IVF / ICSI June 2025

[GLizzie88]

Hi All!

I might be early to it here, but thought I'd start a threat for anyone who knows they'll be going through it in June this year!

I'm based near Sheffield, and will be going through the treatment in sheffield. I'm 36, will turn 37 during the treatment. We've been through one failed round last August, so we've spent the time since getting further private checks done, and now we're ready for the next round. We came back as 'normal' on the nhs tests, but we found other things with these private tests! We've had all of our follow ups, catch up consultation appointments. Next appointment is our nurse appointment on the 5th May, then after that it's waiting for my next cycle to start at the very end of May / beginning of June.

From the further tests we've had done, I'm now on thyroid medication to bring my thyroid down to fertility recommended levels, my partner had DNA Frag & Oxidative Stress tests done and we've made improvements based on the results of these. I've also been having some acupuncture, which I've also feel has helped my sanity!

Please share your stories and hopefully we can all support each other during this. I'm much more nervous this time, even though I know we're better set up than we were last time.

Keeping mine crossed for you as well 🩷

Ahh I love it - breakfast food at anytime of the day is the best! 🍳 🥑

Thank you @cakeislife1234 and @KittyIIV. I'll ring the clinic again tomorrow and chase it up.

Everything crossed for you! Let us know how you get on x 🤞

Hope everyone is doing well - I’ve been reading all the messages and wanting to reply to everyone but I keep mixing up the usernames.😅I love hearing how everyone is doing, and I’m cheering you on.

Congratulations to those that have had egg collection, and welcome to all the joiners!

I’m on Day 7 of stims, my clinic think egg collection will be around Tuesday but they will know better when I have my next scan/bloods on Friday. I think at my first scan (Day 3 of stims) they counted 14 follicles and upped my dosage. My clinic have been a bit vague when I’ve asked about numbers/sizes, I think they’ve picked up that I over-analyse and said that we can’t read much into it yet. Another nurse said things are progressing as they’d expect so I’m just trusting the process I think. 😬

I was a bit nervous to start cetrocide (started morning injections yesterday) as the needle looked bigger but can confirm it feels exactly the same as the others and also doesn’t hurt. The biggest surprise to me has been that the injections haven’t been a big deal at all. The worst I’ve had is that my blood tests seem to be a bit painful with one of the nurses in my clinic (usually I don’t mind blood tests at all) so I was feeling a bit grumpy yesterday after the prodding haha.

Not to belittle anyone else’s experience with the injections as we all have different challenges, but hope it gives reassurance to people getting ready to start for the first time. I found watching IVF vlogs on YouTube quite helpful too.

@Hopeandfaith1990 @KittyIIV great news from your scans, when are your egg collections planed?

I have arrived in Prague, I had to do my injections on the plane yesterday evening, thankfully the take off was delayed so at least I was able to do them on the ground.

I had my first scan today after 7 days of stims and have to say I am feeling very deflated. I only have 3 follicles, all on my left ovary and nothing on the right ovary. I have low AMH so I never have many follicles but this is my third cycle and I have always had more than that retrieved.
We are trying to bank embryos to do PGT-A due to my low AMH and 2 previous losses, but with 3 follicles we won’t be able to bank many embryos. I just have to cross my fingers that these 3 follicles will become embryos but I know that with the attrition rate it is unlikely.
My follicles are also big enough, so I will trigger tonight and have egg collection on Saturday. It’s also the first cycle where I only stim for 7 days so I don’t really know what to think.

Just catching up!

@KittyIIV wow 26! Amazing. IVF is such a numbers game and its so hard not to get caught up in comparison. I did have more on my right side I think, I think it was 9 on one side and 5 on the other. Lining was fine - can't remember exactly what the Dr said I was too caught up in the follicle numbers 😅They originally said to me egg collection next Friday but who knows. It could be earlier I think due to the way they seem worried about my response? Also v good advice on the eggs I need to eat more!!

