Period style cramps at nearly 6 weeks pregnant IVF

[Kissandra]

Hi I wonder if time can relate? we had a fresh 5day transfer with ICSI and are now 5 weeks and 5 days pregnant, did anyone else get cramps very similar to period during this early time? I have woken up after a horrific nightmare at this early hour (super vivid) and it feels like my period is about to come any moment is that normal? I know lots is going on down there lol but this is my first pregnancy and I’m naturally curious about what to expect, I’m also still taking cyclogest pessaries twice a day (awful things lol) until 12 weeks.

I have lots of friends with children but I don’t want to tell anyone at this early stage and DP tries his best to understand but i still have a week until my first scan so I thought I’d pop on here since mumsnet’s been my absolute saving grace throughout this whole IVF Journey. :)

My pregnancies weren't IVF but I do remember feeling heavy and crampy in the early weeks - it felt very much like I was pre-menstrual. Nobody warned me about it and I was so worried. It turned out to be completely normal, those babies are here and grown up. There were all sorts of weird aches and pains right up until the end! I hope everything goes smoothly for you.

Another who's pregnancy wasn't IVF but I defo had period type pains in the early stages - for a week I had to take paracetamol at 5am every day for them! Something which I very rarely (or maybe never!) have had to do with normal period pains.

I'm currently 18 weeks after IVF. I had period like cramping pretty much daily until about 8 weeks. When I went to the viability scan the nurse said it was perfectly normal, caused by a mix of post-IVF recovery, progesterone supplements and implantation/uterus expanding. I don't know why there isn't more information about cramping in early pregnancy on the NHS site as it seems to be very common! Best of luck - when is your viability scan?

@Sugarnspicenallthingsnaice this is reassuring thank you, fingers crossed all is good!

@StampOnTheGround this is super reassuring I literally have been thinking I may need to pop a paracetamol but I kinda hate taking meds (the irony after going through ivf 😭😂) and thought surely it shouldn't feel like this but these replies are soo helpful x

@CharlieAndMoose hallelujah thank you so much I have also had it most days since transfer but tonight just a little more intense but that makes so much sense the meds the progesterone the whole procedure really is taxing on our precious wombs isn't it. So reassuring to hear it's quite common, this mumsnet is so much more informative than anything else out there I'm so grateful I took the leap and posted! My scan is Friday the 17th Jan - I'm guessing that's the viability one? May I ask when you graduated your clinic or hospital? I think mine says 10 weeks and then I'll be referred to nhs for my usual 12 week scan (we went private as DP already has teenage son so weren't eligible for NHS) xx

Hi OP, I'm 9 weeks pregnant after IVF and I got period cramping at about 5-8 weeks, it just stopped last week. I'm also on progesterone and I think that can cause cramping too.

I was told not to worry unless it is excruciating pain or if you start bleeding. Even then, a bit of blood is often OK, but worth getting checked out if it happens.

I think you will be OK :)

Do take paracetamol if you need to - it's fine in pregnancy and it will be OK xx

@moomindragon thank you! So helpful! was it pretty constant between those weeks? It's definitely manageable just feels heavy in there and the cramps ramped up slightly overnight but no spotting or anything aside from my implantation bleeding around 8dpt, it's hard to differentiate all the symptoms with IVF and progesterone isn't it, it literally feels periody every step of the way but the levels of periody are so sporadic and random 😫😂 xx

I had awful period like pains throughout my pregnancy.I was.
worried sick but all was fine.

Also had cramps but didn’t have IVF, they lasted until about 13 weeks for me.

My pregnancy was not IVF but at 6 weeks and 10 weeks I had period pains and bled for a few days, I did have to go and get checked out both times as they said could be the start of a miscarriage but it wasn’t and DS is now a healthy adult.

I had a ivf pregnancy and had exactly the pain you describe. A lot of people in my ivf Facebbok group did too. Some had bleeding too and it turned out ok. Our little fella is fast asleep upstairs. The worry doesn’t stop until little one is here, but hopefully it’s a little reassurance that all of my concerns turned out to be perfectly normal.

There are a lot of changes going on in your body and unless you have severe pain/ bleeding, it's OK. It's just your uterus stretching to accommodate the baby.

