May FET

caseyw8784

Hi Ladies! So I noticed on the April IVF/FET boards that there's a handful that are already planning/set up for a May FET, so I thought I'd get a board started...

A little bit about me: I'm 32, DH 33. Doing IVF with PGD to eliminate passing on a single gene disorder. ER was March 12 w/ 13 eggs retrieved, 11 mature, 10 fertilized. 4 Day-5 blasts were biopsied and frozen, and we are currently waiting on the testing results to see how many are both PGD and PGS normal. I HATE this wait, but we should hear literally any day now. Once AF arrives in a couple weeks, I'll start estrogen pills/patches for ~2 weeks and PIO for 6 days with hopefully a early/mid May transfer!

kaseycoco

Hi @caseyw8784! I was just thinking about starting a board, but was wondering if it was too soon, but I'm glad you did  

I did my first IVF cycle in February. During the cycle, uterine polyps were found and we did a freeze all with 5 embryos that made it to day 5.
@caseyw8784 Although we didn't do PGD testing, I know the wait is so brutal! I hope you get good numbers back soon.
 I've been itching to move forward. I just had the surgery last week and am estimated to do a FET around May 14th. 

prudence9-2

Hi ladies! my ER was back in November and I got 4 PGS normal embryos. 

**TW**
I had the first FET at the end of January. But the embryo stopped growing. I had MUA 2 weeks ago and I'm now waiting for AF. Once she comes I'll have to do some tests to see what was the cause of the m/c. And then hopefully start the prep for the FET cycle. 
**End TW**

I'm hoping to have FET by the end of May. 

@caseyw8784 FX you get good results soon!!!

kris031409

I'll join you ladies!  

@Prudence9  I'm so sorry for your loss

My background, I had ER on 3/22, 2 embryos sent for PGS, results came back on Monday, one normal.  Started estrogen pills and patches yesterday, my calendar has just that until a little more than 3 weeks (does that seem like a long time?  I've never had lining issues, it's always at least at 9 by CD 12)  Then 6 days of progesterone puts me at transfer the first week in May

caseyw8784 I hope you get your results soon!

caseyw8784

I got the results this morning! 2 out of the 4 biopsied came back normal! Woo-hoo! Left a message with my RE to schedule a meeting to discuss the results and talk about the FET process!

prudence9-2

@kris031409 thanks! FET cycles are longer, I believe. When I had a medicated FET, I was injecting Lupron for 4 weeks and also few weeks of patches and then in the 5 days before the transfer I started with PIO 

stella_700

*lurking from April TWW*
@caseyw8784 YES!!!! I'm so pleased for you.

csp2017

Thank you for starting the board caseyw8784! I will jump in here, if it's okay! This is my first post anywhere.. I've been lurking around here for a few months, basically too shy to say anything!

My story is in my signature (if I did that correctly..) I am hoping for a May FET if my RE gives me the green light. This is my first time through this whole process, so I am not sure what to expect with the FET. I got AF last week (it seemed like it came rather quickly since my ER was on 3/19... is that something to be worried about??) but my RE is on vacation until next week, when we will meet to chat about the plan.

Sending lots of good thoughts out to all of us. It's been impossible to describe the emotional roller coaster of IF, and IVF, to anyone who hasn't been through it. I really appreciate the level of support and kindness that I've seen here during my time lurking, and hope to be able to do that for others!

Joslynj11

@caseyw8784 **Lurking** EKKKKK!! I am so excited to see your updates and I can't wait to you get started on your FET!! I will continue to follow you girlie

ryaa132

I was suppose to start prep for a may 3 transfer but unfortunately I'm out of town the day I need labs...Shooting for  a May 24 transfer

caseyw8784

Was able to get an appointment with my RE tomorrow morning at 10am. Was a little surprised that they had an opening with such short notice, but I'm not complaining! (Also was wondering if I had been a bit pushy, but after waiting a year for this, I'm ready to get this done!)

Hopeful_mom

Hi All!  I guess I'm going to be optimistic and jump in and hope that I will be doing my first FET in May.  My long not so fun story is in my signature.  I MC twins in jan after ivf #3 which was a fresh transfer...so i'm way more anxious to do an FET.  Having Low AMH combined with my age and a MC its probably best to try and bank a few healthy embryos in hopes of having more then one child.  A girl can dream can't she  So far I have 3 frosties waiting for PGS, and hopefully I will have more frosties to add after this next round which will hopefully start any day now...which should hopefully bring me to a may FET yay!!!

