November/December IVF/FET

adamae1216

Hello.  I am finally at the transfer stage after a year of doing 3 IVF cycles, hysteroscopy and an ERA.  I can't believe it's here but my official transfer date us Nov. 5th.  Both my husband and I are carried for sickle cell so we had to do PGD testing of our embryos and were lucky enough to have one that is cycle normal and is not affected.   I'm hoping to find some other ladies on this journey as well.

bumblebee0210

Hi! I am also transferring 11/5 after 6 ERs with PGT-A testing. It's getting so close! 

adamae1216

Welcome @bumblebee0210. Yay for us being transfer buddies!  Sending all the sticky vibes your way.  It feels surreal in a way because it's taken so long to get to this point.  I want it to happen but I'm also a scared at the loss of hope of it doesn't work.  As long as I have my embaby is on ice there is hope but once it's done it's done and I will have to start all over.  This journey is exhausting.  

bumblebee0210

@adamae1216. Yeah-- I can't imagine how hard this is with PGD testing added to the mix. It is exhausting-- hang in there! Hopefully you are near the finish line. 

adamae1216

So had an ERA done because I only have 1 embryo.  The results show I need 133 hours of progesterone.  I was told to start PIO on 10/31 at 9am and just got my transfer time of 8:40am on 11/5...that's only 120 hours.  I've already asked them about it and waiting for a response.  I hope this entire cycle is not going to be forfeited due to the clinics error.  I'm trying not to break down at work but the panic and negative thoughts are starting to creep in.  This has been such a long process and to get to this point and have this happen is really difficult.  I need someone to talk me off the proverbial ledge.   I'll update when I hear from the clinic.

bumblebee0210

@adamae1216. That is super irritating. Hopefully you get some answers!

soccergirl23

Hello! I am currently (anxiously) awaiting my FET schedule (FET #2 for me). I'm hoping my transfer will be in November, but I guess we'll have to wait and see. I have 2 PGT-A/PGD 'normal' embryos from my last ER, so planning to transfer one this month. Last month I did an ERA which showed I was post-receptive so we'll be transferring 12 hours earlier. 

@adamae1216 I was so confused about the ERA process and results. I'm not sure what type of cycle you did, but I did a 'natural' one meaning my body naturally grew the follicles, which then produced estrogen (I didn't take any) and then triggered 7 days prior to my biopsy. I was freaking out because I only began progesterone injections and suppositories 4 days prior to the biopsy, but I guess it's more based on when your body naturally begins producing it (based on your cycle). Or at least that's how they explained it to me if that makes sense? So it matters more about when in your cycle you start producing it than when you physically start taking it. The clinics should have this all calculated and down to a science, I wouldn't worry about it too much - they should have a lot of experience with these adjustments, but that being said it's always good to double check!

Sending you both sticky vibes and excited that your transfer dates are so soon Can't wait to see your results!

mamavaides

Hi all! I had a failed fet last month and we decided to jump right into another one. (Hoping that I will be able to to November transfer as i don't speak to my doctor for a follow up until then 9th). I do have a cycle Monitoring apt on the 8th at 730 am. So I'm crossing my fingers we will be cleared for a November transfer! Crossing fingers. I didn't get my embryos tested so we think the embryo was just abnormal.

adamae1216

Welcome @soccergirl23 and @mamavaides.  Sorry your first cycle wasn't successful but hopefully you will be able to try again this month. 

My RE called me the same day and said they realized the error right when they sent out my scheduling information.   My ERA is now scheduled for 7pm today which is on the proper window according to my ERA results.   @soccergirl23 my cycle is very erratic so I'm doing a fully medicated FET cycle... bring on all the hormones.  🤣🤣

soccergirl23

@adamae1216 omgosh, I'm so glad you checked and called! Wow, that's a pretty big error on their part, especially because you took the time to do an ERA. I'll definitely be checking my schedule once I get it to ensure the transfer is at the correct time. You really do have to be your own advocate throughout this process. Good job paying attention and being vocal!