I know how nerve-wracking it can be especially when it's a pregnancy after fertility treatment, but I would try not to worry about differentiating the symptoms or working out the cause. Just roll with it unless something feels seriously wrong. I think you will know if there is something really wrong.

Thank you 🙏🏽 it is indeed, really helpful xx

I honestly can't thank you all enough what a beautiful community this is it makes me feel a bit emotional (probs the hormones 😆) that you're all so kind and totally understanding, it's my first ever pregnancy at 39 so you get told "risks" all the time and not a lot of helpful information to stop you worrying about said risks lol - my nightmare was about MC so I think I had worked myself up a bit but to feel not alone during such a sacred time is so comforting, and to know I'm not the only one awake in forums at stupid o'clock is reassuring! Xx

Another IVF pregnancy here, just over 8 weeks now. I had some pretty awful period like cramps and evening some 'lightning crotch' on and off that even seemed to wake me on occasion from the start. 7 week scan a week ago showed a heartbeat and actually measuring a couple of days ahead, all looked good thankfully!

It seems to have settled in the last week or so, I get them now occasional but they are mild. Not to say I won't get them back again fully, who knows! I'm not on progesterone from this transfer as my level was already quite high on transfer day but I have been in the past and that definitely causes cramping too.

Ok so it seems to be totally normal to cramp so helpfuI and I can totally relate to lighting crotch 😂 I've had that since a few days after transfer too! So amazing to hear I can't wait for my scan next week, did you feel less worried after hearing the heartbeat or do you still worry? I guess mums never stop worrying tbf do they lol xx

I didn’t have IVF, but I did have really bad period type cramps during the first few weeks of pregnancy. A few nights I’d wake up and have to get in the bath in the middle of the night because that was the only thing which soothed it. I’m 29 weeks now and the cramps thankfully stopped after about 7 weeks for me (replaced by nausea) and everything seems well.

Two ivf babies here — I also had the feeling you describe, pretty much up to the point of feeling movement. The feeling of an oncoming period is actually identical to early pregnancy for me. Now, after kids, if I feel pregnant, I know to expect my period the next day.
Your vivid dream is a pregnancy symptom btw.

It's definitely reassuring because I had it in my head that they'd either be nothing there, no heart beat or measuring very behind - I don't think it helped that I got really poorly with a fever a few days after testing positive and I was convinced it was going to have had a negative impact. I didn't sleep much at all the night before the scan out of worry but then seeing (we didn't hear it I'm not sure the clinic does that, but saw the tiny flicker) the heartbeat was amazing.

I'm still not sure it definitely feels real but I feel more excited. Of course now I can't wait until the next scan (12/13 weeks) because my anxiety convinces me something will go wrong in the meantime but I have read that being able to see a heartbeat at 6-8 weeks really does improve the odds of a live birth. Best of luck for your scan next week, let us know how it goes? 😊 xx

@toastofthetown that's how I felt early hours of this morning I had to get in the bath to calm them down so thank you that's reassuring x hope the nausea subsides for you x

@Narkacist I've heard this in IVF that it feels like it's about to come any moment, and as an atypical PCOS (just lots of follicles and irregular 3 months of the year) I have many a time felt the exact same feeling with hope in my heart to only POAS and get a period with an hour 😭 so i think I need to remind myself I am actually pregnant now lol and that it is probably normal with all the growing and stretching plus the progesterone! roll on the viability scan hopefully it puts my mind at ease somewhat xx

& omg is it really I heard about vivid dreams but not nightmares but I suppose same same 😂 🤦🏽‍♀️ xx

@strawberrylaces12 that's good to hear! Omg I reckon I'll be the same the night before tbf! I feel too scared to be tooo excited but then at the same time think no you go be excited girl! Haha we battle with ourselves don't we but I think I'll be the same anticipating each scan with caution but I'm going to try my hardest to relax and trust god to do his thing! thank you so much I hope it all becomes a bit more real after the scan, I shall come back and update xx wishing you a peaceful healthy pregnancy xx

I had awful cramping with both my ivf pregnancies until I finished the extra progesterone (currently second trimester with second). Interestingly with this one I had a sub chorionic hematoma which caused some really heavy bleeding with almost contraction level cramps, and after I had a second less intense bleed the cramps stopped almost completely! But really normal, don't panic.