42 and starting IVF treatment tomorrow - would love some company for the journey ☺️

[Sheffters]

Hi ladies, so, as the title reads, I start the injections tomorrow evening. I have an appointment with my clinic (Care) tomorrow morning for the baseline scan and to get the treatment plan. Meds have arrived so we are ready to go! My AMH is 8.3 with follicle count of 14.

I had my son via IVF 11 years ago and was very lucky that it worked first time and on the NHS. This time it's private and costing a fortune. This is the only shot we have at this so we are feeling the pressure for sure.

I fell pregnant last month naturally (first time ever due to PCOS) but that ended in a chemical at 5 weeks. We are opting for PGTA testing and keeping everything crossed for a euploid.

Is anyone else starting this journey?

@overworkthis could just be implantation. I am sending hugs to you and all x

Do you know implantation bleeding didn’t actually occur to me. I know it’s not irritation from the pessaries as I’ve, er, switched to the back passage as per someone here’s suggested and it’s much less messy! The bleeding has completely stopped since this morning, still a bit crampy.

@overwork if it was brown and not fresh red blood then I think that's a good sign? Especially as it's now stopped. Really hope that's what it is! I have seen a lot of posts on here of people that had spotting or bleeding and everything turned out OK 🤞🏻🤞🏻

Well thanks both, my heart sunk when it saw it this morning but you’ve calmed me right down again

Good, like @Magix86said, only need to be concerned with fresh blood xx

Im also thinking that it is likely to be an implantation bleed. Fingers crossed for you @overworkthat everything is continuing as it should.

I took a couple days offline and googling what progress looks like after collection just to switch off over the weekend. Was weirdly missing doing my nighttime stims 🤣 it became such a habit and I think it felt like I was helping matters along and had a little bit of control in the process, mad!

I think I know what you mean, it’s better being in the process I think, rather than being in one of the (many!) waiting periods!
Still spotting a small amount each day, still not red. Other than that not much to tell. Think I’ll test tomorrow but I might chicken out come the day!

@IndigoBluey good luck for your update tomorrow! I feel the same, it's hard when you're not having to do anything and it's all now just down to waiting.

@overwork sounds reassuring that it's not red blood. Tomorrow will be day 7 won't it? Good luck if you do decide to test!

I'm in for my transfer tomorrow afternoon, IF they are happy to proceed after scanning me 😬 we won't get any updates on our embryos until we get there so it's feeling like an anxious wait now

Oh yes this is going to be a long 24 hours for you. Hopefully everything is all calm in there and you can proceed with a transfer! Best wishes for tomorrow @IndigoBluey!
Yes last Tuesday so tomorrow will be day 7, which probably equates to about 12 days post ovulation, that seems a reasonably sensible time to test!

@Magix86 that’s exciting and hopefully your transfer will go ahead. Is the scan to check lining measurement to allow it go to ahead?

@overwork I’m glad to hear it’s brown spotting still and not red that’s good. Do you think you will test or see how you feel tomorrow!

thanks hoping for a positive update but bracing myself as reminding myself of the average percentages too which I think are between 30-40% to reach the blasto stage on day 5

Good morning. I have tested and there is the faintest of faint lines, but far too faint for this stage in the process I’m afraid. My body really feels like it’s gearing up for a period and the spotting is getting heavier. I will stay on the progesterone until the weekend / my period arrives, whichever comes first! I’m actually not too disappointed so I guess I had set myself up for it not to work this time, it would have almost been too easy! Blood test with the clinic is next Tues so once they confirm it we can think about next steps. That will either be a FET (ASAP from my point of view but I need to wait on my PGT-A results, and if neither are any good, a FINAL round) again as quickly as possible. Whether we get our second baby or not, I’m ready to put the ‘trying’ phase behind us!
Best of luck for your results and hopeful transfer today, I’ll be thinking of you both!

@overwork I'm sorry to read this. Although I have to say, 7 days is still really early so I'd expect the line to be faint at this point. Difficult with the spotting getting heavier though. I'd test again in a couple of days and see? Sending hugs.

Ah it’s fainter than faint, definitely more what you’d expect at day 5 or so really. I’m really sure that Thursday there will be nothing there.

This is how faint we are talking! Tried with another brand and it’s just as barely there with that one, so I’m satisfied that it’s not a dodgy test.

My day is going from bad to worse! I’ve just had the invoices through for the PGT-A testing, and it’s all for one embryo. We were told that there were two, she even told me their gradings, and we wouldn’t have tested if there was only one (we have an outstanding transfer which we paid for with our first round, which we didn’t get to use, so we’d have just transferred it rather than pay for the testing). I had to re-write my email response to the clinic several times to make sure it was factual rather than emotional and have insisted that I get clarity ASAP as to what is going on, but it looks like we’re down to one little chance rather than two. I think this is more upsetting than the test result this morning! I’d already decided we’d be beyond lucky for it to work first transfer, but had a little hope that one of my remaining two would come back euploid. What a day.
Hoping for some good news from those waiting for day 5 / transfer updates! That will brighten my mood a little

@overwork gosh you are having a difficult day. That sounds strange, how can they have missed an embryo? Could it be some kind of admin mistake, especially since you had grades confirmed. I’m afraid I don’t know much about the PGT-A process, have you received the test result or just the invoice for now? I do hope they respond asap. Can you try and take yourself off to do something nice for yourself meantime? Might help having a little distraction although hard I know. I’m expecting my update towards the end of today

I stormed off on a walk around the block if that counts! I’m actually in work today, but it’s good for a distraction.
I haven’t received the results PGT-A results yet, that’s not due for another couple of weeks. This morning I got an invoice for the storage of 1 embryo, and an invoice for the biopsy of 1 embryo for PGT-A testing. They’re obviously looking into it as we speak, because I’ve just checked the online portal and both invoices have now disappeared. You’re correct though, it can’t have disappeared. Maybe it didn’t survive the biopsy?

