IVF with donor eggs

adc0417 · October 2018

@jamieh2000 You are so brave to make and share this video, thank you!! It is such a hard journey, and when we get to the point, it ends up making us so humble and grateful to the Lord above. Congratulations on your baby boy!!! You certainly deserve all this happiness.

AFM, my 3rd Beta was 17524. I've been feeling miserably nauseous since yesterday; have tried taking Vitamin B6, which hasn't helped much. My nurse also recommended taking Unisom, which made me feel so groggy this morning. To top it all off, I now have a sore throat as well. So basically, I'm a hot mess

((

JamieH2000 · October 2018

@knottie7777- I SO hope you are only a few months behind me! I will be here cheering you on!

@fivetimesnoluck- thank you! Each day I am getting more and more excited. the anatomy scan was such a mental hurdle for me!

@adirat- thank you for the support over this long journey! I love finally having good news to share with everyone!

@adc0417- thank you for the kind words! That is an AMAZING beta! How long until the first scan? Ask your RE for diclegis. Its just B6 and unisom, but its delayed release and may help with the grogginess a little!

knottie7777 · October 2018

@JamieH2000 thank you ! I have my laparoscopy surgery next week to remove fibroids and endo if there’s any left from last surgery and then we should be able to do our first transfer in January since the last one in July of 2017 which ended in a miscarriage but I’m blaming my poor egg quality for that one so hopefully this time will be the first chance at real success

JamieH2000 · October 2018

@knottie7777- this transfer is going to be SO different than your last one. Donor eggs have such a higher rate of success. At my clinic- they say 90%. Obviously things still happen (it took us two transfers of two DE embryos), but the odds are definitely on your side!!

adc0417 · October 2018

@knottie7777 yes, I agree with Jamie. Wishing you a speedy recovery from your surgery and then lots of luck on your transfer in January. Keep us posted!!

@JamieH2000 my first scan is this Friday. I tried taking Diclegis and it’s definitely better than taking vitamin b6 and Unisom individually, but it still makes me sleepy at work. Plus this sore throat is driving me insane.

knottie36f16188e7784095 · October 2018

I'm curious because I have seen a few people now mention that their ER was unsuccessful. My doctor never even mentioned this as a possibility, but I guess it depends on age, etc. Does anyone know more on the stats of this?

adc0417 · October 2018

Hi ladies, So our first ultrasound went well and we are having Twins!!! Of course, contributing to all the nausea I’ve been having. Both had a HB of 120 🙏🏼🙏🏼

c-town18 · October 2018

knottie36f16188e7784095 - my first donor had a poor response to the meds and we cancelled the retrieval and went with a different donor. Had we gone through with it I imagine we would have retrieved very few eggs based on the small number of follicles that were growing. When you say you've been people saying their donor ER was unsuccessful is that what you mean? I think the poor response that our first donor had though is pretty uncommon if you're talking about a relatively young donor with no apparent issues.

adc0417 - AHHH! I had a hunch with those beta numbers that you might have two little beans in there. So excited for you! Congrats and keep us posted.

JamieH2000 · October 2018

@adc0417- aww yay!! Congrats girl! That is so exciting and so happy they are both on track!! When do you go back?

adc0417 · October 2018

Thank you @c-town18 @jamieh2000 Next scan on 10/24, and then I graduate.
I’m experiencing some red spotting since this evening. Called the on call nurse, who asked me to put my feet up and just rest. She also said that sometimes the ultrasound (since it’s vaginal) can cause this, and that as long as it’s not a constant bleeding, I should be ok. Has anyone else experienced this after an ultrasound while pregnant?

Marley629 · October 2018

(Long time) Lurker

@adc0417 I experienced it - rest, keeping my feet up and upping my progesterone all helped!

JamieH2000 · October 2018

@adc0417- I had some red spotting off and on for a while due to an SCH. They are very common with ivf pregnancies and twins too. Don’t be alarmed if it doesn’t stop. as long as you aren’t crawling and seeing clots, you are ok. But I would take it easy- pelvic rest and no heavy lifting. If it doesn’t stop, call on Monday and ask for an earlier scan for peace of mind. I remember holding my breath for weeks 6-9 while I was spotting

adc0417 · October 2018

@Marley629 @JamieH2000 yes, I’m definitely keeping my feet up and resting.

knottie7777 · October 2018

@adc0417 omg twins !! So exciting , congratulations!

fivetimesnoluck · October 2018

@adc0417 WOW! Twins! Congratulations. I am excited for you!

knottie7777 · November 2018

How are you girls doing ? I had my surgery , the surgeon removed a bunch of fibroids and endometriosis, I’ve always known I’ve had stage 4 endo but apparently it was all over my bladder and ovaries , so he took care of that too . He said my poor egg quality could definitely be from that which is what we figured anyways . Now will heal and then in January go back for hysteroscopy to make sure everything heals well and if so can transfer in Feb!

