March FET Group (Frozen Embryo Transfers)

vlr2015

Yay for the positive betas!

As far as the ERA, I felt it was worth it. The first cycle after was negative, but then this cycle we got a positive.

Have been nauseous since a few days before first beta, but this weekend it got really bad. I ended up in the ER today do for IV fluids because I was do dehydrated. While I was there they did an early ultrasound and saw 2 gestational sacs/yolk sacs. One heart beat seen, but they said it is so early that we could still see a heart beat later on for the other. My beta was almost 44,000. So I think this is why I've been feeling so sick.

thezaltyberger

Omg @vlr2015 so you might have twins?!??

sfield21

@vlr2015 such a rush of emotions I’m sure! Happy that you could see at least one little heart beat ❤️

Hopefully you can get some rest and start feeling better soon. 

I keep testing and the lines aren’t getting drastically darker, maybe a tad bit. I know it’s still early so my hcg levels are probably still under 100 and therefore might not see a big change in line darkness.... that’s what I’m trying to tell myself anyways. With my previous pregnancies I saw the line get darker but that was between 7, 12 and 20 days past transfer. Today is 7DP. 

For me it’s getting pregnant that is the hard part;  getting the embryo to implant, this one is pgs tested so I’m just hoping and praying it sticks. 

I still have sore boobs and slight cramps/aches. Beta on Thursday can’t some soon enough 🤞🏻

mbradfo2

@sfield21
I have the same issue -- getting pregnant is the hard part. Probably because I have poor quality eggs in general...obviously some are OK! This is my 3rd time ever getting pregnant; took 4 years to get my first BFP with timed everything, meds, etc. And then first pregnancy was an early m/c likely due to chromosomal abnormalities, 2nd pregnancy was vanishing twin (also likely due to genetic issues) and DD, and this is the 3rd. So I have a poor track record. I'm very cautious about letting myself get excited, but then I think...well, this is a PGS tested one, so maybe it'll be good just like DD was??

My OB retired last summer so I've been trying to figure out what I should do. I really don't care for any of the other OB's in the practice. When I had DD, my OB had an on-call OB from another clinic who I really liked -- I just got really positive vibes from him; he was so sensitive and reassuring. The MFM I saw in the hospital with DD I also really liked and his wife is a regular OB who is highly recommended. I'll probably need the MFM again since I had pre-e with my daughter and now I am also AMA, so it might not be a bad idea to have his wife as my regular OB.

clare40

@sfield21 I had my beta at 175 and the line home test was not still dark enough even over 100.. only after 20 days past transfer than the line started to darken. So, your levels may be over 100..

sfield21

@clare40 thanks that makes me feel better! Although I did buy a few more FRER tests. 

KNB1027

@mbradfo2 yay congratulations!! So happy for you!

@vlr2015 whoa babies!! That's so exciting  

clare40

Hi Ladies, how many weeks do your RE suggest to continue PIO injections? Mine suggests 10 weeks, some clinics suggest 9 and I read that the body starts producing progesterone at 8 weeks.. 

sfield21

@clare40 my clinic is 10 weeks, stop pio and Crinone. I usually just finish up the box of Crinone I’m on, then stop. 

mbradfo2

@clare40
My clinic does the old fashioned 12 week mark -- probably because my RE is a little older school (he's been doing this since the mid 1980's!). I just felt more comfortable with that as well because I had an OB appt around the time when I stopped and was able to make sure everything was going well.

@sfield21
Your beta is thursday? I think? The lines can be a little wonky sometimes, especially if you're using the cheapies.

@vlr2015
How exciting! I transferred two my first cycle as well because they were untested but my betas weren't nearly as high as yours so we were pretty shocked when the RE saw both sacs (and HB's) at our first scan. I think my husband had a mini heart attack lol  

I had a little spotting today. It seems to be over now, obviously upsetting but I had the same thing with #1 so I'm trusting the nurse that it's completely normal and nothing to worry about. My boobs are awful; I forgot how uncomfortable it gets!!! I'm already starting to get pregnancy brain -- I ran the handheld vacuum without the filter this afternoon, almost killing it, and then put whole eggs into the carbonara sauce rather than just yolks so the pasta turned into a pasta omelet!! It was still tasty though!

vl__2019

Had my lining check today, its at 9.0. I start progesterone 2maro and biopsy is on Tuesday at 11am

mbradfo2

@vl__2019
Awesome! I think it's great to check all of your bases like that...you don't want to be wasting embryos if your timing is off. 

