December 2025 FET

[CoolSummer89]

Is anyone going to have a FET in December?

I was expecting to have one in January but when I went to the clinic yesterday they are going to try and squeeze a natural FET cycle in before the Christmas break!

I am 36, had my first egg collection last month but wasn't suitable for a fresh transfer. If my cycle plays ball my transfer will be 15th-17th December.

Hopeful for a lovely Christmas present but also being realistic given age and first transfer etc.

Welcome @BlueSkyWinterSun I know that insomnia feeling. Have you asked your clinic if you could inject in the thigh? I don't know about Lupion but have injected thighs with other meds and there's a much bigger area to avoid the old bruising. Will they defrost your eggs, fertilise them, and then do a transfer 5 days later, or have they already defrosted and made your embryos? How exciting!

@RavenWillow how are you doing? I hope you managed to avoid the OHSS and thinking of you today for your day 5 embryos update.

@whysohardtogetusername oh my goodness, i'm sorry you're struggling with the pessaries. I still think I'd prefer them to the injections so I'm slightly grateful for that at least! I feel you with the weird symptoms, like you said it's so hard to tell what's what. but then all i've read says you can't really feel implantation and that all the cramps and pinching feelings can be happening for a million reasons (999 999 of them being effects of progesterone 😆) so i am really trying not to overthink it. and yes i read the same about hcg only coming about days 6 onwards, but then how do girls get positives on day 5? i can't with this process anymore lol.
Finally, I am DEVASTATED about your burrata! as a huge foodie I completely commiserate ❤
Thanks again for the reassuring words @Peonies94 , what a weird minefield this whole thing is. but now i've got a blanket excuse for everything. i'm moody - progesterone, i'm emotional - progesterone, bloated - progesterone, cramping - progesterone, constipated - progesterone... i really hope it's going some good in there as well!!
@AnonTTC thanks so much, it's so good to hear we're all feeling similar cause i was like nah this is the familiar "something is scraping the walls of my uterus" feeling i get when i'm about to get my period so i genuinely thought we're done here. i think we should be ok with day 9, but again - if it's negative i'll still test on day 10 and OTD as told by the clinic. i actually had a strong desire to test today (day 6) but then just told myself it will make absolutely no difference and then i'll just test every day and be anxious so might as well wait until there's a better chance to get a positive result. got to say the closer we are to the testing date the more i realise i really want a positive! i have added botox and a brazilian blowout to my list of things to look forward to if it is negative, it's going to be a treat yourself christmas for me 😆i might be infertile but at least i look good are the holiday 2025 vibes!
I also agree with the suggestion to move your timings from 6am, my clinic said anything within an hour is ok, so i do mine usually between 9:15 and 9:45, but don't stress too much over it.
@BlueSkyWinterSun welcome and +1 on the insomnia!

I actually messaged my clinic this morning and asked if I could move the pessary to 7:30/8am and they said that's fine - thank GOD!! 🤣 I think I'll shift it gradually like @whysohardtogetusername suggested and do it 20 mins later each morning over the next couple of days. At least then, if we're lucky enough for the embryo to stick I can get up at 8am on Christmas Day.. we've not really told family and I was already anticipating my husband's family being like FFS when I was up at 7am making noise on Christmas morning, ha! You know what though, I weirdly haven't struggled with the constipation which I've been grateful for.. maybe it will kick in the longer I'm doing them? It's making me nervous I'm not absorbing it properly but that's a classic IVF overthink worry, ha. I've been doing it the back way though, which you'd assume would be worse but I've found it fine and 0 mess. I'll do the front way in the evening but morning the other way!

I hear you on the feels the closer the test date gets.. honestly I'm enjoying these last couple of days before we enter the dreading 10 day wait to do a test because I bet it will draaaag! Have to say though, I'm grateful it's Christmas as there's so many nice things going on and that definitely helps to pass the time.