JamieH2000 · November 2018

@knottie7777- good to hear from you and so glad you had the surgery! Sounds like you should be in a good spot come Feb!! Keep us posted- I am still here cheering everyone on!

@adc0417- how are you doing?!

adc0417 · November 2018

@knottie7777 So glad to hear you're doing well after your surgery. Hoping february can come sooner than later and you can go for your transfer then.

@JamieH2000 Thanks for checking in on me! I'm doing good; my nausea, bloating and other symptoms are at its worst in the evenings, so can't eat much for dinner but otherwise good. I have my next Ob appt on 11/26 for prenatal genetic testing. How are you doing?? How many weeks are you now?

JamieH2000 · November 2018

@adc0417- so glad things are going good (besides the symptoms). THe nights were hardest on me as well. I hope it gets better soon. Its sooo not fun, but so worth it! I am doing good- almost 26 weeks now. It really started to go quickly after 20 weeks.

fivetimesnoluck · November 2018

@knottie7777 Great news that the surgery is behind you. I check in here every so often for updates because I definitely keep you and the others I know pursuing DE IVF in my mind. I hope you enjoy the holiday season and are excited about all of the possibilities that come with the new year!

@JamieH2000 26 Weeks - you're getting so close! I am happy for you! Enjoy the holiday season with all the excitement of what's to come!

@adc0417 Great to hear from you! Happy to hear it's been mostly uneventful. Hopeful that your SCH cleared up and that the second tri will be good for you!

callingthestork · November 2018

Hi, please can you ladies weigh in and help me make a decision? I am so torn!
I have done 3 egg retrievals. I have 1 fair frozen blast from the first, 2 good quality frozen from the second. The third cycle I added supplements for 4 months to improve maturity, and had a LOT of eggs for once, but the quality/maturity was so bad we ended up with nothing. Today we visited with the RE, and decided against a 4th egg grow, and now I'm a mess. I would guess the odds of getting one good blast would be 50%, and then 50-50 whether that results in a kid--so one more cycle isn't magically going to give us all the kids we want.
We wanted a large family, like 6 kids. We just both have always thought we would raise a big family and haven't yet managed to let go of the dream.

I'm almost 36, have severe endometriosis, 70%+ of my eggs aren't mature, and my more productive ovary isn't very accessible due to endo personalizing my anatomy. AMH 5.3.
I am struggling with the thought of giving up too soon, and whether we will be okay with donor eggs after seeing how our embryos do. I am also kinda scared to do a transfer in just 9 more weeks.....weird... I am usually so impatient and now I'm terrified to get pregnant so soon?Help!
My little rural clinic in the middle of nowhere does frozen eggs unless I personally know a donor, which I don't. Our embryologist just won a national award for having the best percentage of eggs survive thawing :-).
I just would like to know any thoughts, like a poll: time to move on, or try one more time with bad odds. It is so early in the journey to KNOW what would be best! And did any of you feel differently about family size after one pregnancy, or do I just need to grieve and bury that?

P.S. I read this thread before and derived a lot of inspiration from the persistence all of you have shown. I cried at how hard the journey was for some of you. Bless every one of you, you are my superheros.

fivetimesnoluck · November 2018

@callingthestork Hi. I am sorry for your struggle. It's sometimes a long, tough road and sounds like you've been in the thick of it for a little while.

So do I understand, you haven't yet done a transfer? If that's the case, my advice is to slow down and tackle one challenge at a time. I totally get being prepared and looking at all the options and knowing (thinking about) what you'll do after x happens - but you may have better outcomes than you're expecting. I hear you on the point that no matter what, your own eggs won't likely provide for you the size family you desire and that is a hard thing to realize & accept. But, your three frosties could give you three babies. It is possible.

Moving to donor eggs is a tough decision and everyone arrives to it differently. But as someone who found success through it, and has a daughter now (who is almost one!), I can say I would do it again and again and again.

If it were me, I would likely stop retrievals and move on to transfer. If you find success with that, and it simply reaffirms the desire to have a large family, then you still have options in front of you and can transfer more of your own and explore donor eggs as well.

How ever you choose to move forward, I wish you the best. Always happy to answer questions here.

JamieH2000 · November 2018

@callingthestork- my advice would be to treat the endo if it is really severe. You could potentially get some more embryos from your eggs if the endo is addressed. If you don't want to do any more retrievals with your eggs, I would start transferring the embryos you have. Donor eggs will always be an option for future children to get your family as big as you would like!

callingthestork · November 2018

Thanks for the help, @fivetimesnoluck and @JamieH2000. Five Times, that is exactly what my RE told me! But I was so unhappy with the logical decision that I had made to not do a fourth egg retrieval, that I called the doc back and made the emotional decision to go ahead with that last stim cycle that we had saved up for.

