March 2020 FET

inthewoods23

Figured since I already know my protocol I'd get this thread started!

This will be FET #2 for us. We had our first in September which failed with a normal 5BB embryo. I went through loss testing in October and a biopsy for Receptiva and ERA testing earlier this month. Both tests were normal/good timing so my RE suggested going on a gluten and dairy free diet for this FET and if successful I will continue that diet through the first trimester. So we are truly "unexplained" at this point since there's no other testing to be done. Been a bit of an adjustment this week with the diet, but I'm trying to get wheat and dairy things eaten and out of our pantry so it doesn't go to waste.

FET scheduled for 3/31 so we're hoping to sneak in a birth before the new year and before our schedule gets super crazy come January due to a high school robotics program we both volunteer for.

If it doesn't work we will get a 2nd opinion but considering all the tests we've done (all normal), diet (and stress reduction) are probably our only hope.

mtpbadger

I'm probably going to be joining you in March - unless for some reason my period comes WAY early in Feb. 

This will be my last frozen embryo so hoping it'll stick so I don't have to go through a retrieval again!

@inthewoods23, how's the gluten/dairy free diet going? 

inthewoods23

@mtpbadger ehhh it depends. It's been easy at home but I haven't had good time to figure out work lunches so that's been a challenge plus I was on a work trip earlier this week and based on how my stomach felt for 2 days, I definitely think it affects me more than I ever knew!

Major positive vibes this last one sticks for you!

mtpbadger

Work lunches are hard! I did whole 30 a few years ago and I did a lot of salads, cut up fruit, rolled up lunch meat, canned salmon/tuna and celery, and then would try and make extra at dinner to bring leftovers. 

inthewoods23

@mtpbadger I'm trying to do salads a few times this week for work lunches and it wasn't until lunchtime that I realized the little container I had for my salad dressing did NOT make it into my lunch bag today and I was so sad eating a dry salad today. Better remember for tomorrow!

mtpbadger

@inthewoods23 a dry salad oh no! I think I might have cried a little bit if that happened. 

ritadesign

Hello, hello! It’s looking like it’ll be a March transfer for us, too. This is my first cycle of IVF and my egg retrieval was on Monday. We’re still waiting for our blastocyst results which we won’t find out until the 10th. (Waiting to hear back is hard!! I’m anxious, but trying to stay busy!) After that, we’re doing PGS testing... which will be another 2 weeks before we learn those results!  My fingers are crossed for a March transfer in hopes we can have our baby this year. 

@inthewoods23 Best of luck on the gluten and dairy free diet! Funny - while reading these posts I was eating my salad and was several bites in before I realized I forgot my salad dressing! LOL 

mtpbadger

@ritadesign welcome! I remember being so anxious waiting for the update of how many made it to blast! Hoping March is a good month for us all! 

inthewoods23

@ritadesign welcome! And hope you get good results today!

AF came a day earlier than I expected but oh well, just waiting on starting BC for the last time on Friday. Meds are all in and just need to be organized. I didn't need more Endometrin, PIO, or estradiol valerate but I do need to check when in my TWW I'll need to order more stuff. I think I run out of Endometrin before beta day, and maybe PIO. Other than that, we've.got our consent signing on Wednesday which is nothing exciting but I want to talk to the RE about how this new diet has affected me already. I've lost 5lbs easily and I seem to have lost bloat or something becausey waist seems smaller. I'm curious if she thinks these changes are actually because of a sensitivity I never knew I had or if this is just typical for anyone. Plus also to get some of her tips for the diet! She's gluten free herself.

mtpbadger

@inthewoods23 glad the gluten/dairy free is going so well - 5 lbs!! Wow! I was walking to my DH about you doing it and we decided to join you lol. In just a week I've lost 4 pounds and my face has lost all the bloat, it's crazy how diet can change things so quickly! 

I'll probably be a week or so behind you - just patiently waiting for AF to start sometime next week. You reminded me I have to contact my nurse to get the financial paperwork all filled out and double check my meds to see what I need to order. 

ashleyhj29

Hello to all and some familiar faces

We have 3 remaining embryos (see sig) and our new RE (Shady Grove Fertility) would like to transfer 2, tentatively planned for March 10...if that FET doesn't work, he would have me do a fresh IVF cycle, and do a fresh transfer on the remaining frozen embryo we have, then do PGS testing on the new IVF cycle embryos. 

I turned 35 on Feb 9 and I am finally feeling hopeful for the future! I hope everyone has this feeling at some point! Really praying that 3rd time is the charm.

mtpbadger

@covergirl2985 That sounds like a pretty good plan! Happy belated birthday! February birthdays are the best (mine is on the 15th and I'll be 36...gulp). 

inthewoods23

@covergirl2985 welcome! March will be here before you know it!

