April 19 IVF

celticknotfire · March 2019

I didn't see a thread started for April so I thought I would jump in and start one! Feel free to introduce yourself and if you want to share your protocol, fears, questions, etc. I look forward to starting this journey with everyone!

celticknotfire · March 2019

Intro:MH and I are both 36 (I turn 37 on April 3rd). We previously did Femera (didn't respond), Clomid (BFN, thinned my lining and then I got a cyct), and an IUI with Gonal

**TW** Our IUI was successful but resulted in a MMC in January**end TW**

Protocol: currently on BCP (stopping 03/28), start Cetrotide and Estrace on 03/28, baseline US and BW 03/31, start Gonal (300 units) and Menopur (74 units) on 03/31, US and BW 04/04, then it's all up to how I respond

Of course I am a whole mess of emotions (as I'm sure everyone is) but excited to get started on this. We will be doing PGS because of my age and our loss. We will be using Cooper Genomics for this and they have been really helpful.

ACAC25 · March 2019

Hello, I am jumping in here. DH is 29 and I will turn 29 on April 7th.

**TW** we experienced a miscarriage of a blighted ovum in November 2017. had a D and C. **

We had testing done in may/June 2018 and found to be dealing with MFI. First round of IVF was january/February 2019 which resulted in BFN. Also found out I have eggs that seem older and are granular making fertilization and implantation more difficult. I was supposed to start IVF again right away but Dr wanted to change my insulin levels and back on BCP.

Was supposed to start round 2 on monday after 3 weeks of BC but I was told my follicles are too uneven. We are upset and frustrated. I am on metformin twice a day, an exercise regime and back on BC for 17 days. After 17 days I start a Lupron kit to spike my hormones and then suppress them. 2-3 more days of BC then AF should come 3 days later and I start menopur.

inthewoods23 · March 2019

I hope you all won't mind if I mostly lurk here since we won't be getting started until my April AF shows with an expected ER sometime in May. I'm kind of a planner so hearing and learning about future parts of the process brings me less anxiety when the time comes for us to do it.

A little about me... I'll be 30 next month, DH is 31. TTC since July 2017. DX is unexplained but DH's SA showed 1% morphology. Since most doctor's only consider that a yellow flag it was suggested we start with IUI. His number is just above the normal line so post-wash we didn't have much sperm left for the IUIs. Our 3rd IUI had 5x more motile sperm (17mil vs 3.5mil/mL) but I always felt like the 1% morph held us from success. We did our 3rd back in February and found out earlier this month that it did not work. They said we could call on CD1 to start a 4th IUI or call whenever to begin IVF.

We decided enough was enough and just had our consultation for IVF yesterday which was CD9 hence why we aren't getting started until April. I wish everyone ease and good luck in this process!

PoeMasque · March 2019

Like @inthewoods23 im going to jump on here if that’s ok, even though I’m doing May retrieval.

*TW DH and I did IVF in 2017 and have a 15 month old son from that cycle end TW*

we are unexplained IF and that first IVF cycle was labeled “unexpectedly poor” (out of 8 eggs retrieved we only had 2 left on day 5). I was 36 then and am 38 now.

So far for this cycle things look better, AFC of 17 (instead of 10) and AMH of 3.2. I was supposed to start BCP today, but they just changed my calendar and want me to have one more natural cycle so I’m not oversuppressed. The clinic used to do fresh transfers of PGS tested embryos, but the lab no longer offers a 24 hour turnaround time, so if we do end up testing, we will have a FET in June, which sounds sooooo far away!

celticknotfire · March 2019

I say the more the merrier. It's rare to find multiple people on the same schedule anyway and I know what it's like to want to learn as much as possible. I actually won't be having my FET until (hopefully) end of April anyway because of PGS.

ACAC25 · March 2019

I agree with @celticknotfire the more the merrier! I was also very nervous and curious about the process, these boards have helped me so much!
I will be having a fresh transfer likely around 25th April

inthewoods23 · March 2019

@PoeMasque In my consultation, they said our FET will be in July. I don't recall if that's because they have us do a full cycle of nothing or if that's just due to when AF is expected to start for me. Sounds like middle of May would be my retrieval so I would think the FET is in June, but I guess if testing takes quite a while it may have to be during the following cycle in July.

ellemarie7 · March 2019

Hi ladies, hoping I can jump in! I just got my period and have my baseline ultrasound appointment tomorrow morning. Puts me at an early April egg retrieval. Then we'll be doing an FET with my following period so looks like that will be in May.

