I've been reading through the July/August thread but am not set to start my first go at IVF until the beginning of September. Starting lupron Sept. 2 and my official start date for IVF is September 6. The anticipation is the worst! I've already started birth control to maintain my cycle. Anyone else doing IVF around the same time or sometime in September?
Me & DH: 28 | TTC since May 2016 | DH: Morphology 0% | 2 IUI's with Clomid - BFN | IVF ICSI Sept. 2017
Re: September IVF
How long total will you be on birth control? I'm not sure how early I should start mine.
I just scheduled my first IVF cycle with retrieval date around September 12th... Very excited but also scared... In the process of ordering all the drugs, can't wait to get them! Our clinic provides Menopur at discounted price but the rest of them I have to order elsewhere. Do you guys order the drugs yourself? Where are you planning to get them from?
TTC since Aug 2015,
BFP Apr 2017 - late diagnosed EP, right tube removed, left tube scarred.
Dx: tubal IF
IVF Sept 2017, 7 R, 6M, 6F- 4 blasts, 1 transferred fresh - CP
FET #1 Dec 2017- BFN
FET #2 Jan 2018- CP
FET #3 BFP!!! EDD 12/15/2018!
@DecemberDoll27 Totally get being excited and scared all at the same time. This process is not for the faint at heart, I feel like I've gone through every emotion there is! We actually just got our box of drugs today, ChrIVFsmas! We did order our own, we got all of them but the lupron through acaria specialty pharmacy. The lupron, my DH found a goodRX coupon to use at Walmart's specialty pharmacy and it saved us $400 so you may try that It sounds like you'll be starting soon with a retrieval on the 12th?
TTC since Aug 2015,
BFP Apr 2017 - late diagnosed EP, right tube removed, left tube scarred.
Dx: tubal IF
IVF Sept 2017, 7 R, 6M, 6F- 4 blasts, 1 transferred fresh - CP
FET #1 Dec 2017- BFN
FET #2 Jan 2018- CP
FET #3 BFP!!! EDD 12/15/2018!
@DecemberDoll27 My insurance wants me to use a mail order pharmacy called Freedom. I don't know much about protocols yet but those stats at your place must be reassuring! Good luck!
@DecemberDoll27 If thye've got good stats then fingers crossed! My clinic/dr has good stats too but it's hard not to second guess stuff. You have to be your own advocate but I also know my RE does this everyday and pretty successfully so I'm trying to sit back and trust him to do his job.
Are you doing fresh or frozen?
I know exactly what you mean about it feeling like years have passed...we started TTC the month we got married and it's like I can't even remember a time before TTC now. So much waiting! May I ask what your IF diagnosis is?
Why will your transfer be so much later than your stims cycle? Sorry if it's obvious -- I'm a total ivf newbie.
My RE will do both but generally does fresh transfers unless they hyper stimulate I think. We're doing fresh as long as everything goes well. His success rates are higher with fresh than with frozen though so fingers crossed!
Our IF is male factor infertility. My DH has 0% morphology and likely because of that low motility. We started TTC in May 2016 and were diagnosed in Jan. of this year. The constant emotional rollercoaster has made that feel like the longest year+ of my life. We've done 2 unsuccessful IUIs with Clomid before moving on to IVF ICSI.
Hey @Irisheyes81 ! Congrats on starting soon, that is so exciting!! The waiting/anticipation is rough, every day that goes by I'm just grateful to be one day closer before I lose my mind I had the same question as @adirat , why is your transfer so much later?
@esikes1228 HEY! how are you? We have such similar stories/timeline. ICSI is the best. I wish my transfer could be sooner. Like a year ago. Ha!
Hope everyone had a great weekend! I am ordering meds this week. So.much.money.
We've been trying for 5 years so just doing something different feels so good. So far I don't really feel stressed about it and am optimistic (with a dash of being realistic, haha).
I really like my doctor and my main struggle is just that they're 1.5 hours away, so going up there all the time and not telling everyone at work will be tricky.
TTC since 2012 | Unexplained Infertility -- Sept 2017 found cyst seemingly confirming previously suspected endometriosis | IVF Sept/Oct 2017 Negative | FET scheduled early December
"When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, It is well, it is well, with my soul."
