February IVF

teamginger13 · February 2017

@JuliaGoolia719 my last IVF they only saw 10 when monitoring and they ended up retrieving 12 so there is still hope you could get more. I understand how you feel though.. for me 9 were on my left and 1 on my right when monitoring . I was like WTF right ovary!?! Anyway FX for you!

Edit to add.. sorry I misunderstood! Didn't realize you already had the retrieval! Anyway like everyone else said.. 10 is still great!

artemis618 · February 2017

@teamginger13 Had my ER this AM, and I had the exact same thing - 10 follies at last u/s and they got 12. And now we wait (maturity/fertilization report tomorrow)...

JuliaGoolia719 · February 2017

@artemis618 how are you feeling? FX for a good report tomorrow!

AFM: we got the report, 9 of the 10 fertilized normally. They'll check them on day 3 but my clinic doesn't call that day, they wait for day 5. I'm not sure how I'm going to focus on anything between now and then though lol.
Im still sore, I'm planning to relax in bed again today and hopefully tomorrow will be closer to normal. Omg the bloat, I know everyone talks about it, but holy cow. I'm huge. And my dog seems to only want to pounce on my stomach as his form of entertainment. Other than puking on the carpet yesterday, that was fun to clean up too...

artemis618 · February 2017

@JuliaGoolia719 Crampy and nauseous at the moment, but I'm only two hours out. DH had to pull over for me on the way home (about 3.5 miles away) because I thought I was going to throw up, but it passed.

9/10 is a great start! Did you use ICSI? I'm also planning on taking tomorrow off - partly because I have 24 PTO days/year and DH only gets like 8 vacation (separate sick) days annually. Hope you're not being sent off for work again too soon!

JuliaGoolia719 · February 2017

@artemis618 I've got until Monday at least before I'm able to go, fingers crossed they hold off a day or two more lol! I was talking to a friend about when she felt normal after and she said it was like a week or two before the bloat was gone.
We did use ICSI, it's the only way our clinic does it, but for us it would have been necessary anyway due to MFI. The embryologist said today that the swimmers were a little lethargic so w out ICSI I'm not sure they would have made it. DH always feels so bad every time we talk about it, so I hope this is the last time he has to hear about it.
Hope you keep feeling better today! I felt way better when I got up today...ok well
when i woke up today, I haven't really gotten "up" today per say.....

brela11 · February 2017

@artemis618 sorry you were feeling so nauseous!

I ended up with 5, was hoping more would show up but they didn't. Now I'm anxiously awaiting our call tomorrow. Before going back for retrieval my Re said we may have to do a three day transfer instead of five. I'm just praying we have some strong ones starting to develop! Recovery has been okay for me. Bloated and crampy and feel exhausted but my mind doesn't feel sleepy so I just feel crazy lazy if that makes any sense.

Hoping to to see more of you retrieve soon so we can get some BFPs hopefully!

JuliaGoolia719 · February 2017

@brela11 FX that your call tomorrow is good news!
I found that being propped up a bit helped w the discomfort, I ended up sleeping using one of those "boyfriend" pillows w the back and arms.

lizycs · February 2017

Finally took my first set of shots! Follistim and Menopur. I was sooo nervous! Thank you for the warnings that Menopur stings. I think that was the worst part. I feel like I just took the step of no return, and I'm so excited!

Mando15 · February 2017

@lizycs yay for officially starting stims! I'll be starting tomorrow! So excited to get going. Hope you have minimal side effects! Retrieval will be here before you know it!

Polythene Pam · February 2017

@lizycs woo hoo! Night one done, great job!! I do menopause first now, just get it done, the others seem "easy" after. @Mando15 good luck tomorrow!

lizycs · February 2017

@Mando15 I'm excited for you too! It's so helpful to know that so many are going through the same thing.

@PolythenePam I did Menopur first too. You're right that the others seem easy afterward. Also, Menopur takes the longest to prepare, so I like that after that's done, I can do the Follistim right after.

laurad75 · February 2017

Welcome to the stims club @lizycs! I just added centrotide into the mix last night so I've learned how to mix them all and do one injection. My bathroom is like a chem lab now.

Gatorgirl2009 · February 2017

So glad I'm able to read about everyone's experiences, makes me less nervous! I've been on Lupron but just had my baseline ultrasound and I start Follistim and Menopur tomorrow night! Ah! Any tips on making the Menopur sting less??

