April/May IVF

calfherder

Anyone starting a cycle next month?
It's coming up soon and I didn't see a post for an April to May group! Please introduce yourself and lets get to know each other How is everyone doing?
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I'm 32, H is 39. Our DX is male factor: low motility and antibodies. This is our second IVF, starting bcps in April with stimming and retrieval in May. My last cycle (Feb) did not go well - 14 eggs retrieved, all immature. We're trying again at a new clinic with a different protocol.

mtpbadger

Hello! I originally started on an earlier board but things have been delayed so I am *hoping* that I will be given the green light to start in May.

I'm 32, DH 33. I have PCOS, hyperprolactinemia, and DH has no issues. We have done three IUIs with the last two resulting in CP's and started moving toward IVF and already have all the meds. During the mock transfer/saline sono, my RE didn't really like what she saw and had a hysteroscopy two weeks ago but the dr didn't like what he saw during that and believes there is a possible bicornuate uterus or septum. I had an MRI this past Saturday and am meeting with my obgyn surgeon for results on which one Wednesday. If it's a septum, I'll have hysteroscopy #2 hopefully later this month, will be on estrogen for approx. one month and then will be able to move onto IVF.

Whew - that was a mouthful and more information than intended!

@calfherder are you planning a fresh or frozen transfer?

Tulips29

Hi there! I recognize @mtpbadger from some other threads. I'm going to join this thread for now, even though my calendar is still very tentative. But just to introduce myself, I'm 32, DH is same age. Our only issue is my PCOS and the fact that I don't ovulate on my own. After last 3 failed iuis we moved on to IVF. I'm actually in my first cycle right now, so it'll be a cross-over between March/April/May. I'm in my last week of bcps now and then I start monitoring and stims on 3/25. Right now my tentative ER is going to be around 4/5. We're planning to do PGD/S testing, so my tentative FET will be early May. I have all my meds for stimming ready to go, so just patiently waiting until next Friday to get my protocol.

calfherder

@mtpbadger We haven't decided if we will transfer fresh or do testing. Last time we were planning on doing testing and then FET in April, but since we ended up with no embryos we are thinking about trying a fresh this time.  

@Tulips29 Hi!

dragonfaerie

Hello hello! I was just going to start an April/May board. I had my ER in February, and now I get March off before starting the FET process. My transfer should be at the beginning of May, FX.  

calfherder

Hi @dragonfaerie! I followed along on the February board, but it goes so fast that I didn't post but maybe once or twice. FX for May!

Is anyone doing anything healthwise to prepare? I didn't do anything on our first try. This time I'm eating healthy, cut out almost all carbs (I can't quit bananas), reduced sugar and I'm taking CoQ10. I'm hoping it will make a difference. I may even cut out all caffeine during stimming!   

caseyw8784

Hi everyone! ::waves:: 

I'm 31, DH is 32. DH has no issues, but we recently learned that I'm a single gene disorder carrier, so we've decided to do IVF with PGD testing. Right now we are waiting for the genetics lab to build the testing probe, and I am hoping to start BCPs in late April for a May IVF cycle and a June FET. We can't do anything until the probe is built, so we're keeping our fingers crossed that there isn't any delays with that!

In the meantime I've been eating healthier, cutting down on caffeine and sugar, and (no so) patiently waiting. My RE sent me a few educational videos from the local hospitals on what to expect during an IVF/FET cycles and on how to prep the injections, etc. I'm excited but kind of freaked out a bit about all the needles! But, it'll all be completely worth it for the end result...   

dragonfaerie

@caseyw8784 Welcome! It's so hard to wait to get started, but best of luck!

dragonfaerie

I will say this about getting healthy: my RE told us that running is really bad for fertility. Something about it making you metabolize too quickly, especially if you are already doing stims. They've had several runners who were not responding to medication at all, and then they found out they were running 5 miles a day or similar. As soon as they stopped running, the medications started doing their job. So exercise is great, just be careful what you do.

wifeinraleigh28

Thank you for starting this thread, @calfherder!  My DH and I actually just got home from our IVF consult with our RE.  My history is in my signature, but in a nutshell our diagnosis is MFI (low motility, low morphology, and low testosterone).  We had 2 failed IUIs so far and we decided to not do a 3rd because of the fact that our chances are so slim with it.