Hi @alatimer85 ! I checked the mail twice a day for 2 weeks straight waiting for ANY information about IVF with our doctor after we set our date. It drove me crazy to know it's coming but not know exactly what that meant. If you don't mind me asking, do you know the cause of your infertility? That's rough to keep it from your work with a drive but I'm sure it's worth it for a doctor you like and trust! I'm fortunate in that my boss went through infertility and knows so I've been super lucky to have some understanding there but I know that's not typical. Does anyone at your work know?
All of my co-workers know I'm going to do IVF, but I've said in December or the end of the year. I work for a very small company, 8 of us in the office, so I honestly just don't want every person watching every move I make wondering if I'm pregnant. I actually like sharing the whole process, but the scrutiny is too much for me. I love them all and will tell them earlier than I'll tell everyone else probably, but we will see.
And seriously, if I was waiting for something to be mailed to me from my doctor I might go crazy! They are emailing me my schedule, so luckily I can check it 100 times a day with just one click.
I had a little crying breakdown (about something unrelated) last night and am already wondering if the birth control is going to affect my hormones enough to notice. It didn't when I used it before, but that was so many years ago!
TTC since 2012 | Unexplained Infertility -- Sept 2017 found cyst seemingly confirming previously suspected endometriosis | IVF Sept/Oct 2017 Negative | FET scheduled early December
"When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, It is well, it is well, with my soul."
TTC since Aug 2015,
BFP Apr 2017 - late diagnosed EP, right tube removed, left tube scarred.
Dx: tubal IF
IVF Sept 2017, 7 R, 6M, 6F- 4 blasts, 1 transferred fresh - CP
FET #1 Dec 2017- BFN
FET #2 Jan 2018- CP
FET #3 BFP!!! EDD 12/15/2018!
I like hearing if other people are keeping it a secret or sharing. In general, I'm pretty open so it's against my nature to not share every detail with everyone. Something is just holding me back...
TTC since 2012 | Unexplained Infertility -- Sept 2017 found cyst seemingly confirming previously suspected endometriosis | IVF Sept/Oct 2017 Negative | FET scheduled early December
"When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, It is well, it is well, with my soul."
@alatimer85 I only shared with my parents and my in laws that we are going for IVF. But they kind of knew already because I lost my right tube earlier this summer and everybody helped with my recovery. ( at least now I don't get questions about when we are giving them grand kids so that is a positive!)
TTC since Aug 2015,
BFP Apr 2017 - late diagnosed EP, right tube removed, left tube scarred.
Dx: tubal IF
IVF Sept 2017, 7 R, 6M, 6F- 4 blasts, 1 transferred fresh - CP
FET #1 Dec 2017- BFN
FET #2 Jan 2018- CP
FET #3 BFP!!! EDD 12/15/2018!
@Irisheyes81 Excuse the ignorance but what is FMLA?
I like following people's stories (on here and other places) but I have to be careful because it can really get you down too!
@alatimer85 so sorry about the unexplained infertility, I can only imagine how frustrating that is! It's hard because I want people to know about infertility and the hard challenges that come with it and I don't mind being open about it...when I'm emotionally in a good place. But when I need space and time to heal from the challenges and disappointments, you can't always take back people knowing (and constantly watching) so I've been really careful about who I've told and how much I've told. In that small of a work space, I don't blame you at all for being cautious.
Do any of you know if the emotional side-effects of birth control will be similar to some of the meds during IVF? I can't tell whether I should be looking forward to being off of it or if it'll be worse once we start the next steps
I'm more concerned with the issues people have with the shots, like bruising, itching, etc at the injection sites. My cousin just went through IVF and she didn't make the process sound very fun. Obviously worth it, but still.
I feel very, very lucky to not feel stressed out about this so far. Although that may change as I get closer!
@Irisheyes81 I'm glad you used FMLA to help you! I luckily have a flexible job that won't make leaving difficult in any official capacity, it's just trying to not have it be so noticeable. I flat out am planning to fake migraines to leave for appointments. Coincidentally, last year at this time I had a ton and had to go to the ER, so I think it'll be believable. My husband can't even believe the level of planning I'm putting into that, haha.
TTC since 2012 | Unexplained Infertility -- Sept 2017 found cyst seemingly confirming previously suspected endometriosis | IVF Sept/Oct 2017 Negative | FET scheduled early December
"When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, It is well, it is well, with my soul."
