April/May IVF

Tulips29

@Tusername Thank you, feeling fine and the transfer went well. A passing thought goes through my head every now and then that I don't feel any symptoms, or any twinges, or anything at all. Even though I know not everyone does and it's only day 3 post transfer, but I can't help it. Can't wait to hear your update today about your embabies! 

@emgem819 I'm sorry you're disappointed that you won't get to do a fresh transfer. But if you really have that many eggs, you might have OHSS, which is another reason the doctor is advising to wait for an FET. I'm sure you're in good hands and the wait goes by quickly for you. As far as protocols and medications, there are different ones that I've seen discussed here. I only took bcp's before starting stimms, no bcp's for me after the ER and in preparation for the transfer. I took estrace mainly at first, then they added prometrium for me, medrol and progesterone suppositories 5 days before the transfer. So between ER and transfer, it was 4 weeks. 

@radmom27 I'm sorry the clinic didn't call you with an update, that is frustrating and I know I'd feel the same way you do. Hopefully they will give you some answers today and your transfer will be here before you know it! 

mtpbadger

I just got an update from my RE. She didn't give me much information but said at least one embryo will be able to be froze today and possibly a few others may be ready by this afternoon or tomorrow. I'm kinda bummed that out of 13, only "a few" may make it. I know I only need one, but it's disheartening and I'm doing all I can not to cry at work right now. She said if it doesn't look like many will freeze, they will also attempt a fresh transfer tomorrow just so I'm not out of luck/chances completely. I'll get another update this afternoon to see if that's the case. I think this part is more nerve-wracking than actually doing the injections just b/c with that I felt like I had SOME control over what was going on. I wish work were busier today to keep my mind off it but it's in between semesters so things are pretty quiet.

Tulips29

@mtpbadger I'm sorry the results are not what you expected. It is a bummer and I do agree that it's hard when you have no control over this step in the process. At least it's good you will attempt a fresh transfer tomorrow. It does only take 1 and hopefully the fresh transfer will be successful for you. I felt exactly the same way when I had 19 eggs retrieved, 10 fertilized, 3 available for PGS and only 1 normal for transfer. It was like a big unexpected blow and I couldn't do a thing. I hope your update is a positive one this afternoon! 

cmm012

Hello everyone. It looks like there are lots of updates this morning. I went to the RE and things are moving along nicely. I go back for monitoring on Thursday. 

@mtpbadger I'm sorry that you don't have more information about your embryos. Hopefully more of them will be able to be frozen later today or tomorrow. I'm glad your clinic is being proactive with a potential fresh transfer.

@tulips29 I'm glad your transfer went well.  I know it's hard not to symptom spot, but hopefully you will know something definitive soon. 

dragonfaerie

@Tulips29 Hang in there, girl! It's so hard not to symptom check, but you got this! BTW, that Medrol tastes DISGUSTING!

Tulips29

@dragonfaerie tell me about it! I didn't realize how bad it was until I popped one in and went to get water and it half-melted in my mouth. Gross...but now I'm done with all 7 days of it. Prometrium still makes me dizzy from time to time, though. Are you ok after you take it?

dragonfaerie

@Tulips29 I'm so glad you are done with that nastiness! I have one more day, but I was taking four pills at time! So far, I have only had mild dizziness every once in a while, thank goodness! Today I got a bit of an upset stomach after taking the Medrol, and I have serious cottonmouth now. I can't remember, is the Prometrium the suppository?

I have a lot of nerves today. I keep thinking "Did I do everything I could to make this successful?" I know everything will be fine, but I'm really feeling off today.

Tulips29

@dragonfaerie Prometrium are the big round white pills. I take those 3 times a day and they are the ones that make me dizzy. I thought it was Medrol initially, but the nurse told me prometrium is notorious for causing dizziness. And I totally get the feeling of did I do everything to make this successful. I still keep thinking that. I'm contemplating my lunch options at this point and each one is with the thought of, what should I eat to help this embaby implant in there?!

emgem819

@mtpbadger I'm so sorry that you didn't get great news about the eggs left from your retrieval.  It sounds like they also aren't being very clear with you about the # which is hard also.  It's frustrating to have to wait and wait to hear from them and not be able to do anything about it.  Just try to relax and realize that this step, you can't control, you've done everything right so far and you've been a trooper.  Hoping that this afternoon you get some better news.  Hang in there:)

emgem819

thanks @Knottie1432834683 and @Tulips29 for the support. 

