IVF questions...

[africaqueen]

Hi ladies.

We are not starting IVF intill next spring but i wanted to ask a few questions in preparation, seeing as the fertility clinic will not return my calls in over a wk let alone book me a appt!! im sooo livid! bloody NHS!!

Anyway... as regards the daily injections, who gives them to you? can u ask a nurse at your gp's to do it? i know i could never do it myself and my dh is so sqeamish its unreal... my friend is diabetic so maybe she could do it seeing as she injects herself everyday... i am just terrified of someone doing it who is not professional incase of air bubbles... anyone else worry like me?

Also what decided if u down reg or not? i know some women have the short protocol and go straight to stims but some need to down reg first?

As regards EC, are u given a local or general for this? and with ET can u be given sedation? as i knw they said its painless but i have had a hsg which is a tube going through your cervix into your womb and i have yet to feel pain like it! it was horrendous. I had much less pain after both my operations for my ectopics! so really scared of that aspect of it. Although of course i would endure anything to get pregnant.

Thanks girls xxx

 

[ANGEL223]

Hey - You generally do the injections yourself or your partner. Its a bit impractical to get a nurse to do it as you have to inject pretty much every day for a month or more. Its really not that much of a problem and you do get training - the first is the worst!

Your clinic will select a protocol for you but generally its the long one first time around - down reg then stims.

Each clinic is different on how they do EC - mine does general anaesthetic but that seems to be rare. ET is really not a problem but i guess they would give you something if required!

Good luck and i hope you get answers to all your questions - its so confusing at the start but this forum is great!

 

[JaniceT]

Hi ladies.

We are not starting IVF intill next spring but i wanted to ask a few questions in preparation, seeing as the fertility clinic will not return my calls in over a wk let alone book me a appt!! im sooo livid! bloody NHS!!

Anyway... as regards the daily injections, who gives them to you? can u ask a nurse at your gp's to do it? i know i could never do it myself and my dh is so sqeamish its unreal... my friend is diabetic so maybe she could do it seeing as she injects herself everyday... i am just terrified of someone doing it who is not professional incase of air bubbles... anyone else worry like me?

Also what decided if u down reg or not? i know some women have the short protocol and go straight to stims but some need to down reg first?

As regards EC, are u given a local or general for this? and with ET can u be given sedation? as i knw they said its painless but i have had a hsg which is a tube going through your cervix into your womb and i have yet to feel pain like it! it was horrendous. I had much less pain after both my operations for my ectopics! so really scared of that aspect of it. Although of course i would endure anything to get pregnant.

Thanks girls xxx

Hi Africaqueen, how are you coping and feeling? I do miss you at 1st Tri and really pray that you and you OH will be blessed with a LO through IVF. Similar to you, our only option was IVF-ICSI. I hope I can answer as many of your questions as possible.

1) Who gives the injections?
The nurse/doc will provide you with all the medications and needles. You will inject it ourself at your own home at the same time everyday. From my 3 ICSI cycles, I'd advice you inject yourself because you can determine the pain level while your OH won't be able to. That was especially crucial for me because after the first 2 cycles, the injections had thickened my skin so much that sometimes the needle just won't poke in and was sensitive. You will get used to it within a few days as the needle is very thin, unlike those thick fat needles doctors used to retrieve blood. Always remember to relax when you inject.

2) To down reg or not to down reg? It depends on how regular your period is and other factors which your doc will decide. If you're not regular, they'll put you on contraceptive pills, down reg and then stimulate your follicles.

3) EC - local or general? All three ICSI's I went through, I was put under General. Didn't know what happened ! Woke up happy for getting a good sleep after a month of stressful injections.

4) ET - normally, no anaesthesia. please inform your infertility doctor of your past experience so that he/she can prepare for your ET to get you more comfortable.

If you need anything, or any question, do send me a message, I'll try my very best to asnwer and support you *hugs*

 

[rowena]

Hi
don't worry about the injections - my nurse told me to squeeze the fat on the top of my leg hard and then put the needle in. The needle is really really fine it doesn't hurt - honest!
I also asked the nurse at my injection training about air bubbles and she said you are injecting into a vein so it is not a worry. You are taught to get the liquid to the top of the
needle.
I went to CARE in Manchester and the FS went through both protocols - but basically was telling me that he thought the short protocol was best - so I went with that.
In terms of EC I was given the choice of sedation or general (they said sedation was less risky). I went with the sedation and can't remeber a thing.
The ET transfer was like a long smear test. The nicest thing was that y
they showed us the embryos on a screen and gave us a picture.
Hope this helped - sorry it's so long.
Best of luck Hun! I'm sure you don't need luck as your eggs and hubs sperm are fab xx