Ah not long to go now then, all the waiting is a killer isn’t it! Are you hoping for a September transfer? How long do you have to wait?

Oh @overwork how incredibly stressful!! I am surprised sometimes at how the clinics communicate things. I really hope they get back to you with an explanation! And also an apology. That must have been really upsetting and confusing for you.

We've had our transfer. Got a little 4BB on board and 2 others frozen today. The rest are either early blastocysts or compacting so they will check them again tomorrow.

oh that’s all excellent news isn’t it? A 4BB has a great chance! And maybe some more good news to follow tomorrow!

@overwork how are you feeling today? Did your clinic get back to you about your embryos?

@IndigoBluey hope you're doing OK and you had a positive day 5 update!

We had a call today to say they have frozen 2 embryos on day 6 for us, a 5BA and a 5CB. They are giving the rest just a few more hours again to see if any progress

Oh that’s brilliant! Good grades too! But with a bit of luck, you might not even need them (well not for baby 2 anyway!). How are you feeling today?
Yes I’ve had a call today. Apparently it was just an admin / billing mix up, there are two safe and well in the freezer (pending PGT-A results). It just wasn’t a good day for me, for them to have a mix up!
Had a good old chat with my partner about next steps. We’ll book the call with our consultant for after we have the PGT-A results. If we manage to get a euploid, we’ll transfer but not till October as I want a bit of a break from it all. And if there isn’t, which is obviously the more likely outcome, then we’ll have one last round. So for now my focus is to get my body moving again and try to feel a bit more myself, before we get wrapped up in it all again! Tiny bit of good news, as my stims were for much fewer days this time I have 4 days of Menopur leftover in the fridge, so assuming we stick with the same drug, the medication should be drastically cheaper!

I’m so glad that it was a mix up but a mix up that you didn’t need yesterday @overwork a break sounds sensible. I remember the relief after my first round (only got so far as stims) and when it was cancelled it was nice to have a bit of normality back and be able to plan and look forward to things without worrying about dates.

its sounds like your transfer went well @Magix86 how does it feel entering into the next stage? Those are great results too, good to know you have a few frozen.

i had my day 5 update yesterday and i was a little flat to hear 2 made it to be blasto, i was kind of hoping 3/4 which i would have been chuffed with. But I am reminding myself that 2 is still a result and not a cancelled cycle. One is grade 4AB and the other is 4BC. Looking to do FET on next cycle (I think!) trying to get into some exercise as I’ve missed that the last couple of weeks and it helps take my mind off of things

@overwork ohh I'm so relieved for you that it was just a mix up! But still not good for you to have to manage that. Sounds like you have a really good plan for your next steps. I completely get you wanting a little break before going again! IVF is exhausting.

@IndigoBluey that's 2 good embryos you have there. I do understand how you're feeling, the drop off can be pretty brutal at times. It can also vary from cycle to cycle - I wasn't expecting this many embryos as our first round we got 2 out of 11 fertilised. Then round 2 we got 3 out of 8. But it only takes one good one and you have 2 really good chances there!

This afternoon they've frozen 2 more for us - a 3BC and a 5CC. We've ended up with a total of 10 embryos frozen which is a decent amount to help us complete our family. I'm just aware that they aren't the best grades and some are really poor - the clinic wouldn't usually freeze CC's but only did so at our request.

I'm feeling OK thank you. My little one was really unsettled last night so we had a few hours of crying and not a lot of sleep. Worried a little bit at how I've had to lift him up so much and carry him when they say not to lift anything heavy after a transfer. But I guess people have to do this all the time and normal life has to continue! Just hope it won't have caused any harm.

oh congratulations both, lots of good embryos frozen there! The drop off is brutal @IndigoBlueybut you are in a similar range to what has happened to the rest of us. I don’t know if that’s good news to you or bad! You now have 2 solid chances, and last time you have zero, so you’re already off to a much better start.
Oh I didn’t know CC’s were regarded as quite that poor @Magix86. There’s a chart someone shared on one of these chats and I’m sure the CC’s still had a 25% chance. Though it’s probably a 2.5% chance at my age! In any case they have zero chances in the bin.

Thanks both, honestly this thread is so supportive. Definitely lifts my mood! I had considered whether to do another egg collection but I’m leaning towards just going straight to the FET with the A and seeing how it goes. Away to read some material from clinic on the transfer itself, with it being my first time and have no clue about timings and how it all fits in with next cycle with starting meds and what not. I think the financial situation is always on my mind too.

@Magix86 great news to add two more to the collection. It’s natural to worry about lifting etc after your transfer but like you say hard to avoid going about daily activities and I sometimes think others go about business as usually without knowing of a pregnancy for weeks! I hope your little one is more settled this evening.