AFM
Nurse called with my 2nd beta this afternoon and it's 472! (I actually got the call 2 hours ago but I've just been feel blah and didn't do all of my updates, heh). I go back to the lab on Friday for another and then Monday. My clinic runs serial betas until you reach 5000+ and then they will schedule the ultrasound. My nurse says my doctor feels that serial betas until the threshold of 5000 is reached is the best way to monitor progress.

vl__2019

@mbradfo2 yipple on ur beta!!  Fx to 5000 to u!!!....yea I decided to do the ERA and plus my guy wanted me too ..hopefully this works in my favor.

sfield21

@mbradfo2 excellent 2nd beta!! Great news!! I have my beta tomorrow morning at 9dp5dt.

@vl__2019 it’s always hard to wait another month, but it’s much better than failed FET’s. I think it’s a smart way to go and get more answers before proceeding. You’ll be transferring in no time ❤️

mbradfo2

@sfield21
How are you feeling?  I'm still feeling mostly good, just hot flashes and sore boobs. And tired. 

clare40

@mbradfo2 great 2nd beta! 

 @sfield21 good luck tomorrow!

sfield21

@mbradfo2 definitely sore boobs, all day and I’m still having night sweats but a little more mild now. Yucky though! My lines are getting quite a bit darker so that calmed me down. Other than that I’m feeling pretty good. I seem to get nausea around 6-12 weeks. It hits hard and fast and then is gone quickly too. 

@clare40 thanks so much! I’ll update this afternoon once the nurse calls 🤞🏻❤️

vl__2019

@thezaltyberger good luck today.. I believe today is ur transfer day!!! 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

thezaltyberger

Omg @vl__2019 you are SO sweet to remember. Just came out. Stupid uncooperative cervix!!! They were digging around there forever!! But we did it in the end, with a 4AA embryo. And now we wait 🤞 took the day off to eat snacks and watch TV

vl__2019

@thezaltyberger yay soo excited for you!!! Definitely with you on taking the day off to relax and be lazy lol. Congratulations on being PUPO!!!

AFM
just did my first progesterone shot, it wasn’t bad..im doing 2 progesterone suppositories twice a day and the shot every 3 days, i took this option because i feared the butt shot, but noe that i see it isnt bad i might just switch to the shots every wen transfer comes around.

mbradfo2

@thezaltyberger
That sounds like what I did on transfer day! Except replace snacks with Wendy's Spicy Chicken sandwich and tv with video games lol. FX for you!!

@vl__2019
I agree -- I don't mind the shots themselves that much and the suppositories are just so messy. 

sfield21

Beta results were 125 at 9dp5dt.... I’m happy with that and hopefully it doubles by Saturday ❤️

vl__2019

@sfield21 great beta!!!!! 

mbradfo2

@sfield21
Awesome beta!! FX for doubling on Saturday!! 

I go in tomorrow for my third beta and am sorta anxious about it, but excited too. I'm also happy because it's supposed to be cool tomorrow. I just came in from an afternoon in the backyard and I feel like I'm melting. I just want to lay down on the cool leather couch 

mbradfo2

Beta came in this afternoon - 1241!!! 

vl__2019

@mbradfo2 beautiful beta!!!! ❤️❤️❤️

KNB1027

@sfield21 great beta!! 

@mbradfo2 what a great upward trend! 5000 is gonna happen soon!!

