IVF Journey

Hollywood130

Hey everyone!

I have been asked to start this thread and make it all about my IVF journey and I'm only too happy to do it if it can help others. I do hope it helps and gives you all an idea of what it's likes, obviously treatment can be different for everyone but this is my journey!

So I have Endometriosis, prone to Ovarian Cysts, I've had 2 surgeries and I have an AMH of 4.5. Last year we done 4 month of Ovulation Induction none of which worked and then was told IVF was our only option. At first I went into a state of panic when I heard IVF for many reasons, one just being that I couldn't believe that we needed it, I felt like when your younger you spend so much time avoiding pregnancy and now I'm spending years trying for one. How cruel is that?? But after a while I came to terms with it through talking to friends and on the other forums here, OH was pretty good too, I'm feeling quite positive now.

We went for our IVF talk on May 12th, paid our money, had our History appointment where we were told we would be put on Long Protocol due to my Endometriosis. My other half decided he would have Semen Analysis repeated because it wasn't done in 12 months just to be on the safe side. Thankfully those results came back better than the last time! He had changed his diet and started working out most days so it had a positive effect. Next I needed to have an Endometrial Scratch done, this was very uncomfortable for me but they say it could help with the IVF, no solid proof though. This lasts for 2 months.

I was supposed to start the nasal spray on June 5th which I did and got a call later that day to stop because my Prolactin was too high, it was 45 and the normal range is between 5-25, so off to Galway again for an MRI, this came back fine, so more bloods needed to be taken, thankfully these came back last Friday at 18 so I'm off! Started the nasal spray this morning. 2 sniffs one in each nostril at 8am and 8pm. I'm on this for 2 weeks, then I have a scan on the 24th, should be starting injections from that night.

Neyite

Thanks for starting this thread Hollywood.

Can I ask, what is a long or short protocol and the difference between them? And what the nasal spray does?

Hollywood130

Long Protocol has being recommended for me because of the Endometriosis. The consultant decidesthis for you based on how you have previously responded and basically for whatever reason you are on this journey. Again there are mixed opinions on which is better, but generally long is better for those with Endo according to my clinic. If you over-responded to previous drugs they may use short incase you are at risk of OHSS (Over hyper stimulation)

Long Protocol lasts about 6-8weeks, short is 4 weeks. With long you start the nasal spray on CD21, it slows everything down and stops you from releasing any eggs as the clinic don't want this to happen until they are ready for you to release eggs. I'll be on the nasal spray for 2 weeks, they then do a scan to see what is going on, then you start injections to stimilate the ovaries.

The nasal spray is completely fine, the worst part of it is the tastes it leaves when it trickles down your throat! Well that's Day anyway, if any side effects come along I'll update!

I am feeling quite positive and excited but nervous and cautious at the same time. Don't want to get ahead of myself

Hollywood130

So today I woke up to a slight bleed, very light spotting, I'm on CD22, rang the clinic and I'm waiting for a call back to see what they want to do about it. AF shouldn't be arriving or another 5 days for me at least so this is another strange bleed for me. Don't know how I'm going to deal with it if they tell me to stop taking the nasal spray and wait til my next day21. This is now a tough day & I've a friends hen party tonight which now I am not looking forward to at all. Think I'm going to wake up to AF in the morning. Wish the clinic would ring me soon.

stickybean

Hollywood130 wrote: »

So today I woke up to a slight bleed, very light spotting, I'm on CD22, rang the clinic and I'm waiting for a call back to see what they want to do about it. AF shouldn't be arriving or another 5 days for me at least so this is another strange bleed for me. Don't know how I'm going to deal with it if they tell me to stop taking the nasal spray and wait til my next day21. This is now a tough day & I've a friends hen party tonight which now I am not looking forward to at all. Think I'm going to wake up to AF in the morning. Wish the clinic would ring me soon.