@tulips29 my doctor said today I am developing OHSS (mild right now) so yes, it's for the best I'm doing FET since my body really couldn't handle anything else right now.  The wait is just the hardest.  I'm glad your transfer went well and you're feeling good.  Sending positive vibes that your embaby sticks!

AFM:  Looks like I'll trigger tonight with Lupron and my ER will be on Wednesday.  45 follies they counted.  I'm feeling like I'm already pregnant...bloated so much I can't walk very well (lol) and super crampy and uncomfortable.  Seriously feel like an invalid.  Ready to get these eggs out of me already!  RE was a little worried because yesterday my blood tests came back where my estrogen level had spiked way up to 5320 (from 1024) but she thinks it's likely because of all the follies and that my body is extra sensitive to any new medication...like the centrotide.  Hoping today's tests come back with more normal levels. 

Tulips29

Thank you for the positive sticky vibes @emgem819! I'll take them all  
I know it's hard to wait, but you'll be at your transfer before you know it. It's great you get to trigger tonight and I hope your ER on Wednesday goes well! It'll be great to get back to feeling like your normal self afterwards.

caseyw8784

dragonfaerie said:

@Tulips29 Hang in there, girl! It's so hard not to symptom check, but you got this! BTW, that Medrol tastes DISGUSTING!

Sorry if this was already mentioned, but what is Medrol?

caseyw8784

@emgem819 - 45 follies! holy cow! Yay for the trigger tonight! You must be so ready for Wednesday to come! and hoping you start feeling more comfortable soon after that!  

dragonfaerie

@caseyw8784 If I'm remembering correctly, Medrol is a steroid that helps suppress your immune system so the embaby implants better. 
@emgem819 That's amazing! Good luck and FX for your ER!
@Tulips29 So what did you do for lunch? I'm keeping on praying for a sticky!

Tulips29

@dragonfaerie I went and got some rotisserie chicken with a side of 1 big sliced avocado. The guy taking my order asked if the whole avocado was for me. I almost said "yes, I need to eat the whole thing to help with my implantation, thanks for implying I eat a lot." Instead I just told him I really love avocados lol. 

mtpbadger

Got an update from the nurse - have 3 frozen so far and she said a few are still growing and may be frozen tomorrow. Doesn't surprise me that they are not on schedule, my follies were slow to grow, my lining is slow to grow, why would my embryos be any different? For a person who hates to be late and gets anxious if I'm not "on schedule", my body sure has a different approach!

Tusername

RE just called to let me know I have 5 frozen embabies and maybe 3 more tomorrow.  

@emgem819
My protocol will be to start estradiol patches on the 2nd day of my period and switch the patches every 3 1/2 days and have an u/s after a week of this to determine next step. 

Kellyfish79

OMG the Medrol! It's so gross!  I totally thought it was just me and that I didn't swallow the pill fast enough or something. I think I would rather give myself an injection than swallow that nasty tiny little thing!

@mtpbadger I'm glad you're getting some updates and that things are starting to come along!  They didn't biopsy/freeze my embryo until day 6 so fingers crossed they keep on growing and freeze tomorrow! 

@emgem819 Good luck with trigger tonight!  Wednesday will be here before you know it! 

@Tulips29 Sending lots of positive sticky vibes your way! Cheers to whole avocados!

radmom27

@mtpbadger Congrats on your frozen embies...three is better than one!!  Hopefully more will catch up and cooperate by tomorrow.  I think this wait between retrieval and transfer/freeze is incredibly painful. 
@Tusername Congrats on your frozen embies!!  Five is a great number!!  Hoping for more tomorrow. 

Tulips29

@mtpbadger @Tusername congrats on your frosties ladies! Glad things are looking up so far!

@kellyfish79 thank you! I can eat avocados all day, every day  

Kerami1

I was away for a couple more days and it took me a while to get caught up with everyone's posts.

@mtpbadger & @Tusername Congrats on your frozen embabies!

