7th Natural cycle IVF(w/o meds) and finally BFP!

[Briss]

dovkav, age is definitely on your side! I so wish we started when I was 5 years younger. never mind. your eggs are great!! with natural IVF we were given 25% BFP and 10-16% live birth so basically you need around 10 attempts! not great odds. I think it's just luck was not on your side and there were mistakes like with your dramatic ET – this should not have happened! I'd try again with your second clinic when you ovulate from your left ovary. I totally agree there is no reason why you should give up TTC, you will succeed and have children! nothing else to say

 

[Briss]

just had my first scan on CD 5 and so far so good; 8 follicles on the left, all different sizes; only 2 on the right. follicles on the right are not collectable as the needle will have to go through the cyst and puncturing the cyst have a risk of infection; lining looks very good it's still menstrual but the triple layer is coming through; good blood flow. waiting for my blood results but for the time being I am staying on 125 Gonal F. EC is likely to be Sunday/Monday CD11/12. seems a bit early?

My poor DH had to pay the full amount today and he was slightly shocked so I had to take him for a cup of coffee so he could recover. tbh, I'd much rather part with the money then have to go through stims! we had a bit of a chat about what wonderful things this cycle could bring about finally and I think his mood gradually improved. He decided to cancel drinks tomorrow cos he felt foolish for drinking and damaging our chances while paying so much money for it. finally he is showing some sense!!

we paid for the embryoscope (in case we will have more than 2 embryos). I hope it's worth it. they said it's most likely to be 3 day transfer cos by day 3 they can see through the embryoscope all they need to know about the embryo's chances and they believe my uterus is the best place for it so the sooner it can get in there the better.

My next scan is on CD 7.

 

[dovkav123]

I am glad everything goes smoothly to you ! 8 follicles
Great news!
I am happy your hubby realizes to quit drinking, you may be luckier this time.
I asked my RE about drinking, should he stop before ER? She just smiled and told me that he should drink minimum always.

My clinic charges 200 euro for ICSI for one egg.
We don't need to do that next time. My RE confirmed that my egg fertilized but had 3 pronucleus instead 2. Chromosomal problems with sperm or egg.
But IVF lab told me that egg didn't fertilize. Why did they lie?
I have to clear this out!
CD11, 12 is not early I had ER done on CD12.

 

[Briss]

dovkav, I remember with our first IVf the embryologist was giving us about 70% that the egg will fertilise properly meaning that it will have 2 pronucleus the next day. I was so nervous waiting for the news. the egg is supposed to get rid of its half and take on the sperm's and if it does not do that you get 3 pronucleus. I think they may treat it in the same way as the egg not being fertilised? if it's not fertilised you either wont get any pronucleus at all or get 3, if it's properly fertilised you will get 2. basically the embryologist told us the same day that the egg was mature and they managed to proceed with ICSI but it's only the next day that they told us that the egg fertilised and has 2 pronucleus and then on the second day they told us it divided into 4 sells.

it's great that DH might be quitting beer but it takes 3 months to make a sperm so I guess the damage has been done already. still I am really hoping he wont do any more damage.

 

[Briss]

I had my second scan today on Cd 7 (6th day of stims) and it's bad news I am afraid. my ovaries are not responding to stimulation, only 2 follicles have grown since last scan. They are considering two options (i) cancelling the cycle or (ii) increasing Gonal F from 125 to 300. I am really not sure what to make of it. I hated the idea of stimulation to begin with and was happy to do another natural cycle with just one egg so to me going through hated stimulation and cancelling the cycle after I have already consumed so much meds is just unthinkable. On the other hand increasing FSH almost 3 times is worrying as my two leading follicles may grow really fast (the largest is already 16mm) not giving the eggs a chance to mature properly. There is no guarantee that my other follicles will respond to higher dose so I may still end up with just 2 follicles but much sooner. Was told to start cetrotide today to supress LH (am still waiting for my bloods). my lining is perfect: 9.8 mm /triple layer but what's the point… I am trying not to get emotional here and just take what comes

 

[bettybee1]

If it was me I would increase too 300 mlu !!!! And go for it what u got too loose!!!

Don't worry about been on day 6 with hardly nothing I was 20 now 21 when I started ivf with a v high afc & amh is good


1st cycle 8 days of stims with 150 mlu nada just lining change , 225 for another 5 days got progression collected 8 eggs

2nd cycle 8 days of stims 225 nada just lining change 6 days of 300 16 eggs !!!!

3rd cycle 225 for 8 days tiny weenie process ! Up to 300 for 2 days back down too 225 15 eggs. !!!!

I say go for the more stims !!! X

 

[Briss]

bettybee, thanks for responding! I just got a call from the clinic my estradinol is 1,516 and LH 6.3, they want me to go up to 250 of Gonal F and start cetrotide to suppress LH for the next two days. I am going for it so fingers crossed it will result in more mature eggs and a healthy pregnancy

 

[bettybee1]

250 mlu is probley what u need !!

