October IVF

dragonette505

maggier79 said:

Today's labs: Last night was my 6th night of stims. Had my u/bw this morning. E2 increased from 116 to 400. Progesterone and LH were normal. Doctor asked me to purchase Gonal F-900 and to start taking cetrotride today.

Nice! How many follies are they seeing?

dragonette505

bassetlover1 said:

I start my first IVF cycle on Oct 6th with Menopur and Follistim. Right now I am on Lupron but not on birth control pills. I've only been on it for two days but I feel like I am already feeling some side effects such as some insomnia and headaches but those seem to be normal from what I have found. The insomnia could also just be my brain not shutting up when I sleep.

I have heard those symptoms on lupron during suppression. I used microdose lupron and luckily I didn't have that impact. Hopefully once you start stimming you'll feel much better!

Momifbysea

First day of stims and doing all my own injections. First follistim wasn’t bad but I’m a little nervous for doing my menopur tonight since that one always feels like injecting fire. How is everyone? Welcome to the new folks!

dragonette505

@Momifbysea Yeah I feel like id be ok with the follistim (ive actually done it once) but yes... much harder to make yourself push in that syringe of burning menopur!

Alls well on my end.... just got my first "HIGH" on my CBE digi monitor so I guess that means 11 days of HIGH as usual lol.... ugh... which would mean I wont O till CD 24 or thereabouts!!! I hope that's not the case this cycle!!

Momifbysea

@dragonette505 I didn’t realize 11 Days was possible wow! Is that why you stim longer than me? I have had the opposite where I O on like day 11 so I always worry that is part of my issue.

dragonette505

@Momifbysea No idea! Ive only used the monitor for a few cycles and it looks at both estrogen and LH... What I think is happening is it is detecting rising estrogen (which makes sense since I am already having creamy CF) but I get PEAK days when the LH rises... I dunno if its very useful, but I'm keeping up with the experiment.
but for the few cycles ive done ive had 11 days of high, which is annoying

maggier79

I had my day 9 stims u/bw today. Estradiol went up from 400 on Friday to 1236. LH and progesterone are normal. Follies size is about 9. Does that sound ok?

Momifbysea

@maggier79 that’s about what my estradiol usually ends up at, sounds normal to me! When do you think they’ll have you trigger?

dragonette505

@maggier79 yep...as your follicles grow your estrogen will rise accordingly. Most people trigger on day 10 or so, so your E2 sounds great

artemis618

@Momifbysea Just lurking...but I wanted to say that the Menopur burn is part of the reason that I’ve requested to start my last three cycles with pure FSH (just gonal-f or follistim) and not add menopur until later (the 5th day for me - so this last cycle I only had three nights of it!).  Well that and I am paranoid about exogenous LH early on (a la Dr. Sher’s ideas for AMA), and the only cycle I started with both gonal and Menopur we got no blasts.  Just remember the pain is only temporary.

Good luck this cycle!

Momifbysea

@artemis618 okay so last night was my first menopur this cycle and there was no burn! Am I just really better at giving it than DH? Lol. Or, I was paranoid I didn’t mix it correctly and somehow didn’t get my dose. But anyway, I’d not heard that about what dr sher said for AMA. I wonder if most AMA hold off like you do on the menopur? I’m worried since we’ve had no blasts yet in three cycles. So hard to trust the RE when there are differing viewpoints and every one of us is unique!

dragonette505

@momifbysea Even within the Sher clinics theres disagreement. My doc is an AMA doc (SIRM) and she gives me Menopur... Her difference is that she didn't start my stimming till day 6 or 7 last cycle which ive never had before.. always day 3 at the latest. Not all of my Menopur shots burn with the same intensity. I think it has to do with the spot chosen as well as my tolerance on that day

BTW I just had my appointment with my scheduling nurse to get set for my next cycle. I *thought* I was going to get away without monitoring around my O, but turns out I gotta come in CD 20 and see if I O'ed (which right now I doubt I will).
Nothing has changed with my protocol, so far so I'm going to expect it to go as it went last time.

