January 2012 IVF

[HuskyMomWI]

Thanks for the welcome
y'all are chatty, so i had to get caught up.

so i guess i didn't realize that not everyone took bcp. i thought that since i was taking bcp that i was on a the long protocol...haha. i'm learning more everyday. So for you girls that are on bcp, how long do you take it for? my dr. said he wanted me in it for about 2 weeks. is that normal?

regarding the eggs in the follies: thats the thing i'm most scared of...that i'm not going to have any eggs in my follies or that i have bad eggs, because at this point my infertility diagnosis is unexplained. I'm really trying to push those thoughts out of my head, but it's hard.

so another question...how long does the stim process last? and how often do you go in for scans? i'm sure i wil find out all of the stuff when i go in for my meeing with my ivf nurse next week.

I was on BCP for 28 days before starting the lupron microflare protocol. I have the same worries about having bad eggs (I like to refer to them as rotten eggs) or having none, etc. I have very low AMH so we knew going in that they were going to have a quantity and quality issue.

Maybe your issue is fertilization though and ICSI could be all you need. Mrs Bear offered the best advice. Try to picture it as hurdles - you can only jump one at a time. Get through it one appointment at a time vs worrying about the what-ifs. I'm not doing so well at this strategy myself but am trying also.

 

[HuskyMomWI]

Each side had one larger follicle and 4-5 smaller ones. Off to research how much they (can) grow per day...

Update: looks like they can grow 2mm.

I think anything over 14 at retreival can have a viable egg so I would think the smaller ones could catch up. Did they give you any idea on size for the smaller ones?

DH remembers the RE mentioning some 14mm follicles. We'll see tomorrow. eek!

How did your ER go today?

 

[princess_1991]

Sarah I was on BCP for 27 days and thought it was unusual because everyone else I saw was on for like 2 weeks,
As for your other question I started a thread the other day to ask how long people stim for and it seems the average is about 10/11 days but it does completely depend on the person and the protocol
I had my first scan 6 days into stimming (Monday just gone) and I have another one on Thursday and they'll tell me when they wanna trigger me on that scan

Hope everyone's ok!

Btw 7th jab down, it's becoming a pain to find a spot that isn't bruised

 

[constancev18]

Each side had one larger follicle and 4-5 smaller ones. Off to research how much they (can) grow per day...

Update: looks like they can grow 2mm.

I think anything over 14 at retreival can have a viable egg so I would think the smaller ones could catch up. Did they give you any idea on size for the smaller ones?

DH remembers the RE mentioning some 14mm follicles. We'll see tomorrow. eek!

How did your ER go today?

They retrieved 10 eggs. We'll see how well they do when I go in for xfer on Fri. I underestimated the pain. You're allowed to take pain medication but I've refrained. Instead I've been in bed off and on all day sleeping off the sedative and dealing with the pain. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for having cleared this hurdle.

On another note, a woman was late to her ER yesterday and she'd already ovulated by the time she made it in. So so sad. Apparently it was the first time this had happened at the clinic.

 

[Mrs. Bear]

Thanks for the welcome
y'all are chatty, so i had to get caught up.

so i guess i didn't realize that not everyone took bcp. i thought that since i was taking bcp that i was on a the long protocol...haha. i'm learning more everyday. So for you girls that are on bcp, how long do you take it for? my dr. said he wanted me in it for about 2 weeks. is that normal?

regarding the eggs in the follies: thats the thing i'm most scared of...that i'm not going to have any eggs in my follies or that i have bad eggs, because at this point my infertility diagnosis is unexplained. I'm really trying to push those thoughts out of my head, but it's hard.

so another question...how long does the stim process last? and how often do you go in for scans? i'm sure i wil find out all of the stuff when i go in for my meeing with my ivf nurse next week.

I think the minimum for BCP is two weeks. I was on for a couple of cycles because when I am unmedicated I can have really long cycles from PCOS. I didn't want a long cycle or a surprise cyst to delay the IVF so I asked to go ahead and start BCP back the end of October.

I'm sure you don't have empty follies or bad eggs but I'm sure we can all relate to feeling doubts that it will work for whatever reason

I did a poll last summer about stims and most people were in the 9-10 day range on that. My clinic likes patients to stim at least 8 days.