Good luck with your transfer today!! I hope that was your last hiccup in this process

bumblebee0210

@adamae1216. How did the transfer go?? Mine was pretty textbook I think-- definitely having to pee was the worst part. Now begins the waiting!

adamae1216

@bumblebee0210 my transfer went well.  Since it was so late everything was very lax and we were all joking and laughing together.  There was only me, hubs, the nurse, the tech, the embryologist, and my RE in the whole place.  I actually liked it since my transfer was done by my actual RE.  If I had done it this morning it would have been whoever was on transfer duty that day and it wasn't my RE. Now we have to get through this dreaded wait...the hardest part!  embryology, you have anything fun planned during the wait?  I wish I had a vacation or getaway planned but alas I have nothing so I know it's going to go slowly.   When is your beta?  Mine is the 15th.  Are you going to test early?  I think I'll only test the day of beta to prepare myself.  I'm just going to enjoy being PUPO for now. 

bumblebee0210

@adamae1216. That sounds so nice!  Glad everything went well and you got it done in the appropriate window. My beta is also 11/15, and we actually do have a little getaway planned next weekend (though it's with my MIL, so you know, not exactly romantic, but at least distracting.). I am actively trying to convince myself not to test early-- if it's bad news, I don't want to have to get it twice, and if it's anything less than a blazing positive I think it will just make me anxious. But who knows-- I have a lot in the cabinet. 

samjomk

Sending you all the bet of vibes💕💕Hoping hoping hoping for my first FET this month. I believe it's stress related as I never miss a period but of course when we're ready to do this I did not get my period 11/1 like expected.. going in for blood work this week to see where I'm at with my cycle. Anyone else ever hear of transfers without an actual period? 🤔 

adamae1216

@samjomk my cycles are very irregular so I often have to have to take Provera to start them.  For transfer they put me on BC for a week or two and once I came off my cycle started and I was ready for my baseline.  AF never shows up when you need it to.

soccergirl23

Congrats on being PUPO @adamae1216 and @bumblebee0210!! So excited for you both and rooting hard for you!

birdab

Hello all!!! I am new to IVF this is my first go around. I haven't learned all the IVF lingo yet. I finished my stims. We were able to retrieve 5 eggs. 4 of them fertilized. 3 of them made it to day 5. I also had my "FET" on 11/5 (crazy 3 of us had this done on the same day) I am not sure if "FET" is correct for me as mine was a fresh transfer and the other two we froze. They said all 3 of my embryos were the same grade 4bb. I will have my beta done on 11/15 as well. I've thought about testing at home before the beta but I am not sure if my nerves will let me. Oh and our Infertility is the male factor no sperm, so we used donor sperm.

Good luck.... baby dusty/sticky vibes for all of us!!!

adamae1216

@birdab welcome to the Nov. 5th crew and the dreaded TWW.  I threw away all of my cheapie tests before transfer and now I want to stop and the drug store on my way home and pick up one just to have.  I think the pressure would be too much if I have a test in the house.  Sending all the sticky vibes your way.  

@aheadofthewind2020 I definitely see a line.  Fingers crossed that it continues to get darker.  

birdab

Thank you @adamae1216

As for the TWW some days seem to go by quick and others drag on

soccergirl23

Good luck today @adamae1216 @bumblebee0210 and @birdab!!!! I hope you all get amazing results (and quickly)! Thinking of you all

birdab

Thank you!!!  I get my Beta taken in about an hour. I don't know how long it will take them to call with the results. 

Yes good luck to @adamae1216 and @bumblebee0210!!!

adamae1216

Just got my results and it didn't work.  I was prepared but you still just have a little bit of hope until you get that final call.  I guess we'll be doing another round of IVF in January.   I'm hoping for a different outcome for the rest of my Nov. 5th transfer buddies @birdab and @bumblebee0210

bumblebee0210

@adamae1216. I'm so sorry-- I know how hard you worked for that one embryo. It's devastating. @birdab GL with results.

