Decided to do IVF.. questions!

runner76 · February 2016

So I made my decision to go ahead with IVF.. I was so scared at the thought but now I am feeling more confident. I am 39 , going to be 40 in 6 months and I don't have time on my side.. I just had the lap done and was told we could try in march.. If I am not, then I believe I have to wait until may because I have a vacation planned for end of march and won't return until day 3 or 4 of my period in april... My question is.. if I do retrieval in may.. the transfer is two weeks after retrieval?? After retrieval you wait two weeks and take pg test?? Not sure of all these details but I am excited to start this.. I hate waiting until may.. also will I need time off work? I work in the school system so thankfully I will be off in summer to focus on this.... also, I am going to do PGD testing and my dr said he will only transfer one egg to control for multiples.. there is no chance of multiples if only one egg is put in right?? Thanks I feel really dumb to all this..

dragonfaerie · February 2016

Hey darling, welcome to the crowd!

If you are doing PGD with a FET, it will probably be around a month or so later that you do the transfer. They will do retrieval, fertilize, watch them, send them off for testing, and then freeze. I had to take the day of my retrieval off, and they said as long as it's a low-key day I can go back the next day. I work in an office so I am here, mildly in pain but okay.

You will still have a minor chance of multiples even if they only transfer one embryo. The embryo could split or you could ovulate an extra egg. It's a slightly higher chance of twins than naturally occurs, but not overwhelmingly so.

tvh1982 · February 2016

Hi!
So excited for you and your new plans!

Here we get 3 days off after ER (egg retrieval).To recover and take it easy.
ET (egg transfer) will happen 2 or 5 days after ER or we have to wait a cycle to do a FET (frozen embryo transfer)
Not sure how it works with PGD testing. Haven't done that.

No question is ever dumb! So ask as much as you want to ask.

Pretty sure you'll get some very good advice on your post from 'experienced' women on here.

GL on your journey!

AandDM2014 · February 2016

Hey there, welcome!

I can address your concerns about when your period starts. At my clinic I go in on day 2 or 3 to get an ultrasound and if everything looks good I wait about 5 days then start birth control pills. It seems as though you may be in the middle of your cycle now? If that is the case, and you're going to start one before you leave for your vacation it won't really matter. You could be put on birth control pills for a week or 6 weeks or anything inbetween to work around your schedule. For my stim cycle I had a 4 day vacation that was going to interfere with potential retrieval time so they extended my bcps by about a week. I ended up starting injections on my second day of vacation. I had to bring everything with me, but as we were driving it wasn't a big deal.

As for time off after retrieval I'll tell you how it went with me. Surgery was at about 11 am, when we got home I was feeling groggy but okay pain wise. The next day I was in excruciating pain, like I couldn't stand up straight and dreaded having to go to the bathroom because it meant walking up 6 steps. The day after that was less pain but I still lounged around on the couch and made my DH do the cooking. By the 4th day I was totally fine. It may have been because I was borderline OHSS.

I hope this helps ease your worries a bit and wish you the best luck!

runner76 · February 2016

I'm still recovering from laparscopy.. but he said we can try in march.. only problem is i have a trip planned for end of march.. it looks like i will get my period right at the end of the trip.. the nurse said if i do they can give me birth control but i don't really want to do that if not needed.. so i am thinking ill have to wait till my period in may to do a cycle.. the nurse said with pgd testing you have to wait about three weeks to do transfer.. I'm so impatient.. i techincally could of tried when i get my period this month but I have this trip

and also thought it was maybe better to give my body time to heal from the lap.. he seemed to think it wouldn't matter though..

AandDM2014 · February 2016

I've never heard of doing an IVF cycle without first taking birth control pills. You should check with your clinic and see if they'll have you take them. Every story I've read and every cycle I've had has required the use of birth control pills.

khochanadel · February 2016

*bfp mentioned*

I had to do a freeze all after my egg retrieval because of OHSS (ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome) so we didn't get to do a transfer until 45 days later. I had my beta 11 days after my frozen transfer which was when pregnancy was confirmed. We did a single embryo transfer and ended up with identical twins. So YES it can still happen!

KLake42 · February 2016

My experience has taught me to let go of any fantasy that I have control over the timing of things. If you're going to be off for the summer, it might help to wait until May, so you have less to worry about with getting out of work for procedures.

In the week or two leading up to the transfer, you should be prepared to go into the doctor's office almost every day for blood work and ultrasounds.

Cmartin6706 · February 2016

@AandDM2014

****BFP mentioned****

My DW has a blood clotting disorder and she cannot be on BCP ever. She has gone through two IVFs and neither was she on BCP. This last one was successful.

