Fresh IVF cycle

Rae37

HI Ame,

I am not too far behind you. I started the birth control pill on Friday and I am set to go in for my trial transfer appt on the 27th. I think that is when they determine when to start my stimulation drugs based on the ultrasound then. The nurses said around that day or a few days after that. So, we would be around the same time, a week or so apart.
Is this your first IVF? It's my first. I am excited but nervous.
Good luck!!
Rachel

AME38

Hi Rachel,

You are right. It sounds like that we are just a week or so apart. This is actually my second fresh cycle. We had one fresh cycle where we transferred 3 embies on day 3. None of them took. Then we had one frozen from the fresh cycle, so did a FET with that one emby. That didn't take also. I was so devastated. That is when I decided to join this group for some emotional support.

That is exciting that you will be going through your first IVF. Hopefully, we will both have BFPs If it's OK with you, I would love to just stay in touch and exchange experiences as we proceed.

Rae37

I am so sorry to hear that. I am sure this is it and you will get your BFP this time!!
I would love to stay in touch. I am going through this alone sort of as well. I know a girl at my office building who had IVF and it took her 3 tries, but her second was a miscarriage. I can't imagine the disappointment. All of that and then nothing.
I am staying positive for both of us!!

Can I ask you what your reasons are for infertility? I have endometriosis which I never knew I had under I had a lap done in April. My husband and I were trying for almost a year and nothing. He is fine. I had stage 3 endo and the RE removed what he could. All else was normal and we got the green light to try for a few months after that, but nothing. We are both 37 so we don;t want to wait any longer. WE are going straight to IVF and skipping all the other stuff since my Endo may be a problem with conceiving anyway. Luckily my insurance covers approx 1 IVF cycle, so that made the decision easier as well
Can I ask you how the hormones make you feel? did they make you bloated, weird, emotional?

thanks for the support! ...
Rae

AME38

Thanks, Rae! I am hoping that this is our round also The stimulation drugs definitely made me bloated. I was also more emotional and less patient. I have always cried over movies and TV shows, but while on the drug, I cried even more. I think this 2nd round would be more intense b/c they are planning to put me on a higher concentration of the stim drugs. My body responded slowly with the 1st round of drugs. As a result, I was on the stim drug longer (almost 3 weeks instead of just 2 weeks).

I was diagnosed with “unexplained infertility”. This diag is quite frustrating to me because there is nothing that can be “fixed”. One common theme that I do see from all of my previous ob/gyn visits are that my uterus is “tilted”. I read that it could make conceiving a bit harder.

We tried to conceive on our own for 1 year and had 1 miscarriage. Since I was 37 and my DH was 39, we decided to seek help. We have been with my RE for 17 months now and had 1 miscarriage through IUI. Now, I am on my 2nd IVF. The RE sees no reason why IVF would not work, so that is why we are proceeding with this 2nd IVF.

Your trial transfer date is just around the corner. That is exciting! I have my baseline and mock transfer today. All I want is a green light to start the drugs this Saturday! Keep your fingers crossed for me. Have fun with your last week of BC.

AME38

Well, I just got back from the RE and I got the green light to start my meds. I'll start with Lupron on Sat, twice per day and then add stimulation shots (twice per day) to the regiment. My only concern is that I bruised pretty badly last time and it got hard to find an unbruised spot for new shots. Any advice out there on how to keep myself from bruising? Will the ice trick work? Or is it OK to give shots in a bruised area?

Rae37

Good! Glad you are starting. I wish I had advice on the shots, but I haven't done them yet! I would think it would be okay to shot in the bruised area, but I am not sure. Maybe someone on here can tell you.

Are these the shots you inject in the stomach? I am really terrified of the shots. I watched a video that the nurse told me about just to get an idea. The subcutaneous ones look okay, but the intramuscular?? OH my. The needle is really long. I am NOT looking forward to this part. How how do you stay on the lupron and stimulants?
Rachel

MBKRIS77

Tips on the shots the Lupron is very easy in the stomach just make sure to pinch the skin. Now the Progestonge is what am doing now which has to be done in the hip butt area the frist few days I bruised very bad. Then someone recemended icing the area for at least 5 minutes which really works I really don't feel the needle and the brusing has been a whole lot less. My donor used the gonal-F Pen and she would highly recommed it. It is very comforable and easy to use.