AFM: beta was this morning, just waiting for the results. 

birdab

@adamae1216 I am so sorry to hear that.

bumblebee0210

Update: results in spoiler

My beta came back at 86. I haven't talked to the nurses yet (it got automatically uploaded into the portal), but I know that the typical "good number" is >100, but I also know 86 isn't exactly a "bad" number either. It's more of a "wait and see" number. I expected something like this after I took a FRER with a faint, but clearly visible second line. 

I am not feeling super hopeful at the moment-- I think with so many losses I am just conditioned to expect bad news. 

mdwiny

Hi, everyone. New to this forum, and new to IVF. I had egg retrieval last Tuesday and just got the final results:

10 retrieved --> 6 mature --> 5 fertilized --> 2 viable (4AA and 4BB)

They've sent those two off for genetic testing, and given my age (39), each one has about a 25% chance of being normal. Which means about a 50/50 chance overall. I think, anyway--I'm not good with statistics, lol. It is a two week wait for PGT results. SIGH.

Anyway, I came here because I'm feeling nervous and antsy and thought it might be nice to talk to others. 

mdwiny

@bumblebee0210 I'm so, so sorry about the uncertainty. Waiting in these cases is the absolute worst. And I know exactly what you mean about being conditioned to expect bad news. 

**CW: miscarriage**

After three losses in one year, I now just assume that luck is for other people. : / 

But remember, you only need to get lucky once. Holding you in my thoughts. 

adamae1216

@bumblebee0210 I don't think 85 is a bad number for 10dpt.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you as I know this journey is a total emotional roller coaster. @mdwiny welcome and good luck on your embryos and I hope you get a normal.

AFM after I talked to my husband I felt better and decided to find out the gender of my embryo that didn't stick.   Well it was a girl and I really wanted a girl. 😭😭 Needless to say I had a moment but I'm doing better now.  I'm sure I'll cycle through this grieving process a few more times in the coming weeks.  🤣🤣

bumblebee0210

Thanks @adamae1216 -- I'm trying not to overreact. My clinic said they like to see at least 50, and it was certainly above that. I'm glad you're feeling a bit better-- but it is a grief process and expect that the sadness will come and go. It's normal. This is a tough process. 

@mdwiny Welcome! I don't know if you are hoping to have more than one child, but you might want to think about doing more retrievals before you transfer, even if one of your embryos comes back normal. I know we are all impatient to get pregnant, but if you can bank a few normal embryos now, you can transfer them in a couple of years when it might be a lot harder for you to make our own embryos. Just something to think about. FWIW, I have DOR and I did 6 retrievals to get 4 normal and 2 mosaic embryos, before doing this FET. 

mdwiny

Thanks, @adamae1216! I'm so sorry you're going through this, and it's really generous of you to offer support to everyone else while you're grieving. Fingers crossed very hard that the next one sticks.

@bumblebee0210 The baby we're trying for will be our last one. Looking at your signature, I think we've got a very similar TTC timeline! Six retrievals?? Wow, you are a trooper. Are you hoping for more than one kiddo? I don't have any particular infertility diagnosis. Just kept miscarrying in this second round of TTC. They tested me for everything, and all my numbers are normal... "for my age." So age / bad luck is the diagnosis, it seems.

mbradfo2

@mdwiny
I think I vaguely remember my AP Stats class from high school....so bear with me
You have to look at all of the possible outcomes that -could- happen since we know the probability of 1 specific element of that (individual chance for embryo to be normal - 25%)
Normal1 + Normal2  = 25/100 x 25/100 = 6.3% +
Abnormal1+Abnormal2 = 75/100 x 75/100 =  56.25 -
Abnormal1+Normal2 = 75/100 x 25/100 = 18.7% +
Normal1+Abnormal2 = 75/100 x 25/100 = 18.7% +
And then you add up the outcomes you want so it ends up being about 50/50 (44 percent vs 56 percent) to get at least 1 normal. I just love the chance to do some math lol  It's quite a good chance, even at 39, so just keep your fingers crossed! I was 37/38 when I did my last IVF cycle and actually ended up with better results than I did my first cycle at 33/34. 