I am planning to take the two weeks of stims and ER as vacation days. Well kind of -- I marked my calendar as vacation days but depending on how I'm doing and how busy we are, I will certainly work from home some days. I'm already pretty anxious about IVF and I don't want to have to deal with work stress on top of injection stress and side effects and all the monitoring appointments and everything. I feel really fortunate that I have a job where I can take that vacation time and/or work from home. I told my boss that I was doing IVF and that's why I needed to take that time off, and she was super supportive. I haven't really told other people at work, though.
(tw - loss)
I had a second tri loss earlier this year, and by that time, I had told a couple of people at work including my boss that I was pregnant. That meant I also had to tell them about the loss. I have been fortunate that my boss was super supportive (she told me she had once experienced a miscarriage herself) so I felt comfortable telling her I was also doing IVF. (end tw)
But I don't really want to tell a lot of other people because I don't want them to think "oh she's just going to be on maternity leave soon anyway" and pass me over for work I want to do. Do you guys worry about that at all?
I'm very close with all my co-workers, but it's just such a delicate balance and deciding how involved you really want people to be. Because we're small it's not competitive or anything, I don't have to worry about that aspect. Hopefully that doesn't add too much stress for you!! Glad you're taking the 2 weeks off and can really focus on the process!
I'm very fortunate that my husband has been through some basic EMT training so he will do all the shots for me. (Like, I'll leave work and go to his office if I have to, haha.) I could get over it if I absolutely had to, but I don't even look when I get shots now so having to do it myself is a no-go.
TTC since 2012 | Unexplained Infertility -- Sept 2017 found cyst seemingly confirming previously suspected endometriosis | IVF Sept/Oct 2017 Negative | FET scheduled early December
"When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, It is well, it is well, with my soul."
Where are you ladies from, if you don't mind me asking? I am from Minnesota and we are having a mild summer this year. Which is nice because apparently you can't heat some of the drugs over 77 F... So now I am paranoid that the FED EX will overheat my drugs.... UUUGGGHHH
TTC since Aug 2015,
BFP Apr 2017 - late diagnosed EP, right tube removed, left tube scarred.
Dx: tubal IF
IVF Sept 2017, 7 R, 6M, 6F- 4 blasts, 1 transferred fresh - CP
FET #1 Dec 2017- BFN
FET #2 Jan 2018- CP
FET #3 BFP!!! EDD 12/15/2018!
@DecemberDoll27 yay drugs!! I was the same way. There's something so nice about having all of what you need in your own hands, it's one more step and one less worry! Most of ours came in coolers with ice packs if they couldn't go over room temperature(and there was a little temperature indicator on the bags of those drugs too to make sure it didn't go over at any point in the journey, super helpful). It's muggy and hot here in GA so they would've had to in order for them not to cook
It's nice that you'll be off of work @adirat ! I'm planning to work from home as well some during that time, it's nice to have that option.
TTC since 2012 | Unexplained Infertility -- Sept 2017 found cyst seemingly confirming previously suspected endometriosis | IVF Sept/Oct 2017 Negative | FET scheduled early December
"When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, It is well, it is well, with my soul."
TTC since Aug 2015,
BFP Apr 2017 - late diagnosed EP, right tube removed, left tube scarred.
Dx: tubal IF
IVF Sept 2017, 7 R, 6M, 6F- 4 blasts, 1 transferred fresh - CP
FET #1 Dec 2017- BFN
FET #2 Jan 2018- CP
FET #3 BFP!!! EDD 12/15/2018!
@decemberdoll27 yay for meds! that's awesome. I have to order mine tomorrow because they overnight them and I wanted to be home on Friday to get them for the whole temp reasoning you had. I didn't know they would be in a cooler! It's too hot in Colorado for them to be outside. I love MN. My husband is from there!
alatimer85 I feel the exact same way about telling every person if there were a guarantee. It is so hard with IVF because people know the exact days of egg retrieval and transfer. That is so much more information that anyone should ever know about someone else's reproductive system.
I wonder how all the meds will be. I thought stims was longer for some reason so that has been a pleasant surprise but who knows how pleasant any of this will be! My first shots are a week from today! eeeek
@alatimer85 that's nice that it's all done out of his office. Thankfully because my husband's in the medical field he did most of the tracking down of different prices for meds but if I'd had to do that and compare, it wouldve been really overwhelming. I had hoped that the office would have some sort of program like yours to keep it simple!
@DecemberDoll27 did all of your meds come in ok? I've been unhappy in my job but have staid in order to keep going through IVF so I can imagine how frustrating it was to have to cancel because of that!