@AnonTTC oh i'm so glad! the constipation was bad the first week but psyllium husk is definitely helping so i think we're good there now 😆honestly this is the one bad thing about sharing symptoms, people might feel if they don't have any/they aren't ticking all the boxes they aren't doing it right which is not the case! everyone just reacts differently. and it definitely does change as your body gets used to it - i remember the first couple of days within 20 mins of putting in the pessary i was comatose, like needed to lay down with my eyes closed for 30 mins, was unable to do anything. now i'm running around like an athlete 😆
my clinic also said that it's fine to do either or both front and back so i think that's great if that works for you! i actually went and read the instructions that come with my pessaries (cyclogest) and they specifically say if you're using them for assisted reproduction they should go in the front so i've just kept to that, but honestly how confusing to get different guidance from the clinic vs the actual drug producer!
had the same with our cats and something called toxoplasmosis - the clinic told me not to touch them, to wash my hands if i do touch them immediately, don't kiss them, don't change the litter tray, and told me it's all on the nhs website. i go to the nhs website and the website says the risk is only if they're outdoor cats and eat a dead rat/bird/meat basically, and if on top of that you don't change their litter tray for 3 days (we clean it 2x a day). nhs actually has a highlighted box that says you cannot get it from petting a cat or having one as a pet as it comes from poo that's a result of infected meat and has been left for 3+ days. i really want to call the clinic and tell them to fix their instructions. not petting my cats? literally take away EVERYTHING that makes me happy and brings me comfort why don't you!

hahaha the cat thing made me laugh!! I've been told nothing of the sort? 🤣 Our cat is an outdoor cat, but she doesn't have a litter tray so I thought nothing of it really (knew about the litter thing but since that doesn't apply I never looked into it). No WAY I'm not stroking or cuddling my cat though haha.

Interesting on the pessaries.. my clinic also says you can do either way but the directions on the box did say front way like you said. I know somebody who did back way only and she had a successful FET first time so I'm sure the clinic guidance (either way) is fine. From what I understand they absorb with your body temp within about 30 mins so I'd assume whichever way you put them they get into your system. I also reminded myself that if there was ANY chance they couldn't be working then our clinic's would bring us in for a final scan before the transfer and they don't so clearly they're pretty confident they do their thing as long as you stick to doing them on schedule? x

@AnonTTC oh totally! everyone here said their clinics said both ways work, someone even said rear is better cause it gets closer to the actual uterus cause it's a thin lining between the bowels and the uterus - all of it makes sense! it's just SO annoying that the instructions say otherwise cause there's enough unknowns here without getting conflicting information. get your stories straight, or at least say "we know the instructions say otherwise but trust us it's absolutely fine". glad to hear someone did it just in the back though cause that is super reassuring! and you're right, they melt within 30mins and then takes 2-4 hours to fully absorb but judging by the symptoms we're having they're definitely doing their thing.
absolutely on the cats, i got so annoyed!! as if i am not gonna pet them, add separation anxiety to all the other anxieties i have. surely that can't be good for the ivf either? lol, what a life

Morning all and welcome @BlueSkyWinterSun - yes I am also very interested in the process. I assume when you say not really fresh nor frozen that they were fertilised on the 4th/5th and you are waiting for embryo results.
And is OTD your actual birthday? Omg! Hope it's a very nice spa day for you.

I am off to the hospital for my scan in a couple of hours. I actually feel like I am in my fertile window so hopefully it's promising news for transfer next week, but obviously you never know what is going on down there! As a reminder my cycle is a natural one, so no drugs at all at this point, but if I am approve for transfer I will take cyclogest pessaries from ovulation day. I think this is just a precaution.

Ooh @Sequins04 I'll definitely ask about the thigh for injections! They're a big area for me 😂😂.

@AnonTTC wishing you the best of luck for tomorrow too! Have you made any plans for afterwards? I'm heading for a solo cinema trip afterwards for whichever film they have at the time which is looking likely to be Wicked. Then I think Wagamamas for tea.

The process has been pretty interesting, I froze my eggs 6 years ago when I was single. I went on to have a son naturally but when we've tried again, nothing was working and tests showed my egg reserve was poor so we decided to use my frozen eggs. I had 12 eggs which were all thawed on Friday after my husband gave his sample. They use ICSI because once the egg has been frozen, the outer layer is too firm for the sperm on its own so they have to inject it. I've struggled to find any data on what to expect as all the data I could see was based on frozen embryos used years later and not eggs with fresh sperm.
They called on Saturday morning to say 11 of the eggs fertilised and called later that day to say it was now 10 but that I won't hear anything from them now until I get there on Wednesday which will be for a day 5 transfer.

Grateful to have the tramsfer in December as the days tend to pass quicker, especially with the dark nights so hoping that continues!

Wow so fascinating @BlueSkyWinterSun , yea you should have the results of a 33/34 year old, so hopefully there will be a good embryo or two to help you complete your family.

