Infertility

On the bench/Awaiting Cycles

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Re: On the bench/Awaiting Cycles

  • FishyMomFishyMom member
    edited April 2020
    My clinic is calling me off the bench!! Mock transfer May 6 with a tentative transfer May 26th!! Yay!!!! 
    ******************** BFP Warning *******************
     
    I'm 29 and DH is 32 we have a MFI (low count) 
    IVF #1 starting in August. ER 9/5/13 23 eggs we are fertilizing 15. 9 frozen
    ET 9/10 - transferred 1 perfect 5AA blast
    7dp5dt BFP ~~ Beta on 9/19 - 77.4 Beta #2 on 9/21 - 357
    Low heartbeat on 10/7 86, lower heartbeat on 10/11 76, no heartbeat 10/14/13. D&C 10/15/13
    Tests revealed MTHFR c677t mutation, put on Folgard.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    FET #1 1/6/14 - 4BB blast - BFN
    FET #2 - 3/3/14 - 5AB Blast -- Beta #1 3/12 - 152 -- Beta #2 3/14 - 358
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    FET #3 06/09/16 - 5AB Blast - Beta #1 6/18- 245 -- Beta #2 06/20 - 600
     PAIF/SAIF/PAL/SAL welcome!

  • @FishyMom Congrats on coming off of the bench!  Hopefully I won't be too far behind you with being able to start my mock cycle (I'm hoping that if all goes well, I should be able to start toward the end of next week, FX).
  • Loading the player...
  • Me too! Our transfer is May 27th!!
  • @laurelew and @sisrun24 yay!! We need a May thread! I’m so excited. 
    ******************** BFP Warning *******************
     
    I'm 29 and DH is 32 we have a MFI (low count) 
    IVF #1 starting in August. ER 9/5/13 23 eggs we are fertilizing 15. 9 frozen
    ET 9/10 - transferred 1 perfect 5AA blast
    7dp5dt BFP ~~ Beta on 9/19 - 77.4 Beta #2 on 9/21 - 357
    Low heartbeat on 10/7 86, lower heartbeat on 10/11 76, no heartbeat 10/14/13. D&C 10/15/13
    Tests revealed MTHFR c677t mutation, put on Folgard.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    FET #1 1/6/14 - 4BB blast - BFN
    FET #2 - 3/3/14 - 5AB Blast -- Beta #1 3/12 - 152 -- Beta #2 3/14 - 358
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    FET #3 06/09/16 - 5AB Blast - Beta #1 6/18- 245 -- Beta #2 06/20 - 600
     PAIF/SAIF/PAL/SAL welcome!

  • @peaceful_angel Hello! I have heard about treatment in Ukraine but they have so many clinics, how did you end up with IVMed?
  • Hey! 
    Yeah, there are a lot of them now, that's why Ukraine is usually called a Mecca of infertility treatment and surrogacy, so you should be very careful while looking for a clinic, there are a lot of scams in this sphere. 
    My husband and I did massive research on this matter and eventually we've created a list of clinics that we were confident with. I've contacted all of them, asked some questions about their programs and clinic itself, some of the clinics did have very poor communication, they didn't respond to us for days, so of course they were out of our list because of that. And finally after a lot of consideration and discussion with my husband, we decided to turn to IVMED and very happy we did. Everything went really well and I am totally satisfied with their customer service.
    If you're still looking for a clinic, I would recommend to check their website, you might find smth suitable for you
  • I see. You have written about FET, so I suppose you have embryos. Was it egg donation or IVF with own eggs? 
    I have checked their website, the prices seem very good. Did you pay for the package in one payment installment? Were there any additional payments? Refund DE programs look very compelling 
  • I'm starting the May thread.  See you there!!
    History and blog link in spoiler
    2016 - dx with super low ovarian reserve; failed cycle with clomid, failed IUI, 
    2017 - egg retrieval #1 - 3 eggs, 0 embryos appropriate for transfer; ER #2 2 eggs, 0 embryos on day 3; ER #3 1 egg 0 embryos
    moved to donor egg in summer 2017; 35 eggs retrieved; 19 fertilized; 9 total embryos
    Fresh transfer Dec 2017= BFP!  baby boy born 8/22/18

    May 2019 - surprise natural pregnancy ended in MC
    Nov 2019 FET; MC at 9 weeks
    May 2020 FET; BFN
    July 2020 FET; CP treated with methotrexate
    Oct 2020 BFP! 

