November/December IVF/FET

birdab

@bumblebee0210 That's awesome news. Congratulations!!!

AFM. My beta didn't exactly double but it did go up from 326 to 576. They want  me to come back in this Friday for another beta test. 

mbradfo2

@birdab

I had similar numbers with my first pregnancy -- 304 to 585. After 585 it jumped all the way up to 2k and that embryo is now a 3 year old little girl! So I would be positive about your numbers!

bumblebee0210

@birdab I'm sorry it didn't double entirely, but I would still be pretty confident with those numbers. I'm going to go a little statistics nerd on you, but here it goes: these numbers (and their doubling times) are not exact-- there is probably some noise in there. So, if you get a particularly low number, you would expect (if all is well) for the number to more than double, because maybe for whatever reason you got a slightly low number on the first draw. If, like you, you get a particularly high number on the first draw, you might expect it to slightly less than double, because you might have just gotten a randomly high draw on your first one. That is all to say, the cutoffs and doubling times are not exact, and though they are correlated with good outcomes, there is a very wide range of "normal".  I found the following paper yesterday (link here) that was very reassuring to me (and also should be to you-- if you have an initial beta >195, even a 60% rise was associated with >90% chance of an ongoing pregnancy. 

birdab

@mbradfo2 thank you for the positive outlook. Congrats on your 3yr old DD. I have a DS who is 2 and half. We had him through IuI. 

@bumblebee0210 thank you for putting all this together for me and sharing the link. It is very reassuring, I truly appreciate it.

Before I read these responses.  I was trying to remain positive by telling myself maybe my 1st number was high due to the trigger shot. And now the trigger shot is leaving my body so my numbers aren't as high.  

mdwiny

@birdab fingers crossed for you!! Please let us know your next result. I think you have every reason to be optimistic, but I know it's so hard not to worry.

I'm curious for those of you who've had FET after PGT: How long after you got your PGT results did you have your transfer? My clinic's timeline seems slow to me, but I don't know what's normal.

birdab

@mdwiny I had a fresh transfer on day 5. I don't know what PGT is. Is that the testing of the embryo. We did not test the embryo. Our Egg retrieval was on 10/31 and transfer of a fresh embryo was on 11/5

Afm. My numbers did double 576 to 1201. We will have the first ultrasound on Dec 6th.

adamae1216

@mdwiny my PGT results took a little over a week.  They said 2-3 weeks but they came back rather quickly. 

@bumblebee0210 your statistics lessons are giving me life.  I'm a math need so I appreciate it. 🙂 

@birdab I'm glad your numbers are rising.

bumblebee0210

@adamae1216 OMG don't encourage me. I was on the TTGP board and constantly giving mini stats lessons. 

@mdwiny My PGT results came back within 10-14 days each time. It depends on how fast your clinic is, but if you're starting with BCP you can typically start it right away and go straight into FET. 

soccergirl23

@adamae1216 how are you doing? Have you spoken to your doctor or thought about next steps?

@mdwiny I usually got my results in 10 - 14 days as well (usually closer to the 14 days) and then had to go through the process of getting financially cleared and put on the schedule so that could take anywhere from 2 weeks - 1 month or so. It always seems like we're waiting for next steps. 

@birdab congratulations on doubling numbers and good luck with your first ultrasound, that's so exciting!!

samjomk

Anyone transferring 11/27? First timer ... 😬🤞

mdwiny

Thanks for all the feedback, @soccergirl23, @bumblebee0210, @adamae1216, and @birdab! (@birdab, PGT = preimplantation genetic testing, so that's where they freeze your blastocysts while they genetically test them and wait for results. This is why my partner and I are doing IVF in the first place. We have no trouble getting pregnant, but repeated miscarriages suggest the need to make sure we've got a viable embryo in there.)

I'm impressed by the fast turnaround for all of you on your PGT results! My doctor said two weeks, but the nurse said that lately it's been more like 3-4.  They sent them off 9 days ago, and with Thanksgiving in the middle of all this, I'm not holding my breath for a result soon.

But what really threw me for a loop is that my clinic apparently requires a visit with the doctor in between PGT results and whatever's next (either transfer or another retrieval cycle, depending on the results). And my doctor is booked out until mid-January! The clinic said they are working hard to get me in sooner than that so I don't have to wait, which I hope they do, because good lord! If I have a viable embryo, I don't want to wait two months to transfer it, and if I don't, I don't want to wait two months to start another cycle!! I'm on the clock here!

bumblebee0210

@mdwiny That's irritating-- our clinic also required the doctor's visit, but it was just to sign consents and go over the plan. Here's hoping they can get you an appt in Dec, though lots of clinics shut down the labs for the holidays so the timing might not work out anyway. 