This will be our second attempt at an IVF cycle. ****TW - our first round this time last year we got 23 eggs, 17 fertilized, got 5 (non-tested) day-5 embryos. We had three transfers which resulted in one being a BFN and two chemical pregnancies.**** I will be 32 next month, DH is 33. We've taken a break since the last CP back in November. I have to admit I've been feeling great and ready to get this show on the road the past two weeks but now that my period has arrived and it's go time I'm feeling nervous and a bit anxious about getting back into it

Thank god for these boards!

@celticknotfire my protocol this time around is pretty wild, since they have me on the full immune protocol. Although I think my transfer meds are more intense than stimming - those are pretty basic. I'll find a lot more out tomorrow though! Although since January 1 I've significantly cut back on alcohol, eliminated caffeine, went on a low-carb low sugar diet, and have been taking Metformin, Low-Dose Naltrexone, Vitamin D, DHEA and Coq10 per my RE.

@ACAC25 good to see you here! Hope ya'll are hanging in there

Question...you mentioned finding out that your eggs seem older and granular - how did they determine that?

@inthewoods23 @PoeMasque agree on the more the merrier...good luck with your upcoming cycles!

ACAC25 · March 2019

@elliemarie7 it's good to see you here too! Looks like we are back to being pretty close cycle buddies! My retrieval will likely by around 20th April though. What about yours?
Basically everything looked good for me (we have MFI) but after the first failed IVF he said my eggs have a granular consistency which basically means it makes it more difficult for fertilization and implantation especially coupled with our MFI. The granular consistency also means the cell division rate can be affected too if fertilization does occur. Also I'm 28 (about to turn 29 in 2 weeks) and my egg quality isnt great which he was surprised about giving my age. Unfortunately he has said there isnt much I can do to change the actual egg but my current protocol is to change the proteins and lipids around the egg to hopefully make fertilization and implantation more successful.

To be honest I dont fully understand it. Just going with what the doctor says.

ellemarie7 · March 2019

@acac25 haha yess we're back in this together! I'll know more tomorrow I'm thinking but my retrieval will probably be around the 10th or 11th? I'm doing an FET though...you're doing a fresh right? So our transfers still might only be like a week or so apart! Crossing everything that May will be a good month for us

And well, at least it sounds like your RE is super thorough to pick up on this and give you a protocol that will help!

celticknotfire · March 2019

@ellemarie7 Welcome! I'm sorry you've have to go through this again. That's crazy you have to do the immune protocol but hopefully it's just what you need!

AFM; I got cleared by anesthesia so I start my meds on Thursday and stop the BCP the same day. I'm excited to get started but also super nervous. I don't have an estimated date for ER but it will most likely be around the 9th-15th depending on how I respond to the stims. First US and BW is scheduled for 03/31 with a repeat on the 4th so hopefully I'll have somewhat of a better idea then.

I'm waiting to hear from Freedom Pharmacy with how much these meds are going to cost since I'm OOP. I'm not looking forward to that total!

ACAC25 · March 2019

@ellemarie7 ahh ok sounds good. I will be doing a fresh transfer so it does seem like we will still be pretty close! I'm thinking my beta will be about May 4th. Fingers crossed May is our month!

@celticknotfire the medication can cost so much! We are fortunate to be living in Mexico currently so the medications have been cheaper. But I have heard about the prices in other countries. 😣

celticknotfire · March 2019

@ACAC25 I just completed my order and it's over $6,000 for the meds. I thought I was going to throw up. But we will do what we need to do.

ACAC25 · March 2019

@celticknotfire Omg!! 😣😔 I'm sorry it's so much. It's not fair we have to pay so much to get our babies.

ellemarie7 · March 2019

@ACAC25 yes! I'm thinking mine will probably be around the 14th!

@celticknotfire thank you

We're hoping too...fingers crossed! The cost of meds is definitely hard to swallow. Whatever it takes right? Awesome news on getting cleared today though - looks like we'll be on a similar schedule!!

knottiecbbc8d089ec107bb · March 2019

Hello Ladies!!!

New here and new to fertility treatments. We haven’t nailed down a timeline yet but my thoughts and prayers is that it will most likely be an early May ER. I’ve learned very quickly that there is a lot of waiting therefore a lot of patience required for this process.

*About me*
I am 36 and my husband is 43 we have been TTC for almost 3 years now. DX is MFI. DH has had 2 SA and bloodwork. He’s now taking 9 supplements + clomid to try and improve his sperm count and testosterone levels. They have recommended IVF with ICSI for us. I have my SHG test, trial transfer and a follicular ultrasound scheduled for April 1st.