    Take a look at my blog


  • edited April 2020
    I see. You have written about FET, so I suppose you have embryos. Was it egg donation or IVF with own eggs? 
    I have checked their website, the prices seem very good. Did you pay for the package in one payment installment? Were there any additional payments? Refund DE programs look very compelling 

    Yes, after several failed attempts of IVF with my own eggs, we decided to go for an egg donation programme and after the donor had an egg retrieval we've got 12 DE and only 8 of them passed the PGS testing. Didn't have an opportunity to do the transfer yet, but hope it's gonna happen in the next couple of months.
    They actually have a very flexible payment method, we paid step by step, there were no additional payments at all, all the blood tests and analyses, as well as medications, were included. 
  • lilianahope
    Oh, wait, we actually did pay some money extra, that was for the PGS testing, as we went for a classic egg donation programme with no genetic screening included. Based on my experience, I would recommend to go for a package with PGS included, it just will be a little bit cheaper than buying it separately (of course if you want to do PGS :) )
  • Thank you. how many days did the pgs results took? and do they do it on 3rd day of cultivation or 5th? And what about gender of the embryos, do they disclose the info to you?
  • @lilianahope
    We went for the pgs 24, so they checked all the chromosomes for genetic problems and did a gender testing, so yes, we know the gender of each embryo as well (we've got 5 boys and 3 girls). the results took around 3-4 weeks to arrive, cause they send the samples somewhere abroad (if i remember correctly it's Turkey, but I'm not sure). And they did it on the 5th day of cultivation, just before the cryopreservation. 
  • @lilianahope
    Usually the sex selection is very common in the US, and not that much in the European clinics, so I think Ukraine might be a good destination if you want to do the gender testing as well.
  • @peaceful_angel oh, ok. So how much did you pay for the testing? NGS24 seems veryyyy pricey. Can't find ivmed's price. How many embryos do they transfer at once, how many will you transfer? we have 2 girls but we really want a boy. My Dr said that we can only opt for egg donation, with pgd. 
  • It cost around 2k EUR for testing of 10 embryos, I think the prices are pretty reasonable compared to the ones of some other clinics in Europe (one clinic told us the price for 10 embryos is 5k USD). If ngs24 is too pricey for you and you want do it just to find out the embryos' gender, you might consider doing the pgs5. It's less expensive and allows you to check the most common abnormalities as well as determine the embryos' gender.
     How many embryos do they transfer at once, how many will you transfer?  
    We're thinking about transferring 2 embryos (a boy and a girl) at a time, and as far as I remember that's the max amount you can transfer at once.
  • @lilianahope
    oh, btw, I've just checked IVMED's website, it looks like they're holding a webinar about egg donation soon, thought you might be interested in participating  
  • @peaceful_angel I see, thanks. So, have you received any updates on your fet date?
    I have contacted ivmed, they say that they recommend initial consultation first. Have you traveled for the initial consultation? and what about the stimulation, have you stayed in kyiv ?
  • @lilianahope
    Everything is pretty uncertain now, as far as I know, they're gonna start easing the lockdown in May in Ukraine, so if all goes well I hope the country's borders will be reopened in July and we can go to Ukraine for our ET.  
    We actually did travel for the initial consultation with Dr Galina, she was very professional btw. So during the first visit we had a medical consultation, did some blood tests and my husband collected sperm for freezing. After the donor stimulation, egg retrieval and receiving the PGS results we had to come for the second time to do the ET, but as you know the corona outbreak happened, so, sadly we didn't have an opportunity to travel :( 
  • @lilianahope
    We didn't have to stay in Kiev during the whole stimulation process as we used donor eggs. We just waited for the results at home, and tbh we were lucky enough that our coordinator was always in touch with us. She was keeping us updated about everything, the date of starting donor stimulation, her next visits to the doctor, the endometrial thickness per each visit etc. We're really grateful to her for that, I think this kind of updates def made us worry less.
  • Hi everyone! I was part of the March IVF thread a while back and haven’t posted an update in a bit; I’m officially also benched :smile:

    On March 6, I had 5 eggs retrieved, 4 were mature and 3 fertilized. 2 made it to 5-day blast, but unfortunately none were PGS normal. My clinic closed in March, and I’ve been weighing next steps since. I had a consult with my RE in late March; his recommendation is to try another round with a higher dose of Gonal-F and add in Lupron as well. I had the option to start stims later this month, but I decided to try naturally for a round, while just trying to get my head back in the game.