@caseyw8784 thanks for getting us up and running!  Still so excited for your good news

kaseycoco congrats on being able to move forward how exciting with a nice amount of frosties waiting for you.  Are you transferring one or two?

ryaa132 sorry you're date is being pushed back but luckily its all in the same month still!

@kris031409 congrats on getting a normal bean already to go!

csp2017 congrats and welcome to the bump - i always find the first post tough, and KUDOS to you on a signature i think I just got mine done, better late then never ha!  Seems like you and a frustrating time with your RE however even with all the back and forth diagnosis you did amazing.  8pgs normal wow!  that is a real home run for you!  As for your ER question I can't answer that as I had a fresh transfer and got my BFP after my first ER so i was lucky not to have AF arrive.  Its now after my 2nd ER and i'm currently waiting on AF to arrive...I thought it comes a lil later, but I don't think you should be overly concerned about it.

Angelaag

@caseyw8784 thanks for setting this up!!

i had 6 eggs retrieved, 6 fertilized, 5 to day 5, and only 1 PGS normal. We are meeting with RE April 17th to discuss the results and FET plans. I am scheduled for May 25th FET and will start estrogen the end of April. Hoping our normal is a sticky one! Since we only wound up with one we decided to not find out the sex. 

csp2017

Thank you @Hopeful_mom !! I'm so sorry for your loss. FX for more frosties this time around. Lots of good wishes to you!!! Thanks for the advice to not be overly concerned... i am telling myself that too, but it's nice to hear it from someone else

We were really happy with the 8 PGS normal. What a nerve-wracking experience, waiting for the results! Heading into the FET, I am just nervous that now we will find out if there is something wrong on my end that has been preventing this from happening. It seems like based on our results, we can create embryos.. but maybe my ol' uterus doesn't want to support them. I guess we will see??

kris031409

Hopeful_mom did your protocol change between IVF3 and IVF4?  You got a lot more that round!

caseyw8784

Welcome to everyone who has joined this board! 

So I had my meeting this morning with my RE. She is submitting to insurance for the FET approval, and once that comes through they will order the estrace and PIO. I'm to call in on day 1 once AF comes (which should be around April 21 or 22) and will do pills for 10-14 days + 6 days of PIO with transfer on the 6th day...thinking that should put transfer day around May 10-12!

Only thing that I'm now anxious about it whether or not insurance cares if we transfer 1 or 2 embryos back...RE said that she would put 2 back if we really wanted it, but gave us a bit of a talk that since the embryos are both PGD and PGS tested, the chances of twins skyrocket and possible high risk factors, etc...

caseyw8784

Now that there is a handful of people here, I copied the April FET spreadsheet, and renamed it for May. (Please let me know if the settings need to be adjusted or whatnot!)

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xBCP8pprreQVAofIQ8s5yVgM0pthBcGgpgbLPcQsFDw/edit?usp=sharing

Ash_SE

My FET is likely now in May. We are waitin for our PGS results to come back. I'm about 70% back to normal from ER which was 11 days ago. Still a little bloated and get some pain still but maybe that is AF trying to come.

ttc_ivf

Hi everyone! I'm starting my injections tomorrow and doing a luteal protocol which is a freeze all cycle. If all goes well I will have my FET in May

Hopeful_mom

caseyw8784 sounds like you had a get appt. nice that you were able to get an appt.  I remember back in the day it was a full month to see mine.  Hopefully your insurance won't give you any problems.  Do you want to transfer 2?  of course I want too but my RE and OH are against it.  They think my body mightve not have been able to handle them.  I would just love one more chance to have my twins...I can't help but feel like it was meant to be.

kris031409 Thanks goodness I had a better response.  I still did an antagonist protocol but added estrogen priming which is then the EPP protocol.  I'm the one that recommended it seeing others that have low amh have better success.  My AFC when i first came to my RE was 8 and 6.  At baseline it was 4 and 2 so I was extremely worried on how i would do.  Luckly my right ovary joined the party late in the game a gave us a few extra to work with.  For me its quality over quantity.  I'm not fully DOR but i think my levels try to trick the drs and maybe I am.   What protocol did you use? 

mjpbarretto welcome!  good luck!  Once AF arrive hopefully i will start stemming too!!

caseyw8784

@Hopeful_mom - we really just want a healthy baby, but are pushing to transfer 2 for a couple reasons: 1) (the "silly" reason) DH jokes that he wants boy/girl twins so we can be "one and done"...and 2) the genetic condition that I'm a carrier for puts me at a high chance of having POF and a decent chance of menopause before age 40 (i'm 32 now). DH and I had always wanted 2 (maybe 3) kids, so the idea of transferring 2 embryos and getting twins is appealing cause then when we try a second time and we can't, we will already have 2 kids......if that long-winded answer made any sense...

