IVF Pregnancies (thread 2)

[Holskey]

@LemonyT
@strawberrysummer19
@Etonmess20
@IamnotwhouthinkIam
@strawberrysummer19
@paintfairy
@2mumlife
@Starbeach
@TheSnufflet
@Novavee
@Donimo
@Monday55
@Cakecakecheese
@Porridgeislife
@JAR1981
@Hufflepuff1
@2022babyhope
@becarefuloutthere
@notsofertilemyrtle
@RiverRiot

I've definitely missed people, but hoping I've got everyone who's been active recently. Apologies if not!

@Cakecakecheese are you finding out the sex at your private scan? You should definitely show us your alien infestation 12 week scan! 😂

@Donimo how is your sickness/nausea now?

@Donimo I guess its hard to know with timing if it was med reduction or just hitting the height of first trimester symptoms!

Luckily I seem to be improving a bit again. Did need to go for a nap at 4pm though yesterday. Surely the whole pregnancy can't be like this?

Starting to get nervous about NHS dating scan next week - its been so long since we had a scan and it feels very surreal being pregnant that I can't actual imagine going in and everything being ok.

@Holskey it started to improve over the past week or so (I am now 18 weeks) thank you for asking

@2mumlife it does get better with the fatigue as well as sickness. But I do still have days when I need a nap or go to bed really early! When is your scan next week? I am now having fortnightly scans and still get really anxious beforehand and expect the worse everytime

@Holskey yes it's included so we will find out although annoyingly they've moved it back to the Sunday.

Honestly it looks like something Sigourney Weaver did battle with

@Cakecakecheese hahaha what a reference 😂 I'm glad all looks good though, you must be thrilled!

@Cakecakecheese wow!! Is that twins? I’ve got a 7w scan end of next week to find out if I’m incubating 0, 1 or 2 😬

Bless you @Cakecakecheese 😂 I won't pretend that's a good picture of what I'm sure is a beautiful baby. I got lots more photos during my private scan and videos too, so no doubt you'll get a better representation of your little one 💕

@Donimo glad you're feeling better 🙂

@Mountaingoat31 such a horrible wait. Fingers crossed for at least one. How many did you transfer?

@2mumlife in my first pregnancy, I started getting much more energy before now (21+5) but this time I'm still so tired all the time! I think you've just got to be kind to yourself when needed ❤ Good luck with your scan!

Question for you all, did your symptoms come and go in the early weeks? I had a scan this week showing a 6 week pregnancy and a heart fluttering away (consultant said it was a good heart rate) and been quite nauseated this week. Woke up in the night for a wee and was absolutely starving, had to go down to the kitchen to eat at 3 am! Woke up and feeling…alright? Not nauseous and just a bit tired.

I read symptoms come and go but it feels quite unsettling when they go! I’m 7 weeks tomorrow, the wait for the 12 weeks scan will be so long!

@Donimo Scan is on Tuesday, so just trying to distract myself this weekend. @Holskey I've just embrace the afternoon nap now lol

@Begoniagal7 My symptoms came and went, try not to worry.

@Mountaingoat31 no it's not twins, just a very bad scan photo

Hello all. Mind if I join?

We had to have IVF after our investigations delivered us the triple whammy of an endometriosis diagnosis, blocked tubes and low egg reserve. It was such a horrible, bleak time.

I’m in disbelief that we finally have some good news. DP is trying not to get too excited. To begin with I felt shocked and it took a few days to feel happy, which I then felt horribly guilty for. Awful how infertility invades the joyous moments too.

Our clinic make us do two tests a week apart, today was the second so I’m tentatively starting to let myself believe this may be happening. But still very cautious, especially until the 7 week scan. Currently 5 weeks. The test last weekend was the first time I’ve ever had a BFP - was very emotional.

When did you all come off your progesterone? My boobs are absolute agony and I’m really tired which I’m guessing is the progesterone at this stage. Also getting some low level cramping and twinges.

IVF feels like a marathon of waiting for dates or procedures. I’m now feeling like pregnancy may be the same!

Hi @GodspeedJune and @Mountaingoat31-good to see some people coming over from the IVF board.
@Begoniagal7 my symptoms are coming and going at 6 weeks too. Also they are milder than I remember last time. It's such a difficult time isn't it.

@GodspeedJune - I did a 2nd test at 6 weeks as I was starting to wonder if I was imagining the whole thing. Agree about the waiting… if we get beyond 12w I think we will start to relax a bit more. My last pregnancy before ivf (late 2020) ended in MC at 8.5 weeks so pretty anxious about the 7w scan. Fingers crossed for you and for @womaninkent too.
If we get encouraging news I will ask about cutting the progesterone, but based on what I’ve read I suspect the answer will be 12w. It’s vile stuff - I’m still on double the recommended dose (am doing 4 pessaries per day), but like everything else I tell myself it’s a minor inconvenience in the grand scheme of things if it works! We are very lucky to have a 4.5 year old. I am already wearing the pregnancy bra (bigger cup size, no wire) I didn’t need until 4 months that time round. DP finds this aspect quite entertaining 🙄
@Holskey thanks, we had our two and only embryos transferred on recommendation of the consultant - I’m nearly 42 so statistical likelihood is at best, one may be good (that’s the result I’m hoping for)

@GodspeedJune Tentative congratulations! My clinic started reducing progesterone and estradiol from 11 weeks, and I'll be taking my last dose tomorrow just before 13 weeks. In other places though you just stop cold turkey - I've quite liked being able to reduce slowly though, its felt very reassuring. Keeping everything crossed for you for your viability scan

@Cakecakecheese Oh my, I'm sorry the scan photo wasn't good! Was that really the best angle they could get!?