Hope your'e okay Hollywood xxx Keep us posted x

And hope the hen's party goes well xxx

Hollywood130

So the clinic phoned and I'm going ahead with treatment, so I'm pleased about that, having a scan on 24th so hoping all goes smoothly from now on

stickybean

Hollywood130 wrote: »

So the clinic phoned and I'm going ahead with treatment, so I'm pleased about that, having a scan on 24th so hoping all goes smoothly from now on

Great news x

Hollywood130

The Hens weekend went well, the worst part was trying to hide the 'no drinking' and pretending to be drunk The nasal spray which I was worried about hiding was fine, I took it before we left the hotel & just said to my roomie that I was having sinus issues!! The next morning my alarm was set for 8am which she didn't even hear, so all is good.

AF arrived on Saturday, 5 days early, prob should have been on the nasal spray a bit longer than a day before getting AF but the clinic said go ahead and see what happens with the scan on the 24th, I'm going to try not to worry but if the scan isn't what they are expecting it could be back to sniffing again on my next day 21. Today is my 5th day sniffing, don't have any symptoms so far, I am very tired but don't think that has anything to do with the nasal spray.

Really could have done with today off, still so tired after the weekend but I'm trying to keep my holidays for scans, EC, ET etc! OH is working nights all this week and my friend is gone to Abu Dhabi so I'm all alone! GOing to spend the week painting my house

Hollywood130

So today is Day8 of Down Reg, last night was the worst night I've had so far. I have a cold so I went to a Boxercise class trying to sweat it away (didn't work), cane home to my OH in bed having a nap & for some reason that really annoyed me so I gave off tohim, the poor guy is working nights & he needed a nap but I wanted him to spend time with me bacause we haven't seen each other this week. Felt like such a b***h like 10 minutes later so I apologised. Then for some reason I started crying like 30 minutes after my meltdown for no reason in the world, had a good cry for myself & then I was fine, can't explain any of it.

Had a terrible nights slight, cold sweats & bizarre dreams. Still have the stupid headcold today & I really think the nasal spray brought it on, the clinic will tell me otherwise I know but I really think it's from that. Really busy at work so no sick days for me, need to muddle through. Roll on next week for scan & injections, who knows what side effects that will bring

Got AF last Friday, still spotting today, AF NEVER hangs around this long, you can experience bleeding on the sniffer so it's obviously that, think that has me drained too. All for a good cause;)

Hollywood130

Had my Down Reg scan on Friday after 15 days of the sniffer, thankfully the scan went well, hormones were low (they did a blood test), had spotting for about a week on the sniffer so they did a pregnancy test which was negative and they did a scan, my lining was nice and thin and nothing was happening in there so they sent me home to start stimming. I'm on Gonal F, I inject every evening, this encourages follicles to start growing so I have another scan this Friday.

The only side effects I'm experiencing is hot flushes at night, having a terrible time sleeping with them.

saraj14

Well I'm starting my first IVF cycle!! Excited, nervous, scared and anxious... I'm so scared i won't be able to do the injections, but i suppose i have no choice.
Tomorrow morning is my first injection, i'm sure it will be easier than i think.

I keep thinking that this is the start of getting our baby. I really haven't given failure any thought. So i guess it has to just work.

skallywag

saraj14 wrote: »

I'm so scared i won't be able to do the injections, but i suppose i have no choice.

If you are apprehensive about doing them yourself then (if it's an option for you) you could possibly ask your partner to help out, otherwise you can always have your GP / clinic do them if you prefer.

Good luck on your journey, it's good that you are keeping positive.

Hollywood130

Hi Sara, that's exactly how I think, it's a step closer to getting a baby. Exactly, I'm being very positive on this cycle & I think it's good that you are too. It'll work for us both ;-)

What injection are you on? I'm on Gonal F. I've been taking it for 4 days now & I don't seem to have any side effects, thank God, the night sweats are enough to deal with!! You probably have done the injection now so I really hope it went well for you

Don't be scared about the injections, they are totally fine, the first one is the worst but once you have that done you'll be fine. TIP: I do use a bit of ice on my tummy before injecting and I find that REALLY helps.