My doctor said she usually leans towards a SET when the embryo is PGD/PGS normal, but she was the one that suggested transferring 2, way back when we first started this journey, cause she said there was no way to predict when my ovaries decide it's time to "break"...I have been "following" you and your journey with your twins. It broke my heart reading your posts...maybe this time once you're further along with this cycle you'll be able to talk your RE and OH into transferring 2 again? FX for many more frosties this time!

Hopeful_mom

caseyw8784 I totally get it!  One of the nurses showed me a pick of boy/girl twins with there onesies saying buy one get one free  That really wouldve been me for sure!  Wouldve been awesome!!  Even though I switched from thinking boy/girl to 2 girls...I definitely didn't feel 2 boys...which I was right  Knowing I at least had one girl does make me happy...probably cause my feelings weren't wrong.
Its funny you think the person that went through it all, meaning me would be afraid to only transfer one...yet its opposite.  I always thought i would have a big family.  Somedays I feel lucky just to be able to get the one miracle.

kris031409

Hopeful_mom I was on 400 Follistim and micro hcg.  My AFC was 15, and they only got 6.  Hopefully my one will be sticky and I won't need another ER, but if I do I'm thinking something needs to change.  Thanks for the info!

Ash_SE

AF has arrived 11 days post ER. Now what ? I'll call my nurse on Monday morning. Maybe I should email her today instead?

We are still waiting PGS but it should Tuesday/Wednesday. The doctor better not wait until after the holiday to call me....

I was browsing the Instagram account of a fancy baby consignment store here today and want all the things lol. I feel weird as I feel like I'm past a big hurdle of ER but then I remember I'm so far from the finish line I can't let myself get excited yet. Ugh emotions. And hormones lol. but seriously can someone explain the FET protocol and timing? My doc just said call when AF and then I'll get details. 

caseyw8784

@Ash_SE - I'm feeling exactly the same as you are! i was at a store the other day with DH, and he caught me wandering through the baby clothes/toys areas, and gently had to remind me not to put the cart before the horse! lol

Regarding the FET timing and protocol, i think it differs by RE. For mine, I assumed that I would be able to start the estrace pills as soon as AF arrived after ER, even though we were still waiting on the PGD/PGS results. I called to ask, and they said that I would have a follow-up appointment with my RE once the results were in before starting any meds. I was lucky enough to be able to be squeezed in this past week the day after we got the testing results back. I'm currently on CD17 and AF usually comes around CD 31-32, so I'll need to call in then to get the Day 2 blood work and ultrasound... (Hopefully it'll work out that insurance approval will come back before AF comes again, so I won't have to wait until next month! ) 

Once I start it'll be easy: estrace pills for 10-14 days, then an ultrasound to check the lining, then PIO for 6 days with transfer on the 6th day. Hope this (long-winded) reply helps!

kris031409

Ash_SE My RE won't start the estrace until the PGS results are back.  Luckily mine came back the day after AF came, but I would have been put on BCP if it had taken longer.  I'm now doing 23 days of estrace pills and estradiol patches, then will start progesterone for 6 days then transfer.

kaseycoco

@caseyw8784 thanks for setting up the tracker! I can only view it, I think you might need to change the settings for others to edit. 

So this will be my first FET, and it had never occurred to me before that an embryo might not survive the thawing process. To those of you who have done an FET before, how many do you decide to thaw? Or is this something that the RE will have to make a judgement call on? I just want to keep realistic expectations about how many FET's I can do with my current 5 frosties

Hope you all had a nice weekend!

Hopeful_mom

kaseycoco this is my first FET too so thats a good question!  Did you do testing?  I'm sitting here being super positive that i will have a normal to transfer.  I have 3 waiting to be tested currently, hoping in another couple of week i'll be able to add to that

caseyw8784 I see there is really so much more to go, praying I will be able to do an FET in May.  I'm gonna have to follow up with having an appt post testing as that could really slow me down...lets hope not.  I keep saying my body is in control and first need to get through this next cycle successfully!  You're OH is funny and smart!  You'll be there before u know it!