No, I have not yet done a transfer. I was told that my odds of getting healthy eggs are much higher at 35 than if I take a year or more off. So we are banking embryos. But I hope to quit after this one last cycle, and do an ERA and then transfer our embryos one at a time.
I had a laparoscopy a year ago, the gynecologist wanted me to surgically treat my endo and estimated it would take an 8 hour open surgery with her and a gastroenterology surgeon both working. There is no part of my pelvis not thickly covered with adhesive scar tissue. I opted not to do it. I have had nearly no pain for the last 5 years, I think older lesions are less metabolically active. Sure didn't want to provide clean surfaces for new junk to grow on and return to the pain level I've had most of my life. Also was afraid of losing bladder and colon function, and ovarian tissue. So the gynecologist sent me-- immediately!--to see if an RE could get eggs out of me without surgery. The RE's opinion was that surgery would be pointless. Yes, it really hurts that the endo environment makes so many of my eggs immature and inaccessible. If my tubes had been repairable, I would have done it.

Sorry, I am just talking a lot about me. And after crying half the night, today I have a plan I'm happy with. I also have very good perspectives from you to refer to when I fall apart in the future. It is immensely comforting that donor eggs exist and can succeed if nothing else does, but as was pointed out, I need to do this one step at a time!

knottie9c27e57a67c3fe70 · November 2018

Hi everyone. I am considering donor eggs. I was wondering if anyone ever asked to quarantine/freeze the eggs for six months so the donor could be tested again in six months for hiv? I know its unlikely but I would feel more comfortable doing that.

rachelh0912 · December 2018

Hi ladies! I have been MIA for awhile but as DH and I begin a new cycle I wanted to come back and see how everyone was doing! I know most of my old friends have moved on but I wanted those who hadn’t to know I’d been thinking of them! @JamieH2000 it’s so wonderful to see you’re doing so well!!

We are currently in the estrogen phase of *hopefully* getting to a transfer! Our last donor had ended up being used in other cycles after mine and was never successful so my RE encouraged us to choose a proven donor this time (and who is actually younger than me!) which is what we did and are planning to thaw on the 10th! As of now, transfer is set for December 15th or 16th but with my track record I tend to take dates lightly! I’ll be on here often but I hope everyone (even the ones I haven’t met yet) are doing well!! Glad to be back and share this with you guys no matter the outcome!

knottie7777 · December 2018

@rachelh0912 that’s so great you have a transfer coming up so soon ! I’m glad you found a new donor , how many eggs do you have that you are thawing ? We have 12 frozen waiting for us in Feb ( hopefully if my hysterscopy comes back clear )

fivetimesnoluck · December 2018

@callingthestork I am so glad you feel a bit better. The emotions come in waves. It's good to know the options, but sometimes having so many options can itself be overwhelming. And I am so glad @JamieH2000 provided perspective on the endometriosis. That's not something I am familiar with, so I didn't know how to address. All the best as you keep moving forward!

@knottie9c27e57a67c3fe70 That never occurred to me. I am sure your clinic would work with you if that was important to you. Good luck!

@rachelh0912 So great to see you here with your update! I will keep all my fingers and toes crossed for you to get to transfer on the 15th or 16th!

@knottie7777 I hope you and DH enjoy the holiday season while you wait it out. I am sure you would like it to move more quickly, but I am hopeful for you and those 12 frosties!

rachelh0912 · December 2018

@knottie7777 oh wow 12 is wonderful!! We have 10 that will be thawed December 10th! We’re hoping we get better results this time as our last batch of 6 only gave us 1 embryo. We did PGS last time on our single embryo but chose not to this time around due to extra cost! Our donor is proven so I’m hoping I don’t regret not doing PGS later! It’s always something! Haha I’m keeping everything crossed that your results come back wonderful and you can move full speed ahead!

@fivetimesnoluck thank you so much!! It’s so nice to have support here from people who truly “get it!” I’ve only done FET so I haven’t had to deal with the extra stress of waiting to see if we have embryos ready for transfer while preparing for transfer at the same time! I’m not sure how my nerves will handle that! I should know Friday if we are able to move forward!

JamieH2000 · December 2018

@callingthestork- so happy you have a plan you are happy with! Best wishes for success!

@rachelh0912- so good to hear from you and thank you! I am so glad you are trying again

and that is awesome you will hopefully transfer so soon! 10 good eggs should hopefully give you more than 1 embryo this time! Will you transfer one or two?!

@knottie7777- good to hear from you! FX for a good hysterscopy so you can get going!

knottie7777 · December 2018

@rachelh0912 that sounds great . My doctor said with proven donors she’s seen 2-3 embryos per 6 eggs so I think we will both have good chances ! Especially since my own eggs I only ended up with 3 embryos for 40 eggs and none worked .