I've been on forums & google recently and so compiled a list of questions for my clinic. I read that some say not to get your hair done (highlights) while on treatment, the clinic said it's fine to get your hair done because its good to be good to yourself. I also read a high protein low carb diet is best. The clinic said a healthy balanced diet is best. This is just my clinic so I don't know what others say but I'm just going to have a healthy diet, everything in moderation and I've booked to get my hair done next week :-) Another night of hot flushes.... DYING for a good nights sleep

stickybean

saraj14 wrote: »

Well I'm starting my first IVF cycle!! Excited, nervous, scared and anxious... I'm so scared i won't be able to do the injections, but i suppose i have no choice.
Tomorrow morning is my first injection, i'm sure it will be easier than i think.

I keep thinking that this is the start of getting our baby. I really haven't given failure any thought. So i guess it has to just work.

Saraj12, I am starting today!!! So nervous and excited. Terrified of the needles, my OH is going to try it tonight and see how we get on.

I'm the opposite, I keep panicking, what if it doesn't work... need to get a more positive mind set and fast!!! Best of luck x

skallywag

stickybean wrote: »

...my OH is going to try it tonight and see how we get on...

I did it myself for the OH and it worked well for us.

I'm quite sure that you have been told this anyway, but one tip I could share is that even though you are going to want to get it over and done with ASAP, one should wait a couple of seconds once the plunger is fully depressed before removing it, as otherwise you could run the risk of quite a lot of the dose overflowing as soon as you remove the needle. Happened to us when we started once, and it can leave you quite frustrated thinking that you may not have done it properly, etc.

All in all though it very soon became second nature though.

saraj14

First injection is done and dusted. All you wise ladies that recommended the ice, well it worked wonders. Wasn't bad at all! My partner is actually away at the moment so he wasn't an option, but it's done now.
I'm on puregon, my specialist recommended taking CoQ10 until trigger day.
I've been taking it for a while now. I'm also just eating healthy, no alcohol etc and going for a walk most evenings.
Think i'm going crazy though! Every two seconds i'm like.. oh i've a headache... oh i'm nauseous. :rolleyes:

stickybean

Snap! First one done and thankfully was okay. I was so terrified all day yesterday, but feeling much more relaxed today. I had a headache and felt a bit nauseous last night, but I think it was from the build up to the needle.

Hollywood130

Stickybean how did the injection go for you?

Sara so glad to hear the first injection is over you and it went well. The ice rally is a great idea, I wouldn't do it without it! I'm getting headaches too, have had one most days and I'm drinking 2 litres of water. Headaches & hot flushes are all I can complain about really, everything else is grand. I'm not too emotional or irritated which is good, I think I'm doing quite well despite all the meds in my system. I haven't been able to get out for a walk so far this week, going to aim for it this evening though.

FYI: You are supposed to leave the injection (Gonal F anyway) in for 10 seconds after the dial goes back to 0.

Hope everyone has a great day :-)

stickybean

Hey Hollywood, it was grand, I was so nervous and tense, but with the little ice pack i didn't feel a thing. I had the needle in for a little bit as the angle I was add didn't allow me to press the button, so the OH stepped in to help, but didn't even feel it x

kalie

Hi girls,

I'm going to be starting in September. I've had no idea what to expect. I was just given a sheet of info and i suppose they'd fill me in more when i start. So its been great to read this thread. The injections seem less scary now and i'll try the ice pack trick

Are any of you going to try acupuncture? I've heard it can help

brokensoul

kalie wrote: »

Hi girls,

I'm going to be starting in September. I've had no idea what to expect. I was just given a sheet of info and i suppose they'd fill me in more when i start. So its been great to read this thread. The injections seem less scary now and i'll try the ice pack trick

Are any of you going to try acupuncture? I've heard it can help

Hi,

I can't answer about acupuncture in that I haven't had it in relation to ttc. I have had it for chronic back pain in the past though and it was great for that. I figure that it probably can't hurt!