    I’ve encountered so much disappointment between the failed IVF in March and *TW* a missed miscarriage before the holidays last year (that pregnancy was the result of an IUI in Oct), that I just need some time for my head to clear. I’m not super hopeful my natural round will work out, but you never know! I’ve been working the supplement game and have started acupuncture, and doing my best to keep my wine/caffeine way down. 

    Has anyone had an IVF round that included Lupron? Would love to hear thoughts and about your experience if so. 
    BabyFruit TickerMe: 39 DH: 38
    Together since 2007, married since 2010
    Baby girl born: 7/12
    Baby boy born: 10/15
    IUD removed 3/2018, TTC naturally until Summer 2019. Seeing RE since 8/2019.
    Current DX: blocked fallopian tube.
    IUI #1 (9/19): 50 mg clomid + Ovidrel --> BFN
    IUI #2 (10/19): 50 mg clomid + Ovidrel --> BFP
    Missed miscarriage and D&C: 12/19
    IVF #1 + PGS: March 2020 [5R, 4M, 3F, 2B, 0 PGS normal] 
    IUI #3 (6/20): 50 mg clomid + Ovidrel —> BFN
    IVF #2 (8/20): changed clinics to try new protocol [7R, 6M, 4F, 1 biopsied so far, waiting on PGS results]


  • @minnesotalove my protocols have always included lupron. Did you have any particular questions about it?
    *TW* History:
    Me: 34 DH: 36 | Together since 2007 | Married July 2016

    TTC #1 since 7.2017
    Dx: low morph (1%), ANA positive, low decidualization score, high TSH and testosterone, histone antibodies

    IUI #1-3 all BFN
    IVF #1 | 6.11.19 | 24R, 17M, 15F, 6B, PGT-A tested - 5 normal, 3 girls & 2 boys
    FET #1 | 9.10.19 | BFN "I know you, but we've never met. I'm with you, but I don't know your name"
    RPL, Receptiva, & ERA testing | all normal/negative, recommended going on gluten and dairy free diet for next FET
    FET #2 | 3.31.20 | Opted to cancelled due to pandemic, continued diet and tried naturally over the summer
    2nd Opinion with another RE | 8.20.20 | Not immune to measles (received 1 dose); SA results similar to 2 years ago; decided to move forward with FET #2 redo at start of next cycle
    Surprise natural BFP! | 9.22.20 | MC 10.23.20 at 8 weeks
    TTCAL naturally | starting 11.22.20

    Initial consultation with Reproductive Immunologist | 9.14.21
    Decidualization score biopsy | 10.1.21 | abnormal - low score of 1; endometrial scratch recommended and progesterone supplementation
    Saline sono | 10.15.21 | normal
    Bloodwork | 10.21.21 high TSH, high testosterone, positive for anti-nuclear antibodies and histone antibodies, high protein S, multiple genetic mutations
    BFP! | 11.3.21 | EDD 7.14.22 B) | biopsy provided same effect as endometrial scratch; added supplemental progesterone and estrogen, prednisone, levothyroxine, and MTX Support to maintain pregnancy
    DS born 7.19.22 after induction


    TTC #2 begins 6.2023
    Consultation with RI | 6.6.23
    Saline sono, endometritis biopsy, skin & eye check | all normal
    Labs | high TSH, Factor XIII mutation, high %CD56
    Follow up | 8.8.23 | prescribed metformin, prednisone, plaquenil, and levothyroxine
    Repeat labs after 3 weeks on meds
    Follow up | 11.9.23 | Green light!, increase in prednisone, added lovenox
    Repeat labs in 8 weeks
    Follow up | 1.16.24 | Green light continues
    TTC put on pause
  • @minnesotalove yes, my first didn't but my second did. The second one started with lupron for several weeks (I think) and then double the Menopur and maybe less Gonal F than the first if I am remembering correctly. I know I have it written down exactly somewhere. That second cycle I stimmed a little bit longer and had quite a few more eggs.
  • @inthewoods23, thanks for the reply! I am wondering if there was a difference in egg quality and/or number of eggs when adding Lupron. 