@samjomk Welcome! Are you doing an FET? Did you do PGT testing?

AFM: I had another beta today, about a week after my last one, and it rose like 2000% to 4,475, so I am pretty sure there is something happening in there. I also feel terrible so that helps. 

relizabethp

Hi ladies- i did my 5 day FET transfer on the 22nd i am wondering what symptoms y’all had that were signs of success? So far just been really tired- i had about a hour of cramping day three that was localized - that’s about it … im worried 

ferndeezy

@mdwiny I had PGT testing and had a FET after my next cycle. ER at the end of Aug, cycle a few days later, then started meds after my next cycle and FET in Oct. It was unsuccessful, unfortunately. We actually just did another ER today, and I will be doing PGT testing again. Hoping for more than 1 normal tested embryo 🙏  did you already get your results back? Good luck!!

ferndeezy

@mdwiny I also forgot to say that we got the results for the PGT testing in 9 days. They said 10-14, but it was barely over a week. My clinic uses Natera for the testing. 

romeoandjuliet146

@relizabethp

For the most part, I felt completely normal. I ended up testing early because I wasn't having any symptoms.

relizabethp

TW- Loss Mentioned-

@romeoandjuliet146 I literally was reading your posts on sept/oct! Thank you for replying. It made me feel better.

On my last transfer i spotted around day 7 , it’s the online symptom I remember - i keep looking for that again but my last transfer ended so badly (we miscarried at 16 weeks after 13 weeks of bleeding from a hematoma) that im not sure if the spotting is good anymore 🤷🏻‍♀️

romeoandjuliet146

@relizabethp

Same for me. I was looking for implantation spotting because I had it with my last FET but this FET I did not have implantion spotting, so thought it was not successful.

relizabethp

@romeoandjuliet146 I literally almost cried reading that- the pressure is so much and im just wanting anything to feel secure 

mbradfo2

@relizabethp
@romeoandjuliet146
I've spotted and not spotted in pregnancies and it doesn't seem to have any relation to outcome! My first pregnancy I had zero spotting and it ended in miscarriage at 8 weeks. My second pregnancy I had spotting from about 7 or 8 days after transfer until 12 weeks on the nose and had a beautiful baby girl. My third pregnancy I had one instance of mild spotting at around 5 weeks after doing some strenuous cleaning and had a second healthy baby girl a few weeks ago! It can be so confusing.

mdwiny

@bumblebee0210 Congrats on the beta!!! You're on your way  

And yeah, I'm assuming the appointment is just logistics, and it's over Zoom anyway, so (I know, I know, they're swamped) just squeeze me in!!

The GOOD NEWS though is that out of my two embryos, one is normal!! I was so shocked to get the voicemail this morning, since I was prepared to wait three weeks for the PGT results, but I'm so so excited. Now I'm just realllllllly hoping they can speed up this timeline so I don't have to wait 2+ months for my FET!!

bumblebee0210

@mdwiny. Congrats! That's fantastic. Yes-- I have found that being a squeaky wheel helps a lot to get things moving at the clinic so don't be afraid to bug the crap out of them. 

bumblebee0210

@relizabethp. I'm so sorry for your loss. If it helps-- I have been pregnant 4 times (not counting CPs), two of which ended in miscarriage, one of which ended in a healthy term baby, and one of which is ongoing (I am 6 weeks). I spotted around 9-11 DPO in one of the mcs, and the term birth, no spotting in this one or the first mc. I suspect it is in part because this is my first FET (the others were conceived naturally) and I am on progesterone, but who knows. As for symptoms, it is true that most women don't have them before 10DPT or so, but I always get very early nausea, and while it was no different with this one (started ~7DPT), I chalked it up to the progesterone, and tried not to think much of it.