 

[bugs]

Hi AfricaQueen as you know I recently had my first round of IVF at the Womens (I am still getting positive tests but no sign of pregnancy in uterus at 5wks 3 days ) and I was told that when it is your first go everyone has the exactly the same treatment down regged first and then onto stimms as they have no comparison as it's your first go. With the down regs you can get some kind of inhaler thingy rather than injections which may be better for you but I think the stimms are all injections, I agree that it is much easier to inject yourself as my partner did mine for the first 2 weeks but he wouldn't be there 1 night so I had to bite the bullet and do it myself and it was much easier. Hope this helps, I have found the womens a bit of a mixed bag really the nurses are lovely but when you want answers they tend to sit on the fence, It's like they are scared they will tell you the wrong thing !!!!

 

[tinybutterfly]

since your situation is much like mine (all is fine except the tubes) i suppose your protocol will be similar so i'll explain from what i'll have

as regards the daily injections, who gives them to you?
i will do them myself, if i'm chickening out i'm going to run to my mom (nurse).
you can ask your gp to do it too, no problem.
if it's injecting with the pen you don't have the issue of airbubbles (as far as i've understood),
so you can ask your friend too.
also, i'll just have those injections for 7 days, not a whole month


Also what decided if u down reg or not?
the only reason i'm on the pill right now is bc the fertility clinic is closed now
and otherwise i'd have to wait for ivf untill september.
my clinic stands for "as natural as possible", so the start of your AF is the start of your ivf cycle.
that is of course if you have a regular cycle etc to begin with


As regards EC, are u given a local or general for this?
it'll be general, will be in the hospital for 3 hours, 'bout that...
doc said general was better but i forgot why

with ET can u be given sedation?
they say that transplanting the embryo shouldn't be more painful than getting a swap done,
the cathether they use is very very small, when they implant your cervix
might still be a bit soft and open too, which helps

but if you ask to be given a mild sedation, i'm sure they can (i suppose they respect your wishes if you ask for it)

 

[africaqueen]

Thanks girls
I am sorry we are all in this situation but i am glad i am not alone as i have been feeling so sad that IVF is the only option, whereas i should be thanking god that it IS a option ;-)

Bugs- What do they think has happened? do they suspect ectopic or chemical? I hope u are ok and that its too soon to see anything yet.

Tiny- I hope my protocol will be the same as yours, as my cycles are pretty regular so i dnt think i need down regging. If Liverpool womens insist on this, i may request a clinic in manchester or chester that don't.

I hope all u ladies get your bfps soon and i am actually starting to have real hope for a pregnancy next year now

xxx

 

[bugs]

Hi AfricaQueen I won't know until Monday what has happened had to do another blood test today so they can compare, Thursdays HCG was 2715 but it can stay high if I've only just miscarried. With regards to down regs my cycles are regular at every 28 days but when I asked the nurse she said they put everyone on same protocol, I think the prescription had already been written up before anyone had even asked me if I had regular cycles or not. You really have to ply them with questions otherwise they don't tell you anything. Go in armed with loads of questions for your consultant coz I only seen mine twice before the treatment started and then I never saw him again xxx

 

[africaqueen]

Thanks Bugs. I will ask tons of questions an if im not happy with the way they want to do things i will find another clinic, even if it means paying. I have had too much wrong done by the NHS so far and want to have some say in this and if that mean's saving up and paying for a better clinic we will do that

As regards your scan showing nothing at that stage, i dont want to scare you but this happened to me with my last ectopic. I went for the scan at the same stage as you did, they said the womb lining was only a little thicker than average and that there was a pregnancy cyst and a small amount of "free fluid" on my ovary. They could see nothing else. I went back 5 days later for another scan and then they seen bubs in my tube again. My hcg intially rose as it should of done and measured at almost 8000 when they discovered bubs in my tube. I truly hope its not the case for you but just be careful. I had to really push for the 2nd scan and it was just in time. I ended up needing emergency surgery yet again. Let me know how u get on and i have everything x'd for u xxx

 

[bugs]

Did you have any bleeding at all, I was bleeding really bright red on Weds and have been spotting since which makes me sway more toward the early miscarriage but they've said any pain at all to go straight in. The waiting game continues, We have to pay for our cycle but i'm going to see if the consultant comes up with any suggestions for next cycle or I may try a private clinic xxx