If I would give you one piece of advice for the moment it would be to limit the amount of time you spend thinking about ivf for the next month and go and enjoy yourself It becomes all consuming once you get started so enjoy the freedom you have now.

Edit - just re read my post and thought it might come across as a bit patronising. Sorry for that, not intended!

saraj14

I've been doing acupuncture twice a month since January. I'm not sure how beneficial it is. I'm still not pregnant :rolleyes:
However I read an article about acupuncture and IVF. I plan on having a treatment directly before and after the implant.
Another article i read was about a group of women being entertained by a clown after the egg was implanted and how there was higher success rates than those that did not see the clown.
Well my point is, on the day i plan on having two acupuncture appointments and i will be watching reruns of Big Bang Theory

Hollywood130

Clowns wouldn't do it for me at all Sara, that would be a form of torture... they totally freak me out :eek:
Big Bang Theory I can handle!!

You're totally right BrokenSoul, it does consume you, it's rare you don't think about it, it's great to actually go and meet friends & visit family etc & listen to them because you don't think about it then, work takes my mind off it too at the moment but not all day!

I haven't done any accupunture... going to ask the clinic tomorrow, I know there is nothing proven with it but I'll just try and gauge their thoughts on it.

I'm on Day 7 of stimms, yesterday I was starting to feel sharp pains down my right side from around lunchtime, they didn't last too long, they were gone by the time I got home. I think I'm coping with the meds pretty well, I'm not too cranky or emotional which I'm happy about, I thought I'd be a mess. Again headaches & hot flushes are all the symptoms I have really. Woke up this morning with a bad headache & felt a bit light-headed. Going to get lots of water into me this morning and hope that helps. I'm definitely bloated, no skinny jeans for me this week

stickybean

Sara how did last nights needle go? Mine went on okay, but it really stung afterwards. My OH said it was mad to watch how 6 weeks ago I broke down at a blood test and threw up (I really have a fear), to 2 days in and self injection without even flinching.

Kalie, I did 4 months of acupuncture last year, again it was a big thing as I have a really bad fear of needles but it was okay. Did it work... honestly I do not know... but I did enjoy the 60 minutes to lie there and relax and refocus.

I also read the piece about the clown, seems a happy relaxed patient is the most positive... so line up the silly cat videos

Hollywood130

That's great Sticky, you've come a long way, well done you.

saraj14

Stickybean the puregon injection is fine. 3 done!
I just can't wait for it to be egg pick up day. I want to know how many are there. I'm counting down the days. I'm living in Oz, and we want to get pregnant before we move home. It would be a nightmare to start all over again. So fingers crossed we have a few spare eggs.
Just wondering, my doctor here wants to wait a month before we implant. Is that the same in Ireland? She says that there is a higher success rate when the drugs are out of our system.
Holywood I'm not too sure if today is your scan day, but if it is best of luck. Really hope it goes well.

stickybean

saraj14 wrote: »

Stickybean the puregon injection is fine. 3 done!
I just can't wait for it to be egg pick up day. I want to know how many are there. I'm counting down the days. I'm living in Oz, and we want to get pregnant before we move home. It would be a nightmare to start all over again. So fingers crossed we have a few spare eggs.
Just wondering, my doctor here wants to wait a month before we implant. Is that the same in Ireland? She says that there is a higher success rate when the drugs are out of our system.
Holywood I'm not too sure if today is your scan day, but if it is best of luck. Really hope it goes well.

Day 3 done last night, I am becoming a pro at this stage, LOL.

Our specialist said provided we don't have OHSS (Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome) which is quite common during IVF we will be going ahead with implant this month. But i've read people who get it, often get more eggs, so it's not always a bad thing I guess...

I spoke with a girl in work yesterday, she went for egg retrieval and only had one egg, she was gutted, but now she has a 7 year old healthy egg... so I guess it's not always the amount that said, I would love if they get a few and they make it to embryo stage and we could freeze them. For me this s the part I am dreading the most.