I think with this whole process there is so much uncertainty, we are always trying to read the tea leaves, but you really can't know until the blood test. And as you know, you *really* don't know until much later-- maybe not until there is a baby in your arms. Best of luck with the waiting game, hopefully you will hear good news soon. I'm guessing your beta is in the next few days?

relizabethp

@bumblebee0210 I started getting bouts of nausea yesterday which would be 7dpt - i have horrible pregnancy where i get really sick - I assumed the nausea at this time was progesterone related. I have had three pregnancies in the two i had “implantation “ bleeding I miscarried (the first implanted in
My tube and was ectopic ) the one where I didn’t is now 6- my beta is Wednesday and im hopefully that it will be successful ! Congratulations on your current pregnancy ! 

mdwiny

@relizabethp Fingers crossed for you. Please update us after your beta!

relizabethp

I took a test this morning and it was negative- i am feeling like im out of the game - has this happened to anyone else and gotten good blood results?

update- I cracked that baby open and got this- what do you think?

bumblebee0210

@relizabethp The only tests I think are reasonable for before 14DPO/10DPT testing are the first response early result pink-dye tests. I do see a line there but it's blue dye and it's taken apart, so who really knows. 

You know your own body but for me, I don't really turn early tests. When i was pregnant with my daughter I got a negative (cheapie) test at 11 DPO and again at 13DPO and was so convinced I was pregnant I took a test in the middle of the night, which was finally positive. She was a healthy, normal term pregnancy. With this pregnancy (I am 6w2d, so who knows), my beta at 10DPT was only 86 (below some hpt thresholds), and I had a suuuuuper faint line on a FRER at 7DPT (another test was stark negative). For other people, a negative at 12DPO or 7DPT would be game over. 

tl;dr I think you really need to wait for the blood test. Hang in there!

relizabethp

@bumblebee0210 thank you for your responses- they are keeping me going. 

soccergirl23

Just catching up on here!

@mdwiny CONGRATULATIONS that is such great news!! I'm so happy to hear that The waiting and timelines seem endless, I hope they can speed something up so you can begin your FET! 

@relizabethp good luck with your beta today!! Sending you all the positive vibes

I'm currently prepping for a FET after doing an ERA in October. I'm not sure what my transfer day will be, but most likely the week of 13Dec (so adding my beta to the stress of the holidays ). Have people been doing acupuncture around their transfers? I tried it last time per my RE's recommendation and I had mixed feelings.

relizabethp

@soccergirl23 i did acupuncture for my last IUI transfer and I didn’t feel like it was helpful- that being said I know many woman who swear by it

relizabethp

My transfer failed . I meet the dr tomorrow to regroup and get a new schedule- anyone done back to back

bumblebee0210

@relizabethp Ugh-- I'm sorry. Sounds like you have more frozen to transfer though?

mdwiny

@relizabethp I'm so sorry Sending you hugs.

relizabethp

@bumblebee0210 we have 16 embryos left- so thankfully that is in my favor. We spoke to our dr and she said she is 100% confident that we can get pregnant and not to give up. So we are starting again in about 3 days! 

relizabethp

Sorry ladies for taking over the board but my period started and OMG it is horrific- it hasn’t been this bad since maybe i was a teenager - is this normal? My period is normally only three days with day 2 being a horror show- day one is worst than anything im used to on a normal day 2…WTF !

soccergirl23

@relizabethp I'm so sorry to hear that, happy to hear you have so many embryos left though to try again! Also glad to hear about your doctor's confidence I remember having a rather heavy period after my failed transfer - it was not pretty.

soccergirl23

Finally got my transfer date (13Dec), anyone else transferring around then? 

ashleyhj29

Hi ladies! 

I am a seasoned vet for FET's...I am doing my 7th transfer on Wednesday with 2 PGS normal embryos....anyone else close to that date?

soccergirl23

Good luck with your transfer, @ashleyhj29!

bumblebee0210

Welcome @ashleyhj29! I'm sorry you are in the position of having to do your 7th transfer (though it seems like your body makes great embryos!) I'm wondering if you have done any testing for silent endometriosis, or intra-uterine infections, etc? I think it's pretty rare to have that many failed transfers and miscarriages of euploid embryos (I know your earlier ones were untested but just statistically some of them were likely genetically normal). 

This paper shows that more than three consecutive failed euploid transfers is very rare, and most likely points to some sort of underlying issue. Maybe you've already been through this with your doctors, and had the full work-up for recurrent pregnancy loss, but if not it's probably a conversation that's worth having. There are autoimmune, structural, and blood clotting issues that can cause recurrent miscarriage and implantation failure that are all fairly treatable, and could make the difference for the next one!