IVF with donor eggs

prudence9-2

@rachelh0912 you’re welcome! Lupron sucks but if that what’s help...  

good luck at the appt tomorrow!

radmom27

@Hopeful_mom I am SO hoping I can join you at some point.  
@JamieH2000 The insulin syringes are like using a butter knife to cut steak.  
@rachelh0912 I hope your appt went well today!!

liljoy-2

@laurad75 I know you had a good collection of links about how the genetics of the egg recipient influence the fetus. Would you mind sharing them? I'd like to educate my cousin who is considering donor eggs but is upset that she won't have a genetic child. Thank you much.

laurad75

@liljoy-2 I'll do some digging for those links but I'm sure there are updated articles now. 

Here are a couple that I found just poking around this morning:
PVED article - also, this site is a great resource for women considering DE IVF

BioNews Article - I like the horse/ pony study they did in this one.  For some reason it resonated with me.  

Personally, I got over the concept of not having a genetic child very easily because I just didn't have other options but I can understand someone struggling with that.  I've shared this before but I found it so helpful when my husband told me that my best qualities (kindness, patience, good taste in music, etc) aren't genetic and I would be passing all of those things on via nurture while we raise the baby together.  The genetics he/she received from the donor are similar physical features to mine and she's also good at math and sports - something I could not contribute.  

Also, now that I am carrying this child I can tell you for sure that I don't feel any sadness over it being donor egg.  This is my baby.  

Let me know if there is anything else you need and I'll post any other articles I think are helpful.  I'm also happy to talk directly to your cousin if you think she would like that.  Just DM me and I'll give you my email.  I'm an open book!  

rachelh0912

@radmom27 thanks for asking! My appointment went well! RE is having me start Lupron on Sunday and wait for AF to show! I’ll then begin the whole process over again! Maybe third time is the charm! How are you doing with everything?!

@JamieH2000 Is your next lining check still tomorrow?! If so, crossing everything for good news and starting progesterone! 

JamieH2000

@rachelh0912- Glad you can get started on the lurpon right away and get going! My best advice is just try to stay super hydrated to help with any side effects. The third time HAS to be the charm! 

AFM- lining only grew from 8.8 to 9.3 with 8 more days of estrogen, but its plenty thick for an ERA I believe. Thought it would have grown a little more since i got to 10.6mm last cycle, but i will definitely take it!! Still waiting on the official call, but I am assuming I will get the green light to start PIO at 7pm tonight. Then ERA would be on Wednesday. 

c-town18

laurad75 - I really like what your husband said about your best qualities not being genetic but rather character traits.  Hadn't thought about that much but that's a great way to look at it. 

rachelh0912 - Glad you are regrouping and have a good plan!  I know how frustrating I know these delays are and you seem to have such a great attitude about it all. 

JamieH2000 - Did you start the PIO? If so, how is it? I have never done that before but will have to start in a while if things go according to plan. 

AFM, had U/S and blood work yesterday and things are looking good so far.  Go back in a week and transfer still on for 2/10 as of now. Still no PGS results!  So some other stuff going on that I haven't mentioned, but in some recurrent miscarriage testing I did in December they discovered that I have 1 mutated gene for Factor V Leiden which means I'm at an increased risk for blood clots and other complications or M/C in pregnancy. (TW - note: they don't think that this was the cause of my previous M/Cs b/c those all turned out to be genetically abnormal embryos). It's usually treatable with anticogulants which I will have to start if I actually get pregnant, but because of it they are recommending that I only transfer 1 embryo because they don't know how my body will handle a pregnancy yet.  So that's the plan, assuming we get at least one normal one to transfer.  It's not the worst thing in the world, but just one more thing to worry about in this crazy process ya know?  

JamieH2000

@chitown16- I started PIO friday night, and this is my first time with the sesame oil, which is much thicker than the ethel olyte oil... so far its hurting more, but I only have 5 days total to deal with it before the ERA, then I will switch to provera pills. Hard to think that if this works, I would be on PIO like 8 weeks. It will be worth the shots though if it works.  I hope your results come back soon! All the waiting in this process is the stressful part. I am glad they found your Factor V and can give you the blood thinners. That is interesting they want you to transfer just 1 because of this. But If I had done PGS, I would probably only transfer 1 at a time too. Your odds for success should be really good!

c-town18

Update! Got the PGS results and 8 out of our 8 embryos are normal!  So happy. 

Also, woke up today with a splitting headache and feeling nauseous.  Don't know if it's the lupron or the estrogen, but it really sucks. 

Hopeful_mom

@chitown16 wow wow wow congrats!!!  You couldn't have asked for better assuming and hoping theres a mix of gender in that 8   Best of luck to you, what a great update!!

JamieH2000

@chitown16- holy cow, wow!! all normal is an amazing result! You got this!

prudence9-2

@ChiTown16 wow!!!! That’s amazing news!! So happy for you!!! 

radmom27

@ChiTown16 WOW!!!  Those are some awesome PGS results!! 

