April/May IVF

chickyclg

@calfherder if you do the injects whatever you do don't forget to switch needles.  DH got me with a huge dull needle once, let's just say I wasn't a happy camper.

chickyclg

I made my baseline appointment for Monday, because of the way everything is lining up (delayed for no damn reason AF) it's starting to not look good for a May FET for me.  I may stick around until that's confirmed if you guys don't mind.

calfherder

@chickyclg  Oh no!!! Why is it AF only shows when we don't want it to?? Please continue to hang out with us!

lrynwnab

hi friends! Looks like a great group of gals here and I hope to join you. I have started IVF meds twice but the RE has opted not to go forward either time because of poor response from my eggs. I have DOR so this time, we might just go for it. For this cycle I am avoiding Ganirelix (hoping for no cysts on the baseline) and adding Clomid. I am currently waiting for my LH surge (should be in the next few days) then will start meds again probably around April 12 or so. I'm very glad to have people to chat with here; my DH has a friend who is going through the same thing; but I don't have anyone in person who knows what it's like.
I'm sure there are others on this board who are dealing with crazy schedules to work around; my DH keeps clearing his travel schedule for work and it ends up being for no reason. So frustrating! Hopefully next month we at least get to an ER. Fx!

dragonfaerie

Thank you all for the welcome back!
I'm excited to see the protocols coming through and everyone moving along!!

wifeinraleigh28

@lrynwnab Welcome to our group!!  That is frustrating that you kept having it cancelled.  I sure hope your next IVF cycle goes through!!

@chickyclg My AF seems to be delayed right now too and I need it to start in order for us to move forward.  I feel your pain!!!

Tulips29

I hope everyone had a good weekend. I had my first appointment this morning since starting injections on Friday. RE couldn't see any follicle growth but said it's still early enough in the process and they are just checking today's blood levels. I'm waiting for the nurse to call me with results, but I'm thinking if there's no change they will probably increase my meds dosage. Hoping this doesn't delay things for me much. 

chickyclg

Just got back from the RE and my FET is still tentatively scheduled for May

wifeinraleigh28

It is finally CD 1 for me!  I've never been so excited for it, because this means I can move forward with testing.  Going in on Thursday morning for CD 3 labs.  Keeping my fingers crossed for good results that will qualify me for the study!!  According to fertility friend, this means I should be starting stimms the last week in April (on my next CD 2 or 3), if I qualify for the study.  If not, then who knows when I'll start stimms... hopefully it won't change my timeline too much though.

How is everyone doing today?

caseyw8784

@wifeinraleigh28 FX for good results on Thursday! That must be so exciting...being able to move forward (or at least knowing you have an appt for Day 3 labs)! I don't even have any appts lined up with my RE for the near future...lol!

AFM, still stuck in the holding pattern. We're still awaiting my immediate family members test results so the lab can build the set up. I'm still assuming that my start date will be pushed back a month or so, but I'm still lurking/loitering around this board...  

wifeinraleigh28

@caseyw8784 *hugs* to you while you wait.  I know that must be frustrating.  You will be attending appointments soon I hope!!

calfherder

Good luck @wifeinraleigh28 I hope you qualify!!!

We're still waiting on some test results and AF to show. Just waiting, as always haha.

Knottie1455746131

Stims are underway , started yesterday! My baseline us showed 12 follicles which was 3 times as much as last cycle. My estradiol was less than 15 and progesterone was less than 5. Everything is looking good! Back to back cycles may be a good thing for me. Hoping for a lot of embryos making it to day 5.

dragonfaerie

@wifeinraleigh28 I hope the appointment goes well! FX!

AF arrived today! Time to start the process for our FET! It's really starting to feel real and scary now.

wifeinraleigh28

Congrats on all those follies, @Knottie1455746131!  Do you mean doing back to back ER/fresh transfers?

Tulips29

@wifeinraleigh28 good luck and hope the study works out! 
@Knottie1455746131 yay for growing follicles and healthy embabies!
@dragonfaerie this is definitely one of those times when AF is welcomed with open arms lol. What does your FET prep entails? 

AFM - I go back for an u/s tomorrow. My dosage didn't increase, so I hope there's some follicle growth that is visible tomorrow. I also shared this in the March/April group, but wanted to share here as well. I reconnected with a friend that I haven't seen in a while and I knew she was struggling getting pregnant. I just didn't know that she also went through IVF to get her babies. It was so good to be open with someone who went through this since no one else in my life understands this emotional ride. We cried, we laughed and in the end she gave me so much hope. It's truly amazing to connect with someone on such a level in person. I told her about these boards, how much support I get here and how I read success after IF posts to keep my hope alive and she completely understood since she was on here as well. I just wanted to share this if anyone is feeling down, is overwhelmed by the injections & appointments....the more we hope, the more positive this experience will be and the more worth it in the end it will be as well!  