Cmartin6706 · February 2016

@runner76

Honestly, my wife and I would tell you to wait until May. The top reason is that it takes 90 days for your body to prepare an egg. That means you have to think about what was happening with vitamins and hormones 90 days before ER. Studies show that low vitamin D drastically reduces the chance of IVF working. It effects egg quality. My wife also took CoQ10 (the more potent of the two types) for 4 months. Getting enough vitamin A also contributes. Don't be in too much of a hurry. Maybe take until May to prep your eggs as best as possible. GL with your decision! Waiting is so hard!

tvh1982 · February 2016

No birth control here either. Thought it was very weird I read that quite some women do.
Here no one uses BCP with an IVF.

Agree with @Cmartin6706, don't rush/ hurry into it.
Sure it's a long wait, but the whole process is tough and you don't want to put extra stress on top of it by trying to fit it in a short timeframe.

GL with your decision and your journey. Remember that you are a strong woman and got this!

runner76 · February 2016

I think that if your periods are regular and o is that you don't need BCP.. my dr said i may not so i don't know.... thinking may would be better anyways.. since I'm still recovering from this laparascopy.. i spoke to the nurse and she said if i do retrieval in may that transfer will be in june with the pgd testing.. she said since I'm freezing i won't have to wait again like that... what does that mean exactly though? if i do a transfer w a frozen when in my cycle would i do that/? when i would normally ovulate?

MelD17011 · February 2016

@runner76 – It seems every RE is a little different and there are different protocols….. to give you a timeframe idea….. I went on BCP 12/21 , started meds 1/8 (got my period around this same time), had my ER 1/21. Did PGS testing (took until 2/12 to get results back) – I got my period about 10 days after ER - then back on BCP for a month – stop BPC and start meds end of next week.... with a 3/15 FET.

khochanadel · February 2016

@runner76 they do protocols to stimulate your uterus for transfer (thickening the lining and such). I want to say our FET was 20-30-ish days after my induced AF.

They would wait a little longer than when you normally ovulate. When you release an egg, it has several days of travel time to the uterus for your lining to thicken. With FET, there is no travel time to the uterus; they take a shortcut!

runner76 · February 2016

ok so i messaged the dr.. he said with pgd testing, the do retreival one cycle and transfer the next cycle.. I am assuming if i retrieve in may that i would transfer in June?? Does that sound right?? I'm so confused how this process works.. also if i don't do pgd i would transfer five days after retreival which i assume is what they call a fresh transfer.

khochanadel · February 2016

Correct, that would be a fresh transfer. When you have your ivf consultation they will go over more exact time lines with you. Every practice does things a little differently but they will be as exact in their estimates add they can be.

runner76 · February 2016

So the dr said retrieval one cycle and transfer the next.. so would that be the month after retrieval ? So confused about that part. I just don't have months to waste

capps42613 · February 2016

@runner76 welcome! My RE did not put me on BCP because I don't have an issue ovulating. Instead he will be putting me on Lupron a few days before my next cycle begins. I had asked him about the chances of twins occurring with only 1 embryo transferred, he said that there was a 3% chance of that happening. GL to you!

tvh1982 · February 2016

If dr said retrieve one cycle and transfer next, then I assume retrieve in for example May and transfer in June.

Nobody has 'months to waste', but you want them to do it right. Trust me, it is worse rushing it and not succeeding.

When I had retrieval I was slightly overstimulated, but they decided to place embryo back 5 days later. That became a BFN. I was devastated.
I didn't know back then about overstimulation and the option to wait.
I would have been devestated too if they told me to wait, but not as devestated about loosing an embryo that could have been my baby. As that poor embryo never stood a change. My body was not going to take care of it, but that is something I learnt afterwards.

So honestly take your time. Don't rush it because you want to be done with it. Waiting for that baby is horrible, I know that. But you want to increase your chance of succeeding by doing it step by step. So at the end, after they did the transfer you get that BFP and a healthy baby.

runner76 · February 2016

you are right.. they can rush it and then i have chance of another miscarriage... just trying to weigh the pros and cons of the pgd testing.. i agree with it due to my age but at same time I'm scared it will damage the embryo... so complicated..

khochanadel · February 2016

Our RE told us our % chance of identical twins went up from something like 3% to 4% with ivf, simply because they take the strongest embryos for transfer. In our case, we got the lightning strike and did end up with twins. Not what we planned for, but you play the hand you're dealt!

MelD17011 · February 2016

runner76 my RE considers the time on BCP part of the the cycle. So for me, I was Jan with a March FET due to being on BCP for several weeks

Drove2u · February 2016

Is bcp required for everyone? In TWW now with sixth and last IUI so if this one doesn't work then I'm doing Ivf.

Cmartin6706 · February 2016

@Drove2u No. See previous responses in this thread

lin681 · February 2016

GL with your IVF cycle! yes you can still have multiples if the egg splits.

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