pre-IVF anxiety... Help!!

[elencor]

Wow what a discovery with your parents! So interesting they never mentioned it to you before.

They are not great at talking about the uncomfortable things, never explained anything to me when I was a child and it was pretty traumatic tbh to live with parents going through unsuccessful pregnancies and stuff like that, and who don't even talk to you about it or explain anything, there was no place to grieve. This is why it's so difficult for me to open up with them and tell them stuff, I'm actually regretting having told them about this my fathers face of "why are you telling us this" but I guess if I'm going to be a mum I have to make sure my kids are brought up differently than I was and make sure there's communication in my family, so long term it doesn't make any sense to "hide" The ivf thing. But it was hard for me to talk about this, even though I've talked about doing ivf with other relatives and all my friends and even coworkers, with my parents is different.

Sorry about all that
Anyway do you have a "hunch" About if it's a boy or girl? I'd also be pretty happy with either, but the finding out is very exciting

 

[WinterBub]

Don't regret telling them, elencor! What's done is done... And that is so interesting that they'd never told you that. I know my mother had a loss after my older sibling/before me, but don't know the details. Some people/parents just don't like to share. Must admit I'm a bit the same myself- hope to be different with my children, though!!

I hope you feel better, elencor. Did they give any advice about anything that you can do to ease the discomfort?

That's wild that you're closing in on second tri, Nima. Just remind yourself that everything is looking good There's no reason to suspect that anything is wrong, so you may as well think positively! Did you do the NIPT with your first? I'd say it is well worth it for the peace of mind. And I'd definitely want to know the gender, too!

 

[Nima]

@elencor I really understand you. My parents also don't really talk about hard feelings, my father seems to ignore them altogether. But I am really trying to accept them as they are and not be bitter about it, they have different cultures and have been through a lot in their lives. And of course I am doing it differently with my daughter, who can already express her feelings so well, I just need not to destroy what she already has.
How are you feeling today?

@WinterBub you are absolutely right, no reason and no benefit in thinking something is wrong. And the dangerous weeks are already behind me.
I didn't do nipt with my first, just the first trimester screening with nuchal translucency and all that. But I'm 3 years older this time, and need some more reassurance. I think I'll do it and include everything they offer, otherwise it feels like a waist. It costs almost 800euros but my insurance will probably cover some of it.

 

[elencor]

Thank you guys for understanding.
I'm feeling great, a little tired and with a bit of pelvic "pressure" but nothing uncomfortable. It was just Friday evening that I felt terrible and had a lot of abdominal pain, I think I just had gas or something because it stopped.

 

[WinterBub]

If you can afford it, I think that the NIPT is well worth it.

Glad that youre feeling better, elencor! You're almost there, just a couple more days until the retrieval Please let us know how it goes!

 

[Megan0625]

@Nima Yes! I think I have been feeling her movements. I have a partially anterior placenta but most of my placenta is posterior, and she likes to be upside down so I have definitely been feeling some kicks. It still mostly feels like flutters or maybe like a marble rolling around in there lol. I'm hoping I'll be able to feel more definite kicks in a couple of weeks. We also bought a fetal doppler so I've been checking her heartbeat at home whenever I feel anxious. I can tell she moves a lot because as soon as I put the doppler in one spot, I can catch her heart beat for a second and then it moves to another area lol. She is ACTIVE. And stopping the progesterone is a very scary step but it definitely is an important milestone! I was terrified to stop but thankful to not have those daily injections anymore. It's difficult to just put all your trust in your body to do the right thing. And the NIPT gave me a lot of peace of mind. I haven't gotten the bill for it yet so I'm not entirely sure how much I'm going to pay (I think my insurance pays for most of it), but it was reassuring to hear that she is low-risk for all the chromosomal abnormalities that were tested. Finding out the gender was just a plus

@elencor sorry about the discomfort! It definitely is a bit uncomfortable before the egg retrieval. I was so bloated and had the worst gas pain by the time they finally retrieved my eggs. I think I actually took a half a day off work to relax from home a bit. Drinking a ton of fluids does help with the bloating though.

 

[WinterBub]

I'm officially starting injections tonight! This is all very surreal. Kind of feels like it is happening to someone else. Any tips on what to do/eat/how to prepare etc much appreciated!

Did you have your retrieval, @elencor ?

 

[elencor]

Can't believe how fast time has passed! So exciting youre starting your injections today, best of luck with everything I have a lot of hope everything will go great with your process.
Sorry I don't have any advice for you, just that gas pain is the worst during ovarian stimulation so drink a lot of fluids and dont eat food that usually gives you gas

I've been a bit sad these days because on the the last appointment with my doctor on Tuesday, almost half of the follicles weren't growing up properly so I've been feeling a bit hopeless, a good number of eggs was one of the only things that was ok with us. Anyway the retrieval is going to be tomorrow. I'm so nervous!! I can't wait for it to be done, please follicles do great and give us a lot of mature eggs!
Otherwise I'm feeling great, not many symptoms from the medication, just a little pressure on my genital area and a slightly higher libido than usual so not that bad, I hope it's the same for you Winterbub. Tomorrow we will know how many mature eggs do we have, and Saturday they'll call and tell us how many fertilized!