As far as scans: I am stimming 5 days before my first scan. I will likely have scan #2 a couple days after that and then every day or so after til they decide to trigger.

 

[Mrs. Bear]

They retrieved 10 eggs. We'll see how well they do when I go in for xfer on Fri. I underestimated the pain. You're allowed to take pain medication but I've refrained. Instead I've been in bed off and on all day sleeping off the sedative and dealing with the pain. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for having cleared this hurdle.

On another note, a woman was late to her ER yesterday and she'd already ovulated by the time she made it in. So so sad. Apparently it was the first time this had happened at the clinic.

Yay for 10 eggs! That is the key number I've seen on a lot of success rate charts. Good for you fighting through the pain. I don't know if I will be able to manage that or not. Will probably depend on how bad it is.

As far as the other patient, that is so sad. I worry about that because I always feel like I have O'd before the 36 hour mark when I have done triggers. I just have to hope for the best I guess. Do you know how late she was?

 

[Mrs. Bear]

Mrs Bear offered the best advice. Try to picture it as hurdles - you can only jump one at a time. Get through it one appointment at a time vs worrying about the what-ifs. I'm not doing so well at this strategy myself but am trying also.

Don't feel bad 31 - I'm not always doing so well at that strategy either...

Here is the hurdle strategy for anyone who is interested. I'm trying to think of each step as hurdles. I can't jump hurdle #5 when I am only at hurdle #2 so right now I need to focus on hurdle #2.

Here is our list of hurdles:

#1 - Baseline scan
#2 - Stims and 1st follie check
#3 - 2nd follie check
#4 - 3rd follie check (if needed) and/or trigger
#5 - Enough follies to do IVF
#6 - Egg Retrieval
#7 - Enough mature eggs (and sperm)
#8 - Enough eggs fertilize
#9 - Enough fertilized eggs develop properly
#10 - Transfer embryos
#11 - 2ww and the fun of progesterone shots
#12 - Testing

The idea is not to get ahead of yourself and worry about how many eggs you will have or what the fertilization will be or whether or not it will work til you get there - just focus on where you are 'right now'

 

[Mrs. Bear]

AFM-still no AF so off for a scan on thursday to see whats going on. May not stimm now til start of feb, boo!! x

Boo for delays At least they will see what is going on and get you moving forward so you don't have to wait in 'where is AF?' limbo any longer.

 

[Springy]

Each side had one larger follicle and 4-5 smaller ones. Off to research how much they (can) grow per day...

Update: looks like they can grow 2mm.

I think anything over 14 at retreival can have a viable egg so I would think the smaller ones could catch up. Did they give you any idea on size for the smaller ones?

DH remembers the RE mentioning some 14mm follicles. We'll see tomorrow. eek!

How did your ER go today?

They retrieved 10 eggs. We'll see how well they do when I go in for xfer on Fri. I underestimated the pain. You're allowed to take pain medication but I've refrained. Instead I've been in bed off and on all day sleeping off the sedative and dealing with the pain. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for having cleared this hurdle.

On another note, a woman was late to her ER yesterday and she'd already ovulated by the time she made it in. So so sad. Apparently it was the first time this had happened at the clinic.

You're brave for no pain meds!!! Great number of follicles. Can't wait to hear the fertilization report.

 

[Traskey]

I think one hurdle at a time is a great way to handle it!

Hey everyone, sorry for being MIA, work has been crazy the last two weeks and I've done a lot of extra hours.

We stim for about 10 days at my clinic, with extra days if needed. I went for 13 on my first cycle to let some stragglers catch up.

I've successfully down regged so tonight we start stimming. 225 again! Sending you all loads of

Welcome ST

 

[constancev18]

They retrieved 10 eggs. We'll see how well they do when I go in for xfer on Fri. I underestimated the pain. You're allowed to take pain medication but I've refrained. Instead I've been in bed off and on all day sleeping off the sedative and dealing with the pain. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for having cleared this hurdle.

On another note, a woman was late to her ER yesterday and she'd already ovulated by the time she made it in. So so sad. Apparently it was the first time this had happened at the clinic.

As far as the other patient, that is so sad. I worry about that because I always feel like I have O'd before the 36 hour mark when I have done triggers. I just have to hope for the best I guess. Do you know how late she was?

