February 2018 IVF

greenhillgirl · March 2018

ChristenMA83 it looks like we're still transfer buddies. I had monitoring today and my lining is at about 8mm. I'm hoping the call today will confirm to start PIO on Thursday and transfer 3/20. I don't want to stay on estrogen for another week!

@Ilky from what I understand, the transfer isn't as closely timed because your lining can stay thick for a while and it just needs to be between about 6mm and 20mm thick. My doctor only does transfers on Tuesday so it is all based around that. They aren't even talking cycle days for my timing- just focusing on whether it will be 3/20 or 3/27. I understand having to stress about something. I'm stressed about the PIO and how uncomfortable it might be!

mcgeeva 6 to test sounds good. FX for you!

artemis618 · March 2018

@mcgeeva. Two to test (or did you say 6?!) is better than none to test (what I had from my first February retrieval)! Still two chances

. My current clinic uses Combimatrix, and my last RE used Genesis. With my last RE, the first one we had blasts to test, we got the final count on Friday afternoon and the results the following Monday afternoon (so next business day!). But I think they were only going down the street to Beverly Hills or something. With my current RE, I got my results 11 and 10 days after retrieval (my AF consistently comes 10 days after retrieval, so this last cycle I found out on CD1 and September’s cycle I found out the day after CD1 - the day before my 40th birthday, and the best birthday present ever). So I think they usually tell you longer to manage your expectations. Fx!

@roisis My AF after my first retrieval last year was worse than my retrieval! (And we got no blasts to boot). Surprised me how bad it was.

@ChristenMA83 This is the one I did in January (natural cycle): https://www.igenomix.com/tests/endometrial-receptivity-test-era I did a medicated FET I November. I didn’t have implantation failure per se (saw the sac and the yolk sac), but I wanted to see what natural cycle would look like since as I mentioned before, I didn’t like the Estrace, and wanted to investigate before transferring another precious embryo. There’s also the Yale endometrial function test (EFT), but I haven’t looked into it: https://klimanlabs.yale.edu/infertility/eft/

kristimh80 · March 2018

@Ilky Yay!! I hear you girl, it's always something! I think I'd rather be later than early since you can usually implant naturally 6 - 12 days after ovulation. Plus our embryos are already 5 - 6 days old already. It would make me feel better.

mcgeeva · March 2018

artemis618 yep I have 6 to send off for testing now

Hoping I at least have 3 to work with at the end of the day

heddamae · March 2018

Hello ladies....work has been so busy lately, I haven't had a chance to keep up with the board. I hate to fly-by post, but I also didn't want people to be concerned about our outcome. We received our BFP last Wednesday with our beta (271). Our subsequent betas were 831 and 2099. Headed to first ultrasound on Monday. So excited to hear a heartbeat.

I'm going to try and catch up on the board now, but I have some reading to do.

kristimh80 · March 2018

@heddamae Congratulations!!!

Orlaa · March 2018

@mcgeeva So sorry you're disappointed, fingers crossed they're both strong and healthy!

@greenhillgirl I watched a video online to help with the PIO shots as my SO is a total sissy so I'm doing them myself. You have to stay in the area above the butt crack, outer half of the cheek. I don't find the shot itself painful but afterwards it feels like I've done a million squats or something

Rubbing the area after the shot definitely helps. Honestly I thought they'd be worse.

@heddamae Congratulations on you're BFP! How are you feeling? Best of luck with the ultrasound

A lot of transfers coming up. Good luck to you all!

AFM I did my second and third betas. They went from 313 to 894 to 1725. My doctor is happy with them and now I'm waiting for him to let me know when the first ultrasound will be. I'm finally beginning to believe it's real although I know it's still early days

heddamae · March 2018

@Orlaa I feel pretty good. I am extremely tired (but that could also be from working so much), my nipples are hyper-sensitive and sore, and I have awakened in the night a few times with heartburn. Otherwise, I don't really have many symptoms. No nausea or anything.

roisis · March 2018

@heddamae Congratulations!!! That's fantastic news

ChristenMA83 · March 2018

@heddamae congrats! so nice to see so many positive outcomes this month!

shae44 · March 2018

@heddamae. Congrats! Best of luck on ultrasound!

mcgeeva · March 2018

heddamae congrats!! Love seeing BFP here gives the rest of us hope

[Deleted User] · March 2018

@greenhillgirl. You got this. When I did mine myself I did two ways, either standing but leaning on the counter/sink so I had no weight in the leg I was going into, or else laying down, which if you are home and can do it, just made it that much easier to reach. I got everything set up in advance a bit, so when my alarm went off I could just go do it and get it overwith.

