Whos had IVF?

[x_Rainbow_x]

Can you tell me how they do it? how they get the eggs, how they put them back then do the recommend to have bed rest??

help!?

 

[maz]

IVF is quite a long process. You'll have hormone profiles carried out prior to treatment and other blood tests to ensure you have no blood disorders/diseases. Once you get the all clear your IVF cycle starts, timing depends on your drug regime (there are a few different ones). Usually it starts with Down Regulation on cycle day 21. This is done to suppress the function of the pituitary gland in the brain - it is this gland that affects hormone production. You will have a scan approx 2 - 3 weeks after starting down regulation. Down regulation can be either a daily injection, tablet, or nasal spray. Once you've had your scan to confirm nothing is happening in your ovaries and the lining of your womb is pretty much non-existant you will get the go ahead from the consultant to start stimulating. I believe this can only be done by injection, and depending on your drug regime, will be done at the same time as your down regulating injection. You will then have a tracking scan a week later, and then another one approx 4 -5 days after that. Your consultant will then schedule you in for egg collection and instruct you as to the date and time of your HCG booster injection - this is taken 36 hours before your egg collection, and causes your follicles to mature their eggs.

On the day of egg collection, your OH will be required to give a semen sample, unless you are using frozen sperm, and you will then be prepped for theatre. You'll most likely be sedated although sedation levels seem to vary from one clinic to another. During egg collection a small needle is guided by ultrasound into each follicle and drains all the fluid and any eggs out of the follicles. It is not necessarily the case that every follicle will contain an egg. Once all the follicles have been drained you will be woken up and taken to recovery where you will get the nicest cup of tea and slice of toast you have tasted in what seems like years... You will be told how many eggs were collected and what time the clinic will phone with a fertilisation report the next day. You can then go home - although you will be unable to drive yourself for at least another 24 hours.

The next couple of days are definitely very tough, as you wait for updates on fertilisation, embryo development, and whether you are going to make it to embryo transfer. Embryo transfer isn't too bad - just like a smear but a bit more exciting. They use a specula to open you up and then a very small catheter is used to insert your embryos high into the uterus. Then it's just a waiting game. I'm not a particularly patient person, so this bit isn't fun.

I was told that bed rest wasn't necessary but to take it easy for a couple of weeks after embryo transfer - and by that they meant no heavy lifting, swimming, saunas, aerobics, that sort of thing. Happy days - a fortnight of no lifting the hoover up the stairs, and no carry the washing round the house - woohoo!!

Don't be scared of IVF - I know it's not how any of us visualised conceiving our children, but it's not that bad - well my experience of it so far has been pretty positive. I'm currently waiting to find out if we are pregnant or not. I don't feel particularly positive about the final outcome, but I do feel that the treatment was successful. What I'm trying to say is that even if we get a negative this time, we were able to get as far as we did, and nature just wasn't on our side this time. Some couples who had egg collection the day after me, unfortunately didn't make it to embryo transfer. So we count ourselves as lucky, and are keeping our fingers crossed that our luck continues.

If you need any more detail let me know and I'll be a bit more graphic if you want

 

[x_Rainbow_x]

thankyou hunni thats been a massive help. nt sure if all the blood profiles at the start will happen 2 me as they already had enuff of my blood 2 find my chomosme problem they no what i have n dnt.. well i hope they do lol..

 

[FJL]

I think Maz said it all!

I have not had a 'good' IVF experience so far...to be honest, I have found it extremely traumatic, as my egg collection was extremely painful, my stim was almost cancelled, I was told that i'd have a 75% chance of miscarrying due to a uterus prob that was never picked up by previous FS's. So had I had a 'normal' cycle i'm sure i'd be feeling better.

Most people worry about the injections, but for me, that was the least of my worries and the best part of it all...they didn't bother me one bit. Its all the emotional side of it that is the worst...the waiting to see if you have good enough follies, waiting to hear if you'll get to EC, how many eggs you got, how many embryos you got and the days after to hear if they're still growing or have croaked, then of course the TWW.

If I can one day get PG from IVF, I just know that all of this will be worth it, but when you're in the thick of it, it is very, very hard to get through.

Did they find chromosome probs in your blood? Will you be doing IVF for PGD?

 

[x_Rainbow_x]

yeah i need pdg so i gt that extra worry of all my eggs having the prob n if so i cnt have my eggs
i hate needles but the worry for me is being told my eggs are duds.. iv had 4 in a row so far.