Mando15 · February 2017

@Gatorgirl2009 good luck tomorrow! I don't have Menopour in my regimen so I can't help you out there. I had follistim with my prior IUIs and that shot is a breeze!

lizycs · February 2017

@Gatorgirl2009 Menopur is really not that bad. It's my first time, so I don't have any tips, but the sting goes away pretty quickly once your injection is done. I think I was also pushing the plunger a bit to too slowly, prolonging the sting unnecessarily. I'm going to try to do it faster tonight. It was my first injection, so I was nervous. I used 1 mL to dissolve 2 powder vials since the insert says I can use the one saline vial (there is 2 mL in each saline vial) to dissolve 5 powder vials. I figured that means 1 mL can dissolve 2.5 vials of powder. 2mL just seemed like a lot to inject. Again, all in all, it really wasn't bad. Good luck tonight!!

brela11 · February 2017

Update: All 5 eggs were mature but only 3 fertilized so we are working with 3. Tomorrow we will get a call to tell us if we are transferring on Sunday or Tuesday.

lizycs · February 2017

I've read that a lot of women feel their ovaries enlarging during stim. When did you guys started to feel this and did it affect your daily activities? I just started injections, but I'm pretty nervous about it. My job involves a shift once a week when I have to essentially be on my feet continuously all day. My next shift will be day 7 of stim.

laurad75 · February 2017

@Gatorgirl2009 I have to agree that menopur isn't that bad. It's a very manageable sting. Lately I have been holding an icecube to the injection site for a few seconds before injecting and that helps me a little bit.

artemis618 · February 2017

@lizycs I am definitely still feeling my ovaries now (Day 1 after ER), but I'd say I really started feeling aware of them about a week in. The first week I stimmed I continued to go to my morning spin & yoga classes, but after that it occurred to me that higher impact & twisting activities with enlarged ovaries was probably *not* a great idea (risk of ovarian torsion, but also just uncomfortable with what seemed like the weight of my enlarged ovaries - if that makes sense).

A note for after in case it didn't occur to anyone else: I was disappointed to have been advised not to exercise (or have sex! I expected maybe a week on this) until AFTER my next period expected about 10 days after ER. I was hoping to get away to ski next weekend, but that's also not seeming like the smartest thing.

rayoflight80 · February 2017

Sooo I'm on day 7 of stims and went for my US/BW this morning. Instead of my scheduled US/BW appointment on Sunday, they want me to come in tomorrow instead. I asked how many eggs/ follies and they said they couldn't really tell me because it will just change.

The nurse did say that everything was looking good but that some of my eggs are growing faster than others so that's why they can't tell me how many eggs we'll get. (Not even a ballpark!)

I've noticed everyone else on this board has such specific numbers/updates... is this normal? When they did my U/S they called out a lot of numbers (I think it was my lining measurements) like 1, 1.5 mainly.

At first they were thinking ET would be Monday but now they're thinking more like Tuesday.

I guess some clinics tell you more details and some like to just take it one step at a time? I dunno. I'm also SUPER emotional today, so that's helpful

...Going to google puppy pics...

caseyw8784 · February 2017

@lizycs @artemis618 i think i read or heard that they advise to cut down or stop "active" workouts after day 5 or 7 of stims cause it would be uncomfortable. i think they then advised walking if one "needed" to be active

@rayoflight80 - i think that is weird that they were so vague! and frustrating, sheesh! i would bet that some of those numbers that they called out might've been follicle size...did you notice is any were higher, like 12, 14, etc?

eta: words are so hard on fridays...

brela11 · February 2017

@artemis618 that's so weird because my instructions say we could have sex later on the evening after the retrieval (but I definitely didn't want to).

@rayoflight80 that is weird after 7 days they should be able to tell you how many they see on both sides and their sizes. At your next appt I would ask how many their sizes. If they don't want to tell you then say how many do we have over 10

laurad75 · February 2017

@rayoflight80 I don't they know until the actual ER since the follicles continue to grow.