I am just in the waiting room for my appointment, someone has brought in their baby on the transfer anniversary, with a box of chocolates to say thank you. Filling me with hope ❤️

Good luck at your scan @CoolSummer89 - fingers crossed everything is as it should be and they can schedule your transfer. Any idea when it might be? I know some friends who did their transfers as a natural cycle and progesterone always seems to be used. Like you say, not sure why but better to be safe than sorry hey!? Totally agree it's nice and hopeful to see somebody there today who was successful this time last year. Hopefully that will be all of us next year 🤞

Ah a solo cinema trip sounds so nice @BlueSkyWinterSun ! Hadn't really thought about that but might do the same you know. I have Weds/Thurs off work and I'm a bit nervous about getting bored and having too much time to think so definitely think I'll try and fill some of the time, ha. My husband will be WFH on the Weds (transfer day) so maybe we will grab some lunch or dinner after (depending what time it is.. I don't find out until they call me on the day itself!!) I'm starting to get nervous about all the 'what if's' now like if it doesn't survive the thaw and stuff.

So interesting to hear how the process works, it's amazing you had those eggs frozen to use ❤️ and makes total sense on the ICSI element. Great news that your fertilisation rates were high too.. fingers crossed for some extra happy news on your transfer date!

Ok so apart from not getting pregnant naturally in the past two years, my body is usually pretty reliable and no different today. Lining was good and looks like I will ovulate in next couple of days.

if I get a positive OPK tomorrow, transfer will be on Monday. If I get a positive on Wednesday transfer will be on Tuesday, and so on.

also they say I have to take the pessaries 3 times a day! But not to worry too much about timings, just breakfast, lunch and dinner. So good that we have all been told different things haha

@zirafica Thanks and yes the burrata 😥, they still haven't emailed me back 😂. You are right they are better than injections. I am feeling a bit more cheerful today! And the cat thing -- madness. I guess it's that whole IVF thing, they want to be over-cautious. But there's something gone wrong with that risk-benefit ratio!! I mean I'm sure my dog eats cat poo outside sometimes (yes, gross) and I didn't get told not to pet her.

@BlueSkyWinterSun That's so cool that you had those frozen eggs, I hope you get some good embryos out of them and all goes well 💚.

@CoolSummer89 glad everything went well. Are you doing fully natural then? e.g. no trigger, just waiting for ovulation to happen. If I'd known personally I think I'd've preferred that (I don't think the problem for us is with my cycles, they're super regular, lining fine, no probs) but our clinic put me on natural modified. I suppose because it's my first transfer and it's standard protocol for them. But if you have to do the progesterone three times a day instead, that seems a bit excessive!

@AnonTTC glad they let you change the time, what a relief. Here we are all overthinking and worrying and it's not that big a deal to the clinic if we do one several hours later or by whatever delivery method 😅. I do mine on time obviously but I read the medical evidence for natural modified FET which I'm on and it was like 'no real evidence added progesterone makes any difference unless it's the rare case something's maybe wrong with the corpus luteum, we just do it because we always have for IVF cycles'. Which made me worry a lot less. We've got enough to stress about as it is!

hahahaha so true @whysohardtogetusername .. me literally panicking that I need to be near a toilet bang on 7pm when my clinic literally couldn't have been more blasé when I asked about moving it by a full HALF AN HOUR 🤣 I mean, it makes me feel more chilled about the whole thing like you say.. but I'm pretty sure I read some sort of advice from them that it was VERY important to stick to the timings. They just love to stress us out haha x

Honestly.. I think whoever made the 'IVF rules' decided to find everything in life that brings any joy and make it banned!? I remember when we decided to go down this route me and my husband decided to join a fancy gym with a spa and at our next appt we were told neither of us could use saunas/hot tubs/steam rooms - we were like SERIOUSLY!? 🤣 Add on the fact that the majority of long haul holidays are now a 'zika risk' which if you've been going through infertility for 2 years means a lot of fabulous holidays you've skipped 'just in case' when looking back may as well have gone. Obviously that's a very first world problem so please don't take that the wrong way but I do feel like a lot of the ways I'd usually 'relax' or enjoy my spare time have had to be massively adapted throughout this process (good practise for pregnancy and early parenthood though hey!!?)

@AnonTTC second every word of this! No booze, no travel, no petting animals, no cheaty foods, no proper workouts… my endorphins are gagging for a boost!!

@CoolSummer89 grest news!! Fingers crossed for a positive very soon!!

