First IVF Cycle - Two Mums

[Nicole2591]

Hello everyone,

I am new to here and I wondered if anyone was going through IVF as a same sex couple? I am currently on Day 5 of stims - It would be nice to have someone to chat to who is going through the same thing.

We've just had a baby after a long time of trying if that helps

@Nearlythere80 That's amazing, congratulations.

Did you guys go through IVF?

Yes, female couple. Initially using donor sperm (European sperm bank) and my eggs, but we may be a fair bit older than you at a guess, both over 40 when we started, so we ended up using donor eggs as well, so our little lad who finally arrived just before Xmas was 5 years in the making, with multiple cycles of ivf and the help of two very kind strangers. He is a delight, i found ivf a horror, i hope you get success more easily and quickly x

That's utterly wonderful.

I am 32 and we are using my eggs and donor sperm (UK sperm bank). To get to this point, we have been waiting since April 23 (mainly waiting on the sperm tbh) but we are very grateful for the donation.

The IVF process is very stressful, there are so many unknowns and whilst I do not have any fertility issues it is difficult to find any stats on success rates for similar groups.

I am hoping I am ready next week for egg collection and praying the transfer is a successful whilst still trying to manage my expectations and the odds are, we wont be that lucky! x

Good luck with everything!! It’s such a tough and stressful time. Keeping my fingers crossed for you!
I’m not going through it currently but I am lying next to my sleeping nearly 1 year old DD who my partner and I conceived through IVF (reciprocal IVF). It was a long and sometimes rocky road but we got there and she’s wonderful!
I really do wish you all the best 🤞🏼xx

@Brightandbreezey Thank you so much 😊
Congratulations on the birth of your little one - it's nice to speak to others who have been through a similar journey xx

My wife and I have a 14 month old from IVF! I was also 32 when going through IVF, using my eggs and donor sperm, so in a very similar situation! A couple of things to be aware of:

1. As you are young and have no fertility issues, you are at risk of OHSS (ovulation hyper stimulation syndrome)- make sure you read up on it and know what to look out for.
2. You will feel like absolute shit after your egg retrieval- book a couple of days off work!

Feel free to ask any questions you have. Good luck!

My wife and I went through our first round last year and have just made it to the third trimester. We’re super lucky it worked first time for us 😊

My wife needed a lower dose of stims due to a high AMH / age / risk of OHSS but otherwise it all went well with no complications.

Good luck with your first round!

Thank you @2mummies1baby and @DRD55

We had our embryo transferred yesterday and last night/today I fell really crampy. Given it's similar to a smear, I guess this is why I am feeling like this.

The egg collection went well, we got 10 eggs, 9 fertilised and 6 made it to Blastocyst. I was a little disappointed with the number of eggs we retrieved, I think I was expecting more.

How did you guys feel during the 2ww?

It’s easy to be disappointed but it just takes that little one to work!!!
I think I had 3 in my first round (my eggs) and 5 in our second (my partners eggs) round. We now have our little girl and 2 blastos left!
It can happen! I wish you all the luck!! These next few weeks can be really tough so take good care of yourself. Thinking of you!! X

Thank you @Brightandbreezey - I am already feeling the strain and today is only day 1! I cant imagine how I am going to make it 2 weeks, with the way my brain feels today x

6 blastocysts is brilliant, honestly! Especially from 10 eggs- they got 24 from me, 17 mature, 12 fertilised and 7 blastocysts (can't believe I still remember those numbers from two years ago, ha!). I got pregnant first time, and we've decided we want to stick with one child, so we still have 6 in the freezer that we're not even going to use.

The 2ww is so hard, I remember. I just kept myself as busy as possible. Allow yourself a bit of time each day to obsess over it, but then be really strict with yourself and make yourself do something to distract you! And keep reminding yourself that, if it doesn't work first time, you have 5 more blastocysts, which is an excellent position to be in. So many people only get one or none.

Keeping everything crossed for you!

That's amazing @2mummies1baby you got some great results - I keep thinking we wont be that lucky for it to happen first time but like you say to have another 5 blastocysts to go at is lucky in itself.

Thank you for the tips during the 2ww and the well wishes x

Good luck OP! Re the TWW the best one for me was when I carried on as normal as possible and stayed distracted!

We did a round of IVF last year with my eggs (I’m 34), got 8 eggs, 5 fertilised and 3 blasts, but sadly no baby. unsure why. We’re in the process now of recovering and deciding what to do next.

wishing you the absolute very best for this cycle x

It's just down to the numbers usually, probably worth just keeping going

Thanks! Yes I have decided to have another go, just trying to decide wther to stick with mild or try a long protocol to see if I can get more embryos to increase our chances

I'm unconvinced that any variations make anything other than random chance differences. If there was a best way every clinic would do the same?

I hope you get a positive result @Nicole2591