 

[africaqueen]

Did you have any bleeding at all, I was bleeding really bright red on Weds and have been spotting since which makes me sway more toward the early miscarriage but they've said any pain at all to go straight in. The waiting game continues, We have to pay for our cycle but i'm going to see if the consultant comes up with any suggestions for next cycle or I may try a private clinic xxx

Yes i bled bright red with both my ectopics It ended up just spotting after a lot of bright red. That's how i knew the 2nd time that something was very wrong. I had no pain at all with either of them and when my 1st was discovered it had started to rupture. My 2nd i had no pain either just the bleeding and that was also close to rupture... it is actually quite rare that your hcg would rise by a lot if it was a mc. Usually the numbers start to drop. I think monday's blood test will give you a answer either way. Are u having a scan too? xxx

 

[bugs]

I had cramping on Weds with the bleeding but it was no worse than a period and with the digi test still showing 3+ on Thurs I was so shocked to get the scan result, They are going to do another scan on Monday. I feel like i'm never away from the place and it's especially frustrating when you see heavily pregnant women outside smoking it makes you want to scream I got really upset when we went this morning I just feel up and down at the minute I think a holidays on the cards !!!!

 

[africaqueen]

I understand how u must feel.
I would kill for a holiday but sadly we are in no financial position to have one
I hope that u get good news on monday but if u dont, please know i am here to talk to xxx

 

[Oneday]

Hi I really feel for both of you i've had 2 early m/c's , a chemical and a ruptured ectopic which left me infertile but also have one son (born prior to the ectopic) and am now 21 weeks pregnant after my first ivf attempt.
Bugs from what you said i don't think its a chemical , with mine the test had turned negative when i started to bleed. My ectopic was missed on 2 scans until it ruptured at 11 weeks, if it is ectopic they will find it soon or if your hcg continues to rise they may do a lap. With this ivf pregnancy they found the sac and a heartbeat at 6+1 so fingers crossed they will find yours next week.
Africaqueen good luck with your ivf miracles can happen x

 

[bugs]

Thanks One day, well on the 6 week scan they could see something in the tube but were not 100% sure so we opted to have both tubes removed anyway as they were both completely buggered which is why we were having IVF in the 1st place. They confirmed after op it was eptopic so hopefully next time will be successful as we've removed that problem, Fingers crossed xxx

 

[Oneday]

Awe Hun I'm so sorry when did you have the op? They wanted me to have my tubes out before ivf to avoid another ectopic but it would have been a major op for me cause of the adhesions so I decided against it. Hope you feeling ok. I can give you details of the private clinic I used in Manchester when your feeling up to it x take care and fingers crossed for next time x

 

[bugs]

I had the op last night and they let me out this afternoon and it didn't go without complications, one tube had to go because of the eptopic and the other one had severe damage so they said while they were doing one they may as well whip the other out to increase our chances next time, But I had bad scarring on my stomach so while they were doing the keyhole surgery they managed to put a hole in my bladder so i've got a lovely catheter now for the next week which is shit bit I do feel better now i'd come to terms with the fact my tubes were battered a long time ago so now they are gone at least I know I can't have another eptopic. It has been a shocking 2 weeks though I would'nt wish it on my worst enemy xxxx

 

[Oneday]

Oh hun i can't believe they've let you out in that state, take it easy and go back if your not right. My tubes are useless but the good things is we don't need them for ivf and as you said thankfully it can't happen again to you. Also there's no reason why you can't be sucessful again on your next try they told me once you have been pregnant it increases your chances. Good luck and take care of yourself x x

 

[mercyme]

OMG, bugs, that sounds dreadful -- what a lot to deal with. I'm glad you're on here, updating us. It sounds like IVF will probably go smoothly next time -- now no more worries about ectopics. When will you be able to do it again?
So sorry about this round & all the complications & pain. Wishing you lots of luck for the next round

 

[africaqueen]

Bugs, i am so sorry that it was a ectopic. Your story sounded too similar to mine tbh for it to have been anything else i am glad for ur sake that both tubes have gone as it makes your chances of success with IVF a lot better now and u know that u wont be worrying about a tubal ectopic again. That is one major relief with me. I also had complications with my last ectopic surgery, as they removed a huge cyst from my ovary and i bled a lot and op took over 2hrs instead of 40 mins i survived tho and so will u. Terrible times but we are strong women. Im here if u need to talk xxx