I've had terrible Lupron headaches and nausea since starting last weekend.  I went for my suppression check today and as my luck goes, my estrogen is too high and my lining is too thick.  They're going to bring me back in for more monitoring Friday to see if my lining looks thinner.  Hoping for good news.  

c-town18

radmom27 - Ugh, sorry, hopefully things calm down.  Keep us posted and I'm sending good thoughts your way!  What point are you at in your prep; is this prior to your baseline?  It's so frustrating how much of this is out of our control, especially whether our bodies cooperate or not. 
 

laurad75

@radmom27 Geez, can you catch a break?!

@JamieH2000 Is your ERA today?  Wishing you the best luck that it goes smoothly and you get some helpful answers!

JamieH2000

@laurad75- good memory! It is today and at the moment I am most nervous about how much it will hurt hopefully I can report back that it wasn't that bad! 

@radmom27- sorry to hear about those headaches! hope they get better soon! Did you have any sort of withdrawal bleed? I can't remember if you have been on BC or anything. I really hope you are ready to get started on Friday! When is your transfer again?!

rachelh0912

@ChiTown16 YAY for incredible results!! I can’t imagine how happy and relieved you must feel! I’m over the moon for you!

@JamieH2000 Wishing you the best of luck today!! I’m sure things will go smoothly and with great results! Looking forward to hearing all about it! 

@radmom27 I’m hoping things look much better for you on Friday! I started Lupron on Sunday. I’ve got a lot of concerns for this cycle so I’m not feeling very optimistic. I hope the side effects dial down a bit and give you some relief! 

JamieH2000

@rachelh0912- Thanks!! It went ok.. really hurt for 10 seconds, but it was quick Unfortunately she had to do it twice to make sure we got enough. Hoping the results come back quickly. Also, my RE prefers to do her own FETs (when they can control the calendar), so the earliest date I can transfer is 3/19. I was hoping for like 3/5, so its only 2 weeks longer, but still feels like forever away

laurad75

@JamieH2000 I’ve been thinking about you all day. Im sorry it was painful but I’m glad for you that it’s done. xo

radmom27

@ChiTown16 I'm on Lupron and just got a withdrawal bleed after going off BCPs last week. My transfer is scheduled for 2/28 but may be on hold pending what happens on my suppression check on Friday.
@laurad75 Hoping to catch a break at some point   How are you feeling?
@rachelh0912 Crossing my fingers that Lupron is going well for you.
@JamieH2000 How long will it take to get ERA results?  I have a high pain threshold and when I've had a uterine biopsy it was very very very painful.  Short but painful.  I'm so glad it's done and behind you!

laurad75

@radmom27 GL with your appointment on Friday.  Here's hoping you stay on schedule. 

AFM: I'm feeling fine but anxious since I haven't had an appt in so long.  I have my genetic screening appt on Monday which includes an ultrasound so I'll feel much better if that all goes well.

adc0417

Hello everyone!!
We are now starting to look for a donor through an agency.  At the same time but at a different clinic, waiting to do another IVF cycle on myself.  I know it seems like we are two timing, but we just want to be efficient and not waste any time, spp since I haven’t had any luck so far with my own resources. 

So, I wanted to ask at what point would I need to be on BCP? Would it be after she has gone thru her screening? How quickly does it move from the time you pick a donor?  Also, can you just freeze those eggs/embryos for later?  Pls advice...

JamieH2000

@laurad75- Thanks for thinking of me! The wait for appointments must be sooo hard! I hope Monday comes fast and you get some good pics from the ultrasound!

@radmom27- it was painful but actually not as bad as I expected. I think my HSG had much worse pain and was longer. The results should be about two weeks!

@adc0417- sorry you have to consider DE, but it really should give you the success we are all looking for! I don't think you are two timing at all. It can take time to find a donor anyways. As far as timing of BC, it really depends on the clinic I think. Would you be using your current clinic to do the donor ER? There aren't a ton of standards on how long it takes. I think my clinic says 2-3 months to ER once you have locked down the donor. It would depend on her availability too though. The more unknown part is how long it takes to find the right donor and for her to be available. You are able to freeze any leftover embryos.

laurad75

@adc0417 I'm sorry you find yourself here but you've come to the right place for the scoop on DE IVF.  I started bc early because I knew I would be on it for a while and figured why not bypass getting a period for a while.  Otherwise, you would likely start after her screening and she would start them then too.  

We picked our donor in August and she started stims in Nov, ER was late Nov and my 5 day transfer was early Dec.  There are a lot of steps in between choosing the donor and the cycle but I was told to anticipate about 12 weeks.  We were able to freeze 8 embryos in addition to the one we transferred.  

adc0417

@JamieH2000 @laurad75 thanks so much for the words of encouragement!! We have actually narrowed it down to one and now asking to reserve her.  I’m just so nervous about doing this and working on mine in parallel to it.  I guess I still have slight hope with my own system.  DH says if my own thing works, then we’ll just freeze all the embryos.  Did you guys do PGS on them?

laurad75

@adc0417 We opted not to do PGS on the embryos but its definitely a personal choice.  What agency are you going through? 