AFM - Friday I was feeling great and I thought I was finally on the mend. Then Saturday night I started getting this sharp pain in the lower right side of my abdomen. It slowly got worse and worse and after a couple hours it was painful enough that I woke up my husband and he took me to the ER. It ended up taking two doses of Morphine to get the pain to subside. After an ultrasound and blood work the ER doctor told me that he believes an ovarian cyst ruptured and was leaking fluid into my abdominal cavity. They gave me a prescription for pain killer and told me to follow up with the RE.

After talking to the doctor's office over the phone, they don't seem to think it was a cyst. They think I have OHSS. I am not sure what to believe because the ER doctor says that my lab results looked great and didn't show any signs of OHSS. Also, I didn't expect OHSS to cause pain to come on so suddenly and in only one small area.

I know some of you have suffered through OHSS and I was just wondering if anyone had any ideas or suggestions on how to heal from all of this.

Kerami1

Oh. Also, they called us today to let us know that 6 of the 14 embryos made it to freeze. I know that 6 is a great number but I am a little sad that we lost over half of them so suddenly.

dragonfaerie

@emgem819 For my FET: I did BCPs for a few weeks, then started Lupron which has gone for a month (slight overlap with the BCPs.) Then Estrace tabs 2xd, patches which I switch out every other day (had 1 patch for four days, then 2, now 4, will switch back to 2, then 1), and then I started the PIO on Friday. I have four days of four tabs of Medrol (last day is tomorrow, thank goodness!)
@mtpbadger @Tusername Grats on your embabies!
@Tulips29 I didn't remember hearing that avocado was another good sticky food! *adds to my shopping list*
@Kerami1 I'm sorry you had to go to the ER! What a rotten evening. I did not have OHSS, but it really sounds like a cyst to me... my little sis had a hemorrhagic ovarian cyst and it was just like that for her. I hope you can get it settled soon regardless. And I know it's sad to lose your little eggies, but I will be FX for good healthy ones!

Kellyfish79

@Kerami1 So sorry about your painful Saturday night!  I haven't experienced OHSS so don't know what that feels like but I have had an ovarian cyst that was leaking fluid and holy moly, that stuff hurts!  Sounds very similar to the pain you're describing.  My OB was able to see the cyst from an ultrasound though so seems weird that they couldn't diagnose it that way. 

I can definitely understand feeling sad about those embryos that didn't make it to freeze, but you are right, 6 is a great number!  This process can be such a roller coaster of emotions.  Hang in there!

chickyclg

@emgem819 my FET protocol was BCP for a few weeks, stop all meds for 2 days, Estrace 3Xd, 2- Minivelle patches every 3 days, prednisone before transfer,  PIO following transfer, baby aspirin, and Lovenox.

@Kerami1 when I had OHSS we did a freeze all and I drank a lot of Gatorade, the RE also gave me a pain reliever but I can't remember which one.

Tulips29

@dragonfaerie I read it on some blog. Not sure if it helps, but at this point it can't hurt. So why not, bring on those avocados, pineapple core, the whole 9!  

@Kerami1 im sorry you had to go through all that. ER recovery certainly kicks butt. I hope you're feeling better now. And 6 frosties is a great number. It's hard to lose half, but you have 6 now to work with! 

babylonghorn16

Hi!

I was out of town for the weekend, and just got caught up with everyone! Congrats to all of you who are getting good news about their embabies! 

@emgem819 sorry that you will have to do FET! I'm worried the same will happen to me. I have PCOS as well. Can't imagine waiting another month. At least you will be assured that everything will be PERFECT for your transfer! No doubts!

@Kerami1 I'm sorry to hear about your ER visit. I have had a ruptured ovarian cyst, and the pain you described sounds just like what I experienced. Feel better!

AFM - Today is my birthday! Mixed feelings about this one... turning a year older is no longer fun. Going to dinner tonight with husband and friends tonight, so it'll be nice to relax and take my mind off of everything. Hoping the year of 27 will be MY year!

Tusername

Thank you @Kerami1 @radmom27 @Tulips29 @dragonfaerie I think very fondly of those little frosties!

@Kerami1 I had a similar outcome from my embryos. But 6 great ones is so good! 

Tulips29

@babylonghorn16 happy birthday! Enjoy tonight and don't think about any of this. Hope 27 is going to be fab! 