If all goes according to plan, I will be starting BCPs on Friday, starting stims on 4/9, tentative ER will be around 4/18, and tentative FET end of May.  We decided to follow the RE's recommendation to do the biopsies/testing on our embryos (I can't remember if it's PGS or PGD) and do a FET of just 1 embryo.  Our RE thinks our chances are good which is why he's recommending we only transfer 1 and save the rest.

It's lovely to meet you all and to have others to share this journey with!

erica0901

I'm gonna hop on board as well! I have introduced myself and have been somewhat following the March/April board since I thought we would be starting IVF in March. Turns out that due to DH's new job and new insurance, we will be waiting until April to start. I have most of my history in my signature so feel free to look there

I actually go in tomorrow for my hysteroscopy and mock transfer. Then next week we have our nurse consult where I will hopefully get my timeline and more details about our cycle. 

So I am reading that a lot of you ladies are doing a FET due to the PGD/PGS testing. My RE said that we can do the testing and still have a fresh transfer, has anyone heard of this before? He said as long as I don't over stimulate and my hormones are stable that ideally he wants to do a fresh transfer.

dragonfaerie

@erica0901 There is the PGD testing, which I believe is the biopsy the RE can do right there, and then the PGS which is the chromosome testing done at an outside office. If you are just doing PGD, you can still do a fresh transfer, but PGS requires that send out and around 10 days before results come in. I might have those switched (can't remember for sure,) but I think that's the difference. 

erica0901

@dragonfaerieAh got it, thanks! All I know is that we do have to send them to a lab in NJ (I am in PA), but I guess the turn around must be same day? I guess I can ask more specifically next week.

dragonfaerie

@erica0901 If you have to send them off at all I'm surprised you can still do a fresh transfer. Definitely ask! I'd be interested to hear what they say.

greengypsy

hello everyone.. joining this board as well. our tentative date for ivf is in may. i will be 29 next month & my hubby is 31. weve been ttc for 4 yrs. did 3 iui's last yr (1st- letrozole, 2nd- natural, 3rd- injectables).. weve taken 6 mo break to prepare for 1st ivf.. dx was unexplained (i have anovulatory cycles) but we decided to seek a 2nd opinion & are currently doing lots of add'l testing.. my prev re thought we just had ovulation issue but clearly there is something else going on..  no results back yet but being tested for pcos, endo & possible auto immune issues. we were hoping to start cycling in april but we will actually be traveling to see our new re, so with all the pre cycle testing we needed, we were pushed back to may. i recently lost 20 lbs & hope to lose another 10-15 lbs b4 may.. we are eating healthier/cleaner & i added a few more vitamins/supplements to my regimen. exercising & started acupuncture again. trying anything & everything to maximize our chances! we were originally thinking we could only afford 1 cycle but our re has multi cycle packages so we are going with 2 fresh cycles with unlimited fet if any embryos left. lots of stress lifted now that we dont have everything riding on 1 chance! i have been listening to a podcast called 'beat infertility' & it has been helping alot.. lots of good info & helping me stay positive! good luck to everyone & looking forward to lots of
 bfp's!! 

caseyw8784

I think @dragonfaerie switched the two...My RE and genetics lab said that PGD takes 7-10 days to do because it is searching for a specific gene/disorder and the embryo needs to be a Day 5 blastocyst (to be able to get enough cells for the biopsy), whereas PGS is the general testing to see if there are the right number of chromosomes. @erica0901, did your RE say if they would do it on Day 3? That's the only way to be able to send them somewhere and get them back in time to still be able to do a fresh transfer...

wifeinraleigh28

In regards to PGD/PGS testing: My RE said that there is a research study going on currently that requires that your lab biopsy your embryos but then transfer one fresh before you get the results of the testing.  Being part of the study means your IVF will be fully paid for.  I'm likely not a candidate for this study because they require you to have an AMH of 5 or higher, and when I had my AMH testing in October I was at 4.5.  My RE tested me again today just to make sure, because sometimes it can come back with a higher reading, though unlikely.  I would love to qualify and have my IVF fully covered.  Obviously if the fresh transfer sticks there's a high likelihood that the test results would be normal anyway, and if it doesn't stick I would still have the other embryos frozen to do future FETs.  I would ONLY do it this way though if I was part of this study.  Otherwise, I just want to do the FETs following the testing.  But anyway, @erica0901 I'm curious if you would be having a fresh transfer but only doing testing on the embryos you are freezing?  Or do the fresh transfer before getting the results of the testing, as in this study?

calfherder

^That sounds like a great deal, being part of a study group! I have no idea what my AMH is, still struggling with our old clinic to release our records. That's very interesting, thanks for sharing!

vssbrm

@calfherder I am taking a sebatical from my career, I've been doing acupuncture, I cut out caffeine (except for the week after retrieval - I treated myself for getting thru it and I over stimmed a bit so... Needed my cup of morning coffee), I am gluten free (Celiacs), try to eat pretty clean - lots of veggies and lean proteins, I upped my vitamin D and folic acid, I have been doing yoga and probably more things... But that is what I can think of now. 

