Any ivf pregnancies ?

[whataglouriousthingtobe]

I'm only 6+2 and super paranoid about absolutely everything. Had my fet on the 28/09, it was our second fet after the first one failed, I had bleeding before I even got to the otd. My scan is this Thursday and it's fair to say I'm bricking it.

Would be nice to chat with some ladies who've done ivf, I have been keeping an eye on the June 2022 thread but sometimes I find I can't relate.

• Sorry 5th when my bloods were taken was 15dp5dt.

Took a CB digital for some reassurance today and got a 3+ (last one I took on 4th? was 2-3 weeks) so that was reassuring, and things are reduced to level that there is nothing when I wipe, only discoloured suppository gung on applicator now so hoping spotting has passed 🤞🤞

@2mumlife your betas look really positive and as it mostly seems to be brown blood/v mild spotting I'd say the outlook looks good I know how you feel re waiting for scan - mine is on the 20th and it seems like an age! What progesterone supplements are you taking by the way? If it's Cyclogest, I'd highly recommend going the bum route rather than vaginally - apparently vaginal progesterone can irritate the cervix and cause bleeding sometimes?

@TheSnufflet Thanks love. Its really hard not to get anxious isn't it?How far along are you? I'm on utrogestan. I had cycloges after my first egg collection for the fresh transfer and started bleeding way way too early (like 4/5 dpt), and had horrible side effects with cyclogest (I went up the bum then). With a stroke of luck for my first FET it was during the period of the cyclogest shortage, so I got put on utrogestan instead, which I coped with much better. Downside is its 3 times a day, and vaginal application only. The suppositories are also small and more pill shaped, so there is a plastic applicator (a bit like what you would get for thrush). I did think about it being the applicator, but the pink tinge I got was several hours after I'd taken a suppository (actually right before I needed to take my midday one) and the brown spotting though looks just like what I had when I had implantation bleeding during my CP, only less of it, so I'm not really convined its the applicator much, but I'm still going to go a bit more gently just in case :)

@2mumlife its difficult because a side effect of progesterone can be spotting, just hormonally. I had the progesterone only pill and was fine but many people can't as they just spot all over the place and it's annoying. Obviously there's also the direct irritation element if using vaginally, so yes, just go steady. If using utrogestan you can only use them that way so have no choice. I have used both and oddly I reckon cyclogest gives me headaches but utrogestan does not. Yet technically they shouldn't be different? Cyclogest only has the advantage it can be used the other way. I've not actually had any spotting at all (which is great for me, since usually I spot in my LP) but I know many people do and it doesn't seem to be just IVF people. There seems to be no pattern.

@paintfairy Not had any progesterone-induced spotting other than this experience, and 2-3 days right around implantation on my CP so I don't think its really hormones, as I'd surely have had it at other times? Everything seems steady today so just hoping it stays that way

Welcome @2mumlife and congratulations! I had spotting on two days at about five weeks. I went and got another private beta to give me some reassurance ahead of a 6+3 scan. All was fine and the consultant said it was probably still just implantation spotting even at 5 weeks.

How’s everyone else doing? Any scans this week? I have my 20 week scan on Friday eeeek!

@2mumlife congratulations and welcome! Sorry to hear you're spotting. Hopefully it's nothing serious.

Big week @JAR1981! I can have a 16 week gender scan this weekend onwards so still deciding whether to do that or wait until mid Feb for my 20 week scan. Remind me, do you know your baby's sex already?

@Holskey no we don’t. Currently thinking we’ll try keep it as a surprise. We had a scan at 15+2 and the consultant told us to look away for a couple of mins if we didn’t want to know. It was very hard to resist peeking though! Do you think you’ll find out?

@JAR1981 I've my 12 week scan on Friday!

@paintfairy scan buddies :). We can try keep each other sane during this week. I find the few days before a scan go so slooooow!

@jar

Ffs - stupid buttons. 🤣
@JAR1981 I think Friday is worse I guess, because the week always drags anyway! So Friday seems miles from Monday! Mine is also later in the afternoon. 🤦‍♀️

@JAR1981 well done on your will power! It must be difficult when you're in the room and have a chance of knowing. I think I'll wait until 20 weeks. I might get impatient before then though. I did think about waiting until birth: I quite like the idea given I don't care if we have a girl or a second boy, but my partner has a strong preference to find out.