 

[Nima]

@elencor best of luck tomorrow! So excited for you and looking forward to hearing how you are after the retrieval. I am living proof that 1 fertilized egg is sometimes enough, so don't lose hope even if you have fewer than you expected. However I am sending you follicles growth vibes and prayers that they mature and prosper!

@WinterBub I'm with elencor on the gas advice: one evening I ate very spicy food and this was a huge mistake. Other than that drink enough, sleep well and take folic acid. So exciting that you started! Good luck!

 

[WinterBub]

I have been taking vitamin d and folic acid for the past few weeks, but wasn't sure if I should stop or keep going now. (should have asked, but didn't!) Ok, so will keep going with those! Thank you! And thank you for the food advice. Did you guys stop caffeine?

Elencor- I have everything crossed for you for a great result tomorrow. Lots of eggs isn't necessarily good: too many low quality eggs seems to be my whole issue, and what brought me here! So I hope that you end up with a decent number, and more important, that they're all excellent quality. I'll be thinking of you, and waiting to hear how you go!

 

[Megan0625]

I have been taking vitamin d and folic acid for the past few weeks, but wasn't sure if I should stop or keep going now. (should have asked, but didn't!) Ok, so will keep going with those! Thank you! And thank you for the food advice. Did you guys stop caffeine?

Elencor- I have everything crossed for you for a great result tomorrow. Lots of eggs isn't necessarily good: too many low quality eggs seems to be my whole issue, and what brought me here! So I hope that you end up with a decent number, and more important, that they're all excellent quality. I'll be thinking of you, and waiting to hear how you go!

You should continue with the Vitamin D and Folic Acid At least that's what my doctor recommended. I never stopped taking them and have been taking them since before stimulation. I'd agree with elencor and Nima about avoiding food that makes you gassy, when you produce a bunch of follicles from the stims, it really causes some GI discomfort and lots of gas pain toward the end. The worst part of the retrieval for me was actually that I had the WORST gas pain when I went in for my retrieval, so that pain was still there after, along with the soreness after the retrieval. Try to just eat fairly healthy with lots of protein and stay hydrated I honestly never stopped 100% with caffeine but I definitely lowered my intake. I chose decaf coffee or half caff when possible but if I was really craving a soda, I got one. It's super exciting that you are starting injections tonight! Such a huge step. Your retrieval will be here before you know it

@elencor I'm so excited for you! Don't feel discouraged by a smaller number of follicles, it's definitely more important to have good quality instead of quantity. Like I've said, they retrieved 36 from me but since I ended up with only 4 day 5 embryos, my RE thinks it was an egg quality issue, and he said if we had to do the retrieval again, he would lower my doses so I didn't have so many eggs but better quality. My fingers are crossed that your retrieval goes super smoothly, I'm sure it will! It's an exciting time.

 

[WinterBub]

Thank you! I'll have to pick up some half caff, that's a great idea

 

[Nima]

@elencor I hope you are doing well!

 

[WinterBub]

Thinking of you, elencor!

 

[elencor]

Thank you ❤ your support means a lot to me. It went very good, it was fast and painless, I got to say I enjoyed the whole anesthesia thing, it was kind of cool, and woke up very relaxed. We had to be there at 8am, surgery was booked for 8:30, and I was back at home at 10:30, the rest of the day I've been sleeping. The only thing is my lower abdomen hurts a lot when I pee.
They took 16 eggs! Which is great because the sonograms only showed 14. Nevertheless we don't know yet how many of those are mature eggs, last appointment they said only 8-9 were growing properly. Tomorrow morning they'll call to say how many fertilized!!
I hope all of you are very good and Winterbub I hope your first days of stims are going smoothly

 

[WinterBub]

That all sounds great! Glad you got a good number of eggs, and glad to hear that it wasn't too painful. I hope the pee issue passes very quickly and you're back to feeling good by tomorrow. Let us know how your results go!! I'll have everything crossed for you.

So far nothing exciting re: me. Just waiting to see how it all unfolds!

 

[Nima]

16 is great elencor! Good surprises are such a blessing in this process.

 

[WinterBub]

Did you guys feel a sort of heavy feeling in your lower stomach this early on? I'm just 2 days into stims. Not painful or uncomfortable at all, but just noticeable... Unless i'm just imagining it because I know something is meant to be happening!

When's your next appointment/scan, Nima?

And hoping that you get great news today, Elencor!

 

[Nima]

I don't remember having this symptom, winter, but I think it could be real, you are taking hormones after all. Hope it doesn't bother you too much.

My next scan is on the 21st of September, not too far.

 

[elencor]

16 eggs, 13 mature, 9 fertilized. I don't know how to feel about this, I know its a good number so shouldn't complain and should just be happy because it could've been so much worse, but the blastocysts rate is so low I don't know what to expect. They won't call me again, they'll only tell us how many blastocyst we have on day 5 when they'll do a transfer. Our clinic only works with blastocyst so won't call on day 3 or anything. I guess I just need to relax a bit and wait until Wednesday.

@WinterBub yes I had a heavy feeling 3 days after starting the stims, I guess it's just normal to feel something weird down there, the ovaries are enlarging after all. Fingers crossed that all your next appointments go well. Do you plan on doing a transfer next cycle if possible?

Nima the 21st of September is just around the corner! Will it be your 12 weeks scan? It's the day we plan to do an at home urine pregnancy test, if all goes well I'll be 7dp5dt