I gathered 2 things went wrong: the woman triggered before 11:30pm although the NP was explicit about the importance of administering the trigger at 11:30 promptly, and she was late for her retrieval. So it was not a case of her o'ing the day before but sometime (1-2 hrs) before her scheduled appt. They really can predict when you will o with this med--I even thought I was o'ing a dy or 2 before my ER bc of my abundance of cm. But all was well.

 

[Mrs. Bear]

Traskey - yay for starting stims!

Constance - Of all things to do wrong on an IVF cycle it sounds like she picked the worst one. I figure I will just do everything they say to the letter and hope for the best I guess. I plan to be there for retrieval early

 

[princess_1991]

Trask yay for stimming

Mrs bear I'm the same cuz it takes us 2 and a half hours to get to our clinic were stopping in a hotel down there the night before er
Knowing my luck we'll get stuck in traffic

 

[KristyHart]

Hey ladies

I cant understand how something so important can get forgotten or done wrong? This IVF lark is etched in my brain, calendar and diary of when what how and where lol. I often hear the receptionist in my clinic take calls from ladies forgetting their appointment dates Maybe I am just to strict, I dunno but there is no way I would do this wrong and lose such a special chance.

Today I had my scan. 5th day of stimms. I have just 2 at 10mm and a few hiders. Lining is just 5mm at mo. I had a good lining last time so I am not so worried about it. Just hope the other follies catch up. I am now on gonal f and cetrotide. I have my next scan on Monday. I reckon EC will be wed/thur next week

How are you all doing? xx

 

[Mrs. Bear]

Kristy - FX the other follies catch up. If your leads are only 10 then you have plenty of time for the others to get going.

 

[vesper21]

Kristy - I'm with you on this one. I'm tolerant of things at the best of times, but something as important as this? It's the only thing I think of for the two weeks I'm stimming...My life is on hold, I don't many any plans and I wait for baited breath each day for my instructions for that day's dose! Damn, I even dream about it... last night I dreamt about my Egg retrieval and they managed to get 8 eggs which I was thrilled about. It's not many, but I only ever manage to muster up 6 or 7!


AFM, went for bloods this morning and I'm also on day 5 stims today... I started ganirelix (same as cetrotide) last night, and I really hope they lower my dose today as I'm feeling slightly over-stimmed; slightly short of breath, ribs hurting etc. I'm just going to drink plenty of water today...

Mrs. Bear, I like your checklist.

 

[hippiehappy]

Constance, hearing about the woman who triggered too soon is just crazy. I guess if the clinic said it's the first time they'd heard of it, it must be a very rare thing. No point anyone getting paranoid over it!
I'm lucky my clinic is 20 mins from my house but I'll probably still go in half an hour or so early! I've been told I will get sedation for the retrieval so not too worried about it. Very brave of you to not take anything for the pain though

Mrs Bear, thanks for the 'hurdles'. I agree, taking one step at the time is very important with anything crappy in life. Problems always seem bigger till you break them down into manageable chunks.

Re: BCP I'm on long protocol and not taking it at all. Perhaps it depends on how regular is, perhaps certain clinics prescribe it to make sure they know exactly 100% where you're up to with you cycle?
I'm sure either way it's done in your best interest.

Can I ask a slightly ignorant question: I heard talk of aspirin at some point during the IVF cycle, what's this for? The reason why I'm asking is that I'm allergic to aspirin!
I've told the clinic but just wondering if that's gonna be a very bad thing?

Sorry for not keeping up too well and thanks for the welcome xx to all xx

 

[Traskey]

Hippie, we don't do aspirin at our clinic so I can't help sorry.

Vesper, drink, drink, drink, especially if you are feeling over stimulated.

for everyone

 

[schoolteacher]

Don't worry hippiehappy only some people need aspirin!

Kristy-glad scan went well, I will be having the same drugs as you!x

Thanks mrs bear for the hurdles!

Oh gosh! I'm on my phone and can't remember anything else i have just read, sorry! (apart from the lady who did trigger early! Crazy!)

Afm-scan tommorrow to see where AF has got to! X

 

[babydrms]

Hi ladies! Mind if I join I in? I am currently going through first ivf with long lupron protocol, follistim and menopur. My history is 6 RPL with several immune issues..
Anyways, will go in for first scan Thursday to see follies!
Just looking forward to sharing this journey with others who ACTUALLY understand!
Hope I can be of any support for you all also!