maggier79

@dragonette505 @Momifbysea Thanks! When are all of you triggering? 

maggier79

Also how many of you will be doing PGS?

dragonette505

maggier79 said:

Also how many of you will be doing PGS?

no PGS for me

ETA probably triggering around 11/5 or thereafter

artemis618

@Momifbysea Glad it didn’t burn and hope it continues not to . I don’t think most AMA hold off on Menopur.  I was set to use Menopur from the start with this RE too, but I protested just because I don’t like to (I didn’t with my egg freezing cycle 5 years ago, the burning, and the admittedly irrational trauma from my first cycle).  We had no blasts our first cycle, and so far from this last cycle (despite starting with 18 fertilized) we’ve only 3 on day 5 to send to PGS test (for which we are grateful - it is more than none - “only” is relative to the 17 we still had going on day 3).  RE said that there are “several more” possibles that may come around by tomorrow (day 6), but it all feels like such a craps shoot.  I think the important thing is that your RE learns from your previous cycles and adjusts accordingly. My result from this last cycle may very well be the same (last one before this, we got 3 aneuploid blasts), but this new guy at least tried a bunch of different stuff.  Every cycle is different even with the same protocol - so you never know.  Hang in there!

@dragonette505 Sorry you have to track for O, but yay for getting scheduling (pending O) in order.

dragonette505

@artemis618 it sux how the numbers change from great to just grateful to have anything

rainbows2018

For ladies going to AMA docs, have you or will you be on Intralipids or IVIG prior to transfer?

rainbows2018

Guess I should introduce myself first. I did my first round of IVF in September. We got eight fertilized eggs but only two of them made it to blast. We are currently awaiting results of PGS testing. Transfer is tentatively scheduled for Nov 6th.

bassetlover1

@Momifbysea I hadn't heard that the Menapur burns! I start  Menapur and Follistim on the 6th. Now I'm a little nervous lol. But also excited. 

dragonette505

@rainbows2018 my doc specializes in AMA and she mentioned intralipids as a possibility, though she doesn't think my (tw) miscarriages are due to anything but abnormal embryos. But who knows.... it might help and I'm totally willing to do it

maggier79

I had my day 11 stims u/bw this morning. Only one follicle measured 14; others were at 13, 12, and 11. She wants me to stim for two more days. Why are my follies growing so slowly? I am starting to worry that I may have to cancel.

dragonette505

@maggier79 I am a slow grower too.... by stim day 10 on my last cycle I had one follie at 16, two at 15 and the rest all betw 10 and 14. BUT! My new doctor noticed how slowly I grow in the beginning of my past cycles and actually didn't have me start stimming till around CD 6 or 7! I just estrogen primed until she was ready for me to start. My thought is you might be like me where in the beginning you grow slow. My doc said you are basically wasting meds when they are that small in the beginning. Otherwise you end up having to stim longer (I have NEVER stimmed the typical 10 days) and use more meds.

Momifbysea

Quick update, had my first US/bloodwork. I’m slow at the start. Today is CD7, 2 follies on right and 1 on left (which is always my more quiet one each cycle). Estradiol is 270, they said it was a good rise although I don’t know my baseline and it was a voicemail so I couldn’t ask. But I’m to keep doses as they are and go back Friday for hopefully a higher count!

dragonette505

@Momifbysea just keep plugging away... ive had cycles where there was only one in each ovary and I ended up with 18, so more can pop up!

rainbows2018

Thanks @dragonette505 my MD doesn’t believe in those. I also asked about Lovenox bc I’ve had TW 4 MCs end TW. But just like your MD, mine thinks they were related to abnormal embryos. 