I am on day 8 of stims and also went in for monitoring this morning. On Tuesday there wasn't anything measurable so I asked the sonographer this morning and she said there are 2 follies on the right over 11 mm so I'm progressing but they will know more when they look at my blood work. I will get a call this afternoon to let me know if I have to change any dosage and when my next monitoring is. I was told ER could be anywhere between next Tues and next Fri.

artemis618 · February 2017

@caseyw8784 I'm surprised I didn't get more specific instruction on this (maybe they made assumptions because I froze eggs back in 2012?), but yes I think generally you can feel when it's not a good idea :P Also, I found myself more tired anyway in the later days. The last couple of days before ER I just went to the gym and walked on the treadmill (so boring!). I go every morning before work to miss traffic. Wednesday I literally just walked on the treadmill for 20 minutes (had to wait for a pastry shop to open before heading there) then showered & left!

@rayoflight80 I'm sorry you're frustrated that you haven't gotten more specific information. It's true that sometimes people see the numbers change a lot. I think I just must not have been paying much attention (maybe a little odd for me since I'm a financial analyst and really into numbers/info), but my 9-10 follicles stayed consistent among my three ultrasounds (I only had two blood draws - the first u/s was after only 3 days of swimming). I think I probably just kept in mind that regardless of how much detail I knew or not - all I could really do was as I was told (trust my Dr. to interpret the info and direct me - even with the single dose of Ovidrel about which I was paranoid - of course I still don't know how many mature/fertilized we got).

artemis618 · February 2017

@brela11 That is weirdly inconsistent - but I hear you on NOT being in the mood so much anyway. How are you today? I probably could have gone into work (sucking down Gatorade & salty things), but it's raining out anyway :P

@laurad75 Sorry for the uncertainty regarding your timing, but I'm glad you're seeing some activity now!

Polythene Pam · February 2017

@rayoflight80 we rotate between two doctors, one is so vague while the other gave approximate numbers. Both have a huge range of when ER will be (between next Tuesday and Friday). I found myself asking a ton of questions and they both said they don't want to promise a certain date since this is all so fluid. I am focused on one day at a time though and find myself less stress so maybe it's to try to reduce stress? Though it makes us more stressed?

@lizycs I'm on day 7 of stims and this is the first day I'm a bit sore and reaaally needed leggings. I've been sore/bloated every night but today it's noticeable during the day. I'm still doing my normal routine just a bit uncomfortable

brela11 · February 2017

@artemis618 glad I don't have to go into work today. Still sore and bloated but definitely better! I went and got a coffee and walked around a store for about a half hour, grabbed some colace, a pineapple and Pom juice from Kroger and I'm heading bank home. Felt good to get moving a little bit. Heading to my sisters for dinner to celebrate my moms birthday. How are your eggs today?

artemis618 · February 2017

@brela11 That sounds like a nice day off. I just popped out myself to get more salty cheese snacks and Smart Water (even though those electrolytes are just for taste). I took the Norco yesterday but haven't even taken the Tylenol (that was not so helpful immediately after ER yesterday) today. Started taking the cabergoline last night as described, so maybe that's helping. Who knows?

EDIT TO UPDATE: Looks like we're working with three fertilized too. Only 7 of my 12 retrieved were mature, but I'd hoped more of those would have fertilized (Dr. Said a few just sort of died after ICSI, natural selection, I suppose). Tried to manage my expectations because of my age, but I admit I'm disappointed. Hoping for the best but not holding my breath.

laurad75 · February 2017

I just heard back from my nurse. I am 'progressing nicely' but now they are anticipating the ER later next week and I'll probably be on the stims through Tuesday. Grow Follies Grow!!

stella_700 · February 2017

Well we got the approval to start the cycle, the scope looked completely normal Having one tube blocked already makes me think both my tubes must be messed up to have never gotten a positive pregnancy test. Stims start on the 10th, tentative retrieval around the 19th. All my meds are ordered and expect to get them on Tuesday. EEEEEK! I'm starting to feel hopeful and excited again. The ups and downs of this can be brutal.

Keep your chins up ladies. Remember that our value has nothing to do with whether or not we are successful in this particular endeavor. We pray for success but it not happening for us doesn't make us less wonderful, amazing, and strong.