@Limmers14 that's amazing on 21 embryos and not needing ICSI!! I've used Proceive in the past and do rate it for MF. Hope you're feeling better now xxxx

@CloudyIvy55 sorry to hear that, I think the companies are good at delivering ASAP generally - my clinic were going to order me some more of a medication and it was guaranteed next day delivery.

@Gosia19 you're very brave, I am finding cetrotide more painful than the others!! Maybe I'm just a wimp 😂I have to say today (my second one) was much better than yesterday. The needle is bigger and it seems like slightly more liquid too? Yesterday my tummy was really red and sore but today was better.

@YellowTack I can't believe you injected on the plane, you hero! That is hardcore. I'm sorry to hear you're feeling deflated, and I'm crossing everything that the follicles become embryos - its a cliche and people say it all the time but you do only need one to work don't you. (This is what I keep telling myself). Good luck with the trigger and sending you so many good vibes for egg collection. xx

I'm currently waiting for my period to come now. I'm worried it will come at the weekend while at the same time hoping it doesn't come until Monday.

At my meeting the nurse said to inject on day 2 if it comes at the weekend (even though I won't have had a scan yet), but I'm doubting things as that was two weeks ago now, so I want to double check, but comms with my clinic are not great at the moment – either the doctors aren't on top of their emails or there's an issue with the email system they use. All my admin emails are quickly responded to, but anything to the doctors seems to take a week to reply (and admin can't do anything with medical stuff – only booking appointments etc.). It's weird because everything was smooth as rain when we had our IUIs with them last year.

@YellowTack sorry your feeling down, sending lots of positive thoughts that you get some good news and get three embryos - you never know!

Hey @FluentTealGuideI'm also now just waiting for my period which is due on Monday - feel like this is going to be a very slow weekend! Have you tried giving your clinic a call? I've got my plan written down on paper from the clinic? Did they only tell you verbally?

My medication is arriving tomorrow! Worrying over nothing 🤦‍♀️😂

Hurrah for your medicine!

I have my plan notes but it just says to start stimulation on day 2 of my cycle but didn’t specify in writing what to do if it starts at the weekend, so that part we only discussed verbally. I’m sure of what she said but as it was the nurse who said it so I wanted the doctor to confirm.

I managed to get a response from them anyhow, so I have a baseline scan appointment tomorrow (even though my period hasn’t yet come). Like you, probably getting too in my head about.

@CloudyIvy55so glad you’ve got your meds sorted! Bet you’re so relieved you can start this month for definite!

I’ve got my egg collection tomorrow, first time so a little nervous… x

Haha thanks @Hopeandfaith1990 - I might have just been lucky. The skin on my tummy feels quite sensitive and sore now so maybe I was getting a bit presumptuous. I’d seen others saying cetrocide can feel a bit uncomfortable, someone advised wiping the end of the needle with an alcohol wipe before injecting to get rid of any drops of medication, I’ve been doing this in case. And I’ve been using an ice pack before injecting.

@YellowTack I also think you’re a legend for injecting on the plane!

@cakeislife1234 Good luck for tomorrow!! I’ll be thinking of you.

@YellowTackyou are a rockstar injecting on the plane! I haven’t even been able to do one on my own yet 🙈 you should be super proud of yourself. So sorry to hear you’re feeling low, stay positive! You could have 3 perfect embryos out of those you just don’t know. Sending you a hug! All the good luck for the egg collection on Saturday 🍀

Thank you on the scan results - I have my second scan tomorrow and then hopefully we book in my egg collection. They said maybe Monday all being well tomorrow fingers crossed!

@Hopeandfaith1990thank you! It really is, because you really don’t know until the retrieval what’s going to come of it. Being a first timer I’m trying my best to take it in my stride and go with the flow which is very much out my comfort zone! Do you have a scan tomorrow as well?

@FluentTealGuidehave you had an initial scan before going into the process? I didn’t have another scan before I started stims before that - just started on day two and it’s all been ok so far. So sorry that they didn’t being so slow - really is nothing worse going through this process as it is!