We had our 20 week scan this week and our baby remains on track and well It was very cool seeing how much bigger she was & we even got a closeup of her nose and lips as she was refusing to move off her back & so the sonographer was doing all sorts of things to get her in position. Eventually I was sent away & had a chocolate bar which woke her up & helped finish the scan.

@GodspeedJune I was on all the medications until Week 11 when they tapered me off until Week 14 (with progesterone being the last). I think mine lasted a while as it was a frozen transfer but ladies with endo tend to be resistant to progesterone so they give us a lot - I was on 2 x Lubion and 3 x Cyclogest. I was so fed up of jabs by the end.

Hello back womaninkent I’m glad you’ve said that about symptoms coming and going as I woke up today feeling a bit different.

Mountaingoat31 So sorry about your MC but congratulations on this pregnancy and I really hope it works out for you this time. Gosh 4 a day isn’t fun but like you say, we’ll put up with almost anything if it means things go well. I hear you on the bra situation - I’ve already had to ditch my usual and move in to a spare I had in the next size up. I hope to god this pace of change levels out!

Thank you 2mumlife ! Yes tapering off seems a much more reassuring way to do it. Sending you all best wishes for your scan next week too. Not long to wait now.

Congratulations Porridgeislife that’s wonderful news. I love that she needed a chocolate bar to wake her up - my kind of girl!

That’s interesting about the endo and progesterone. This was my first round and I feel like I had a cookie cutter protocol without the endo taken into account. Can’t complain as it has got us further than we’ve ever been but they don’t seem like endo specialists. When we had ET the healthcare assistant said it would either be 8 or 12 weeks but she couldn’t tell us herself. I’m half expecting them to say it will be 8 weeks for me as it was a fresh round. I don’t know whether to push for longer as much as I hate the pessaries for my own reassurance.

You poor thing with the jabs, they really ground me down towards the end too. I’m only on 2 x 400 cyclogest now.

Scan today went well, other than fetus being a awkward wee thing, refusing to move from a face-down, squished into my bladder position (despite thrusting hips, lying on side, jumping up and down and all sorted during scan to try to make it shift!). We eventually got some measurments and everything looking good, though a rubbish scan photo. They've tried to date me earlier than I can possibly be, so they've made my due date 3 days earlier than it should be - I guess I'm just measuring a little bit bigger. The really good news was there is no evidence of my SCH any more, so its compltely reabsorbed which gives me a lot more confidence now to get back being active again.

In next week for a consultant appiointment (I think? but the badger app they use in Scotland is rubbish and doesn't tell you anything!) and then another scan in 3 weeks to check my dodgy cervix. For now though, very grateful everything is looking good.

@2mumlife great news on your scan

@2mumlife that’s great news on the scan! I was also dated 4 days early at my scan but they also couldn’t get baby in right position so I’m not sure my due dates accurate 🤔 still willing to bet my later ivf date might be right! Glad to hear there’s no sign of the SCH. Fingers crossed for your cervix!

@2mumlife congrats on a good scan!

@womaninkent, it’s nerve wracking isn’t it? I’ll have a day or two of feeling rubbish and then a day or two of feeling alright. Had one day or terrible nausea coming home on the bus last week but nothing like it since and —trying— failing to keep calm. I’m convinced that I’m having a missed miscarriage. My next can isn’t for another five weeks and I’ve no idea how I’m going to manage.

@womaninkent, sorry I hit post too quickly. How are you getting on?

@Begoniagal7 I know exactly what you mean, I've been going out of my mind either dealing with symptoms or worrying about the lack of them. I had about 3 days where pretty much all my symptoms went but they do seem to have come back. If it's any help I have read loads of things from women online who swear all their symptoms disappeared and didn't come back and who went on to have healthy pregnancies. My viability scan is on Tuesday. I don't know if this is any help at all but with my son I was very anxious in the first trimester but once I got past about 12 weeks I was much calmer and could enjoy the pregnancy much more. Also, the odds are good if you have seen a heartbeat at 6-8 weeks (they get better the later the scan) although of course nothing is guaranteed. I would say try to relax but that would be completely hypocritical given how anxious I am.
@GodspeedJune and @Mountaingoat31 when are your scans?

@womaninkent - thanks for asking, I just got back a short while ago. We have one with a heartbeat, so looking very promising 🤞The second sac appeared empty, they want me back again in 2 weeks (just short of 9w) to have another look at that. No let up on the cyclogest until 12 weeks 🙄. Got a very grainy photo - so glad it means more to them! Hoping the same for you on Tuesday

2mumlife Brilliant news on your scan! I don’t understand how they can adjust the due date of you and LemonyT with it being IVF?

Begoniagal7 Would you consider a private scan somewhere in the middle? I’m sure everything is fine but a scan midway might break the wait up a bit.

womaninkent I’m still in the same boat as you with symptoms coming and going. Am getting on and off mild cramping, my boobs go from being agony to just a bit tender. I think today is the first proper day of morning sickness. It’s hard to know what is cyclogest and what’s actually the pregnancy too!

My scan is on the 15th when I’ll (hopefully) be 7+4. Bit annoying as the clinic originally said we’d be scanned at 7+1 but in the grand scheme of fertility treatment it’s only a few more days.

Best of luck for your scan next Tuesday. How far along will you be by then? It’s great to hear you relaxed more after 12 weeks with your son. I’m conscious that this might be the only time I’m pregnant and want to enjoy it, but it’s such an anxious time too.

Congratulations Mountaingoat31 that’s wonderful news!