@JamieH2000 how are you feeling ? How many weeks are you now ? I watched your video you shared and I also had a timing issue on top of my egg quality issues , after the ERA it was determined I was 36 hours pre receptive after the original 5 days of progesterone . Thank god for that test !

c-town18 · December 2018

callingthestork - I agree with the other girls, I would transfer what you have before moving on to DE. DE will always be there as a back-up plan for you; I know having DE as a back-up plan took some of the pressure off for me when we tried our final (ultimately unsuccessful) OE cycle. Sounds like you are making a good decision even though there will be always second guessing. Good luck and keep us posted.

rachelh0912 - Glad to hear from you! I have everything crossed and am wishing you the best. Can't wait to hear the good news.

knottie7777 - Good update, and I hope your hysterscopy goes well! February will be here before you know it and 12 is a heck of a lot of eggs.

knottie9c27e57a67c3fe70 - I haven't heard of that but doesn't sound like a crazy idea to me. Let us know what your clinic says.

JamieH2000 - How if everything going with you? Did you end up finding out b or g or are you going to be surprised? Your video was intense and I'm so glad you finally got a happy ending, ugh I cannot believe how much all of us have been through.

rachelh0912 · December 2018

@JamieH2000 I’m planning on transferring one! I’m hoping we get at least one, that’s been the case with my last donor and I ended up with none out of my OE cycle so I’m cautious when it comes to numbers! Haha I won’t know until the morning of my transfer! I had my final lining check yesterday and everything looked great so I start PIO on Monday!

@knottie7777 that statistic makes me feel so much better! As I told you guys, I only got one embryo from my last donor and none with OE so I’d be thrilled with a few!! I think both of our odds look good! Yay!

@c-town18 thank you so so much! I’m hoping this cycle turns out better but it’s so great you have you guys through this! I hope I can continue to update with good news!

rachelh0912 · December 2018

I have a question for everyone! My transfer is scheduled for Saturday the 15th and in previous transfers my RE had me beginning one PIO injection in the AM and one again in the PM for 5 full days before my transfer the morning of the 6th day. But this time he has only instructed me to do one PIO injection in the AM every morning only leading up to transfer. How many injections do you guys normally do and have they ever changed your protocol like that without reason aside from a failed FET in the previous try? Probably silly but I’m covering all of my bases here! Haha

knottie7777 · December 2018

I’m not sure if my situation will be helpful for you but my clinic typically does 5 nights of progesterone (1 cc) and then does the transfer the morning after the 5th dose which is perfect for 80% of people but for me I had two failed transfers so I had to have the ERA done and I was prereceptive by 36 hours so next time I have to switch to the mornings and then I’ll have the transfer on the 7th morning instead, but that’s pretty unusual from what I’ve heard of the standard is 5 days

rachelh0912 · December 2018

@knottie7777 that’s very helpful!! My last transfer obviously failed so I was curious if that had anything to do with the protocol change! I was instructed to do 1cc every AM this time! Until I joined here I hadn’t ever heard of ERA tests but after seeing that being the key to so many of your success stories it makes me wonder! Is it common to be “off” on your timing? I know I need to at least do this transfer Saturday with a new proven donor but If this isn’t successful then I’d be very interested in trying an ERA!

knottie7777 · December 2018

My doc said only 20% of people are off in the timing, of course I fell into that , haha . Good luck with your transfer tomorrow !

c-town18 · December 2018

rachelh0912 - I only did progesterone shots in the morning, not at night. I think at some point I was supplementing with pills and/or suppositories too but I am pretty sure that started after the transfer, not positive. Sounds like a reasonable protocol they have you on to me! Good luck with the transfer! We're all rooting for you

JamieH2000 · December 2018

@rachelh0912- I also did the ERA test so i started my progesterone at an exact time before transfer. What I have read Is that only 10-15 percent of ladies have a different window of inplantation so hopefully you are fine! But if this transfer doesn’t work, I would def look into it! Im so excited for you!! Keep us posted!!!

@Knottie7777- can’t wait for you to get started! Not much longer right?!

@c-town18- how are you doing?!

AFM- I am 30+3 today. I used to think counting days was silly, but now I am counting everyday. Unfortunately I have been diagnosed with pre-eclampsia and was in the hospital for 2 nights this week. They gave me steroid shots and magnesium in case we had to deliver early. Luckily my blood pressure came down and I am now home on meds. I go in twice per week for monitoring and it’s pretty uncertain how much longer I’ll make it. So I am counting every day baby stays inside as a blessing and less NICU time. We found out we are having a boy. Overall still feeling incredibly blessed to be here but it would be nice if some part of this journey just went a bit easier

c-town18 · December 2018

JamieH2000 - All is good here, 5 days til due date and I feel fine. I'm sorry you're having a rough time. You really deserve a break! Keep us posted and I'll be thinking of you.

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