@CloudyIvy55YAY so glad your meds are arriving safely tomorrow 🥳

@cakeislife1234huge good luck for EC tomorrow - enjoy the good drugs ☺️☺️☺️

Hi everyone! I'm still here just catching up & also enjoying reading all about everyone's journey and stages of this process!
We had our planning meeting with our clinic today I finish northisterone on Sunday and then need to wait for period to start. My drugs get delivered on Saturday. Learning about what to do and when seems daunting and lots to take in I'm so ready to get started now. It seems to have been so long to get to this point but I'm excited to finally start! Ice pack is a good shout before injecting 👍🏻 I'll try that.
Sending everyone so much positivity ✨

Welcome @Rayofsunshine22 - glad you’re excited to get started. ☺️ All the info is so overwhelming - I also felt this when all the drugs were delivered! I found it got easier when I took it one step at a time, and also found watching online videos for injecting the medicines quite reassuring. You’ll be great!

@Rayofsunshine22 I found it all a bit overwhelming to start with, so as soon as my period started I got a diary and wrote down all the meds I needed and set reminders on my phone to pop up at the right time/day and it helped. Lists calm me down haha

@KittyIIV I hadn’t had a scan for this part, which is why I was nervous and confused. The doctor had mentioned in a phone call a few weeks before the nurse appointment about doing a scan when I came off the meds before the cycle. Anyhoo it’s all sorted now, plus AF started this morning so hopefully we’re a-go to starts injections tomorrow 😬😁

@cakeislife1234 Same! My nurse printed off a schedule for me - also bonus satisfaction ticking a medication off each time you’ve done it. 😂

@FluentTealGuide me too! Meds are due to arrive this afternoon, let’s hope they turn up 😬

Omg the satisfaction

I just had my scan @KittyIIV- very positive thankfully. They’re waiting for my bloods to come back to confirm whether egg collection will be Monday or Wednesday. If Monday, I do the trigger on Saturday night and if Wednesday then I do it on Monday night. Lining and follicles were all looking good. The nurse explained it to me like a horse race 🤣 she said I have some big ones as front runners, some medium and some slower. So now they’re just deciding on the best day to collect which will depend on the bloods.

how was yours? Xx

@cakeislife1234super good luck for today you got this xxxx

@Rayofsunshine22i felt this way too, once I’d actually got started on the meds and injecting etc it felt like it all fell into place a bit more. I also got an ivf journal from Amazon which I really like. X

@cakeislife1234 thinking of you for your egg collection, and enjoy the coffee/biscuit afterwards!

It’s CD1 for me so I’m off for my initial blood test after work today. This is the first time anybody has been interested in finding out why I’ve been TTC for so long now, hopeful that there will be some answers.

@cakeislife1234 thinking of you today for EC, enjoy the nap 🙂.

@FluentTealGuide it’s great you AF showed up, hopefully you will get the green light from your clinic to start stims this weekend!

@Hopeandfaith1990 this IVF journal sounds amazing, I should get one!

@KittyIIV good luck for the scan today!

I am struggling a little today as it would have been the due date of my first IVF pregnancy. I was a little mad at my husband as he did not remember but I guess I can’t blame him as I am very type A and I like to plan and track everything but it’s not the case for him.

I triggered last night (3 injections!!) so it’s weird to have no injections or scans today. I have booked myself a walking tour of Prague this afternoon to get me out of the AirBnb and hopefully think about something else than IVF. I was supposed to stay until Tuesday but I have changed my plane tickets to Sunday as I just want to go home. This is very unlike me as I love to travel but it’s hard to be in the mood for sightseeing at the moment.

We are doing back to back cycles so I will be in Prague again very soon and hopefully I will be more motivated to explore then!

Sorry to hear you're struggling. This journey is so full of grief and waiting, its so hard. If its any consolation my husband is the same. We've had multiple losses and I remember all the due dates and when we tested positive, he doesn't. I think its just so different for them (it took me a long time to accept that). IVF and fertility is general takes up so much headspace, I'm not surprised you just want to get home. Hope it all goes so well for you and that the journey back is ok. At least you won't be injecting on the plane! xxx