I am just looking for support as I go through my first cycle and any advice would be great.

ACAC25 · March 2019

Welcome @knottiecbbc8d089ec107bb I'm sorry you find yourself on these boards. However, they are a great source of help, advise and support.

ellemarie7 · March 2019

@knottiecbbc8d089ec107bb welcome! I echo @ACAC25...sorry about your troubles but these boards will give you what you're looking for. GL on your baseline appointment next week!

AFM - had my baseline this morning and all looked good....we start meds tonight. Gahhhh! They think my retrieval might be as early as April 7th. Feeling in a really good place today and ready to get started.

@celticknotfire keep us posted on your 3/31 appointment!

celticknotfire · March 2019

@ellemarie7 that is so great you are starting meds tonight! I got my big box of meds in the mail today and cleared a place in the refrigerator for them. It's a good thing we don't have any plans for entertaining because people might think we are crazy!

inthewoods23 · March 2019

@celticknotfire the thought of other people seeing any hint of fertility meds in my house would kill me! But I also haven't told anyone so it was just be majorly awkward

PoeMasque · March 2019

@ellenmarie7 I remember feeling so irritated by the wait to start stims the first time we did IVF and then feeling soooooo not ready when we actually started them, almost like there was no turning back! Excited and scared. I can’t believe meds were THAT much! We got ours from Israel (our clinic facilitates ordering) and they were only $2500. I didn’t realize how much of a savings we were actually getting!

Question for the group: is anyone doing BCP then a break for 4 days before starting stims? I’ve read it’s best to start Lupron before stopping BCP and it’s bad to have that break?? My clinic does the break and I’m wondering if I should bring it up....but I don’t feel super confident about different protocol types

they do now require CoQ10 for at least one month prior to stims (research shows better quality eggs if you take 600mg for 60 days prior to IVF), maybe they are just really slow at adopting best practices?

ACAC25 · March 2019

@PoeMasque Im not sure if I'm on a similar process to you. My process is 17 days of BCP, day 17 start Lupron kit every day, 3 more days of BCP, stop BCP. 3 days later AF shows then start stims next day. Lupron continues from day 17 through the stims process. Not sure if that helps.

And I agree about the meds. My first round was approximately $3000 in medication from Mexico.

ellemarie7 · March 2019

@PoeMasque I know haha! That's exactly how I was feeling. About your protocol question...my new clinic actually doesn't do BC (my old one did). I also did not do Lupron before this stim...I do have it though for my FET though (also no BC with that either!). Very interesting how it varies from clinic to clinic. I agree it's hard to not question everything because you just want to make sure they are doing everything they can/everything right to make it work. I don't think it would cause any harm to just ask them to explain their reasoning behind the break! My clinic does push the CoQ10 (and also DHEA if you aren't PCOS).

@celticknotfire @inthewoods23 haha I remember when my in-laws (before they knew what was going on) would come over I'd shove all my stuff in a lunchbag and leave it in the fridge. I feel like it's so obvious now looking back!

celticknotfire · March 2019

I'm lucky all our close friends already know about what we are doing. If we do have any of MH's firefighter co-workers over most of them would be able to recognize the meds because so many of them have gone through IVF.

kloe818 · March 2019

Hello Ladies! I'm new to the whole process as well. I'm still in my testing cycle. Today I had the HSG sonogram. I'm amazed at how much blood I've "donated" to this cause - I have to have lost 2 pounds from that alone! Meanwhile my husband has only donated a sample and tomorrow gets a few vials of blood drawn. We don't know yet what is causing our IF, though DH has bet me 3 paychecks worth of my household contribution that it's him.
I'm wondering what our protocol will be and when we will get everything started. Our follow up meeting for results and plan is on April 8. I already know I have blood clot issues and have another appointment on Friday of this week with a hematologist to find out if it's genetic or something else. I'm wondering if waiting on that diagnosis will delay our first IVF cycle. I did find out that our doctor's lab defaults to ICSI anyway for a higher success rate.
I appreciate each and every one of you for posting your stories so us noobs can learn and get an idea of what to expect.

inthewoods23 · March 2019

@kloe818 I'm a little confused - you're doing IVF but don't have a fertility diagnosis? Usually you need a diagnosis before the doctor decides on any treatment. They may even tell you to start off with IUIs before moving to IVF.

