IVF with donor eggs

radmom27 · February 2018

@knottie7777 I don't want to minimize the process, but choosing a donor wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. Here are some of the things I considered:
1. Availability
2. Prior pregnancy/success with previous donations
3. # of eggs produced in previous cycle
4. physical background (was hoping for someone who looked somewhat similar to me)
5. Education
6. Reasons for wanting to donate and associated essays about how the donor considered egg donation, whether they would be willing to be contacted in the future etc.
@JamieH2000 When is your next ERA?
@rachelh0912 Thanks for your support! Did they decide what they are going to do with your cyst? At least it gives an explanation for why your estrogen is elevated.
@laurad75 Thank you!! I'm excited to be PUPO again. I'm thinking sticky thoughts

How are you feeling?

prudence9-2 · February 2018

@radmom27 good luck tomorrow!!!

c-town18 · February 2018

@knottie7777 - Welcome! My advice is to use a proven donor. I had my first donor attempt cancelled due to a donor that was a poor responder (despite being in her mid-20's); there were warning flags that she wasn't going to produce a good number of eggs but I was caught up on the fact that she looked a lot like me, was my exact height, same ethnic background, etc. so I ignored the fact that she had not produced a solid number of eggs in the past. Big mistake and we're out a lot of money because of it. So this time around prior results were the number one factor in choosing our donor. It paid off, we have a bunch of PGS normal eggs now and are just awaiting transfer.

radmom27 - Good luck tomorrow! We're all rooting for you!

rachelh0912 - Any more info on the cyst? I really admire how you roll with the punches and seem to have such a good attitude about all of this.

AFM, the plan is for an April 4th transfer if my body cooperates!

rachelh0912 · February 2018

@radmom27 I finally got my blood work results back and my estrogen went from 684 on February 7th to 29 at today’s visit and my progesterone was 0.078 which my RE said meant that the Lupron is FINALLY working for me and the cyst shouldn’t be a problem and he expects AF this week! Although I have heard that before.. so here’s so waiting even longer! Haha

@ChiTown16 Thank you so much for the sweet words! I try very hard to stay optimistic but sometimes it feels as if I’ve become so used to bad news that it doesn’t surprise me anymore! I’m hoping we are very close with our transfers if I don’t run into any more obstacles!!

JamieH2000 · February 2018

@rachelh0912- gosh cysts are the worst and so are delays. Lots of prayers that AF finally comes and you can get going!

@radmom27- happy transfer day!! come tell us all the details!!! My ERA is in 3 weeks on 3/21. Baseline is tomorrow and start estrogen on Friday. I just want to get this over with and get a receptive result hopefully!

@chitown16- wow, only 5 weeks until transfer!! we are all getting closer!! So happy there are no more roadblocks for you!

@laurad75- so happy things continue to go well

Hopefully we will all join you on the other side soon!!

laurad75 · February 2018

@knottie7777 I took a lot of time to choose our donor but I was super picky. I ended up going with a first time donor but there was so much about her that I really liked I still felt good about it. My donor has similar features to me and just seemed like a great person. She's also brilliant and athletic (she was a star soccer player and swimmer which were my husband's sports) and that was important to us. My genetics don't have a lot of athletic talent. You'll know your girl when you find her but have some back ups because things don't always go as planned. We were very lucky that our first time donor responded very well to her meds and produced 35 eggs (19 fertilized). She was a home run in every way.

I'm rooting my ass for all of you. Looking forward to hearing a good report from @radmom27 later.

adc0417 · February 2018

@radmom27 Hope the transfer went well!

@laurad75 we too have picked a first time donor. Just curious, how long did the entire pre-screening process took(from the day you signed all contracts and made a payment to the agency)?

radmom27 · March 2018

Thanks everyone for the positive thoughts and well wishes! I had a transfer today of two cute little embryos and am official PUPO!!!! I've been taking it easy and trying to not overthink things. I would love to join laurad75 on the other side and have everyone else come too. It looks like April will be a busy month on this board. I can't wait!!!

knottie7777 · March 2018

Yay for your transfer !!! Sending some prayers your way.