@clare40 my clinic does full dose until 10 weeks and then taper for 1 week - so done at week 11. I'll be so freaking glad to be done. My poor butt is out of unstuck spots  

sfield21

My beta today was 337 on 11dp5dt
up from 125 2 days ago 

First US scheduled for April 19

@thezaltyberger hope you’re feeling well and getting some rest 🤞🏻❤️

mbradfo2

@sfield21
Awesome news!! I think my u/s should be around the same time (provided I continue to have increasing betas FX). I'm awful at calculating dates with this stuff; I just follow whatever the doctor says haha. The most I did was calculate an EDD at this point with an online FET calculator (12/5/21). I need one of those wheel calendar charts my OB and RE have that let you see the dates and gestational age. If I hit 5k on Monday (FX), it will likely be two weeks before my u/s which seems more stressful than the TWW for the beta! Esp. because there's nothing I can do to "peek ahead" like taking HPT's before beta. I just have to wait    I am really really bad at waiting.  

@thezaltyberger
Hope you are doing well and surviving the TWW!! 

vl__2019

@sfield21 yay was waiting for ur beta, happy its rising!!!

thezaltyberger

Thank you for checking in ladies @sfield21 and @mbradfo2 and SO excited to be tracking these betas with you! I am 3dpt5dt (did I write that correctly? 3 days post transfer with a 5-day embryo? Or since my grade was 4AA is it a 4 day?). ANYWAY. Obviously I’m not testing and actually have faith that I can wait until April 11. For my two failed IUIs I got my period before the test so I already knew and felt disappointed but prepared.

Can we talk about how infuriating it is that all endometrin side effects are IDENTICAL to early pregnancy symptoms????? I’ve had pelvic discomfort since the transfer but I assume that’s likely from how rough it was OR from coming up on a week of the progesterone. Boobs felt a little bit tender today (definitely didn’t before), but again, could be the progesterone. I am throwing myself into gardening and raising my oyster mushroom farm and actually kind of looking forward to losing myself in work this week. 

mbradfo2

@thezaltyberger
4 is the stage of the embryo's development (4 is an expanded blastocyst) and AA is the score given to the embryo's cell structure - AA being the best possible score. 4AA is the grade of a near-perfect embryo that hasn't started hatching yet (most of them start hatching after thaw, not always) -- a 4AA has good expansion, inner cell mass, etc. My daughter was a Day 6 4BB that became a 5BB after thaw (since she/it started hatching) -- so I think your embryo is looking really good! 

I hate the stupid suppositories and am sooooo glad I can just take PIO (who says that, right?). I always feel like I'm not applying it properly and then you get all the junky discharge. But yeah, progesterone will mimic many of the symptoms. When they do your beta, they'll normally check your progesterone levels -- and mine is always insanely high (it has to be over 20, I believe, to sustain a pregnancy and mine with DD and this one were 2-3 times that). My nurse says the progesterone pretty much accounts for 90 percent of early symptoms so if you have super high progesterone, you probably think you are having all the pregnancy symptoms ever! I usually look out for things that can't be caused by the progesterone -- with DD, I had spotting starting a few days after transfer. This time nothing like that so I wasn't sure whether I should get my hopes up or not. 

DD woke us up at 3:45 this AM, announcing, "I'M AWAKE, MOMMY!"  ... yeah, I know. I let her sit up in her room and she was playing with her dolls when I left her there. I haven't heard her chatter in a while so maybe she fell asleep while she was playing (this happens fairly often -- my daughter refuses to sleep until she absolutely caves in from exhaustion). I really want to go back to bed T . T 

I can't remember if you can eat things like hollandaise if you're pregnant. I really want to get eggs benedict for brunch...

chartput

Hey ladies, Im new here. I had my first transfer on 3/11 of our only embryo that was a mosaic. So not a good chance of implanting anyway, but we needed to wait to have another retrieval so we decided to go ahead and transfer. Anyway first beta 11dpt was 186, second 13dpt was 553, so more than doubled. My first u/s isnt until 4/8 and Ive had a mmc before IVF so Im super anxious. My RE has me on steroids, and I did an ERA prior to transfer because this was our only embryo. Anyway today Im 6+1 and still having very minimal symptoms. And I cant help but compare my numbers to other people. I know they arent "low" but Ive seen others with higher numbers at 9/11 dpt. Just needing some reassurance, which I know I wont be reassured until our ultrasound. 

