex. Hoping to create embryos from either fresh or if not viable frozen sperm. Everything crossed. If anyone has also used these drugs and can give me any insight of how they felt that would be amazing!

Really scared at how I will be on them and what will happen. It's such a daunting process isn't it? Never something you expect to have to go through... Anyway, just wanted to say hi and good luck to you all. Cheering you on from the sidelines! You are all superwomen and I am here if you want to talk.

Kitty x

@GamerGirl09 we actually got beyond lucky and had 10 by day 6. I suspect my problem has always been implantation rather than this stage, though, as I have spotting for over a week before a period most cycles and am only 31, but still we appreciate the hurdles we actually manage to get over don't we 🙃😊 we're on a freeze-all and I'm actually very fine with that as I need to recover from the endless adrenaline-fuelled waiting! You will feel so ready and relaxed after a holiday xxx

@KittyVB welcome! Those were my meds and I'm TFP too 😊 I found the evening shot virtually painless, and the morning one fine so long as I iced before and after. Hubby took it out of the fridge for a couple of minutes before too which might have helped. There was just one day where it hit a nerve and bruised but other than that it was honestly fine, and I'm SUCH a baby. We've found the clinic wonderful too xxx

@Bunnymum93So lovely to meet you and such a relief to speak to someone who has been on the same meds! I have been feeling nervous about how they will make me feel. Also found TPF absolutely lovely! I’ll also be getting hubby to do the injections as I am a baby 😆 least they can do right?! Thank you so much for the ice tip - genius. For some reason I think all of mine are in the morning but I will double check now you have said - thanks!
So pleased to hear of your success, you smashed it! Well done 💕xx

Any other tips or food ideas from anyone most welcome! Xx

@Bunnymum93 omg 10 is amazing 🤩 Well done 🥳 we’ve had an update today, day 2, and so far all 11 progressing as they’d hope - next update is Monday so fingers crossed one or more make it 🤞🏼♥️ xx

@KittyVB welcome! I’ve not been on those meds - I was on Menopur and Cetrotide - and I’m a big baby with needles so hubby did mine too (except first injection which I had to do myself and cried 🤣), and a lot of mine bruised or actually reacted a little (red and swollen) but HONESTLY it was so much better than I expected and I promise not too bad in the end. My last jabs were on Monday and now it’s just a distant memory 😅😂 Don’t worry, you’ll be fine. Drink plenty of water and get some electrolyte sachets ☺️ xx

Thank you so much @GamerGirl09so brave!! Well done for getting through it. My husband said: When the heart has to wait for something it makes that something so much more special 💕 I really hope you get there soon! Sounds like amazing results soooo happy for you. Thank you so much for the advice and support Xx

@Bunnymum93 @KittyVB have you both had good experiences with TFP? I know they are a chain of clinics. Tfp is one of the other clinics here in n.
Ireland ( there's only 2) and I'm considering booking a consultation with them.
I really don't think we can go ahead with the clinic were at now. The second appointment didn't go much better with them. He had his Semen analysis since nobody was available at last appointment. This time they tried to charge us twice the amount for semen analysis . Wanted us to pay for a dna frag , and would take weeks to come back , delaying treatment. something that was never even discussed with us as to why we'd need that ( we do have morphology issue but since our first nhs ivf round was successful not sure why wed need a dna frag ) We ended up sitting for ages to find out from the Dr if this was needed. They went ahead with normal analysis and said we'd get our results today and the Dr would definitely call us ( reception assured us of that) well , they didn't call with results , as per usual. The embryologist made him tick
the dna frag box on form so maybe theyve sent it off for that in the end. We wont hear anything now til Tuesday due to bank hols. We left the clinic again still feeling super confused as to what were supposed to be doing. The doctor told us no review appointment , but reception told us everyone gets a review to discuss test results and plan treatment but not us it seems. They gave me prescription at first appointment but still absolutely no instructions when I'm supposed to start any of this. This stage really shouldn't be so complex. Really can't understand how everything is complicated there. Tfp are our only other option unless we travel further. I don't want to sit in the car 4hours each way for every appointment . I feel drained thinking about the process now . My nhs round was never this stressful . It was delightful.

Hi @violetmoonI’m so so sorry this has happened to you. It’s an extremely stressful time and any complications are the last thing you need. Do you still have the medication you could use for another clinic? I would definitely call your local TFP and explain your situation. They will be able to advise at no cost to you. You should avoid clinics too far away as you may need to go in for scans every 2 days after day 6 of treatment. It is such a draining process and I really feel your pain. Xx