    @becca07024411, that’s great to hear you had more eggs with Lupron. I do trust my doctor, but it’s just super helpful to hear stories of how it worked for others in similar situation. 
    BabyFruit TickerMe: 39 DH: 38
    Together since 2007, married since 2010
    Baby girl born: 7/12
    Baby boy born: 10/15
    IUD removed 3/2018, TTC naturally until Summer 2019. Seeing RE since 8/2019.
    Current DX: blocked fallopian tube.
    IUI #1 (9/19): 50 mg clomid + Ovidrel --> BFN
    IUI #2 (10/19): 50 mg clomid + Ovidrel --> BFP
    Missed miscarriage and D&C: 12/19
    IVF #1 + PGS: March 2020 [5R, 4M, 3F, 2B, 0 PGS normal] 
    IUI #3 (6/20): 50 mg clomid + Ovidrel —> BFN
    IVF #2 (8/20): changed clinics to try new protocol [7R, 6M, 4F, 1 biopsied so far, waiting on PGS results]


  • @peaceful_angel how many days did you stay during you first visit? And for the ET how many is required? And what about accommodation and transport? does ivmed provide that too or it deals only with medical side?
    Sorry for so many questions, I am just really interested in their programs 
  • @minnesotalove hmmm I'm not sure! All I know is that lupron suppresses ovulation so I don't know how it affects egg quality or quantity and I can't compare it to anything since it's always been part of my protocol.
    *TW* History:
    Me: 34 DH: 36 | Together since 2007 | Married July 2016

    TTC #1 since 7.2017
    Dx: low morph (1%), ANA positive, low decidualization score, high TSH and testosterone, histone antibodies

    IUI #1-3 all BFN
    IVF #1 | 6.11.19 | 24R, 17M, 15F, 6B, PGT-A tested - 5 normal, 3 girls & 2 boys
    FET #1 | 9.10.19 | BFN "I know you, but we've never met. I'm with you, but I don't know your name"
    RPL, Receptiva, & ERA testing | all normal/negative, recommended going on gluten and dairy free diet for next FET
    FET #2 | 3.31.20 | Opted to cancelled due to pandemic, continued diet and tried naturally over the summer
    2nd Opinion with another RE | 8.20.20 | Not immune to measles (received 1 dose); SA results similar to 2 years ago; decided to move forward with FET #2 redo at start of next cycle
    Surprise natural BFP! | 9.22.20 | MC 10.23.20 at 8 weeks
    TTCAL naturally | starting 11.22.20

    Initial consultation with Reproductive Immunologist | 9.14.21
    Decidualization score biopsy | 10.1.21 | abnormal - low score of 1; endometrial scratch recommended and progesterone supplementation
    Saline sono | 10.15.21 | normal
    Bloodwork | 10.21.21 high TSH, high testosterone, positive for anti-nuclear antibodies and histone antibodies, high protein S, multiple genetic mutations
    BFP! | 11.3.21 | EDD 7.14.22 B) | biopsy provided same effect as endometrial scratch; added supplemental progesterone and estrogen, prednisone, levothyroxine, and MTX Support to maintain pregnancy
    DS born 7.19.22 after induction