Your estrogen levels are good for where u are !

Most. People stim for 12-16 days your only on d6 plenty of time x

 

[Electricat]

I had my second scan today on Cd 7 (6th day of stims) and it's bad news I am afraid. my ovaries are not responding to stimulation, only 2 follicles have grown since last scan. They are considering two options (i) cancelling the cycle or (ii) increasing Gonal F from 125 to 300. I am really not sure what to make of it. I hated the idea of stimulation to begin with and was happy to do another natural cycle with just one egg so to me going through hated stimulation and cancelling the cycle after I have already consumed so much meds is just unthinkable. On the other hand increasing FSH almost 3 times is worrying as my two leading follicles may grow really fast (the largest is already 16mm) not giving the eggs a chance to mature properly. There is no guarantee that my other follicles will respond to higher dose so I may still end up with just 2 follicles but much sooner. Was told to start cetrotide today to supress LH (am still waiting for my bloods). my lining is perfect: 9.8 mm /triple layer but what's the point… I am trying not to get emotional here and just take what comes

Wow - I actually understood all what you are talking about here, cuz I had my first consultation today and they explained the procedure for me.
I'm sorry you have to worry about the increased medication, but I think I would do as mentioned, just go ahead instead of cancelling cycle.
Wish u best of luck!

 

[Electricat]

AFM

I'm officially (or secretly really, because OH and I are the only ones knowing we're trying for a baby) on the IVF rollercoaster!

I had my initial consultation yesterday which was my CD 22.
Doc did a scan and it looks like my lining is the culprit (or at least part of it, because I have no idea if my eggs are rotten), it was only 5.5 mm and that would not be able to sustain a pg. I have thought that it is a problem with my very short and light periods, but Dr. Google has calmed me down as I read about other women only having three days of flow and it not be a problem. Looks like my instinct were right - remembering back to before I had my IUD in for 15 years (Doc did say it could be the reason for poor lining).
I had 11 follicles on my two ovaries and a healthy looking Corpus Luteum.

Doc suggested a mild stim cycle and endometrial scratching.
Have any of you ladies in here had that done? If so - did you think it helped?

Anyway, we turned around really quickly and decided to get it done my next cycle so I needed to get the scratching done in this luteal phase. AF is due in the end of this week.
Did a beta to make sure I wasn't pregnant (yah, with a lining of 5.5, not gonna happen, but just in case I wanted to make sure). It came back negative and I was scheduled for the scratch and IVF consultation today

The scratching was ok - a bit painful, but the nice nurse let me squeeze her hand as much as I wanted and it was done in like 10-15 minutes.

I got a batch of Gonal F in my fridge and when AF arrives I'll start with a 125 dose on CD2.

Hopefully everything will work like clockwork with no hiccups....like the fact that my OH (who's in the army) is back from his one week tour by the time of egg collection

Please, dear don't come too early, and don't come too late...Saturday would be - puuurrrfect.

...assuming that I react like expected to the drugs

GL to all of us!

 

[Briss]

Electricat, did they do the scratching with no sedation? you poor thing! I can only imagine how painful it must have been. My clinic offered the scratching but I refused cos my lining seems to be OK. I know they recommend it to everyone cos it showed to improve IVF success rates but I think we have other more pressing issues to worry about.

you are starting the same protocol as me, I also had a 125 dose of Gonal F from on CD2. best of luck with your cycle, I hope it all goes to plan and the timing will be perfect! keep us posted.

btw, did they recommend anything else to improve your lining?

 

[Electricat]

Briss
No, they don't offer sedation for that - they say take painkiller before procedure so I took a couple of Tylenol.

Yes, I grabbed the opportunity because it seems like my problem is the lining.
Time will show if it helps.

No, they did not say anything else to aid with lining except the Gonal F.
(and moving around ofc. to help blood flow to uterus)

Does the drugs make you feel different? Emotional? Hot? Itchy - skin turning green?? I don't know! lol

I worry about sticking myself too.. sigh.

 

[Briss]

TMI these meds make me super horny... that's a definite "side effect" cos I am not normally like that so early in my cycle. I hope it's a good thing, anything that helps blood flow to that area is generally great. also my AF was only 5 days with no tail end spotting, my usual AF is 6 days + occasional 1-2 days spotting. last night I noticed I started getting really bloated, last IVF it only happened after ET but this time around it's only CD 7 and I already look slightly pregnant.

do you drink red raspberry leaf/ red clover / nettles / mint tea? it's supposed to help with the lining I drink it daily until ovulation/EC (there is a small risk of uterine contractions so better to stop after O) and I drink nettles + mint daily throughout the cycle.