The needle is not that bad, honestly, it looks way scarier than it is. We actually tried with thinner needles and it made it much harder to push. So ibthink it's 25g maybe, or 22g, I can't remember, but just remember, a thicker bore is there to make it easier to push the oil through.. ;)

1. Once you're cleaned and prepped, jab it in quickly, like a dart. If you don't, you may not even break the skin initially, or it will only go in partway and that was way weirder to me, than just BAM! It's in type of thing.
2. Then try to rest your wrist against your body while you push the plunger. It was a little tricky to bend my wrist that way, but it helps so so much for stability to keep things from wiggling (and hurting/bruising more later) while you press.
3. Have your gauze/alcohol pad ready and waiting on your body nearby, (if laying down), or wherever you can grab it easily once you remove the needle. You may not get a bleeder 10/10 times, but that 11th time when it gushes and you have nothing ready to press, it can be pretty startling! No harm done, but it was like the one time I wasn't ready, I got a gusher and it went all down my leg bc I was flailing and totally unprepared. And then it never happened again. ;)
4. Do what works for you. I would rub a bit right after right on the site, but the heating pad actually gave me more of a red itchy patch, so I quit using it. You'll be fine, once you find your groove. ;)
5. Finish with chocolate. It works better that way! ❤

*typos

Ilky · March 2018

@heddamae congratulations! So happy for you!

suzycupcake · March 2018

@mcgeeva I was thinking about you today. How are you doing? I saw your post about the hypertension and the fertilization. What's next?

ChristenMA83 · March 2018

I started the prometrium suppositories today, and about an hour later started having massive cramps. Did anyone else experience this? And if so, did it get better after you were on it for awhile?

mcgeeva · March 2018

@suzycupcake thank you!! I’m quiet now I’m waiting the next week or two for pgs results and once I have it they will plan out my FET. Feels like it’s going slow now so just trying to fill the time. How are you doing?

mcgeeva · March 2018

ChristenMA83 I never really felt different when using prometrium suppositories.

kristimh80 · March 2018

@ChristenMA83 No, I never had side effects from prometrium. I did always take them at bedtime, so if there were side effects, they wouldn't be too bad. Only thing I remember is it always felt like I had put on lotion down there.

ChristenMA83 · March 2018

Maybe the cramps were just coincidence. My doc has me taking one AM, one PM. I had been hoping I could just take them at bedtime.

Ilky · March 2018

@ChristenMA83 I took the suppositories last year with the iuis and they definitely gave me cramps! I was taking it am and pm and had cramps the whole time I took them.

greenhillgirl · March 2018

@ChristenMA83 maybe you could ask to switch to injections once your dose runs out? My doctor said the injections have fewer side effects and since you do it once at night its minimal. That's why they recommended them to me, the side effect queen.

Elle131 · March 2018

Hey ladies...
Congrats on all the fabulous reports!

I’m still here lurking... I’ve been waiting on pgd results for the past 3 weeks and they finally came in so I have an appointment tomorrow at 3pm. The clinic just called to say that my RE no longer works there.... I’m devastated!!! I’m supposed to do an FET in April... I like loved my RE-she’s amazing. Now I feel shattered... I mean an RE really gets to know your body and your fertility story. How can I start with a new RE?

mcgeeva · March 2018

@Elle131 holy crap 3 weekS? That is torture!! I'm so sorry it's taking so long. Well hang in there. I guess it's better to start with someone new before you start taking any meds for a FET vs her leaving in the middle of your IVF before retrieval. Still not ideal but hopefully at the end of this none of this will matter and you will have a BFP.

mrsa2017 · March 2018

Wow seems like I missed a month lol... I’ll have to come back and respond once I have gone through and read up on everything.

Appointment Update : Both embryos implanted but only one developed. We saw the other sac but no baby

Our other miracle is doing good and we heard a heartbeat

DH and I are grateful for this LO. I go back in about a week and a half to try and see a little more.

kristimh80 · March 2018

@Elle131 Oh no, I'm so sorry for you!! Hopefully, the new RE will be a good fit as well! Luckily, You've gotten thru the hard part of egg retrieval itself. I have a feeling my FET will fall on a day my doctor doesn't do them, so I'll have a different doctor as well. Do you have a local fertility group on Facebook? Thought if could talk to others at your clinic, maybe could get feedback on another good doctor there.

ChristenMA83 · March 2018

@elle131 So sorry the RE left the clinic. Hopefully the replacement will be OK for you. Fingers crossed for a good report from the testing.

@MRSA2017 congrats on the healthy LO. looking forward to more updates.

AFM: Thanks for all the comments on the suppositories. The one last night didn't bother me, and the one this morning wasn't as bad, so I think I'll be OK once my body adjusts to this one more new thing. DH had to give his first shot last night because we started PIO and logistically it's difficult for me to give them to myself. He was not happy to stick me with a needle but did just fine in the end. It was pretty comical watching the whole thing.