Tusername

@babylonghorn16 Happy Birthday girl! I hope you have a nice time out with your DH and friends! Year 27 WILL be yours!

emgem819

Hi ladies!  Just had a question that's a bit of an emergency one since my clinic is closed.  Hoping one of you will know the answer!  I've been instructed to trigger tonight using Leuprolide (80 units).  I just watched the video on Freedom Fertility (https://www.freedommedteach.com/eng/videos.html?play=leuprolide_trigger) and it explains to do it subcutaneously (abdomen) but all the other trigger shots I've done (HCG's) have been intramuscular (on the upper part of butt).  Is this particular trigger shot different?  Thanks in advance for anyone who can help!

mtpbadger

Thanks everyone for your kind words and thoughts about my embies, I don't know what I'd do without all of you! Im still hoping a few more catch up tomorrow but if not 3 is better than none!

@emgem819 that's what I used for trigger and it is subcutaneous. Good luck tonight and even better luck on Wed for your retrieval!!

emgem819

Thank you @mtpbadger you are a lifesaver!  I guess my stomach can handle a few more shots right?  It's a bit of a pin cushion lately:)

emgem819

 Happy Birthday @babylonghorn16!  Have a blast out with your friends and DH...try to get your mind off IVF if you can for a little while and celebrate your own life!  Thanks for the kind words about my FET...you're right at least I know things will be all clear for the transfer!  I hope you don't have to go through the same and you can transfer soon after your ER!

Tulips29

@emgem819 I did trigger shots in the muscle for my iui's and for my ivf cycle I did it in the stomach. Guess it's different, but it looks like you're all set with it now. Bet you're excited for your ER  

radmom27

@babylonghorn16 HAPPY BDAY!!
@Kerami1 I hope you feel better soon.
AFM, 7 embies still alive and looking good today.  Transfer is set for Wednesday AM.  My RE sounded really optimistic today and has told me that she is on the fence about transferring 2 or 3 and would leave it up to me. I'm going to make the final call the day of the transfer depending on the embies are looking but it's a big decision.  

MntnGirl

@kyrgyzshan My RE didn't count follicles at each monitoring appointment (that I know of) and just measured 2-3 on each side and the entire ovary. Because other posters were including follicle count updates I realized I had no idea how many I had or their sizes so I asked. RE counted about 5 follicles on each side prior to ER, but we ended up with 14 eggs. 

@emgem819 Glad you got answers. My trigger was subcutaneous (in the belly) too and we had a last minute panic about it because it was a different drug than the first cycle. 

Day 5 post ER and the water weight is coming off quickly and I almost feel normal. Back to usual routine. It still hurts if I cough, sneeze, or laugh too hard. Waiting for AF, then I'll start BCP for 3 weeks and then PIO for 3 weeks before FET (not sure of exact protocol yet). No update on embies yet. I remember how shocking the final count was the first round. And totally agree with PPs that it's frustrating to have no control over what is happening in the lab. Are they keeping them warm/cold? Are they singing to them?

Tulips29

@radmom27 that's exciting! It's such a big decision on how many to transfer, but I am sure you will make the right one tomorrow morning. Will be thinking of you!

@mntngirl LOL at the are they singing to them! I felt like I was leaving my children out in the cold after the ER, not knowing what they were doing and if they were well taking care of. It's such a weird feeling, you feel attached to them. I'm glad to hear you're feeling better as well! 

dragonfaerie

@babylonghorn16 Happy birthday lady! Have a faboo day! 27 was a great year for me, so hopefully it'll be awesome for you too!
@MntnGirl Glad you are feeling better!
@radmom27 So happy you've got some good numbers and options there!  

babylonghorn16

Thanks for the birthday wishes! Had a great night!

@mtpbadger hope you continue hearing good news about your embabies!
@radmom27 transfer tomorrow!! wow! Good luck on your decision. I'm sure it'll be the right one!
@MntnGirl glad you are recovering quickly! Hope you get some good news soon!

AFM - had mild freak out about all the "what ifs". Everything seems to be moving very quickly now - start stimming on Sat, tentative ER on 5/24, tentative ET on 5/29 - and I'm just a little anxious/scared. I know I should focus at the task at hand and not worry too much about future, but it's hard. I guess all I can do is look forward to my baseline on Friday and pray everything else will fall in place. Thanks for listening to my rant