Best of luck to those awaiting reports from the docs.

caseyw8784 · February 2017

@stella_700 - how exciting to get your "schedule"!! it looks like I might be a few days behind you...just waiting for insurance before ordering the meds, and my Re is thinking (if insurance doesn't drag their butts on approving the cycle!) that i'll probably start stims on the 16th or 18th or so. FX that the next week goes quickly for you!

mandasd · February 2017

I'm delayed ANOTHER week! It appears the cyst is gone on my right ovary but on my left I have an enlarged follicle. Since last IVF I ended up with only 1 dominant follicle, they don't want me to start stims fearing I'll have a dominant follicle issue again. Basically, im releasing too my FSH causing one follicle to enlarge. Im increasing estrogen patches to 3 so that I continue to recruit but it will suppress my FSH.

Its so so frustrating because this is now my 3rd delay this round. I want to get started but if doc says we should wait then we have to take that advice. Next U/S will be Thurs afternoon and then hopefully my follicles are all evenly matched.

Anyone else have have this issue?

rayoflight80 · February 2017

@artemis618 @Polythene Pam Perhaps it's to manage stress... guess I just have to focus on resting! (Hoping you have luck with one of those 3, artemis618 FX)

@caseyw8784 nope, no high numbers! and she mentioned the lining so I think that is what that number was... she just said it "looks good"

@laurad75 Hope those follies are growing !!

Hopefully I find out more tomorrow and my ER date

caseyw8784 · February 2017

@mandasand - that really stinks! I don't have any experience with dominant follicles or cysts, but i have much experience with delays! over a year's worth of one sort of delay after another, and (i so hope that) we are finally around the corner from starting our first ivf cycle! I get the frustration...it wasn't easy for me to "get" that it's something completely out of my control, and I handled it poorly at first. I finally tried to make myself belief that everything happens for a reason...and in the meantime, ate WAY too much ice cream and pizza when i was moody and frustrated...

And hey, if you end up starting in a couple weeks or so, we might end up being cycle buddies this go around...

brela11 · February 2017

@artemis618 I'm sorry you ended up with three. It's so hard to have expectations and then when they don't turn out that way it's incredibly disappointing. I'm holding my breath for tomorrow's call, trying to take it day by day. I want all three to survive but I keep trying to tell myself one is great! Thinking of you girl!!

@mandasand Im sorry you are getting pushed into delay after delay! That is so frustrating when your body just won't cooperate after you have finally gotten this far! Hoping your follicle suppresses so you can move forward.

QsMadd · February 2017

Ordered medication today! First timer here. Excited, nervous, happy, stressed and every other emotion you can have.
We had our first fertility appointment in Jan, 2017. Doctor suggested IVF right away because my endometrium is consistently thickened and polyps grow like wildfire. Started BCP on Jan 23. Had surgery today to remove any further possible polyps I had in endometrium. Supposed to start stims Feb 18 (was supposed to start sooner but will be on vacation until the 19th). Egg retrieval and transfer should happen the week of the 26th.
I am frustrated because I just had surgery in August for the endometriosis (mild) and the polyps. They have already started to make a comeback. I am young, healthy, in shape and my hormones are perfect! There is no medical reason they should be coming back this quickly. They initially thought it was my soy intake from being a vegetarian but I have completely cut it from my diet...
I am terrified we can make these great embryos and they may even implant but the polyps will eventually cause them to miscarry.

Mando15 · February 2017

@Knottie1470722089 exciting that meds are on the way! Sorry you have to deal with polyps. FX they can keep them under control long enough for one of your future embabies to get nice and comfortable!

First night of shots is in the books for me! Wasn't too bad. Excited to see how everything looks at my first check on Monday!

Hope everyone enjoys their weekend!

brela11 · February 2017

We just got news that we will be doing a three day transfer with two embryos tomorrow. We are not sure their grading yet or if they are using AH but any extra good vibes sent this way I'd really appreciate it! Nervous but excited! Tomorrow I will be PUPO!!

missydallas · February 2017

Hopping on a little late! I'm on my first IVF cycle. Started stims 3 days ago and had my first appt today to check how things are coming along. My estrogen is up to 700 so RE is reducing my Gonal F and adding cetrotide and menopur tomorrow. So great to have a group that's going through the same thing!

caseyw8784 · February 2017

@brela11 - good luck tomorrow! FX all the fingers and toes for extra sticky embies!

@missydallas - welcome! hope the stims are going well for you so far!

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