@wifeinraleigh28 was you RE referencing the Start Study? If so it does not equal free IVF, I wish (we are fully OOP) !! I am currently doing this study. The only part of the process that was covered is the frozen transfer, but we had to pay for the meds for it - which surprisingly and luckily our ins paid for most of those. Maybe it is not the same one because the Star Study closed last month I think. Anyway - it's a pretty interesting study and I am looking forward to reading the results/findings.

erica0901

I will update you all when I have my next consult which is next Thursday. I could be totally wrong, but I thought the RE said that they would send them out on day 5 for a day 6 transfer...

wifeinraleigh28

@vssbrm I have no idea what the name of the study is. But my RE said the study would cover everything up to the fresh transfer (a total of about $17k). Future FETs from the frozen embryos would not be covered. I will try to find out what study this is! I'm hoping my AMH comes back at 5 or higher but I'm not holding my breath!

Tulips29

@wifeinraleigh28 is this the study? I've seen other people on here refer to it. Does your clinic give you the information? I want to ask mine how I can qualify for it as well! 

https://www.sbivf.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/star-trial-brochure.pdf

vssbrm

@Tulips29 and @wifeinraleigh28 the study linked above is the study in which I am participating. So far I have liked the process. If it is the same one wifeinraleigh was referencing, perhaps different clinics have different cost structures. Hopefully it is still open so you guys can participate!

wifeinraleigh28

@Tulips29 and @vssbrm I just sent my RE an email to ask him the name of the study.  He told me yesterday at our appointment that they are still accepting participants, but few women qualify due to their AMH level needing to be 5.0 or higher.  I likely won't qualify, but will get my results back on Friday to know for sure.  After reading through the brochure of the star trial it doesn't sound like the study that was described to me, but I could be mistaken.

wifeinraleigh28

@Tulips29 and @vssbrm - I heard back from my RE and the name of the trial is the Megaset Study.  I did a google search and didn't find a whole lot of information on it, but some other clinics in the US that are participating had some info on their websites.  Here's what I found:

Megaset Study

CCRM Colorado is currently seeking patients to participate in a fertility research study designed to compare two medications used for controlled ovarian stimulation (COS), in in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles.

You may be eligible for the study if you:
• Are between 21 to 35 years old
• Have a regular menstrual cycle of 21 to 45 days
• Have a history of infertility and desire pregnancy
• Have an AMH (Anti-Mullerian Hormone) ≥ 5 (ng/mL)

The study medications and some study-related tests and procedures may be provided at no cost
to qualified participants.

My RE added that you must also have a BMI of 30 or less to qualify for this study.

cmm012

Hey all. I am officially joining this IVF group. I have my consult tomorrow morning. My last IUI failed and we are moving on. I'm thinking the ER will be in May. I'll have one month off and the FET in July. I'm looking forward to the support I know this group will offer.

Tulips29

@cmm012 Welcome! Hope you have a successful ivf cycle! 

KirstenCas

Hello everyone, DH and I are both 40, newly married, and he has a cyst blocking his...well tubes. We've been told its best just to jump to IVF because I'm old Well my RE didn't exactly say it like that We will, FX, be doing ER and fresh transfer the first week in May. I'm excited and nervous. I got great news today that instead of traveling 2 hours one way to the clinic we will literally be going down the street now, so one less worry.

I've been eating whole foods, going to start acupuncture, DHEA, CoQ10, baby aspirin, Vit D, and Prenatal. I could lose 20lbs but my doc seems more concerned about me eating 1500 calories a day than dieting. 

That's me in a nutshell, I look forward to joining all of you on this journey.

dragonfaerie

Welcome everyone jumping aboard! Sounds like April and May are going to be full of great people!

calfherder

Welcome welcome, good luck to everyone I can't wait to follow along with you all!

@KirstenCas that's great that you found a closer clinic!