dragonette505

@rainbows2018 UGH! sorry...... I'm in the same boat *tw 4 mc's (the last two, back to back this spring) and so its hard to be super hopeful, but at the same time, this is the hope business and that's what I'm here for! Hope both of us have a different outcome this next go round

maggier79

Just received my blood results from today's visit (day 11 stims). Progesterone is at 2.6; LH at 0.9 and estradiol went up from 1236 to 2315. Endo thickness is at 9.8. Yet my biggest follicle is only size 13. Am I doing something wrong or just panicking??

dragonette505

maggier79 said:

Just received my blood results from today's visit (day 11 stims). Progesterone is at 2.6; LH at 0.9 and estradiol went up from 1236 to 2315. Endo thickness is at 9.8. Yet my biggest follicle is only size 13. Am I doing something wrong or just panicking??

I don't think it's possible for you to do anything wrong.... you're just taking the medicine they tell you to. I just think you're a slow grower. I know of women who have stimmed for 15 days. It's not ideal, and costs more in meds, but not unheard of. 
What are your meds doses, and do they intend to make any changes? 

maggier79

@dragonette505 Thanks! 225 Menopur and 225 F-Gonal. 

dragonette505

@maggier79 that sounds like middle of the road doses... not high and not low. I guess if they felt they needed to the could up the doses

Momifbysea

5 follies on the right and still 1 on the left, but I woke up with the worst vertigo which made me nauseous so I’m at urgent care now. Wondering if it’s just exhaustion kicking in since Ive got a lot on my plate this cycle with DH having moved to another state? Trying to take care of myself and *TW* DD but I’m really tired. Blah! Work deadline today too so this urgent care wait better hurry up!

tinjp78

@Momifbysea Oh you are on this thread. I was thinking about you. I hope that you'd feel better soon. I'm hoping for good results for this cycle

dragonette505

@Momifbysea UGH! You mustve been super dizzy! I'm sure the extra stresses of doing it all by yourself must be draining you more than normal! Keep us posted on what the docs say!!

Momifbysea

So everything is still spinning when I move my head even an inch any direction so I went to physical therapy and they had me in a position on my side for not even in a minute when the spinning out of control made me vomit in front of all these high school/college age jocks, so embarrassing! I’m supposed to sleep sitting straight up, not move my head and go back Monday morning, conveniently right after my US/bloodwork. Stims plus vertigo equals no fun!!! I pray this is over before I have to lay back for my retrieval.

dragonette505

@Momifbysea any idea why this is happening??

Holls214

Lurking- I actually had this happen to me while I was on Femara multiple times. Doctor told me some different hormones can cause bouts of vertigo like symptoms. I was so dizzy and would throw up. Hopefully it will get better! Sorry you are going through that. 

maggier79

I had my final u/bw this morning. Doctor asked that I do my last stim tonight. I took all my gonal-F pens to office and nurse transferred leftover liquid to needles. I put baggie in a bag of ice and when I tried to do injection this evening, there was nothing left in needles : ( I managed to get hold of nurse (at 10:00 PM and she asked that I take Menopur by itself. I am so sad and mad at myself for making this mistake. My DH assured me that it is not a big deal but I am so emotional. Sorry I felt like I had to share. I will be doing triggering shot tomorrow.

dragonette505

@maggier79 omg, I would be distraught too! I'm sure it will be fine, but there's no way on earth I wouldn't feel devastated. I made mistakes last cycle too (I missed like 2 of my ganerelix shots I think) and I'm an ivf veteran! It's so easy for something like this to happen. The good news is your eggs will grow with or without that extra medicine as they grow even a bit after triggering. Just try to distract yourself from worry and get ready for trigger and retrieval 
sending hugs

IfYouCanDreamIt

Hi all, I've been quiet on the boards lately but we've just started a new cycle and this time, for the first time going for blastocysts only. I'm relieved to know that we'll finally know if our embryos can make it that far. Long story short, so far only done day 3 transfers, we had one compacting morula on round 5 and in last cycle one made it to early blasto and stopped there.

I'll be catching up with all of you this month, now just wanted to wish you all good luck. 

@Momifbysea I'm thinking about you and hope you are feeling better.