Welcome!!

ladies

im dead sorry but im just copying and pasting this from my journal because im rather busy today

but heres my update from the scan

sorry i didnt post last night, once i got back dh took me for a meal to say sorry for not being there

scan went well (i think )
the doctor didnt tell me much, she said she didnt wanna tell me how many follies there were because its not gunna make a difference this early i still would have liked to have known!

but what she did say was that my lining has thickened which she was pleased about
i was being nosey tho
on the scan i saw, on the right there was maybe 2 big follies and about 3 smaller ones, then on the left maybe 4 smaller ones but couldnt say 100% because she kept moving the scan

i also heard her on the phone and she said theres one big one thats about 16mm and all the others are about 8-10mm, they said they may let the bigger one go and concentrate one the smaller ones, shes also lowered my meds so i dont ''go too quickly''

ive got another scan on thursday and will find out then how many and what size follies ive got and when they want to trigger me

last nights injection was awkward, we had to do it in the disabled toilets of the restaurant, in a bit of a rush because food was coming and dh messed up abit, he put the one in forgetting to get rid of the air bubble and had to take it backout and do it again! so last night i had 3 jabs for the price of two its getting a bit dodgy now, i think im getting bloated and im definately super bruised which is making the actual injecting a pain to do and im running out of places to do them!

hope everyones well

You are so brave doing a needle stick in public, btw - an airbubble is not the end of the world!!

Welcome to the new ladies - I will try to update the first page tonight

Not a good day today. Had my first scan. He measured a few follicles but they were all very small. I think he had 3-4 of them but all were between 5-8mm with a few smaller ones. Lining is still thin but he says that is to be expected at this stage. He thinks we will probably stay on the high dose but they will call later today w/details. He said he saw what he expected that we will have to "hit my ovaries pretty hard". I then got home and screwed up my menopur injection. I was mixing it and ended up shooting it all over the counter. Two vials of med - what a waste. Ugh - I need this day to start over please.

Somedays are definitely going to be easier than others!! It is a waste (of the Menopur) but not the end of the world.

Don't feel bad 31 - I'm not always doing so well at that strategy either...

Here is the hurdle strategy for anyone who is interested. I'm trying to think of each step as hurdles. I can't jump hurdle #5 when I am only at hurdle #2 so right now I need to focus on hurdle #2.

Here is our list of hurdles:

#1 - Baseline scan
#2 - Stims and 1st follie check
#3 - 2nd follie check
#4 - 3rd follie check (if needed) and/or trigger
#5 - Enough follies to do IVF
#6 - Egg Retrieval
#7 - Enough mature eggs (and sperm)
#8 - Enough eggs fertilize
#9 - Enough fertilized eggs develop properly
#10 - Transfer embryos
#11 - 2ww and the fun of progesterone shots
#12 - Testing

The idea is not to get ahead of yourself and worry about how many eggs you will have or what the fertilization will be or whether or not it will work til you get there - just focus on where you are 'right now'

Love the list of hurdles, but my clinic scans a lot more than three times - I wonder if it is truley necessary
Still going to put the list in my phone...

I think one hurdle at a time is a great way to handle it!

Hey everyone, sorry for being MIA, work has been crazy the last two weeks and I've done a lot of extra hours.

We stim for about 10 days at my clinic, with extra days if needed. I went for 13 on my first cycle to let some stragglers catch up.

I've successfully down regged so tonight we start stimming. 225 again! Sending you all loads of

Welcome ST

Yayee to starting your stims!


So I went for saline sono yesterday and everything looked great (tubes and uterine cavity) and it wasn't as bad as I expected. However, it seems I am one of those people we hate, that is got a 2 cm follicle and about to ovulate while taking BCP - WT%, then why can't I get pregnant?! and our results of genetic testing are not back - so we are on hold. Which stinks because I have $6000 worth of medication on my table/in my fridge!!

So we changed BCP's and I wait...which stinks because BCP's make me seriously nauseous!

How terrible is it, today DH had an unrelated procedure and instead of being concerned about him - I am concerned how much medication they gave him and how this will affect sperm quality/quantity. Not even on the meds yet and ready to be committed, lol.

Well, good luck everyone, hope your stimming is going/goes well!