 

[bettybee1]

Don't drink raspberry tea!

Just stick too green or black decaf tea !

Yeah my 'fu fu ' kind off swelled a lil making me want it all the time haha !! Now am pregnant am the same !!! Apart from it stings now !! Strange !!! X

 

[Briss]

bettybee. green tea is great but it does have caffeine so I try to mix it up with caffeine free teas. decaffeinated coffee/tea is best avoided cos they use chemicals in the process. there are some that are being decaffeinated with water but it's not easy to find.

bettybee, you should not drink Red Raspberry Leaf tea cos you are pregnant but it's actually supposed to be very good for fertility in general and lining in particular while TTC (still better to stop after O just in case).

"Red Raspberry Leaf help to tone the uterus. It also helps to lengthen luteal phase. It also helps to improve and promote blood flow to reproductive organs. The various properties of Red Raspberry Leaf help to strengthen the lining of the uterus and thus improve the chances of implantation."

https://www.naturalfertilityguide.com/raspberry-leaf/

 

[bettybee1]

Oh okay. Thought you meant too support lining implantation!!

I eat Brazil buts & walnuts

Green. Tea overrules the tiny amount off caffeine init !! One cup a day won't harm !! Hun x

I stopped eating process foods and refined sugar

Aldo drank a glass of milk a day & pineapple juice xxx

 

[Briss]

It looks like the stimulated cycle just does not work for me. there is very little progress on the scan this morning. CD 9 and 8th day of stims, two dominant follicles are still there 14/16 mm there is a third one at 9mm which may catch up so they want to keep me on stims for 2 more days but depends on my bloods today. Follicles on the right did not grow but that's OK cos they cant access the right ovary because of the cyst anyway. Generally the doc said if I need any more IVF in the future she would not recommend doing any more stimulated cycles cos I had 2 follicles on my natural/modified cycle as well so same result with much less meds. oh well, I sort of knew that with my high FSH I am not a great IVF candidate hence the reason the NHS is refusing the funding. The good news is that my blood flow to the ovaries, follicles and uterus is very good and she said it's a positive sign and there is hope that the egg quality is good so at least there is that. the lining is perfect 11 mm triple layer. They will most likely still proceed on the basis of two follicles but will do 2 day ET. I am thinking whether we still need to pay 600 for the embryo scope cos it's not going to make a difference in choosing the embryo as there is no choice but it may give us some more info on how the embryos are developing which may explain the chemical last cycle but then again with day 2 ET there wont be that much time and into its just going to be 4 cell embryos. The strangest thing is my ovaries feel so full and heavy as if they are giant and filled with hundreds of follicles, I am also bloated and had a fair amount of bleeding after the injection last night, tummy is still hurting.

 

[Electricat]

Sorry about your slow progress, Briss - but as we all know, it only takes that one egg
Crossing my fingers for you - I sooooo hope it goes well for you, it gives me hope for me (makes no sense, I know but it makes me feel better).

I'm just waiting for CD1 - looks like it's gonna be right on time tomorrow as I was spotting after my run today.


Fingers crossed for us

 

[Bkrispy]

I am thinking natural/micro/mini (whatever spiffy name each clinic calls it..)
I had to have my tubes removed 7 years ago. But other than that, I conceived spontaneosly for both ectopics, with blocked tubes, first in 3 months, and second in 6. So I think I should be golden for this.
I don't want to be popping in here and asking a bunch of dummy questions, but is this realistic?? I want to know if this actually is a good idea, or if it's more cost effective to just go ahead with traditional (as apposed to 10 rounds of mini)

 

[Briss]

Bkrispy, there is no simple answer unfortunately, it all depends on your stats and age and your general attitude towards medication. We had one natural cycle and were almost successful but not quite. It was very straightforward and I did not feel like my body was messed up and was ready to carry on going every other cycle. I am now doing stimulated cycle and actually regret it because so much drags is being pumped into me with very little difference in result to my natural cycle. I really hope we are successful but if not it will probably take some time for me to recover before I can carry on again. I guess my initial feeling that stim cycle is not for me was quite accurate but we will see. I think the best way for you would probably be going around a few clinics are asking questions about what they recommend but generally clinics like stim cycles more cos the success rates are higher and they can control the cycle with little expense. natural cycle requires lots of monitoring and working weekends and clinics do not like it. it looks like your only issue is tubes so I do not see why you would not be successful on your first try with a natural cycle.

afm, My bloods are back and it looks promising, estrogen went up to 2,678 but LH dropped back to 3.9 (I did not know it could go down I thought it only goes up until the surge but apparently not) which is great (also means that cetrotide is working) cos hopefully I wont be having my surge just yet and we have a couple of days of stims to see if the third follicle will catch up. Would be nice to have a choice and maybe even to have a spare one to freeze.