Lets talk STIMS....

mcgeeva · February 2018

Can everyone give me an idea how long your stims lasted? With my IUI I had to do 13-17 days of stims. I am trying to figure out with this IVF if I cancel my boys birthday or move out a week in case my stims run longer. My retrieval is tentatively set for March 7th which would leave room for 12 days of stims. I can't remember if stims are different in an IUI protocol because you don't want too many mature follies especially with PCOS, where IVF they want as many eggs as possible. I'm a super slow responder as well. TIA

kristimh80 · February 2018

It really all depends on how your body responds to meds. My clinic gives an average of 10 - 12 days, but I only stimmed for 8 full days, then the 9th day they had me take an extra shot in the morning for an extra boost. When I did IUI's, I was only on Follistim and got 4 follicles to grow, but my body for IVF loved Menopur and went a little crazy, so medication cycle didn't last as long as it was with IUI's. In IVF you are given a lot more medication, so you may be good with 12 days...there's just no telling till you get started.

mcgeeva · February 2018

Thank you! Crap I don't know what to do. If say on the worse case scenario I stim until the 7th and retrieval the 9th, I would probably be okay for the 10th. But the 10th would be completely out if it fell that day since your put under. This planning around stims/retrieval/FET has me a little bonkers.

stephanienj · February 2018

@mcgeeva . My office says avg of 8-12 for stims. I'm expected to start stims on 2/23 (long Lupron protocol) with ER tentatively scheduled for 3/5.

mcgeeva · February 2018

@stephanienj based on your protocol would you make sure not to plan anything on the 7th?

artemis618 · February 2018

I’ve stimmed anywhere from 7-11 days, triggering the day following my last FSH shot each time:

Antagonist - 9 days
Luteal lupron #1 - 10 days
Luteal lupron #2 - 11 days
Microdose lupron flare #1 - 7 days
Microdose lupron flare #2 - 8 days

Not sure if that’s helpful since everyone’s different. Details of those cycles are in my signature.

mcgeeva · February 2018

Thank you! I feel bad moving my kids birthday but would be worse to have to cancel all together.

Now I also have two baby showers i'm co-hosting and a work event I'm running all in the month of April when I will have my FET. I guess whenever this happens the other stuff will have to wait.

kristimh80 · February 2018

@mcgeeva Once you have an idea of possible retrieval date, I wouldn't plan anything for that day or the following. The following day, you'll mainly feel a little crampy, but you don't want to over-do it. Least from my experience! The day after I felt good to try to do normal stuff at home and found myself out of breath and needed a break. If do a FET, that shouldn't be a big deal. But if doing afresh transfer...you'll want to take it easy, as your body has undergone a lot.

mcgeeva · February 2018

kristimh80 I'm doing a FET. I actually no nothing about this. Will this be exactly like the mock transfer - with embryos of course? Just asking pain wise.

funkykey · February 2018

@mcgeeva - tbh, in my experience, plan for the worst case scenario. If that means moving the birthday, move the birthday.

I actually felt worse the day before the retrieval than I did the day after. About 2 days before the retrieval, I felt awful - very swollen and uncomfortable. I had to take it really easy. But I know other women who've had the opposite - just terrible situations that happened after ER.

I mean, hopefully you'll feel fine and everything will be great, but IF has a way of making things painful in surprising and twisted ways.

Good luck!

mcgeeva · February 2018

Aye thank you funkykey - true it's all unknown

kristimh80 · February 2018

@mcgeeva Still waiting till March for my FET, but from what I've been told it's the same deal as your mock transfer. Full bladder, etc...I think that was the worst part for me during the mock transfer! lol

mcgeeva · February 2018

kristimh80 because you have to pee???

stephanienj · February 2018

@mcgeeva , I don't plan on scheduling anything for the entire week of the 5th. It's tentative for ER on the 5th, but my paperwork says it could be any day that week based on my follicles and scans as to when they have me trigger. And I'm doing a fresh transfer, so that'll be 5 days after. This is my first IVF, so I doubt I'll be able to concentrate on anything other than obsessing over all of this. I've given my supervisor at work a heads up of what I'm doing, so they know I'll have many appointments, and need varying days off, of which I won't have much notice. Trying to only take off the day of the retrieval and the day of the transfer as I work from home a couple days a week, and are hoping that the day after both will fall on my days home, but if I have to take the entire week off, then so be it!

mcgeeva · February 2018

@stephanienj that’s really smart! I don’t have much leave and work with older individuals that don’t have kids so it’s already a struggle trying to prove myself so no one will know I’m going through ivf until I’m pregnant. I also will only take off for retrieval and that’s it! Good luck to you!! I hope yours is successful!

stephanienj · February 2018

@mcgeeva . Best of luck to you also on your cycle, fingers crossed! Luckily I work in a department of pretty much all women, mostly all in their 20s-30s with the exception of a few, and get quite a bit of vacation time. I've told a couple of co-workers that I'm close with, and my supervisor, but not everyone. Last year I had thyroid cancer, and had to take a bunch of time off for appointments and tests and then 10 weeks off for surgery and radiation, last month I had to take 6 weeks off to have surgery to remove 6 fibroids from my uterus, and although, it's no-ones business at work what I'm taking time off for, I just find, that when I have to take a lot of unplanned time off, open communication (at least with my supervisor, who has always kept our conversations in confidence) has made things run smoother. I also never had a requested day off denied because of it coinciding with someone else's vacation, or an audit, or any other reason days off get denied, lol.

mcgeeva · February 2018

@stephanienj holy cow you have had a long year. I’m so happy to hear your in a good place to be able to start this journey cancer free. With your situation I would completely understand being open since you gave so much going on and endless dates out of the office. I have a close gf this past year who had her second and found out she had breast cancer when breast feedings she did a retrieval to save her eggs for later but is still battling cancer a year later. We though after her mastectomy she would be good for radiation but they just found a spot on her sternum

Its an awful road. I hope this is a much easier process for you over you last year. You guys are my hero’s seriously. I am not that strong.

stephanienj · February 2018

@mcgeeva . Best wishes to your friend, breast cancer is a tough one. Any cancer is stressful and exhausting, but fortunately for me, the we found mine early, and honestly, if you have to choose a cancer to get, thyroid is the one you choose. But regardless, any diagnosis like that gives you a new outlook on how you approach things. And don't underestimate yourself, it's amazing how strong you can be when you need to be! You're undergoing fertility treatments, trust me, you're much stronger than you're giving yourself credit for!

Lets talk STIMS....

Re: Lets talk STIMS....

Choose Another Board

Search Boards