But has anyone else had experience with steroids during fet and did your symptoms seem minimal? I also am doing progesterone suppositories twice daily and PIO every 3 days, and my pg levels were only 29 and 16 11 and 13 dpt which my RE seemed to think was fine, I guess because suppositories dont get into the bloodstream as well. So maybe thats why my symptoms are minimal? 

Sorry for my rant, after loss and IVF, I think everything makes you panic and worry. Im glad for our community of infertility warriors.

mbradfo2

Welcome! @chartput

My RE had me do a medrol dosepak just before transfer, hoping it would help things along with minimal side effects. I'm not sure how much it helps as you are tapering off by the end of the pak, but it can't hurt, I suppose. Also taking baby aspirin and vitamins, etc.

TW
My betas were close to yours! My symptoms sorta come and go -- mostly hot flashes from the high progesterone levels (I think it was 54 or 58 when they checked it  ), fatigue and sore boobs. As long as your progesterone is over 20, it should be just fine. My RE says symptoms normally start around 6 weeks or so and then peak between 8-10 weeks so it's perfectly normal to not have them quite yet. I don't remember really having many symptoms at all before my u/s with my daughter (FET in 2017) -- they picked up after the first u/s and continued to around 10-11 weeks. I was feeling better by 12 weeks. 

I get the anxiety -- my first pregnancy ever in 2016 was a mmc at 8 weeks and that completely threw me for months afterwards. With my daughter (transfer summer of 2017), I was a ball of nerves the whole time -- even into the third trimester. I think we just get so used to bad news that it's hard to believe that something good could actually happen. I feel a little more relaxed this time since I know I can be successful - I have proof of it running around my house. But I still need some support haha and I want to support everyone else!

chartput

@mbradfo2 Thank you! That does give me some reassurance. I just need some distraction until thursday I guess.

mbradfo2

@chartput
The waiting is the worst part!! I actually had something special arranged to look forward to around each u/s and made sure it was unrelated to kids/babies/fertility. My first u/s, I made my husband promise that I could adopt a kitten if we got bad news and I spent the week before looking through shelters and such in our area. That was also the time when Zika was big news and I live in south Florida so I was super paranoid...and then we had a hurricane when I was 8 weeks along and lost power for almost 2 weeks (fortunately my RE had back-up power and was able to do my 8 week u/s without issue)...it was quite the journey to week 12 and graduation from the RE. 

mbradfo2

4th beta is in at 5268! I'm scheduled for my u/s on 4/16. Now to survive the wait. All of our hibiscus bushes died after we put them in a year ago so I want to plant some new flowers and such to brighten the yard a bit, so I'll try to distract myself with that and my spring cleaning goals.

vl__2019

@mbradfo2 yay!! Cant wait for the sono

mbradfo2

@thezaltyberger
When's your beta? How are you feeling? Testing early or waiting?

@vl__2019
How are you doing? I forget -- when is your ERA scheduled? Coming up soon, right?

The wait for the ultrasound is going to be rough...I know a lot of clinics bring patients in earlier to confirm intrauterine pregnancy but as long as I don't have symptoms or signs of an ectopic, my RE prefers waiting a bit so we can hear and see the HB (hopefully).  Then he does a second ultrasound at 8 weeks before graduation for most patients, but since I have a history of miscarriage, he'll be doing ultrasounds until 10 weeks and then I see the OB at 12 weeks for another scan.  I still haven't picked my OB and my nurse said I should call them to make sure I have an appt. I waited until the last second with DD because I was convinced I wouldn't make it out of the 1st trimester, but that OB was someone I knew and for whom I was an existing patient of over 10 years. This one is going to be completely new...

clare40

Great betas @sfield21 and @mbradfo2! Very exciting!!
I had my first OB ultrasound today at 7weeks. Still continuing on 2 mg estrace and PIO injections. I had heavy bleeding at 5 weeks which stopped in an hour and had very light spotting over this weekend and my blood type is negative so got a RHOGAM shot today. 

Hi @chartput, I used Medrol prior to my transfer 4 days and the last dose was after the transfer. I am at 7wks and my symptoms are very mild. No morning sickness but I feel tired during the day and very sore breast ( maybe mostly because of daily PIO injections).