kloe818 · March 2019

@inthewoods23 The fertility doctor I'm working with said we're infertile but we're still testing to find out what's causing it if that makes sense. We don't yet know if it's something up with me or my husband. I'm 39 and he's going to be 45 next month so the doctor went straight to IVF due to age and hubby's ED issues.

inthewoods23 · March 2019

@kloe818 ah! It's unfortunate when age automatically puts you at IVF. Good luck! Hopefully you get some promising results!

ellemarie7 · March 2019

@kloe818 sorry to see you here but this is a great place for support

FX the results give you guys some answers and a plan!

kloe818 · March 2019

@inthewoods23 and @ellemarie7 Thank you ladies!

ellemarie7 · March 2019

Hiii ladies! Tonight is day four of stims...I'm already cranky, tired, and getting that full/crampy/bloated feeling in my ovaries lol. We have an U/S tomorrow so I'm super eager to see what's going on in there though! Hoping that everything is progressing well.

How is everybody else doing? @celticknotfire you're up next for starting stims right? Thinking of you!

celticknotfire · March 2019

@ellemarie7 FX for your US and hopefully some relief!

I did my second injection of cetrotide today and so far so good. Sunday I start Gonal and Menopur so I'm expecting some side effects with those.

celticknotfire · March 2019

@ellemarie7 god luck with your US today!

ellemarie7 · April 2019

Thanks @celticknotfire (how was day one of shots?!)!! Saturday's ultrasound was kind of stressful - they said I was responding almost "too good" to stims and I was really ahead of the game. They had me rush home to start my cetrotide a day early because we were afraid I'd ovulate early. It was day 5 and I had 16mm follicles! So I had to sweat it out all weekend hoping my follies grew today and I didn't ovulate.

Which - they did thankfully. But now I have a bunch around 18-20 and some at like 13-15. RE wants to do one more shot of Gonal tonight and get those smaller ones to catch up so I have a good group. Egg retrieval was supposed to be Saturday and they said it's most likely going to be Thursday now. It's all just happening so fast but I'm trying not to worry or stress out. There are really just never any guarantees in IVF!!

sbhawnani · April 2019

Hello Ladies! Jumping in here at day 4 of stims. I just couldn't find the April thread for my life until now

A little bit of background; I am 32 years old with a 33-year-old husband. I was diagnosed with endometriosis in 2017 and ever since then it has been 3 failed rounds of clomid, 2 laparoscopies, 3 failed IUIs, and the most recent failed IVF in February this year. None of our embryos made it to the freeze so we have to go a complete 360 with this cycle. On 225ius of Follistim and 75ius of Menopur every night for the past 3 days and have my second ultrasound and blood test tomorrow.

Keeping my hopes high and fingers crossed for everyone on this thread. Let's hope April is our month

celticknotfire · April 2019

@ellemarie7 I guess that's better than not responding at all! FX for the little ones to catch up and that you have a great ER on Thursday! Day one wasn't too bad at all

@sbhawnani Welcome! Good luck tomorrow and let us know how it goes!

AFM; Finished the Cetrotide this weekend and last night I started my Gonal and Menopur with ease. US went well I had 15 on the right and 9 on the left so hopefully some of those grow these next few days. Repeat US and BW on Thursday so it's just the waiting game until then!

ellemarie7 · April 2019

@celticknotfire true that! Glad it's going well for you thus far and GL on your ultrasound Thursday too!

@sbhawnani welcome!! sorry for your struggles

Good luck tomorrow keep us posted!

ACAC25 · April 2019

@ellemarie7 the same thing happened to me in Jan/Feb!! I had big follicles at my day 6 scan and by day 8 they were 20-26mm. I know how you feel. Hope everything goes well for you until your Thursday retrieval.

sbhawnani · April 2019

Thank you @ellemarie7 & @celticknotfire. Had my ultrasound this morning and the tech said I have 7 follicles with the largest one being 11mm. I started doing acupuncture last night and hope that it helps. Starting Ganirelix tomorrow night; the next ultrasound and blood work is on Saturday and that's when we will find out our retrieval date.
I hope everyone is doing good on their journeys so far.

ellemarie7 · April 2019

@ACAC25 ugh yeah, it was super stressful.

@sbhawnani sounds like you're progressing nicely!!

AFM - last ultrasound this morning went good...retrieval is officially scheduled for this Thursday at 9:30AM. I'm feeling good about the sizes/amount of follicles we have so I'm ready to do this! This new clinic does a Lupron trigger which is interesting, but I'm at a slight risk for OHSS again so that's supposed to also help. I'll keep ya'll posted later this week...fingers crossed for lots of eggs --> 5-day embies!

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