JamieH2000 · March 2018

@radmom27- aww so exiting to be PUPO! The tww sucks of course, but its the only way to get PASP i guess! Keep us posted if you decide to test

rachelh0912 · March 2018

@radmom27 Yay!! So excited for you! Sending lots of prayers your way! Hoping this is IT!

rachelh0912 · March 2018

Oh and @JamieH2000 thank you so much for the encouragement! My RE wants me back if no AF by Tuesday so I’m keeping everything crossed! Don’t you start estrogen tomorrow?!

laurad75 · March 2018

@adc0417 We reserved our donor on 8/10 (with our agency payment) but we knew she wouldn't be available to come in to the clinic for pre-screening until Sept so there was a short delay. She completed a clinic questionnaire in the meantime and then went in for screening on 9/22. The results came back on Oct 6 at which point we completed all the attorney paperwork and contracts and got our coordination dates once that was all done.

Is that helpful?

@radmom27 PUPO! stick babies stick!

JamieH2000 · March 2018

@rachelh0912- I am crossing everything for you as well! But glad they have a plan to see you next week if there is still no AF. There isn't much they can do about cysts, but wait, but its nice to have ultrasounds to see whats going on rather than wondering. I am officially cleared to start estrogen tomorrow. and then lining check next thurs and the following Thurs. Hopefully start PIO on Sat 3/17 with ERA on Wed 3/21. So that part should come quickly! Then its just the 2ish week wait for ERA results that I will be so nervous for. Not sure how I will handle it if we don't get a receptive result this time... I believe we would still move forward with transfer, but I wouldn't feel so confident if we didn't figure out my receptive window...

c-town18 · March 2018

radmom27 - Whoo-hoo! We're all rooting for you! Glad to hear the transfer went well!

adc0417 - For our second donor, we first put a "hold" on her on October 10 so my doctor could review her medical records, she had medical and legal clearance (ie all contracts signed and everything cleared with the clinic) by December 15, she had her retrieval on January 10 or so. Our clinic required that we have her DNA karyotping done so that took a little while.

AFM, my cycle is being crazy again but my RE still thinks we're on track. When I take BC now it has be progesterone only for medical reasons, but turns out they don't suppress me. So took a trigger shot on Tuesday and going in on Monday to check if I'm luteal and hopefully starting lupron then.

I

adc0417 · March 2018

@laurad75 @ChiTown16 Thank you ladies. We reserved our donor mid February and she’ll be getting her pre screening blood work and ultrasound done on March 20. They had to wait this long since she’s on bcp. Once that is cleared, then she’ll be scheduled to come in to our clinic for donor day. Ahhh still such a long road.
Btw, we just signed our agencies contracts. Did you get a lawyer involved as well? Is it required?

Good luck on Monday @ChiTown16

laurad75 · March 2018

@adc0417 Yes, we hired an attorney that specialized in third party reproduction. Your clinic and/ or the agency should be able to recommend someone. You definitely want a legal contract because third-party reproduction is such new technology that there aren't really laws protecting the IP (intended parents) or the donor. We were not able to start any meds until the contracts were signed.

c-town18 · March 2018

adc0417 - We had to get our own lawyer and pay for the donor's lawyer as well. The agency required it.

Hopeful_mom · March 2018

@radmom27 thinking of you sending you all the sticky vibes in the world!!

knottie7777 · March 2018

Went to meet with counselor , she’s not really a fan of the frozen egg banks since you can’t actually meet the person but as long as we are comfortable with their profile , we would get a pretty extensive file about them I feel ok about it . In the middle of the ERA cycle now , will probably be end of next week sometime

radmom27 · March 2018

@Hopeful_mom Aw thanks for checking in! I'm desperately hoping for good news at my beta next Monday. I feel like it is years away. How are you doing?
@knottie7777 Good luck on your ERA!

c-town18 · March 2018

OK, my body appears to be on track now and I stated Lupron last night! Here we go! We are still aiming for an April 4 transfer.