@zirafica i definitely found from day 5 the anxiety and the wishing of a positive ramped up more!! Like I think you feel the date approaching more and know implantation would be taking place!
i had constipation a little in the beginning which then eased but it’s definitely back now!
My official test date in two days and blood test as well, and the nerves are definitely getting worse!

sounds like lots happening for lots of people this week! A big week for our group, some testers, and some transfer days! Wishing you all the best of luck’ 🤞🤞

Ah I can imagine @Peonies94 .. have you been testing daily since your positive or have you tried to lay off a bit? It must have been so hard waiting for official test day because you must be desperate to let the hospital know and make it “official” but it’s almost like you know but can’t get in touch until that official date - bet that’s hard in itself! Hope you feel some relief once it arrives on Wednesday x

@AnonTTC still testing daily and looking at the line progress! have bloods booked with my clinic wednesday so I’ll just update them then! They ask that I do a urine test first in the morning, before going in for bloods! Thr blood have been booked a while so not spoken to them or told them I’ve had a line! It’s been the longest 9 days ever!!

Hi, Sorry for the complete silence... I have been really unwell and in hospital since Friday, it has been hell as they have very little clue about OHSS. I have finally got them to agree to give me some good analgesia and anti sickness and im now at home doing daily weights and abdo girth measurements until they will finally scan me on Thursday. Very bloated, poor appetite and still managed to gain 3kg in a day 🤦🏻‍♀️ so much happier to be home and managing my own medications in the comfort of my own home.

Thank you for asking @Sequins04, I will be honest I didn't ask many questions at the time as not feeling up to it but the clinic said they have frozen 8 blastocysts today and are watching some more so will call with a final update tomorrow.

Ah well that’s brilliant that you can see the line progressing @Peonies94 - fingers crossed for the bloods on Wednesday and then you can look forward to your viability scan in a couple of weeks ❤️

Oh no @RavenWillow - I’m so sorry to hear you’ve been so poorly. I remember being in AGONY with my OHSS and that wasn’t even bad enough for me to be in hospital so I can’t begin to imagine how much pain you’ve been (are still) in 😩 glad to hear you’re able to be at home now but how frustrating that the hospital weren’t forthcoming with treatment options. On the plus side, that’s fantastic news about your blasts!! Hope you’re super pleased and what a great number to have in the freezer waiting for your FET cycle. Amazing news you could get more tomorrow too. Sending lots of love and hope you feel better xx

@AnonTTC thsnk you! I’ll let you know when I get the results, probably the day after!

@RavenWillow so sorry you’ve been poorly!! Hope you feel better soon! Great you got a good number of blasts though!

@RavenWillow oh you poor thing! I'm really sorry you've been so unwell. Really glad you're home now, but it sounds like hell. Please don't be afraid to go back to the hospital if you feel you're getting worse. That's wonderful news about your embryos and hopefully you'll soon be well enough to enjoy all you've achieved

Oh @RavenWillow i’m so sorry to hear about your OHSS, that’s really scary. Also great news about the embryos but even better news that you didn’t have a transfer because that can be really dangerous! Really hope you feel better soon.

best of luck to ladies who are transferring today @AnonTTC & @BlueSkyWinterSun

No LH surge for me this morning. Which means transfer will be Tuesday at the earliest.

it’s my work Christmas do today. Thought I might do a Prosecco at lunch and then try to fend off any other drink offers. What are the good excuses?!

Hi everyone, I’m another one deep in pessary purgatory- 4 days past transfer today. My clinic are relaxed about timings for pessaries (they just say 3 times a day), and my pre-transfer blood level has always been high (in case that’s reassuring). I also mix it up with front & back depending on my mood- nice to have some small choices when everything feels a bit out of control 😂

Sorry to hear about everyone’s symptoms, I find they can really mess with my head as well as being unpleasant. I haven’t had any cramping at all really, just been feeling a bit sick and irritable with very sore boobs. I’m also using the mantra “it’s just the progesterone” to try and stop myself reading into my symptoms but it’s so hard not to.

@CoolSummer89 enjoy that glass of Prosecco today and I hope you get your surge tomorrow!

@RavenWillow glad you’re home now, and sorry you’ve been having such a rough time. Congrats on your blasts.

@RavenWillow oh gosh i can't believe it's been that bad, i'm so sorry. again, echo what the other ladies said, glad you're home and comfortable and seeing this it was 100% the right thing to do freezing the blastos!
@Blueskycat ha! it's hell isn't it! i think days 4-6 were the worst for me cause i knew the implantation was supposed to happen at some point then and although i was really trying not to analyse the "symptoms" i was walking around with the most maniacal thoughts in my head lol. it's day 7 post transfer for me and i've definitely calmed down now, i'm like what's done is done, and the next five days don't seem that bad to wait!
@CoolSummer89 yay to prosecco! i usually say either that i'm on antibiotics or that i had a heavy one the night before and can't go near booze cause it makes me sick or that i had something funny to eat and my stomach is a mess
@AnonTTC @BlueSkyWinterSun BIG DAY THINKING OF YOU!!!!