Knottie1455746131

@wifeinraleigh28- I'm doing back to back Retrievals and banking embryo's. My last retrieval was Feb 25th and I had a low AFC like 4 and had 9 eggs, 5 mature and ended up with 1 5bb embryo to freeze. Depending on how many I get with this retrieval I might also do a May retrieval.

wifeinraleigh28

@Tulips29 - Hoping for some follie growth for you tomorrow!  Also thank you for sharing your story.  I know a few people personally who have been through IVF but we aren't close enough to really talk and/or share stories.  It must be nice to be able to do that with someone.  I like what you said about staying positive and hopeful.  So many people have success with IVF and I know each and every one of us can have success too!  I have a lot of hope for my first try at IVF, while also trying to be realistic that it could not work, in which case I will keep trying.  I am not willing to give up on this!

Tulips29

@wifeinraleigh28 absolutely! It's easy to give up, but I also remind myself that I have to be realistic that my first try may fail. My husband is more realistic than I am, though. He keeps saying it's ok if it doesn't work, we'll get through it and try again. It helps, but at the same time I know it'll be tough to accept it. After talking to my friend, I started thinking that if she went through it (and her story was really tough and a true miracle) than I can do it too. We all can and we will. I just need to remind myself of this daily. 

wifeinraleigh28

@Tulips29 - I know it will be hard for me as well, really hard, if it doesn't work.  But this is something that I just can't ever give up on.  I have never gotten a BFP, so sometimes it's hard to even imagine getting one, but at the same time, I feel like this HAS to work!  Hopefully the first try will be it

calfherder

I think participating on here, lifting each other up and staying positive is so important. I want positive outcomes for all of us!

I did not even want to try again after my first cycle failed. I have an intense fear that we will get the same results as before. My husband talked me into trying again, he is much more optimistic than I am. But being on this board has helped me stay positive. I love lurking the beta week threads, too. Seeing the bfp's on there brings me hope! 

cmm012

Hi All,
@wifeinraleigh28 I'm excited you have appointments scheduled and you have an idea of your timeline.  I will definitely be hoping you quality for the study.

dragonfaerie I'm also excited about your FET.  One day I'll be in your shoes!  For now, I'm trying to get to ER,

AFM - I am very concerned because I got my blood work back from my labs.  They indicated that I have an A+ blood type, when I've always been told I have an O+.  I even called both of my parents and checked my medical records.  I'm worried that this is an error.  If they can't get this simple test right, do I really want them handling my embryos?  Even DH is concerned.  I've asked for a repeat test, and I'll see what they say.

Also, I was in a car accident yesterday (rear-ended).  I'm doing okay, but now I have the extra joy of dealing with insurance and whiplash.

Happy Tuesday everyone.

dragonfaerie

@Tulips29 I'm actually not 100% what all I have to do for my FET, we haven't gone through it yet. I know I will be on BCPs again for a couple of weeks, but I should get a call by Thursday with my calendar.
@cmm012 Oh dear! I'm so sorry about your car accident! I'll be praying for you. And very weird about your blood typing. I almost wonder if someone had terrible penmanship or something and it was misread. I hope it gets cleared up quickly.

Knottie1456036854

Posted in the March/April thread, but I actually meant to put it here......   Went in for my f/u ultrasound today, and the cyst is shrinking!  My regular RE saw me today, and is unconcerned about the cyst.  Plus, I have a nice follicle growing, so it looks like I *will* ovulate this time around.  Labs confirm that (despite the + OPT result) I did NOT ovulate last month.  New plan:  test for LH surge for the next three days.  If no positive result, I will do my HCG shot on Friday to trigger ovulation or at least slap my ovaries around a bit and encourage them to get with the program.  I will start the Estrace 3 days after either the LH surge or the HCG shot, then clomid a week later, along with follistim/menopur shortly after that.

I was prepared for bad news, like the 'this isn't going to work at all and you just wasted $5k on meds' kind of news.  Because those meds are literally chilling in my fridge right now.  But my RE is awesome.  She says she will whip my ovaries in shape and get 'em going.  We clarified that the chemo aging of my ovaries is the culprit for my whackadoodle cycle last month, and she is confident that we are going to make this work.  She recommended against us doing this ER based on my labs/etc in November, but is now pushing full force to get us some eggs.  We can always cancel everything before an actual attempted retrieval if very few follicles show up, so we won't necessarily be out another $11k unless we go through with everything and have actual success (some of the $ included in that total is the $$ for biopsying the embryos and sending samples for PGS & PGD)

MntnGirl

@cmm012 That's really weird about the blood type - the same thing happened to me. I've been retested and got the same result.