My ILs both have February birthdays. My side of the family though, April is the popular month lol.

ashleyhj29

Update: I now have my baseline on Friday, 2/14 and plan to transfer on 3/3.

I'm supposed to be flying 3/4 and the clinic said it's fine...what do ya'll think? Is flying the day after transfer a no-no??

inthewoods23

@covergirl2985 from the few YouTubers I've watched that go to out of state clinics, I believe some do fly home the next day. I mean there's no proof that someone at 5-6dpo doesn't get KU because they got on a plane. Same reason some clinics don't require going on bedrest after a transfer because if that's what it took for an embryo to implant, well then there's probably a lot of pregnancies that wouldn't happen.

And I'm no expert so I would definitely follow the advice of the clinic. Mine just requires less lifting of heavy items and no excessive exercise (like walking is max).

caitb13

Hello! I'm jumping over here from the February board. This is my second time this year getting benched and I'm getting impatient! In January my lining was too thin and this month I wasn't showing the tri-layer pattern. Hoping that third time is a charm and we'll get to transfer in March!

inthewoods23

@caitb13 welcome! Hope 3rd time's the charm and your lining cooperates! It's so frustrating because it's not like there's a golden ticket to build a great lining.

ashleyhj29

Officially on Estrogen 3/day. Man, I hate this stuff!
Lining check on 2/26 and hopefully will be G2G for 3/3 for 3rd times the charm 

ritadesign

Hello, hello! Random, but I’m curious about your timing between learning your PGS results (if you’ve done this) and frozen transfer. I feel like I’m sitting in the dark right now about next steps, haha! Right now we’ve got a consult with our doctor on 2/27 and this is when we’ll learn our PGS results (eeee!). Of course, I assume we will also learn about our protocol for transfer at that time, or shortly after, but no one has established what that timeframe might look like. And dang it, I’m stubborn and want to know now, haha! I know everyone is different, but I’d love to be clued in on some possibilities. 

inthewoods23

@ritadesign it will depend on the clinic. Some will go right into it, others have you on BCP for a period of time, then the meds.

My clinic always has me on 18 days minimum of BCP before doing the meds for the FET. In reality, I've been on BCP for 30+ days total, usually 40+ with a breakthrough bleed period in the middle. We got our results for the PGT-A testing about a week after the embryos we're biopsied (mid-late June) and my FET was scheduled for early September. This was due to other bookings they already had as well as the RE being out of the office for a week, and I think the lab was closed for a number of weeks in there as well. I was on BCP basically all of July and part of August.

But that's just how my clinic operates. It's a lot of waiting, but I have really appreciated not being rushed through the processes. My IUIs had been back to back failures but since that process is much less intense taking a few pills of letrozole and then a trigger shot, it was doable. Back to back FETs would feel way too fast to me.

ritadesign

@inthewoods23 Thank you for sharing! It’s so interesting to me that you had a longer time before transfer. Very helpful, though, in helping me set expectations for myself just in case we walk into the clinic and they say we need to hold off a bit! I WANT to jump right in, but only if it’s right. 

I’m currently on BCPs - day 7 or 8! And just waiting to have our consult to learn about the PGS test results. Next Thursday feels forever away. 

inthewoods23

How's everyone doing? I start up the Lupron in about a week! Last BCP on 3/4! The party is about to get started for me 

mtpbadger

Just waiting for AF to show her lovely face - hopefully any day now!

inthewoods23

@mtpbadger the only time to be excited for AF 😆

mtpbadger

@inthewoods23 I know, right?? I told my DH that this is the only time I can't wait for AF to get here

ashleyhj29

Anxiously awaiting 3/3 for my 3rd FET
Hoping all those 3's are a sign!

dreamingofabump

Hi everyone! New to the board I am expecting an ER on Sunday and hopefully just took my last round of stims tonight. Just a little worried because I ran out of one vial of my menopur (terrible miscalculation after two extra days of stims and having to order more rush meds more than once). I hope it really doesn't make a difference when I trigger tomorrow.  They wanted to do one extra day of stims tonight because my follicles weren't at the right size and now I'm worried I didn't take enough menopur to get me far enough along! Has anyone accidently ran short?

 @ritadesign -  I totally get your frustration on the lack of communication and timelines. I feel like I'm always pulling this out of my doctor! I have been curious about the time before FET as well.

mtpbadger

@covergirl2985 all those 3's HAVE to be a good sign! 

@inthewoods23 how is the gluten/dairy free going? 