Here's hoping for a big next few months on this board!

JamieH2000 · March 2018

@knottie7777- goodluck with your ERA. I have my second ERA in 2 weeks (my first one was post receptive which is really rare, so we want to confirm that I am receptive with only 4 days of progesterone). I hope it gives you some good answers!

@radmom27- how are you hanging in there so far? the tww is such torture, but hopefully this is your last one ever!

@chitown16- yay for starting lupron!! Exciting that your transfer is only 1 month away!! I'm hoping for lots of good news on this board as well!

rachelh0912 · March 2018

Sorry I’ve been so out of the loop ladies!

@JamieH2000 ERA is getting close! I hope you feel excited! Yay!

@radmom27 I also hope things are flying by for you! Or at least not dragging by painfully slow! I hope this is going to be real news for you!!

@ChiTown16 I hope the Lupron treats you well! How many days is your RE planning to have you on it? There’s so many different protocols I’m learning about when it comes to Lupron! I hope things move fast for you!

AFM AF FINALLY showed on sunday and I had my baseline appointment today! I’m waiting to hear results for my blood work and hopefully start estrogen today or tomorrow which puts us at a transfer sometime during the last few days of this month! That is *IF* we don’t hit any more roadblocks!

c-town18 · March 2018

rachelh0912 - I'll go it for about a week until AF (hopefully) comes, then I'll start estrogen after my baseline if all looks OK and be on that for about 20 days and stay on the lupron for most of the time (or all? Can't remember) but at a lower dose. Then do I think 5 days of progesterone at the end.

radmom27 · March 2018

@ChiTown16 I'm glad you're on the road to transfer!! Starting meds always makes me feel hopeful.
@JamieH2000 I'm hanging in. I'm not doing that well at distracting myself but am trying my best. I probably should have had my beta on Saturday but I have to wait until Monday. It seems like light years away.
@rachelh0912 I'm so glad you finally started your cycle. Fingers crossed that your bloodwork is perfect and that you get to transfer ASAP!

JamieH2000 · March 2018

@rachelh0912- yay for AF! Hope your baseline went good and NO more delays!!

@radmom27- can't they do it on Friday instead?! Are you POAS?

radmom27 · March 2018

@JamieH2000 I'm out of town and don't get back until Saturday so I didn't every protest or fight the beta delay. I have a feeling they're making me wait because last time I had a chemical which sorted itself out with an extra two days so maybe they are hoping that I sort myself out before my beta. I can't help myself and POAS religiously. TW...but not really a TW...I'm getting positives but I got positives last time and it ended up being a chemical. Until my beta is positive, I still consider my POAS stuff negative.
Do you have a lining check tomorrow?

JamieH2000 · March 2018

@radmom27- positives are always a good sign!! I would rather see lines now than not

but I get your hesitation to get exited. I think it’s important to know if you are having chemicals though, so I think it’s good you are testing! Lots of prayers it keeps getting darker and you have a high number on Monday!! My lining check is tomorrow... hopefully no unhappy surprises bc that’s the last thing I need!

laurad75 · March 2018

@radmom27 I won't congratulate you but I'm happy that we are moving in the right direction and sending lots of good thoughts for a great number on Monday.

@JamieH2000 Good luck today with the lining check!

fivetimesnoluck · March 2018

@prudence9-2 I do have an undiagnosed immune issue. My RE is not sure what it is exactly but suspects it has interfered in my previous pregnancies. I had an elevated CRP level the whole time, which was another monkey wrench we had to manage. I also had a big issue with blood flow from me through the placenta to baby girl. At delivery, my OB commented on how my placenta was “done” and the pathology report supports that. Apparently even with a donor egg, my body still did not like being pregnant. Fortunately, my RE is amazing and stayed involved in my entire pregnancy, making adjustments to my protocol along the way, even after I was released, since managing these factors that could lead to loss is his specialty.