    TTC #2 begins 6.2023
    Consultation with RI | 6.6.23
    Saline sono, endometritis biopsy, skin & eye check | all normal
    Labs | high TSH, Factor XIII mutation, high %CD56
    Follow up | 8.8.23 | prescribed metformin, prednisone, plaquenil, and levothyroxine
    Repeat labs after 3 weeks on meds
    Follow up | 11.9.23 | Green light!, increase in prednisone, added lovenox
    Repeat labs in 8 weeks
    Follow up | 1.16.24 | Green light continues
    TTC put on pause
  • @lilianahope
    That's okay :) I totally understand, in fact it's always useful to hear the stories of other people who had the experience in the same sphere.
    We stayed in Kiev for couple of days, but just cause we wanted to go sightseeing and we also experienced some problems to buy tickets on earlier flights, so we stayed there for a little bit longer than was needed for treatment itself. As for the ET, if I remember correctly, 1 day will be enough and it's even possible to fly back home on same day of ET, but I think we will stay a little bit longer again, as we really loved the city and wanna go sightseeing again :smiley:
    IVMED also took care of our accommodation (it was free for the first 5 days) and transport (the taxis to the clinic and back to home were for free), they provided us with a really nice flat not far from the city center, they even helped us to buy a local sim, so we call a taxi, order food etc (not all taxi drivers and delivery guys could speak good English, but we were able to understand each other anyways). Our coordinator was a very nice girl, she recommended us some places to go in your free time, which restaurants is better to go to and so on. 
  • @peaceful_angel I see, are those services the same for every program or just for the one you had? why didn't you go for the 12 weeks guarantee one? it looks like a very decent program with a refund for failed cycles... at least that's what they write. donors are ukrainian girls, I suppose? very fair? did you pay smth for the database access? 
  • @lilianahope
    I'm not sure if the services are the same for every package, I'd suggest to contact Ivmed directly and talk to their coordinators, they'll def help you with finding a suitable program and tell about their differences. We didn't go for the 12 weeks guaramtee one, cause we were on a tight budget at that moment, but I agree that this program looks more appealing.
    Yeah, the donors are ukrainian girls there, we didn't pay for accessing the database, we just filled the application form, sent it to our coordinator and then she sent us the access to the database. I know that some other clinics tend to ask for the deposit for accessing the donor base, but that wasn't the case with Ivmed clinic.   
  • edited May 2020
    @lilianahope
    So what are the programs you're considering? The 12 week guarantee and what's the other one? Have you contacted the clinic? I think they might help you to decide
  • @peaceful_angel thanks so much for your help. I have been looking into guarantee programs mostly, I think it's really great that they are ready to fully refund. I haven't contacted them yet, but I have found that they are having free webinars every week, so I have participated in two of them and looking forward for the one that will be held this week. I love their head Dr, has she been the one monitoring your treatment? she seems to be a very good professional 
  • @lilianahope
    Oh, yeah, I've participated in one of them, it was very informative tbh. That's great they decided holding webinars on a regular basis, I believe it's very useful for people, who wanna start treatment there. What the next one is about?
     I love their head Dr, has she been the one monitoring your treatment? she seems to be a very good professional 
    Do you mean Galina Strelko? Yes, she's the one who is monitoring our treatment, very professional and nice perosn, it's was a pleasure working with her. 
  • Got an email from my clinic - they’re planning on resuming cycles starting June 1. I emailed them first thing this morning asking about timelines. Now I’m refreshing my email every 5 minutes waiting for a reply... 
  • So exciting @halfanewt!  I hope you hear back soon. 
    History and blog link in spoiler
    2016 - dx with super low ovarian reserve; failed cycle with clomid, failed IUI, 
    2017 - egg retrieval #1 - 3 eggs, 0 embryos appropriate for transfer; ER #2 2 eggs, 0 embryos on day 3; ER #3 1 egg 0 embryos
    moved to donor egg in summer 2017; 35 eggs retrieved; 19 fertilized; 9 total embryos
    Fresh transfer Dec 2017= BFP!  baby boy born 8/22/18

    May 2019 - surprise natural pregnancy ended in MC
    Nov 2019 FET; MC at 9 weeks
    May 2020 FET; BFN
    July 2020 FET; CP treated with methotrexate
    Oct 2020 BFP! 

    Take a look at my blog


  • @halfanewt Such a great feeling to know that things will be able to move along soon!  Are you currently on BC that you can time your cycles to the clinic's reopening?  I wasn't and that was stressful waiting since I was due to start AF a few days before my clinic reopened.  Happily everything worked out for me in the end.  Best of luck to you!
  • @laurad75
    Thanks! I have a phone call Monday with my RE to see if I’m doing a natural or medicated FET. I thought the plan was natural (which is part of why we waited so long), the nurse said the notes apparently said otherwise.  

    @laurelew Not on BC and also due to start AF just before the clinic opens. Not sure if we’ll be able to start this cycle or if we’ll have to wait one more. Also something I’m asking on Monday! Glad the timing worked out for you :) 
  • @peaceful_angel hello again! they have offered us to ship sperm to create embryos in advance, so that we don't have to wait till quarantine is lifted. do you think it will be safe to ship sperm like that? the donor that we have chosen is available so they will be ready to start stimulation right away..
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