IVF?

sohappy14 · February 2013

I have unexplained infertility and possibly may try IVF. I just wanted to know how the process is. Also how many embryos did you put back in and do you have multiples? Girl or boy? I'm so nervous about the entire thing and not sure ill even go through with it, but thought you guys may be able to help me understand it better: thanks!!

Dragonfly1226 · February 2013

We are also unexplained. For me, the idea of IVF was almost worse than actually doing it. The best thing is to take it one step at a time. We did two IVF cycles when we were TTC #1. Our first cycle we had 14 eggs retrieved, 8 fertilized, we transferred two, and 3 made it to freeze. I was pregnant with a singleton and m/c at 9 weeks. Our RE recommended another fresh cycle. He said it gave us better odds than a FET at that point. So we went ahead with IVF #2. We had 10 eggs retrieved, all 10 fertilized, we transferred 2, 4 made it to freeze, and I was pregnant with a singleton (DS). When it was time to TTC #2 we went straight to FET with our frozen embryos. We did one FET, thawed two embies, they both survived, and I am pregnant with twins. With IVF your RE has a lot of control over the chance of multiples. If you are not okay with the possibility of twins then you can decide to transfer just one embryo. We were okay with the possibility of twins. I was so scared to move to IVF, but I am so thankful that we did because the process gave us an amazing son and two daughters on the way. Good luck!!!

karo112 · February 2013

sohappy14:
I have unexplained infertility and possibly may try IVF. I just wanted to know how the process is. Also how many embryos did you put back in and do you have multiples? Girl or boy? I'm so nervous about the entire thing and not sure ill even go through with it, but thought you guys may be able to help me understand it better: thanks!!

Short answer to a question that needs a longer more detailed response from a doctor, probably...but I did IVF. Put in three embryos, and I have G/G fraternal twins.

The process is ok. It's a roller coaster both emotionally AND physically. Would I do it again? Probably not, but i'm glad I did.

itsmevkb · February 2013

The process was a bit stressful. It's a lot of money to spend for something that may or may not result in a baby, not to mention the emotional toll. My IVF was a while back but some of the details and my thoughts about it are in my blog.

As for embryos, we transferred two and I got pregnant with a singleton - a girl. We have one frozen embryo as well. In addition to considering how many embryos to transfer you'll also need to think about how many embryos to create and/or freeze. Many women don't give this much thought until after they have a baby and are paying for the embryo storage and realize oh my gosh, what am I going to do with five/ten/fifteen frozen embryos. Just one more thing to consider.

LALASEPT05 · February 2013

I'm sort of far removed from IVF but I was also unexplained. After 3 clomid IUI cycles we moved right to IVF. Some people then try IUI with injectables but for me if I was going to go to the injectable route I really wanted a higher percentage chance of success than IUI would offer and more control over the outcome. I think that if multiples are a concern for you then doing IVF where you can put back just 1 embryo if you choose has better control than IUI...but that's just my opinion. We ended up putting back 2 and having twins. We were very lucky. It depends where you are in the process with a reproductive specialist as far as how long it takes. If you have all your pre-testing complete I would say the actual cycle is probably about 6-8 weeks from first bloodwork to pregnancy test.

ashleymarie512 · February 2013

We ended up converting from IUI to IVF within a matter of minutes, but we'd already spent so much on meds for that and previous cycles, we went for it, as we didn't want to waste another cycle. We retrieved 23 eggs, 15 fertilized and 6 made it to freeze. We out two back in and unfortunately it didn't work. I truly believe that it was because I over stimmed. We did a FET this cycle and so far, so good. Our u/s is tomorrow. I found the FET soooo much easier on my body. All in all, it's an emotionally, financially and physically draining process, but we both wanted biological children so it is a step we were willing to take. Good luck and I hope you figure out what will work best for you. Take care!

kbeach82 · February 2013

I have DOR and DH has fairly severe MFI. We did the Long Lupron protocol for our first IVF (this was prior to my DOR dx) and had 5 eggs retrieved. 4 were mature and 3 fertilized normally w/ICSI. We did a 3dt of 2 embryos, and that resulted in the birth of our son, and no frosties.

We did a Microdose Lupron Flare protocol for our second IVF and had 6 eggs retrieved. 5 were mature, and 4 fertilized normally w/ICSI. We did a 5dt of 2 embryos, and that resulted in our boy/girl twins (I am currently almost 27 weeks pregnant) and 1 frozen embryo.

The process seems overwhelming prior to getting started, but for me it became routine very quickly and I didn't have any issues with doing the injections.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

Ruthie04 · February 2013

I'm technically unexplained, but IVF revealed what our RE thought was the problem all along...poor embryo quality. We had a total of 25 embryos from our two cycles. The vast majority of them looked great on day three, but tanked on the morning of day five. With our first cycle, we transferred one "perfect" embryo and had a bfn. With our second, we transferred two "fair" quality embryos with AH and had our twin boys. We never had a single embryo make it to freeze (although, I think we would have if our clinic froze day three embryos, but they only freeze "excellent" or "good" quality blasts on days five and six). I don't think many think as IVF as a test, but it certainly shed light on what may have been our problem all along.

FWIW, I was terrified of IVF. When a friend went through it, I remember thinking she was so brave. All of the shots, ultrasounds, etc. And, it is very intense and all consuming. However, the TI and IUI cycles really prepped me for it and it wasn't so bad in the end. By the end of all of my cycles, I had filled up five sharps containers and had around 60 transvaginal ultrasounds (I was an early ovulator, so I always had daily ultrasounds before my IUIs). My clinic (Sha.dy G.rove) had a great webcast on their website. It provided quite a bit of information on the process. I believe it is still there. Meet with your RE, ask detailed questions about the process and his/her reasoning behind your protocol, and rely on the girls on the IF board. They are a wealth of information. Best of luck to you!!

chels38026 · February 2013

karo112:
sohappy14:
I have unexplained infertility and possibly may try IVF. I just wanted to know how the process is. Also how many embryos did you put back in and do you have multiples? Girl or boy? I'm so nervous about the entire thing and not sure ill even go through with it, but thought you guys may be able to help me understand it better: thanks!!
 
Short answer to a question that needs a longer more detailed response from a doctor, probably...but I did IVF. Put in three embryos, and I have G/G fraternal twins.
The process is ok. It's a roller coaster both emotionally AND physically. Would I do it again? Probably not, but i'm glad I did. 

All of this exactly, except we put in two embryos.

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