@radmom27 keeping all the things crossed for you.

@adc0417 my selection from the frozen egg bank was a first time donor and we had success the first transfer. She was just the best fit.

@knottie7777 Interesting your counselor gave that opinion. I actually preferred frozen eggs because it is anonymous. To each their own, but I didn’t want to meet or have a relationship with my donor. Less complications and less risk of delays, etc. - the eggs have already been retrieved and all the paperwork on their end was done long ago! The donor we chose did opt-in to future contact should our child want to connect with her at 18 or older, but that’s up to them and a long way off....

Y’all are on the way, ladies! I’m excited so many are so close to transfer!

Just came are here to wish you all a Happy International Women’s Day - y’all are some of the strongest and brightest women I “know” so I feel like this day is definitely meant to honor you!

Also, as a random aside, if you never have and you find yourself interested - check out the hashtags #deivf or #deivfsuccess on Instagram for some encouragement. I know our circle seems kind of small sometimes, but there’s plenty of us out there!

JamieH2000 · March 2018

@laurad75- Thanks girl! Working hard to join you on the other side

@fivetimesnoluck- good to hear from you! Happy Women's day to you also! I haven't been on instagram much since its all babies for my friends.. but I will have to check that out!

AFM- lining check went alright. My lining was at 7.6 and estrogen at 126 and they like to see 8.0 and 150+ , so we are adding vaginal estrace. So fun. But I have 7 days until my next check so hopefully we can get it to 9mm+. its just an ERA, so I just want it to be thick enough to do that....

prudence9-2 · March 2018

@JamieH2000 glad appt went well!

@fivetimesnoluck good to hear from you!!! Did they gave you anything extra for the immune issue?

radmom27 · March 2018

@JamieH2000 Do you take oral Estrace too? I hate my IM estrogen but it's worked better than anything I've tried so far. Keeping my fingers crossed that in a week, all is perfect and you can get your ERA over and DONE!
@fivetimesnoluck Thanks for checking in and Happy Women's Day!!! How's your sweet little peanut?
@laurad75 Thanks

I'm trying not to think about the outcome positive or negative but am failing miserably

fivetimesnoluck · March 2018

@prudence9-2 I was treated for the immune issue. My protocol was fairly unique. I believe the primary pieces related to immune function were two prescriptions: dexamethasone (steroid) and plaquenil. The plaquenil is an anti-inflammatory drug that my RE uses and my dosage was adjusted for both meds throughout the pregnancy as needed.

@radmom27 The baby is doing great, thanks for asking! She was 6 weeks early, so she’s got some catching up to do size-wise, but all in all she’s just perfect. I’ll be checking back here for your updates next week. ❤️

prudence9-2 · March 2018

@fivetimesnoluck so far they didn’t find any immune issue for me or any other issues. I wonder what tests I can request before my next transfer... so happy to hear your little one is doing great!

knottie7777 · March 2018

For those of you that have done an ERA test , did you take anything beforehand? The first time I took an Ativan but I’m not convinced I need it , wondering if I can just go for it and then go to work after .

JamieH2000 · March 2018

@radmom27- almost monday! Hope this weekend goes fast for you! Yes, I am on oral estrace once per day and patches, and now vaginal once per day too. Next check in is Thurs and if its all set, I start PIO on Sat morning at 11am- 4 days before ERA exactly.

@knottie7777- I took ibuprofen, but not sure it made much difference. it was like a really bad cramp that was only like 10 seconds long. And my RE did it a second time because she wasn't certain she got enough tissue the first time. It wasn't fun at all, but short and bearable. Now I am doing a second ERA and while not looking forward to it, not dreading it as much as I was the first time.

radmom27 · March 2018

Tomorrow is the day. I am officially freaking out. I hope you all are doing well!

prudence9-2 · March 2018

@radmom27 good luck tomorrow!!!!

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