@paintfairy mine was in the afternoon too, such a long day! Such a special scan though, seeing an actual baby 🥰

So I have just had my booking appointment with the midwife, better late than never (ill be 12 weeks on friday). Following all the risk assessments it seems I am high risk for quite a few complications. So start taking asprin now and then daily heprin injections from 28 weeks (the joy of more injections). So all of this has just made me more anxious

Good luck for your scans @JAR1981 and @paintfairy. I have my 12 week scan on Tuesday next week.

I feel your pain, mine’s not until 3pm 😬

@Holskey I forgot this was your second. Did you find out with your first?

@Donimo I’m on aspirin and just started heparin again too (came off at 12 weeks after IVF but back on as of my first consultant appointment last week). Nice you don’t have to start until 28 weeks. I’d rather be on it but i am paranoid about puncturing my uterus with the needle. Given I can now see the baby move my belly by kicking it feels very close to the surface?! Has anyone done heparin in their thigh or always tummy?

Also I expect lots of us here are medium/high risk too. In my CCG ivf itself is a risk factor. Plus IVF mums are often older and as in my case additional testing means that other conditions have been found that just wouldn’t have if we’d got pregnant naturally (APS blood clotting antibodies for me). Try not to worry. Being higher risk just means the benefit of consultant led care and extra monitoring :)

@Donimo you're having twins aren't you (or have I remembered incorrectly?) I have several risk factors too. IVF is one, then three issues from previous pregnancy: blood loss in childbirth, obstetric cholestasis and gestational diabetes. I get additional scans, as I'm sure you will, so it's not all bad.

@JAR1981 I didn't even consider a surprise with my first. The only reason was that I had a "feeling" it was a girl (an incorrect feeling as it turned out!) It wasn't a preference: I just found myself automatically assuming my baby was a girl. I didn't want to spend the remaining months of pregnancy under an assumption in case I got attached to it, and I think I made the right call. This time I have no assumptions either way.

Anyone else got any feelings about whether they're having a girl or a boy?

@JAR1981 Thanks lovely, I'd sent a wee memo to my clinic over the weekend and one of the nurses gave me a wee call today with some reassurance, and things have pretty much settled down (tiny tiny bit of lingering discolouration of the progesterone goop but that stuff stays up there for ages ) I don't have my reassurance scan for another 2 weeks at 7+4 seems a long time to wait! Best of luck with the 20 week scan!

Crazy to hear IVF is a risk factor! The only issues I might have is my dad has type 2 diabates (my sister was made to do the glucose tolerance test, but was totally fine) and I know I have a short cervix (I had pre-cancerous cervixcal changes in the past). @JAR1981 My diabetic friend injected insulin into her bump the whole pregnancy, rather than changing injection location

P.S good luck to everyone else having scans this week!

@JAR1981 I was thinking about the risk of puncturing the uterus with the injections too! But think I have enough fat to protect!

@Holskey yes I am having twins. Also had complications with my daughter of obstetric cholestasis and preeclampsia. I cant decide whether to find out the gender. We didn't with my daughter but my husband wanted too. And as there will be regular scans from 26 weeks I don't want to find out by accident when my husband isn't there! Also if they are boys I can get rid out all the girls outfits I have kept prior to them arriving.

@JAR1981 mine is at 3.30pm 🤣
@Donimo twins? Wow!
@Holskey I wonder if you form more of an attachment if you know what it is?

@donimo you could have 3 girls! I think that would be lovely, but so would a girl and 2 twin boys. OC and pre-eclampsia, you poor thing! I've sort of accepted I'll get OC again to the extent I'll be amazed if I don't, but you never know.

@paintfairy I think it helped me (but that's not to say others don't bond if they don't find out!) Everyone is different I guess. I found my first baby really abstract whilst I was pregnant, even though I was desperate for him.

@Holskey yes I feel a bit like that too. Not quite as bad as before the 8 week scan (I was literally detached) but at the moment it doesn't feel real at all. We've not really told anyone either as I just can't face doing so again, if anything went wrong. I'm covering my 'fat' and almost pretending it isn't happening?

I think (probably normal to a degree, but worse because of ivf?) we are so worried things might go wrong? I'm worrying about my 12 week scan tests. I read the antenatal tests forum on here the other day and scared myself to death. I was looking for more just general info but that wasn't what was there! (I suggest no one else look). And also something I read started making me worry there was something wrong from my last 10 week scan. The baby wasn't really moving (did when I wriggled about) and someone was saying that's a sign of illness. 🙄🤦‍♀️ So now I'm worried it might not be moving much for the 12 and there's a problem! Not that I even have anything to compare with or know how much they should move.
But how can you bond with something you are afraid won't be there long? Nightmare.