Elle131 · March 2018

I got my results. Of the 3 one had sickle cell disease, the other was abnormal, and the last wasn’t tested because they didn’t have enough DNA... I’m sad but I know that God has a plan... how soon should I start a new cycle?

kristimh80 · March 2018

@ChristenMA83 Glad it's getting better for you!! When I started estrogen this week, I think my body had to addict too. I felt loopy for a good day or so. I'm not looking forward to those shots!

@Elle131 ((hugs)) Can you still transfer the one that couldn't test? Most RE's will let you start your transfer cycle when your next period starts unless they have you do BC for it. If you mean for retrieval, I believe you can start that pretty much right away as well.

ChristenMA83 · March 2018

@kristimh80 Oh something is messing with my mind too, maybe the estrogen. I've been doing crazy things, like putting raspberries in the dishwasher instead of the fridge and packing my lunch and forgetting it on the table. I'm usually so on top of things and I feel like my brainpower is significantly lower on all these meds.
The shots weren't nearly as bad I I expected.

kristimh80 · March 2018

@ChristenMA83 Yes!! In a way I like it because it makes me not care as much either! lol During ER my estrogen was really high and I swear I was spacey then too but also on cloud 9...like nothing bothered me. Plus it made AF pretty much go away!

mcgeeva · March 2018

Elle131 im so sorry

mayflower513 · March 2018

@Elle131 I’m sorry.

artemis618 · March 2018

@Elle131 I’m so sorry

. I don’t remember your age or history off the top of my head. But I’ve had two cycles with no blasts to test, and two (three if you count inseminating my frozen eggs from 2012) with all abnormal and it just sucks. And *TW* as my first transfer demonstrated, PGS is no guarantee either.

Do you know to where your RE went? Can you follow her there (assuming the lab is good)? My previous RE actually joined my current RE’s practice and she (my previous RE) sent out a letter to let her patients know. DH and I actually went through the exercise of getting the tank, collecting our frozen embryos from our old clinic, then collecting my frozen eggs from another clinic to move them to our current clinic, and while we both had to take the day off, it was manageable (even in LA weekday traffic).

As far as waiting, my first February retrieval was 2/3, and I started stimming on CD3 after on 2/15 for another retrieval on 2/26. But I’ve been doing natural start so it may depend on your protocol.

Hang in there!

greenhillgirl · March 2018

I'm sorry on both counts @Elle131 but maybe you can transfer the one that you couldn't test? Having to switch to another RE is so stressful and such poor timing!

Thanks for the tips @Orlaa and @BusinessWife I used them all and think I did a good job last night. My friend IRL who is around the same age as me had really bad symptoms after retrieval and also really bad pain/swelling from the PIO. I do know everyone responds differently but I'm usually very very sensitive. I took the retrieval really seriously and guzzled electrolytes til I peed clear and didn't have any bad symptoms after the retrieval. I could wear regular pants the next day. I'm also taking the PIO seriously and think I've found a nice little self-care & preventative ritual. I got ready for bed and pajamas on, warmed the oil, got the heating pad and massage pillow ready and then did the shot. Then I watched a half hour of TV before bed alternating the heating pad and the massage pillow on the butt area. I think I'll keep doing this and hopefully won't get the pain.

I do, however, feel more groggy and emotional. When they told me I need to stay on estrogen throughout the 2WW I rolled my eyes and sighed. I can't believe our transfer is 3/20 and we will know by 3/29 if I'm pregnant!

Elle131 · March 2018

Thanks ladies,

@Artemis0685 I’m 34 and DH 36 we are doing IVF for pgd of sickle cell. That was my 1st cycle.

My RE called me this morning and told me she left because she was being treated poorly. She has another practice and wants to continue with me... that’s some good news for me!

RE says that she doesn’t advise we transfer the untested emby... it’s crazy- what if that’s the golden child... this process is mentally, physically and spiritually exhausting but I’m still hopeful.

mcgeeva · March 2018

Happy saint patty’s day all!! Three days until a few of you transfer. Good luck ladies have a green beer tonight to celebrate

Today is my little one’s bday - we’ll not little anymore so I’ll be busy making party stuff tomorrow. One day he will appreciate the “saint patty’s day” birthday when he’s old enough. Right now everyone is scared of the leprechaun lol because daycare thought it was a good idea to bring this thing in. I die laughing every time I see this picture.

shae44 · March 2018

@mcgeeva that is super creepy. Haha

kristimh80 · March 2018

@Elle131 So glad your RE was able to get in touch with you! That's wonderful!! I say go with your gut on this one and do what you think is best.

@mcgeeva Sounds like fun day ahead for you!!! We are going to my SIL's and doing St. Patty's day stuff with her and her kids today. At first I didn't know if I wanted to deal with babies, but now actually looking forward to it! Like you said, maybe the last time for a beer for some of us!

mcgeeva · March 2018

@kristimh80 hopefully it being family will make it a little easier for you and the fact it can happen this time!

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