AME38

Thanks for the pointer. The Lupron was not bad. For some reason, I get a bit of blood and bruising from the follistim pen. Oh well, I hope I won't be on the meds for more than two weeks and a little bit of bruises and blood is not the end of the world, considering what I'll get out of it

AME38

Hi Rae! I think your trial transfer is just around the corner. Just want to drop you a line to wish you good luck and to let you know that I am keeping my fingers crossed for you that everything goes well during your appointment!

Rae37

Yes, my trial transfer appt is tomorrow!! I am excited and anxious! Hubby is going with me, so that's good.

How are your shots going? When do you stop the meds and do the egg retrieval?

kmscher

I am in the early stages of starting my first IVF cycle. They still have me on the birth control pills but I start the lupron at the end of next week. My doctor then has me starting Gonal f and Menopur before I go in for retrievals and implantation. Throughout this process I have been pretty stress free up till now but IVF worries me a bit. I complicate things by traveling for a living so scheduling the appointments is quite a task. Does anyone have any good advice for a newbee?

AME38

Kmscher,

I don't know if I am an expert in the IVF world. I am on my 2nd round of fresh IVF, and the first round resulted in BPN.

I remember that I was pretty nervous during my first round. My friend that has gone through IVF herself kept telling me to relax and think positively. I didn't do that very well during the first round, but I am trying it out during this round. I am not practicing this perfectly (still have moments of doubt and nervousness), but I am hoping that every little bit of stress-free moment will pay off with a BFP at the end!

For this cycle, I am seeking accupunture treatment while I am on the IVF medications. Multiple people have claimed that it helped them to have a successful IVF. I am also trying to manage my stress better by getting a massage in the middle of my stimulation cycle and do yoga about 2-3 times per week. The drugs are really affecting my emotion this round and the yoga has really helped me.

Since you travel so much, I would make sure that the hotel rooms you stay in have a small frig. Both my lupron (generic brand) and my follistim have to be refrigerated at all times.

I can't imagine having to schedule all of the follow-up appts with a job that have alot of traveling. It is already hard enough to work in all of the appointments without a traveling job!

So, I will have to give you the same advice that I received. Try your best to stay relaxed and minimize your worry when possible. Good luck!

--Amy

AME38

Hi Rae,

How did you appointment go? Hope it went beautifully and that you got the green light to start the stim drugs.

The stim drugs are affecting me more this round of IVF. I feel more tired at night and my emotion is just all over the place. The drug is like an amplifier and it make me react to life's everyday situation more quickly (ie, I seem to be less patience). My poor DH is getting the blunt of this! On the bright side, the bloating has not been too bad. And at the end when this ends up being a BFP, it will be ALL worth it

I started accupunture and the sessions really do help me to relax. I also am going to see a massage therapist next week (my RE OKed it). That should help me to relax as long as I can stop my brain from thinking!

--Amy

Rae37

HI Amy!!! Yes, the trial transfer went good. I was given the protocol to start lupron with the bc pill for 6 days, then drop the bc pill and continue lupron until an appt on 9/8 for my tests. THen I guess they will check me and then tell me to start the stimulation. I was supposed to start the lupron tonight, but the meds didn't ship to me for today due to some insurance snags. But I think it's straightened out and I should get the lupron tomorow and start tomorrow or monday, but I am not 100% sure. The IVF nurses will call me back later to tell me. But at least I am starting the lupron. I think I then do Gonal-F and menopur just like Kmsher that just wrote in. Kmscher! I am new to this too and it looks like you and I are on the same thing! I am on the BC pill now too and start Lupron in the next few days. We should all keep in touch!


Sorry to hear you are more emotional this time. Keep up being positive and relax, relax!!!! Sounds like you are doing the right thing with Yoga and acupunture. I will probably do yoga too. Keep me posted on your status and I will let you know what is going on with me too!

BFP here we all come!