Does anyone else have a far drive? My clinic is 2 1/2 hours away. The drive gets old, but it's do-able. The positive is that there is no chance of running into anyone I know!

erica0901

So I just had my hysteroscopy and mock transfer done and everything looks great! My RE's exact words were "what a beautiful straight uterus". Thank you, I guess? Haha. Next Thursday is our nurse consult so we are hoping to have our schedule and instructions at that point. I'm finally getting excited

dragonfaerie

@erica0901 Haha, that's great! I love the comments that you can get during this process. 

caseyw8784

as the bird flies, my clinic is maybe 4-5 miles away? but I live in a big city so with driving it always takes 45-60 minutes to get there and park a couple blocks away, etc.

that would be interesting,@calfherderto run into someone i know, since i know many people that work right in the vicinity, but luckily i haven't yet!  

Tulips29

My clinic is about an hour from home and about 20-25 minutes walking from my office. It's been easy to go there at 7 am and then go to work. I haven't thought about the chance of running into anyone I know, but I guess it can happen even in this large city. I haven't seen anyone yet, though, and the waiting room at 7 am is always filled with people! I give a lot of credit to anyone who drive (like @calfherder). I'm sure it's not easy. I should not complain about my 5 am wake-up calls when I have to be in the clinic by 7. 

caseyw8784

Tulips29 said:

My clinic is about an hour from home and about 20-25 minutes walking from my office. It's been easy to go there at 7 am and then go to work. I haven't thought about the chance of running into anyone I know, but I guess it can happen even in this large city. I haven't seen anyone yet, though, and the waiting room at 7 am is always filled with people! I give a lot of credit to anyone who drive (like @calfherder). I'm sure it's not easy. I should not complain about my 5 am wake-up calls when I have to be in the clinic by 7. 

My clinic does have satellite offices that I can go to for bloodwork and some utlrasounds, but my RE only at the one in town, which is where all the "bigger" procedures take place. It is nice that i can get the bloodwork drawn on my way to work and only be a few minutes late!

Tulips29

@caseyw8784 same here. Are you from NY by chance? I go to RMANY in the city  

MelD17011

Hi Ladies – I’ve been active on the March FET thread, but my FET got delayed – so I’m glad to find this group (and that it’s not too far in to be able to play catch up to get you know all of you).

AFM….. My ER was 1/21. We did ICSI and PGS testing and ended up with 3 normal embryos. I started Estrogen suppositories 2/26 with a tentative FET on 3/15. My lining was ~5mm after my first check – they doubled my meds, but as of Monday this week, it only got me to ~6mm…. so my cycle this month was cancelled. I will be on the Del Estrogen shots this time around (hopefully this change will work!). My FET is tentatively scheduled for 4/25 but will change based on when I get my period this month. It seems so far away! The waiting is the worst!!

 

@calfherder I saw your question around what to do to prepare…. The main thing I did for my ER was to say overly hydrated. I would drink as much Gatorade, water, and coconut water as I possibly could.

@caseyw8784 the shots are not bad – I hate needles so was pretty stressed, but really they’re not a big deal.

@wifeinraleigh28 I remember feeling so overwhelmed after my first consult – you seem pretty collected J

@erica0901 I wouldn’t know how that would be possible since it takes several weeks for the results to come back. Maybe he meant try a fresh with one and then test the others. Curious what you find out.

Looking forward to getting to know all of you. The other boards I’ve been a part of since I started this journey have been so incredibly supportive and positive – really is a big help!

wifeinraleigh28

Welcome to all the newcomers to this thread!  It does look like there is going to be a good sized group of wonderful people.  Y'all are making me more excited for this whole IVF process to get started!

caseyw8784

@MelD17011 oh, that must be a sucky feeling...to be the week of the transfer and they postpone it? Most people I've asked about the shots say it's not as bad as they seem! I think I'm going to (try to) make DH do it since he's a paramedic and knows how to give shots and he probably wouldn't mind stabbing me a couple times every night...haha  

@Tulips29 not NY, but i'm your "neighbor" up in MA! I go to FCNE in Boston. (DH is from Long Island though, and laments the fact that he doesn't live down near the city anymore...!)

Tulips29

@caseyw8784 Ah, I travel to Boston for work from time to time. I've only been there a few times, but it's a nice city, and far less congested/stressful that NY  

calfherder

@MelD17011  I'm sorry your cycle got cancelled. That sucks! FX for April!

@erica0901 Yay for great hysteroscopy results!