Intro- starting IVF and freaking out

ledavi4 · May 2016

I'm a first time poster and honestly freaking out a little bit after trolling around the threads the last couple of days. I feel everyone knows so many specifics of the process and I'm clueless. I'm 31 and my DH is 32. I have PCOS and he has low motility and morphology. We did at least 5 months of just clomid, then tried 3 rounds of IUI and are now trying IVF. I wasn't going to do IVF but my insurance began covering fertility treatments after I had already had 3 unsuccessful IUI so I thought I'd give it a shot. However I had to switch doctor's offices because there is only 1 doctor that is in-network. I find this weird because I live in Nashville so it's not like there aren't any providers in the area only one place will take contracts.

I loved my old doctor because he or his nurses explained so much upfront and I never felt unprepared before starting any treatment or knowing what my next option was. This new doctor is horrible and I'm not sure what exactly I'm supposed to be doing. I have some idea of the process through Internet reearch and an IVF class at my old doctor's office before I found out they were out of network. But I go in on Wednesday to start my injectjons I think and have no idea what to expect. I went last week for what they called an IVF class but all I did was sign consents and they told me they'd explain the medicine to me on the next visit. They have me on BCP now and tomorrow is my last day to take it so my period should start around the day of my first appointment when I start medicine.

I've read you should be taking Lupron for at least several days before the cycle you start injections did anyone not do this? I have all this medicine being delivered to my house on Monday and I have no idea what it is. My ER is scheduled for May 18th or 19th but I feel I should have been taking medicine before Wednesday, is this normal?

I've been on the phone with the pharmacist on Friday of what all they are sending and it sounds like a lot of different kinds. Does anyone have good resources they use for understanding the process? I'm careful not to belive everything I read on the Internet but just want more information.

Any help or advice for a newbie would be greatly appreciated.

AandDM2014 · May 2016

IVF can be a very confusing process. I was freaked out when I first started, but after one stim cycle and 3 transfers, I feel like DH and I totally have a handle on the medication side. I personally made the decision that if I was going to have to be injected with all this medication, DH was going to have to do it. I can do all my own shots, but I feel like making DH participate has made him more invested in it. I highly suggest it!

As for how many meds you're going to be using, it's a lot. They have weird, scary names, and they pretty much all have different needles and injecting methods. All of your stim meds should be injected into your stomach, and you should be prepared for bruises. Don't worry, it happens to nearly all of us!

About your Lupron question: I did not take Lupron before stimming, just during my FETs. The point of Lupron is to suppress egg development, so it wouldn't make much sense to take it during a stim cycle.

When you get the meds, it is going to be very overwhelming. I suggest you unpack it all, and get everything into the fridge that needs to go there, then just take a step back. You're going to have a lot of medications, and trying to look through it all at once is challenging.

I personally don't understand how doctors can say you have a certain retrieval date, when you haven't even started the meds. I was originally told to expect retrieval to be around October 26th, but my eggies grew a bit slowly, so I didn't end up retrieving until October 30th. There was no way my doc could have known how I'd respond. And those 4 days made a huge difference. My eggs weren't big enough on the 26th, so they wouldn't have fertilized and I wouldn't have gotten any embryos.

I wish you nothing but the best!!

PrincessSabert · May 2016

You won't know the whole plan ahead of time except basics of steps - you stim (mine was gonal-f), then an anti to prevent early ovulation (mine was cetrotide), then a trigger (mine was ovidrel), then egg retrieval - which at this point in your cycle should be an estimate, as the last poster said - then embryo transfer and beta. Along the way you will have blood work and ultrasounds every visit after meds start to monitor and make concrete decisions. This is good - for example, I ended up adding a medicine (menopur) last-minute due to blood work. So you will get details as you go along. It's my first cycle too and I was just as overwhelmed, but it really isn't that bad or difficult. You've got this.

Good luck!

PrincessSabert · May 2016

Also freedommedteach.com has instruction videos for many medicines and general videos for subcutaneous (stim) shots and intramuscular shots. But your clinic should give you instructions for your specific meds on your next visit I should think, and they may have other resources for you. As I said, you've got this.

Good luck!

mtpbadger · May 2016

It is overwhelming at first but that is normal. One thing I learned through this process is you have no control how your body reacts from meds. The calendar the nurse gives you is just an estimate. My calendar had me triggering tonight but it took my body a little while to start responding to the meds so it will be sometime this week instead.

I recommend joining the April/May IVF group as most of us are going through our first IVF and we all have been where you are slightly freaking out and anxious. You totally got this though. Just take it step by step and focus on that.

Tulips29 · May 2016

Welcome! I will echo what everyone else said as well. It's normal to be freaking out but you will totally get a hang of it soon. Also, the IVF process has a lot
of tentative dates and it all really does depend on how you respond to medication. The freedom pharmacy link above is great for learning how to do injections. I didn't have Lupron also, I had gonal f, menopur, and then ganirelix. My retrieval was close to the date the clinic estimated, but it's never a confirmed date until they see how you respond to medications and possibly adjust dosages accordingly. This board is also full of information and please feel free to ask any questions you may have. The ladies here are amazing and have helped me understand this process along he way. I wish you lots of success with your first IVF cycle!

ledavi4 · May 2016

Thanks everyone I really appreciate the encouragement. I feel better knowing no one else used the Lupron, I knew reading too much on the Internet could be harmful and freak me out more than necessary.

I don't know how my doctor's office has it
timed but they say they only do ER 2 days out of each month they do IVF cycles. They do cycles every other month and have specific dates of when ER or transfers will be which seemed weird to me.

Oh well hopefully Wednesdays appointment is informative and I understand more of what I'm doing. Good luck to everyone!

Tusername · May 2016

Hi @ledavi4 ! I just tagged you in another post so you could see what your meds may look like. First off, congrats on getting started and how great that insurance will be helping out! I'm doing my first IVF cycle right now too and my RE didn't prescribe Lupron to me. Join us on the April/May IVF board. There's lots of welcoming ladies there!

Kp214 · May 2016

Hi, @ledavi4. Welcome! I was on lupron from the beginning of my injections. I was told it was to keep me from ovulating too soon. I took it along with menopur and follistim. As retrieval day neared, I had to add omnitrope.

DH and I went to a Nashville Fertility for several iui's. We are now at Tennessee Reproductive Medicine. if you don't mind traveling, you might find a place that is in network and that is a better fit for you. Good luck!

cmm012 · May 2016

I want to chime in. I am using lupron for my trigger shot, but not before I start stims. I am supposed to start follistim this Saturday with potential ER 5/16. Your timing and protocol sound consistent with others I've seen or heard about.

Want a personalized experience?

Intro- starting IVF and freaking out

Re: Intro- starting IVF and freaking out

Choose Another Board

Search Boards