Hey all! I thought I'd start a thread for us ladies in the IVF process wherever we are!
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Hi! Great idea!
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Hey! You found the thread! So let me start by explaining why we're doing IVF...a few months into TTC, DH saw a urologist to find out if his varicocele was the reason I wasn't getting pregnant. 2 SAs both showed 10% motility and the urologist said we needed IVF with ICSI. So we went to the RE and after all the tests he said DH was fine but I had diminished ovarian reserve - my FSH was 9.6, AMH was 0.25, and AFC was 5. So we still needed IVF, and soon. We decided to do one round of IUI with injectibles to see if I even responded to stims and they were surprised that I had a decent response. So, here we are!
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@spaniellove: Good Luck! We did IVF with ICSI 2 years ago and have a 20 month old boy. We are going to start a FET this summer. My husband doesn't have vas deferens so they had to get the sperm from his testicles.
In my experience, the progesterone shots were the worst. I was allergic to something in them.
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@brownie: That's exciting that you're doing FET! My fingers are crossed for you guys! The progesterone shots tend to be in a peanut or sesame oil base, and since I have a peanut allergy my RE had me just use Endometrin. Do you think that might be an option for you this time around?
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@spaniellove: Wow. I'm not sure what those results mean, but I believe you! I bet you're relieved you went to the urologist and RE when you did rather than waiting.
You did one round of IUI and now you've moved on to IVF? Or are you doing a few rounds of IUI first?
@brownie: Sorry, what does FET stand for? I get really confused with all the acronyms.
How many cycles of IVF did you do before your success ?
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@brownie: Good luck with your FET this summer! I'm 17 weeks pregnant through IVF with ICSI and my husband is already planning our next baby. Question - do you have to give yourself injections for a FET?
@spaniellove: Good luck with your IVF cycle! I asked to skip the PIO injections but they wouldn't let me. I was scared of them but you have a better reason! Haha.
@derevival: We also only did one IUI cycle before moving to IVF. My RE recommended moving to IVF earlier than expected due to my husband's low post wash numbers.
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@spaniellove: I doubt it. Last time I was able to move to suppositories at 6 weeks because it was not a FET.
@derevival: FET - Frozen Embryo Transfer. We only cycled one time. We knew that we had to do IVF due to the Cystic Fibrosis so we went for it immediately after getting married.
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@swedishfish: At least progesterone but we meet with the RE Friday so I will let you know when I find out more.
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@derevival: Just the one round of IUI. We were supposed to go straight to IVF but in a situation like mine the protocol can be hard to get right and IVF often doesn't work, so it was cheaper to use an IUI cycle as a way to test out meds than to have a first failed IVF cycle.
@swedishfish: Thanks! I actually think my clinic doesn't like the injections because of the side effects!
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@spaniellove: I was told that I had to do the PIO injections before my transfer because endometrin made it too messy for the doctor to properly place the embryos during the transfer. As soon as my transfer was done, I switched to endometrin...which I hated!
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@spaniellove: what have you found surprising or should I know about the shots? Do you or your DH inject them?
Has your doctor or will he give you odds of success with the IVF?
Reading this blog, I don't know how people can go through so much to get pregnant. It is really a testament to their character and strong desire.
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Thank you for starting this thread, the original infertility thread is getting way too long to follow! I will hopefully be starting IVF cycle #1 in the next month or so. We have a 23mo DD and are experiencing unexplained secondary IF. Our workup showed no issues whatsoever, which is both reassuring and maddening at the same time. Our RE brought up IVF at our very first appt, so since my HSG didn't turn up any problems all we have to do is wait for approval from our insurance company.
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@mrsmate: that IS maddening and frustrating! It seems you, me, and spaniellove are on the same schedule. How long will it be until you hear fom the insurance?
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@derevival: 7-10 business days. However I can't get into see my RE for my HSG follow-up until the 24th, bc she's in demand. They're supposed to call me in case of cancellation, but we'll see!
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@spaniellove: sorry, another question! What is the afc test you talked about in the first post?
@mrsmate: oh, no! Thats too long of a wait! Oy.
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Hi ladies! I'd like to join in, too. I am currently 16 weeks pregnant after an FET (frozen embryo transfer) in October. I think there are a couple of ways to prepare for FET, but mine was a medicated cycle, so all my natural hormones were shut down with Lupron injections, and then we added back estrogen (I wore patches, but there are pills and suppositories, too) and progesterone injections. We had 10 embryos frozen from a failed fresh cycle over this past summer. So we transferred two embryos this cycle and I am pregnant with a single little one. FET was actually a lot easier on my body than the fresh cycle. I'm wishing all of you best of luck! Let me know if you have any questions!
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@greenthumb: congratulations! I was worried about how successful a FET was, but it sounds like technology has really improved and the success rates are still as high as fresh transfers.
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@GreenThumb: how many did the thaw to get the two? We have 5 left and aren't interested in ever doing a fresh cycle again.
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@brownie: They only thawed the two that we transferred. I was worried about that, too, but I think if they are good enough quality to freeze, they have pretty good success with them coming back out ok. I don't blame you on not wanting to do a fresh cycle again. I'm hoping I won't have to either!
@derevival: I do think that the freezing technology has improved (at most labs) to the point that FET success is rivaling fresh IVF, especially in cases like mine. I developed Ovarian Hyperstimulation Sydrome during my fresh cycle and my body was all out of wack for that transfer. Luckily I didn't get too sick, but it was not a surprise that it didn't work. The frozen cycle was so much less stress on my body, we were pretty sure it was going to be a better outcome. I'm actually not scared at all about doing another FET in the future.