Have you any idea of when your egg retrieval is? We've a scan on Monday and they said they will give us a better idea of a date then.

saraj14

Well had my first scan. The right ovary has 4-5 follicles, however she couldn't locate the left ovary.
It is probably behind my uterus. Which means that she probably won't be able to get anything from it.

Hollywood130

Hey ladies, sorry I had such a busy weekend that I didn't get on. So had a scan on Friday which didn't go too well When I had my down-reg scan I had 2 follicles ,measuring 6 & 7, when I went for my scan after 7 days of stimms I had 3 follicles, the 2 I mentioned previously had grown to 7 & 8 and I had one 6. Very dissappointing, had a nurse I didn't have before and I didn't really connect with her, maybe because she gave me bad news & she really hurt me doing the bloods. Then she told me my cycle might be cancelled but to wait until she spoke to the consultant and then she would call me. Oh and my lining was 6 and they'd like it at 8

Got the call at 4pm Friday, my hormones were very low at 226. The consultant decided to up my dose of Gonal F from 262.5 to 350 for 3 days to see how that would go and scan me again Monday (yesterday). So another 4 hour round trip later and now I have 6 follicles, 1 x 14, 1 x 12, 3 x 8 & 1 x 6. Lining is at 7.8 and the hormones increased to 800. I was pleased with this, had totally given up hope over the weekend and yesterdays news was quite good. They sent me home to do another 3 days of stimms and I'm back up there Thursday for another (and hopefuly last stimming scan) scan before egg collection.

Last year while doing Ovulation Induction every month I had terrible pains from stimming, some people don't get any but I definitely do. I had no pains until Sunday so on Sunady before my scan I had a feeling sometihng was happening, yesterday too had lots of pains so I'm hoping I'm crippled until Thursday They like the follicles to be at least 15mm so praying for lots of growth.

The next hurdle really is that there are eggs in these follicles, with the hormones looking good they expect there are but they would like a couple of eggs to play around with. I'm hoping they get a few, when speaking with the embryologist she told me they like to get between 8 and 10, I've low AMH so I don't think they'll get that from me. It's about quality not quantity so I'm not going to focus on the numbers. I would like if they had one to put back and one to freeze but we'll just have to go with it and see what happens.

Thankfully, the hot flushes are gone, I do still have an odd headache but once I drink some water that goes away. So the Gonal F doesn't seem to be affecting me. My tummy is starting to grow which the clinic said would happen, this is because of all the follicles, all 6 of them :P but I feel bloated, for now I really don't mind, it's a good thing i am quite tired, not good for anything in the evening at all!

Sara, do you have another scan booked?

Hope all you ladies have a lovely week x

stickybean

Hi girls,

Sorry I thought I posted yesterday, but can't see it here.

That's good news Hollywood, fingers crossed everything is going to plan on Thursday xxx Kepp us updated x

Did you have another scan Sara? Are the follicles there growing?

I am now CD 10, I had a scan yesterday and they were please with the volume of follicles, there was Left ovary - 2 x 12, 3 x 11.5, 1 x 11, 2 x 10, and on the right 2 x 12, 1 x 11.5, 2 x 11, 2 x 10 and she didn't go into detail about the others but they were 9 and less.

Because I was bloated and the follicles were growing so quick they took me back in this morning for another scan and they has all grown: left side 2 x 14.5 , 1 x 13.5, 2 x 13, 2 x 12,and right 1x 14.5, 2 x 14, 2 x 13, 2 x 11.5 they said my lining looks good and I am to stay on the same dosage and am back in tomorrow morning for another scan.

If I have 3 that hit 17.5 i'll have my trigger shot tmr night and egg collection Friday morning.

Yellow diamond

Hope you don't mind me jumping into this thread, good luck Hollywood, I hope things continue to progress well and it's great that you got more positive news on Monday!

I am day five of the buserlin injections....started getting headaches at weekend (although I have a sinus infection too) they are quite severe but do resolve with paracetamol!