IVF...pregnant on the first try.

cvnewton83

Hi my name is Courtney,

I'm 31 and me and my husband have been trying to conceive for the last 17 months without success.  After multiple test, some so painful, and starting to work with a fertility specialist we have decided that IVF would be the best chance of us getting pregnant.  I guess my questions would be what are the chances of us getting pregnant on the first cycle? Will I need to be on bed rest for a week after the doctor puts the embryo back in me?  How exactly are they going to get the eggs out of me and will it hurt.  After the HCG test I'm always nervous about the things that have to be done.  Also have any of you guys done genetic testing and how did you feel about it?  I'm sorry I asked a million and one questions there's just so much going through my mind. 

Thanks guys

indianaalum

PG WARNINIG:

1) Chances of it happening on the first time vary person to person based on age, issue, etc

2)Bedrest for a week is not usually necessary after embryos are put back in. It did not hurt at all either. I think I relaxed that day, but not sure that was even required. They cant "fall out" as my doctor instructions reminded me of.

3)Retrieval doesn't hurt, but is uncomfortable only due to the extreme bloating/constipation you may feel. As a person who thought the HCG was awful like you, this was a walk in the park. THAT TESTS HURTS, the retrieval and the return does not hurt nearly as bad.

4) I am one of the lucky ones. It happened to me on first try. Good luck

blueeyes233

My RE told us to be realistic.  While we all hope it works the first try, it's better to plan on 3 as often the first cycle is a test run and sometimes it just takes time and several attempts. 

My old RE did 3-5 days of bed rest to get to the 8 day implantation period.  He was very conservative.  My new RE says no bed rest, that activity to increase blood flow to the uterus is better than being still for days on end. 

Most of the time you will be under sedation for the ER and you will sleep through the process.  You will most likely be sore that day and possibly the day after.  They use an ultrasound guided needle to aspirate each follicle in the ovaries.  The ET is done while awake, very similar to an IUI, a catheter is inserted through your cervix into your uterus.  Generally not painful unless you have a sensitive cervix.  

I haven't done testing on the embryos yet, though it's next on my list if this IVF doesn't work (this is my third fresh cycle).  

cvnewton83

Thank you ladies. I'm just nervous about all of the. So far the most we have done is clomid and progesterone.  But now that we have added my husband's low sperm count or motility issues to my PCOS it's just become so hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Cindal

1) Depending on the factors the best chance you can hope for is basically a coin toss, maybe a little more or a little less.
2)My Re did not recommend any bedrest whatsoever. He suggested I take it easy for a few days, not lift anything heavy or overexert myself.
3) Most ER you are put under for. If that's the case you're not going to feel it. If by chance you are not put under, I wasn't, it will hurt very badly.  They go through your vaginal walls with a very long flexible needle like instrument in order to pierce your ovaries and basically suck out the egg. Like I said if you're awake its most likely going to hurt alot. I definitely recommend being put under. My doc claimed it wouldn't be painful which is why I choose not to, but I definitely made the wrong decision there.
4) We did the prerequisite genetic screening to make sure that I wasn't a carrier for a major disease like cystic fibrosis and then we also did a karyotype for DH to check for chromosomal abnormalties. We do not plan on doing pgd or screening on any embryos.

katers79

Welcome.

This is a lot for one post-- not to be bitchy, but I'd suggest lurking and searching the board for answers to each question. You're going to find a lot of variability depending on the responder. You'll do best looking on a laptop or iPad vs mobiles so that you can see siggys and histories. I stalked like hell for a few months to get a good feel for the basics.

Good luck! I hope your stay is short and sweet.

Lc102310

Hi!

My ER was good, I was put out for the procedure and was a little uncomfortable for a few days. Not real pain but just bloated.

I am doing PGD testing but that is because I know I am a carrier for a form of Muscular Dystrophy. 

It can be a lot to process, but read some of the questions and posts here and it will help.

Good Luck!

Sha259

*************Loss Mentioned****************

There is no way to tell if IVF will work until it does. Just like any other procedure, it has a specific success rate, in regards to your specific IF diagnosis, so that will tell you the odds of whether it will work.

IVF is an extremely invasive process. However, everyone reacts to their own protocol differently. Some people have very bad experiences. Some, like myself, had very easy protocol cycles. You will have to be stuck by needles multiple times a day, but the fear is actually worse than the injections (which weren't bad at all for me). You will have loads of appointments and blood draws. You will have loads of vaginal ultrasounds.

ER is treated as an outpatient surgery, because it is. That being said, it is a very simple procedure. Speak directly to your RE if you want specific details as to how they will perform it for you. But you should likely keep in mind the post operative instructions that they give you, and definately take it easy for the whole day of the procedure, if not the next day also.

ET to me was exactly like an IUI, except on a full bladder. Some people find this painful, for me it was just uncomfortable because i had to pee. Post procedure instructions after ET will differ depending on your REs recommendations. Mine had me lay still directly afterward for about 20 mins, and then I drove myself home. I was never put on bedrest, but was recommended to stay off my feet and watch tv the rest of the day. I went back to work (I have a desk job) the next day.

I was lucky enough to have my first IVF cycle not only result in a pg, but also 5 excellent quality embryos to freeze. Unfortunately, my pregnancy did not result in a live birth.

If you stick around a bit and get to know the stories of the other ladies here (reading signatures helps) you will see that we all have singular distinctive experiences when it comes to our IF journeys and IVF.

Good Luck to you.

carrieharry79

cvnewton83 I'm over 35 so my chances are around 40%, I believe under 35 and your odds are just above 50%.

Don't quote me on that....

Dyork

You're nervous now, but your RE will answer sooooo many questions. And I assume it's standard, but we had a 2hr class going over the entire process at my RE's. It was so helpful and it helped me really understand what was going on. We meet with the nurses next to go over our process, since there are so many ways to go through IVF. 

I lurked a lot over here too, and mostly found out stuff that I never would have thought of which was great. So poke around a bit, you'll get a better feel for what you'll be going through. 

cvnewton83

Thank you ladies so much for your feedback.  I will be lurking and checking everything out.

vpine

Siggy warning:

The 1st IVF did not work for me - I was on bedrest for 3 days. The 2nd IVF attempt (Frozen) worked for me, I was also on bedrest for 3 days. Didn't do genetic testing because it wasn't covered by insurance at that time. I had genetic testing done now that I'm pregnant, was tested at 13 weeks along with y-chromosome test (results showed I am having 2 girls, the anatomy scan at 20 weeks confirmed the test was correct).

As for hurting, the embryo retrieval was just slight cramping afterward. The transfer was same, slight cramps through out the evening and following days, good luck

cvnewton83

Thank you so much for your response.