I wish that the world knew more about infertility and see the hardships that you deal with in order to have what others have so easily. Even just your ladies stories, my heart hurts for all that you've gone through. I hope that one day in the future people will have more empathy and respect for women who go through all of this! Have you guys told your family you're going through IVF?
@DecemberDoll27 I'm so sorry for your loss. I also hope ivf is the ticket for you. Losing a tube must be so traumatic.
@esikes1228 We told our families that we're doing ivf but we're purposely being vague about the timeline. I don't want to have to field questions about how many embryos we got or whether my test was positive in real time -- I want to be able to know those things just the two of us and share them when we're ready.
My parents and my FIL are helping us pay for part of the ivf too which is really nice since otherwise it would have taken us months to save enough money. So we definitely had to tell them!
@adirat We are in the same boat with telling our family and I feel exactly the same way about keeping the details private just for me and DH.Also I feel like my old school in laws think that IVF babies are some how not as good.... ( Don't even let me get started on that!) And DH is a little ashamed of having to go through IVF as a result. We have MFI and no good tubes ( I still have one present but it is severely scarred. My Dr said that if we try on our own again we will have another ectopic and that will be it) So we are fertility special Olympics participants here, IVF is the only chance.( I have a weird sense of humor, don't mean to offend anybody)
TTC since Aug 2015,
BFP Apr 2017 - late diagnosed EP, right tube removed, left tube scarred.
Dx: tubal IF
IVF Sept 2017, 7 R, 6M, 6F- 4 blasts, 1 transferred fresh - CP
FET #1 Dec 2017- BFN
FET #2 Jan 2018- CP
FET #3 BFP!!! EDD 12/15/2018!
TTC since 2012 | Unexplained Infertility -- Sept 2017 found cyst seemingly confirming previously suspected endometriosis | IVF Sept/Oct 2017 Negative | FET scheduled early December
"When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, It is well, it is well, with my soul."
TTC since Aug 2015,
BFP Apr 2017 - late diagnosed EP, right tube removed, left tube scarred.
Dx: tubal IF
IVF Sept 2017, 7 R, 6M, 6F- 4 blasts, 1 transferred fresh - CP
FET #1 Dec 2017- BFN
FET #2 Jan 2018- CP
FET #3 BFP!!! EDD 12/15/2018!
TTC since 2012 | Unexplained Infertility -- Sept 2017 found cyst seemingly confirming previously suspected endometriosis | IVF Sept/Oct 2017 Negative | FET scheduled early December
"When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, It is well, it is well, with my soul."
TTC since Aug 2015,
BFP Apr 2017 - late diagnosed EP, right tube removed, left tube scarred.
Dx: tubal IF
IVF Sept 2017, 7 R, 6M, 6F- 4 blasts, 1 transferred fresh - CP
FET #1 Dec 2017- BFN
FET #2 Jan 2018- CP
FET #3 BFP!!! EDD 12/15/2018!
So im unsure of what to do. One of our medicines has a temperature indicator to help show if it goes above room temperature. It showed it had when we got it so we had the pharmacy send us a new one. We got it and it looked fine but then yesterday when I came home it showed it had gone slightly above. It's hot here in GA (heat index of 105-110 ) our air runs all day and I don't think we can feasibly keep it any cooler but now I'm not sure if my meds are still good Will probably call the nurse at the drs office and see what she says but I really hope we don't have to reorder just because it went a few (probably 1-2) degrees over 77. Fingers crossed!
*edited because it didn't post it all originally*
So what did you find out?
TTC since Aug 2015,
BFP Apr 2017 - late diagnosed EP, right tube removed, left tube scarred.
Dx: tubal IF
IVF Sept 2017, 7 R, 6M, 6F- 4 blasts, 1 transferred fresh - CP
FET #1 Dec 2017- BFN
FET #2 Jan 2018- CP
FET #3 BFP!!! EDD 12/15/2018!
@esikes1228 Honestly, that just seems ridiculous! I can't imagine it is that sensitive, but hopefully you can call and they can reassure you either way. We don't have central air so hopefully I don't have any issues with storing any medicines when that time comes!
TTC since 2012 | Unexplained Infertility -- Sept 2017 found cyst seemingly confirming previously suspected endometriosis | IVF Sept/Oct 2017 Negative | FET scheduled early December
"When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, It is well, it is well, with my soul."