I'm SO glad it's Friday! Even though it was a short week for me (Monday was a holiday) it seemed to drag on. Anyone have any fun weekend plans? 

inthewoods23

@mtpbadger diet still going well. I've been a little lax about it, but still keeping it in mind. I figure it's a win if I can at least eat GF if I can't also get it dairy free.

omarismyhomeboy

Hi all! Moving over from Feb FET after failed transfer. I’m tentatively joining you bc I still don’t now for sure FET will be a go in March. I’m on CD 1 so still need to check for cysts, etc. I will also say that I don’t want to go forward with another transfer until I get a scratch. So I’ll either transfer in Feb or March based on my body and scratch timing. 

Also, I forgot how physically painful CD 1 after a failed FET cycle can be! Wahhhhhh 

dreamingofabump

Just got results back from the surgery center. 12 fertilized eggs! Hoping I get to a March FET. Crossing my fingers, I've never wanted to see AF this bad before!

Spent all day on the couch yesterday after ER but felt pretty good at work today.

@mtpbadger - just sittin' and waitin' with you for now...

mtpbadger

@dreamingofabump 12 is a great number! Will you get updates over the next few days or just on day 5?

dreamingofabump

@mtpbadger Just at day 5, so this will be a nice long week!

How is everyone else doing??

mtpbadger

@dreamingofabump that’s torture! Hopefully you can stay distracted over the next few days and I’ll keep my fingers crossed for a great day 5 report!!

inthewoods23

@dreamingofabump an update only on day 5 seems pretty typical. I got quite a few updates. We knew how many eggs were retrieved before we left the clinic, later that day got the call on how many were mature, next day how many fertilized, day 3 update, day 5 update, day 6 update. I think I would have gone crazy all week not knowing. The wait for the PGS results was the worst! We waited a full week for those.


AFM, I start lupron up on Thursday and finish BCP on the 4th. I'm actually out of town when AF is expected, but I will be able to give them a call while I'm gone and will be home when I need to have the baseline appt. Talk about cutting it close! We got so luck that the timing of all the monitoring appointments will fall inbetween all the busy stuff we have going on in March. My thought was it will help with making the month go by quickly. 3/31 can't come soon enough! 5 weeks away!

mtpbadger

@inthewoods23 hopefully the next few weeks fly by! I'm still sitting here impatiently waiting for AF to show up. 

ashleyhj29

@dreamingofabump that is a great number! Will you be doing PGS testing?
We had 6 embryos and didn't do testing, but in hindsight, I kind of wish we had now since 3 of our embryos didn't get me pregnant. I'm hoping that out of our last 3, something will stick!

AFM, I have my lining check tomorrow after 12 days of estrogen pills. My lining at baseline was 5.5mm, and I always have an issue getting to 8mm. Hoping this 3rd transfer is THE ONE and everything goes smoothly since we're at a new clinic. If we're on track, then I'll be having my 3rd transfer on 3/3
I'm flying to my parent's house on 3/4...granted it's only a 45min flight and everything I've seen says it's OK to fly after transfer, but still apprehensive. Then again, if flight attendants and pilots can do it, why cant we?
 

dreamingofabump

@covergirl2985 we are not doing PGS testing. I couldnt stomach the extra cost at this point. Im hoping I dont regret it.

dreamingofabump

Just a little heads up for those preparing for an ER....be very gentle to your body after. I got home and ate my meals like normal and only took the first day easy on the couch. I was back to work the next day pretending like nothing happened, drinking my coffee and eating throughout the day like normal. I found myself that second night (last night) with the worst constipation pains I've ever experienced. My poor husband found me passed out on the bathroom floor and we spent the next 6 hours of the night debating whether to go to the hospital or not. I am still in immense pain and very little relief after sticking to a liquid diet, drinking metamucil and prune juice. Hoping we dont have a repeat episode tonight.

Just wanted to share that slightly offensive story to save anyone else that pain. Hydrate early and be overly-cautious with what you eat even if you are feeling 100%. All of that medication is putting a wreckage on our bodies.

minnesotalove

@dreamingofabump- lurking from the March IVF board...thank you for the tip!! I just started my stims on Sunday and may have ER next week. Really sorry to hear about what you went through after your ER. Ugh!!! How frustrating and scary. How many days are you post-ER? Hoping you return to normal quickly!!! 

inthewoods23

@dreamingofabump sorry you are having a rough time! Did your clinic warn you about constipation post-ER? Mine had me take stool softener starting on the following day (or later that day?). The constipation finally ended 3 days later or so. I had actually gone out to Red Robin for a burger the night of my ER 😅 Feel better soon!