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@GreenThumb: That is good to know. It was what I was hoping for personally. That gives us essentially 2 or 3 tries with 5 embryos.
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@derevival: The shots get easier after the first few! I did them myself b/c I figured I could control how fast/slow they were going in. Oh, and AFC is antral follicle count...where on a CD3 they count how many follicles you have. 5 is kind of a worst case scenario!
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We met with the IVF coordinator this morning and gave all of our consent forms and finally have a date and our finalized protocol. I'm starting whenever AF starts on/before 2/10 and am jumping right into stims (Bravelle and Menopur) without Lupron or BCP. We're going to do a single embryo transfer if at all possible, but you never know what will happen with the embryo quality. And there was some confusion over whether we'd do half ICSI or all ICSI...so that's still TBD. One month left!
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@spaniellove: So excited for you! Glad you got a date set!
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Just wanted to wish you all the best! After two years of infertility struggles and surgeries, I got pregnant from our 1st try at IVF a year ago. I have a 3 mo. old son now! Unfortunately, we had no embryos left to freeze, so he truly is our miracle baby! I wish you all the best and let me know if you have any questions. I used Bravelle and PIO injections after the transfer until the end of the 1st trimester. Not fun, but they really do help keep your progesterone up higher!!
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@spaniellove: yay! Congrats! It moves so quickly once you get past all the prelim blood work. Feb 10 will be here soon. I start my shots Feb 08.
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@derevival: We'll be going through it together then! I start my shots Feb 11. Though at least half my cycles are less than 28 days so it could be sooner!
Question...does anyone ever not do antibiotics? I thought z-pack was mandatory, but it wasn't even mentioned today. She only told me to do the trial transfer next week and call as soon as I get my next AF.
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@spaniellove: at least you already know what to expect with your experiences with IUI. I am doing the trial run on the 24 and get my calendar Feb 08. I think my doctor prescribes doxycyline as an antibiotic. Really won't know until later.
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@spaniellove: My DH and I had to take antibiotics before my saline sonogram. Do you have an IVF nurse? I would call and ask.
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@derevival: If you can take anything other than doxycycline I'd definitely recommend it. I took that the morning of my hsg (because it says you can take it on an empty stomach) and proceeded to vomit relentlessly. It would be better with food, but I heard a lot of people have bad reactions to it, so if you haven't taken it before I might ask your doctor if there's an easier alternative.
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@spaniellove: @derevival: I also took doxy with both of my transfers. As @marionberry: says, it is really rough on the stomach. I did better with it if I had food maybe an hour or two ahead of time - not first thing in the morning on a truly empty stomach. Definitely got sick at least one day and had some bad nausea.
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@derevival: Apparently I'm getting in rather early! My RE is at a top Harvard-affiliated teaching hospital, so I'm sure people come from all over to see her. A good thing and a bad thing.
I agree with the above posters that doxy is no fun! I was only on it for 3 days for my HSG and I felt yucky the whole time.
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I found the answer to my question about antibiotics in the retrieval instruction forms! They have me taking z-pak starting at egg retrieval.
@mrsmate: Are you at B&W by any chance? The 24th will come up sooner than you think!
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@spaniellove: yes I'm at b&w. I had my DD there too. I'm very lucky.
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Hi ladies, I just wanted to let you know I'm here if you have any questions. Quick background, we did two fresh cycles and one FET. I had a "chemical" pregnancy with the first, ectopic with the second and I am now 14 weeks pregnant following a FET. I'm rooting for all of you and hope I can be of support.
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@spaniellove: I wanted to respond to you about the PIO shots. I first had them in sesame oil and after a few weeks I had a reaction. They were able to switch me to progesterone in olive oil. It was so much better. Check to see if that is an option with your allergy. As much of a pain the shots are, I preferred them over suppositories
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Does anyone know the chances of a twin pregnancy with two embryo transfers? Does it completely vary person to person? TIA!
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@derevival: @spaniellove: Hi Ladies! Looks like we are going to be cycle buddies. If I am correct in guessing my cycles, I will also start my shots around February 10th.
For those of you who don't know me, I have been TTC for over a year now, with 3 failed IUIs (2 clomid, 1 injectables). Diagnosis of mild endometriosis and slightly poor morphology. I responded well to injectables, so am hoping that bodes well, although did have a very short luteal phase (9 days as opposed to 12 days) so I need to ask about that. We do our IVF class on 1/14 and other work ups that day too.
We will be brave together!
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@mrsmate: Yay! Glad you got an earlier appointment. My RE told me the odds of twin and triplet pregnancies is an increase of 5 to 10% respectively.
@brady80: thanks for sharing your story. I hope we are successful as you have been!
@raintreebee: I'm glad we can be brave together.
I agree that doxy stinks. I should bring this up soon to get it changed if possible. Great suggestion.
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@brady80: I had no idea they came in olive oil! Do you remember where you got them? Like if you had to get them from a compounding pharmacy or you could just order them like the rest of your meds?
@raintreebee: You're right, we will be brave together! I'm not glad you have to go through this but I am glad you found this thread. Hopefully this is sort of a fresh start from the IUIs.
Eek, my clinic called and wants me to order the meds now. But they also told me they're giving me some Bravelle and Menopur! It makes me worry about how much I must be using.
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