AFM: AF arrived one day after i put my estrogen patch on for some priming so i'm hoping that its still going to help!  Last cycle I got a week and a 1/2 in so i'm a bit nervous.  My Estrogen hasn't really been a problem but this protocol seems to work well for ladies with low amh.  My Baseline showed some leftover follies but considering I had an ER last cycle not sure how anything can be leftover.  RE said not to worry and my levels were good to start stemming...so i guess we shall see how it goes.

prudence9-2

@kaseycoco this is something you and your dr decide. In my case, because of my age we spoke about 2. But since I ended up doing PGS we only transferred one. 

I was also also very afraid the embryo won't survive the thawing.  But they told me that it's very rare that they don't survive. 

kaseycoco

@hopefulmom we didn't do the testing for the first round, but will consider it again if we need to down the road. Any waiting in this process is agonizing, so I can only imagine the stress you feel! GL once you start stimming again.

@Prudence9 Thank you, that's helpful to know. My RE didn't tell me too much about the process since it's still somewhat far away, and I'm a worrier  

JESSABER0414

Hey Ladies- I'm going to say Hi in hopes that I'll be joining here for a May FET. I have an appointment April 13 for a check on a left ovarian cyst and hopefully the go ahead to stop bcp. 
I'm about 75% sure we will try 2 this time, but want to speak with my embryologist and get a true opinion on our frosties. Nice to meet you and hope to be able to officially join in. 

prudence9-2

@JESSABER0414 good to see you in this thread! Hope you get the thumbs up to start the cycle! 

I mighy be too optimistic but I'm hoping for a late May transfer for myself 

Ash_SE

My PGS results are in but the doctor isn't calling to discuss until tommorrow. The waiting is terrible. Just email them to me for heavens sake. 

prudence9-2

@Ash_SE what? That's crazy!!! 

Ash_SE

Yeah she was off today and they just came in. I'm so anxiety ridden. 

Ash_SE

Posting this here as well. I had a cyst this morning at the day 3 scan but it was only 19mm so awaiting bloodwork to see about estrogen. If it's high it's BCP for me and if it's normal we move forward with the FET which wouldn't include any suppression. 


.PGS results came back this morning. 5 normals out of 8. So I've been hitting 62% a lot (8 out 13 eggs made blasts lol). At less than a month from 34, I'm happy with these results. I had 5 in my mind would be excellent results for me. 

However the the upsetting part is they show what the abnormal ones are and 1 was Downs and 1 was Trisomy 14 (both could implant and be born but have lifelong health issues especially Trisomy 14) and the 3rd had multiple issues . It's sad to read that part. 

I also know the sex because the doc semt the full report. I have 3 normal girls and 2 normal boys. So weird knowing this!!! 2 of the abnormals were male and 1 female. So I was really a 50/50 split. 

prudence9-2

@Ash_SE hope you get the ok to move forward with FET. 

Congrats on the PGS results! 5/8 is amazing! And yeah, I agree, reading what the abnormal embryos had is very depressing. 

For me everything was 50-50. 4 boys, 4 girls. Out of which 2 normal boys and 2 normal girls. 

Ash_SE

@Prudence9 how are you going to pick which one to transfer? With 3 girls and 2 boys, I always said I would transfer the sex we had most of just in case it takes a couple tries to determine the right immune protocol for me but I know DH would prefer a boy and we have 2 so maybe I'll try it. 



I asked for the full report because DH and I already agreed to know and then today when I called him before sending it to him he was like don't tell me. Now I'm holding this big secret lol. I'm sure he will want to know I'm the end but I find it funny he changed his mind. I wouldn't have found out if he hadn't wanted to. 

prudence9-2

@Ash_SE I did choose the first time around. They picked the best looking girl embryo. I'm not sure what to do for next time (unfortunately the first time didn't work out) I really wanted a girl. But not sure if I'm gonna ask them to transfer the next girl embryo (5BB) or transfer one of the boys (3AA and 4AA). The dr said that as long as it came back normal they don't really care much for the grading. So we'll see. I still have some time to decide. 

Funny that your husband changed his mind!

Ash_SE

I got the ok for FET. My estrogen was 55 so that small cyst wasn't producing any hormones so just leftover. 

I start art meds tonight. I don't do any birth control or Lupron like I see in most FETs. I start Estrace tabs, Prednisone, prenatals, special folate today. Keep going with that everyday and on 16 April add in Baby Aspirin and Lovenox and Intralipid infusion. I start Progesterone on 27 April and Doxycycline for 3 days on 29 April with transfer on 2 May after 5 days on progesterone so my transfer is actually on Day 6 Which seems weird but ok. 

Ash_SE

My beta isn't until 14 days past transfer which seems so long....