I mostly lurk in the IF board because I'm not sure where I belong and it's hard to keep up with the IVF discussions! I had ER in February. Started BCP for FET prep - my prep for FET includes 3 weeks BCP, then 3 weeks hormone prep shots, which I would have started next week, but after ER and PGS we only have 1 embryo left so we are planning to do another ER cycle prior to FET and are just waiting on our schedule from the RE. Anyone else doing two ER cycles back to back? 

calfherder

Your blood type can change. It's very rare but it can happen. Google "Can blood type change?" and there is a lot of info on it. It's weird for sure.

calfherder

@MtnGirl We are doing back to back ER, first was in late February and are doing another ER in early May. Hoping for FET in June. Welcome! 

wifeinraleigh28

Welcome @MntnGirl!  You're right, the IVF threads are difficult to keep up with!  I feel like I need to log on multiple times a day or I get too far behind to be willing to get caught up!

@Knottie1456036854 Yay for positive news and being able to move forward (and hopefully NOT waste all those $$$$$).

@calfherder I enjoy lurking the beta threads for BFPs too... it's become a sort of hobby of mine haha.

@cmm012 OMG I'm so sorry about your accident!!  Glad you are not at fault, but still a bitch to deal with.  That's weird about the blood type thing.  I actually don't even know my blood type and my mom can't remember from when I was born!

Tulips29

Just reading the posts about blood type changing and I didn't know that either! I agree with the previous posts on lurking on BFP posts lol...just this morning I spent my breakfast time lurking a previous FET board which is filled with BFP's. They make me so happy and hopeful! 

@MntnGirl welcome! Looking forward to getting to know you through this board
@Knottie1456036854 that's great news on not wasting all that money...this process is expensive!

AFM - I had another u/s and b/w appointment today. It looks like follies are starting to grow. I'm waiting for b/w results later today but doc said I need about another 4-5 days of injections and then he hopes my ER will be mid to end of next week. I'm so anxious! 

ultratomato

My meds get delivered tomorrow and I was charged a minimal amount which was great. I have to take a zpack again the week of the retrieval. I'm taking follistim, menopur, gonal f, medrol, lupron, progesterone oil, hcg, and ganerelix. 

wifeinraleigh28

@Tulips29 - Your ER is so soon!!!  I'm so excited for you!!!

chickyclg

At what point should I call about scheduling my hysteroscopy? I went for my baseline Monday and they messaged me saying they would be in touch, I just figured I would have heard something by now.

erica0901

@chickyclg When I had my hysteroscopy done they told me they just needed to schedule it before ovulation occurred. Maybe try calling the clinic to schedule it? I think for me it was done on CD 11 or 12. Good luck!

chickyclg

Thanks @erica0901 it's been 3 years since my last one.  I'll call in the morning since I'm already at CD6.  Were you on BCP before it?

ultratomato

@chickyclg I did mine after AF was done. It was not painful I asked my RE to explain the process to me every step. Good luck. Do you have your own ivf nurse? They provide me with my own who returns calls and reminds me of appointments and makes them. I was on birth control and a zpack 

Tulips29

@wifeinraleigh28 I'm excited too! They increased my injection dosage starting tonight so that should hopefully speed up the follicle growth as its been slow these past 5 days. I've never been under anesthesia either so I'm nervous excited as I don't know what to expect. And I also worry about producing enough good quality eggs. 

chickyclg

@ultratomato I'm not sure about the IVF nurse, the last time I went through everything I worked with 2 nurses, one of which is still there.  I had a hysteroscopy a couple of years ago but it was very painful, maybe because I have/ had tubal blockages and they were able to clear one.  I'm on BCP now also for the procedure.

ultratomato

Sorry it was painful last time my RE asked if I wanted to take a Valium but I declined. Good luck hopefully they can give something for your pain. @chickyclg

calfherder

@chickyclg Good luck on your hysteroscopy.  I can't believe they didn't sedate you for it last time. I was under "conscious anesthesia" for mine, which is basically just heavily sedated with an IV. I hope it goes well for you and isn't painful.

erica0901

@chickyclg I was not on BCPs since it was done this cycle and this is our cycle "off". As soon as I get AF I will go in for baseline and start BCPs shortly after to officially kick off the retrieval and transfer cycle Also wanted to add that when I went in for the hysteroscopy I felt no pain what so ever, I'm hoping yours will be painless as well!