JamieH2000

@adc0417- Yes you could definitely freeze them all if you are usually two seperate clinics! I am guessing at a certain point, especially once you have those embryos, you will just be ready to be pregnant and be a mom and will be so ready to transfer them! We did not do PGS, our RE did not reco it. I have mixed feelings because it would be so nice to know its normal and have a lower chance of miscarriage, but the science also isn't 100% and there is the added cost too..

adc0417

@laurad75 we are going with Asian Donation agency.  This particular donor won’t be ready to do a cycle before 3/20, which I don’t mind as it would give me more time.  I just don’t want to be put on BCP before April ugh 

@JamieH2000 yea it’s definitely tricky.  It would be nice to know that the embryos are normal, although our RE hasn’t recommended it

c-town18

adc0417 - I don't think that's two timing at all.  I was looking for a donor even before my IVF cycle was finished because my chances were looking so bad. Totally understandable to want to explore more than one option at the same time.  I agree with the other girls that about 3 months sounds right from the time you select your donor assuming that she is available to start. 

Re PGS:  Of us on here that did PGS with DE embryos, 8/8 of mine were normal and an extremely high number of another girl in the group's were normal as well. I don't think it's necessary under most circumstances with DE; the cost is obviously a big issue. But with that said, if for medical or financial reasons you would prefer not to have a twin pregnancy, it's a good way to have a very high chance of success while only transferring one embryo (since you know it's normal). *TW* Also, I have a history of M/C due to abnormal embryos implanting, so I wanted to avoid that as much as possible. *End TW* So that was my reasoning, the two things I just mentioned. 

At many clinics, if you want to do PGS then you cannot do a fresh cycle b/c they need time to get the results, but it sounds like you'd be doing a frozen one regardless so that wouldn't be a factor. So it would really just come down to the cost. 

radmom27

@adc0417 Welcome to our group!  I don't think it's two timing at all to be looking into a donor cycle while doing a cycle with your own eggs.  For me, it helps to lower the stress level if I have a plan in place in case things don't go my way.  I did PGS testing with my donor embryos (I've had so many failures in the past, I figured since I was spending so much  money on a donor, that I would be assured that egg quality wasn't an issue). I sent 15 embryos for PGS testing and 11 were normal.  I have 10 others that I did not test.  I think you can go either way with PGS testing especially with a young donor.  We froze all of our eggs and are currently preparing for a frozen transfer.  

My protocol is long...usually I'm on birth control pills for at least a month, then a month of lupron with transfer approximately two weeks after that.  I started seeing my current clinic in August and had my donor retrieval in November with donor transfer in early December.  Things move fairly quickly once you decide on a donor.  Please feel free to ask any and all questions about donor cycles!

JamieH2000

@radmom27- good luck today! Hope that lining is ready to go so we can get this show on the road!!

radmom27

@JamieH2000 I'm on pins and needles waiting for the call.  The lining measured better so I'm hoping for good news.  Otherwise, there is wine in my future tonight.  Lots of wine. 

radmom27

Looks like I'm back in the game!!  Lining went down and estrogen went down.  Lowering Lupron dose (thank goodness) and starting IM estrogen.  Yay!!!  

JamieH2000

@radmom27- yayy!!! Less than 4 weeks until PUPO right?! Sooo exciting!!

adc0417

@ChiTown16 @radmom27 Thanks a lot for your support.  It really means a lot.  I’ll keep you all posted throughout my journey.  Good luck to you ladies...hope you get your PUPO very soon!

radmom27

@JamieH2000 26 days.  Not that I'm counting or anything
@adc0417 I'm hoping for good news for all of us.  Keep us posted on how things are going for you. 

c-town18

radmom27 - Awesome!  Such great news.

JamieH2000 and other ladies that have had issues with fluid in the past, is the problem when there is fluid in your uterus?  I had fluid in my cervix last week and again today, but none in my uterus. They are keeping an eye on it but say that it shouldn't be a problem. I want to make sure this sounds right to you guys since I've never dealt with fluid issues before.  Also, my estrogen dropped slightly today and my lining is a little thinner than last week so they are bumping up my estrogen and bringing me back on Monday to make sure it hasn't thinned out more.  Fingers crossed that things stay on track here! 

radmom27

@ChiTown16 I've had fluid issues before but it's been both in my cervix and in my lower uterine segment.  I've been told to take Mucinex twice daily and that has done wonders in the past for the fluid.  Fingers and toes crossed for you that this doesn't create a roadbump.  

JamieH2000

@chitown16- my fluid was in my uterus and not cervix. It was likely caused by the polyps I had removed in Nov. I really hope it doesn’t cause you any delays!! Hopefully it will resolve itself soon!!

cmiller73

Hello Hello all, to those I know and don't! Looks like hubby and I are getting into the donor egg game... Made the call to the clinic today and doc gave us the good to go (minus a lovely thyroid check since my last one was a year ago)... 

I haven't read the whole thread but from what I see over the last few pages, there are lots of congrats and good lucks to go around in here  

We are looking to go with an agency here in New England that works with Brigham and Women's... any recommendations are TOTALLY welcome. Now we get to prep, select an agency and SAVE $$$. 

Happy to be moving forward again after a much needed mental and physical break over the holidays. That last IVF cycle was rough over Black Friday....