Can anyone who has had an IVF or used donor eggs please help?

[Nicole.]

I have PCOS. My husband and I have been TTC for 7 years. We have tried around 15 IUIs. On my form the doctor wrote infertility unspecified origin but I have always assumed it was from my PCOS. Anyway, we are getting close to having to make a decision about an IVF. Can anyone help me understand the process of going through an IVF? Was there a lot of pain involved? I have heard that there are a lot of medicines involved. Also, for some reason if we were to receive a fertilized egg from a donor what would that process be? Would I still have to take a ton of medicine? What exactly is involved? Are the chances the same as IVF? Any information helps.

 

[Starbright]

Hi Nicole

There are 2 different protocols for IVF; long and short. I did the long protocol so I can tell you a little bit about it. But I'm not sure of the process involved in the short protocol. Hopefully someone else can tell you more about that.

It will be slightly different for every couple depending on your clinic, how well you respond to the drugs etc.

You start off by down regulating (or down regging) - this stops your ovaries from producing any eggs. I believe it's done so that they can control exactly when things happen. I down regged using a nasal spray. Then once you have had AF they will arrange to scan you - this is to check that the down regging has worked properly and also to ensure that your AF has fully gone. For some reason my AF took longer than normal so I had to down reg a little longer than I expected.
Once they have confirmed down regging has worked, you will be told to start stimming. (I think that you keep down regging at the same time, can't quite remember!) For me, this was a daily injection into the top of my thigh. This makes your ovaries produce lots of eggs for collection but the eggs won't be released. You might get symptons while you're stimming like cramps, feeling bloated, tired etc. Everyone's different though and you might not get any of these. The clinic should scan you regularly to see how you're responding to the stims. Once they think you're ready, you will be told to take your trigger shot and you'll go in for the egg collection.
Egg collection can be done differently at different clinics. For me, it was practically like having a general aneasthetic. I went to sleep and woke up about 20 minutes later with it all done.
Again everyone will feel differently after egg collection. Personally I felt quite tender, tired and sore.
The next step is difficult - waiting! The clinic will try to fertilise as many eggs as possible. They should call you to tell you how many have fertilised. They will then develop them in the lab, hopefully to blastocyst. This will depend on the number of embryos and the quality. I had 2 embryo's transferred 2 days after egg collection.
The embryo transfer was more uncomfortable. You're awake and you need a full bladder so that they can scan you as they insert the catheter. Basically, they insert a very fine catheter to place the embryos inside. My husband was able to be with me for this, which was very comforting. Afterwards I had to stay lying down for 20 minutes.
Then came the 2ww. During this time I had to take progesterone suppositries - not as bad as it sounds!
They'll book you back in for a pregnancy test 2 weeks after you have the transfer.

Anyway that was my experience. It can vary depending on your clinic. They should go through everything with you in great detail.
Good luck with it all
xx

 

[lisa2103]

i have had 2 ivfs.
1st one was cancelled after egg retrieval bcoz of no fertlisation.
2nd one was a BFN.
IVF is long procedure... u need to be mentally , physically, emotionally strong for the procedure. its very drenching, but i think its worth the baby, its definitely worth the dream dat v r trying to live.
good luck to all !!

 

[W8ing4ours]

Hi, I just wanted to share my experience. My IVF cycle was very different than starbrights, as far as meds go. I started taking birth control pills ( i know, sounds funny) about 45 days before my IVF, and took active pills (no sugar ones) for 30 days straight. On day 26 or 27 of the BCPs I started 5 days of antibiotics and started injections in my stomach(Lupron), one every day in the morning. This was to stop myself from ovulating on my own. After about 10-12 days of just Lupron injections once a day, I started taking stim injections (Menopur and Brevelle) in addition. So one shot in the morning, and one at night filled with both meds mixed together. I did that for about 10 days, and then had to take the big HCG trigger shot 2 days before the transfer (exactly 36 hours, not 35, not 37, exactly 36 hours). My egg retrieval was similar to starbrights, I went to sleep in a surgery room at the hospital, and woke up 20-30 minutes later with the eggs already retrieved. I was groggy and crampy the rest of the day and just rested. I then started another cycle of antibiotics while I waited for the embryos to grow in the lab. I got to have 3 days off of shots, and then began taking large progesterone injections in my back hip area, every day. My Dr. pushed my embryos out to day 6 (actually called a 5 day transfer). I took a valium the morning of the embryo transfer, and then came home and was on strict bedrest for 2 full days following the transfer. I continued my progesterone injections everyday until 2 days ago (at 6 1/2 weeks pregnant, so about 21 days following the transfer). I also started estrogen patches 2 days after the transfer, and continued those for one week. I know my IVF protocol was more intense than most I read, but my Dr. is regarded as one of the best and I got pregnant (after 4 years of trying) on the first IVF cycle. It is a lot to go through, but looking back, I would do it all again(and I probably will for baby #2). It's a long emotionally and physically challenging road, but you can do it, and it does work. Just try to stay positive and know that it will all be behind you someday, and you will hopefully end up with the result you want, which is a happy and healthy baby. Good luck honey, baby dust to everyone reading this!

 

[Quaver]

I have PCOS, am nearly 40 and have bad eggs
I did short protocol.

CD1 Blood test
CD2 Scan, and start stims (2 injections/day. 20u buserelin & 250iu Puregon/Follistim)
CD12 Last day of stims and hcg shot at 8pm.
CD14 Egg retrieval - 19 retrieved, 14 were injected with sperm.
CD15 Got a call saying 7 fertilised.
CD17 3 eggs survived all transferred, none frozen.

It was not painful at all for me, some AF like cramps and bloating.
I was fine with the injections and got used to suppositories (after ET).

Good luck