@adamae1216
I've seen you on the boards and I'm just so sad for you that this transfer didn't work --- I know you've been on this road for awhile. Take your time; your baby is waiting for you

birdab

@adamae1216 I agree with @mdwiny It is very sweet of you to continue to give advice and positivity to us while you're going through this very difficult journey.

@mdwiny Welcome and I wish you the best of luck with your journey.

@bumblebee0210 While I was doing some reading I read 85 is not a bad number. One thing it could mean is the implantation accoured a little later. I hope your hcg levels continue to rise. 

 I apologize as I am fairly new to this board I don't know how to do the spoiler and hide the message.

***Trigger Warning.....BFP


My Hcg level was 326.  I'm very excited and very emotional. I cried quite a bit due to being excited but I also cried a lot of tears for the ladies and families on this site that I have read about with their long roller-coaster journey. I go back on Wed for another beta.

adamae1216

Congrats on your great beta number @birdab!  @mbradfo2 thanks for your words of encouragement.  This journey definitely let's us know how strong we really are even as it tests us every step of the way. 

mdwiny

@mbradfo2 Thanks for the breakdown! I could never have figured that out on my own, lol. Though bummer that the actual odds are 44% and not 50%. It's not that different, but it feels like a lot less! 

@birdab Congrats!!!! Let us know about the next one, but you are off to a great start!!

bumblebee0210

Congrats @birdab!!  I agree I don't think 86 is a "bad" number-- I think it's a "wait and see" number. It seems like anything <50 at 10dp5dt is likely (though still not always) a chemical, and anything above 100 (or 150) is very likely not a chemical, and I am somewhere in between. If it doubles nicely on Wednesday, I'll feel very reassured, but I think it's reasonable possible that it will not. I have also been playing a bit of the "line progression" game, and things don't look great on that front either (not lighter, but not really darker either). Nothing to do but wait for the Wednesday results. 

soccergirl23

@adamae1216 I am so sorry to hear about your results. It’s so hard to get that news, take all the time you need to grieve and feel all your emotions. I had to check out for a while to deal with mine last winter. Just know that you are not alone and we're here for you.

@bumblebee0210 I’m sorry you didn’t get a clearer answer but crossing everything for good results Wednesday! I get it though, this process can feel daunting and it’s hard to stay positive at times (I'm always expecting the worst with IVF).

@mdwiny best of luck with your genetic testing results! I recently had something similar – 10 retrieved, 9 mature, 5 fertilized, 2 day 5. I was so nervous because we did both PGT-A and -M testing on them and felt like I was going to get no ‘normal’ embryos but I surprisingly ended up with 2! I just wanted to share that you don’t always end up with statistically representative results and I hope that your results are similar 😊

@birdab congratulations, so excited for you! Cry all the happy tears, this process is rough and any positive outcome should be celebrated!!! So happy for you, you give us all hope!

mdwiny

@soccergirl23 Wow, that's awesome! You are a statistical inspiration. Do you have a transfer date yet?

soccergirl23

@mdwiny I am still shocked and this was months ago haha. It looks like my transfer should be the week of 13Dec - starting my medications next Friday (26Nov). Getting excited, nervous, all the feels!

bumblebee0210

I got my second blood test today, and my beta came back at 214! (It more than doubled from 86 2 days ago). So... I guess this is really happening?

adamae1216

Yay for doubling numbers @bumblebee0210.  I logged in looking for your update.   LOL

Thanks @soccergirl23.  It's nice to have a community that understands what you're going through.

mdwiny

@bumblebee0210 Hooray!!!! Congrats!!!  I didn't want to say anything to give you false hope before, but I've played the line progression game with all my pregnancies, and it always stays the same for 4-5 days before suddenly darkening.