Gosh how awful for you all this waiting around is, you both must be going out of your minds with the situation. Keeping my fingers crossed something happens for you both soon x
This morning her cycle started so, she called the clinic and they have asked her to go in for a blood test and scan tomorrow. So hopefully can start on the Stim soon. Fingers and toes crossed !!!!
Thank you for your kind and warm wishes, it really means a lot.
So today's update is that the scan today showed signs of sufficiently down regulating. Waiting now for the blood test results which should be back in a couple of hours which hopefully confirm down regulation is complete. The next phase will be the stimulation. My wife asked the pharmacy local to the clinic for prices of fostimon and merional a couple of weeks ago and they quoted ??19 for either at 75 units. Today they retracted from that and said Fostimon is ??28 while merional is ??19. Nevertheless it is still cheaper than the ??40 and ??20 charged by the clinic. She purchased a couple of days supply from the clinic and will buy more from another pharmacy nearby which does both for ??18 each. Hopefully that pharmacy will keep their word for the prices. It's a shame Asda is not already selling the drugs at cost price, it got all the media coverage in early march but nothing since.
Anyway, everything crossed and will let you know more once we get the call to let us know whether the stimming can start !
Hi KS9, Just been having a catch up in the IVF forum and am so sorry to hear how difficult this cycle has been after all you have been through already. Hopefully it will reap rewards though and you will end up with a successful (and trouble-free) pregnancy! Good to hear things seem to be moving in the right direction now. Just to say I got all my drugs from central homecare. It was nearly half the price of my clinic and I found them really good. Know many other people who have used them and all been happy. They deliver direct. http://www.centralhomecare.co.uk/Home/tabid/67/Default.aspx Lots of luck x
Dear tinybabydancer thank you for your kind message. Friday's blood results suggested that my wifes downreg had not completed and they increased the nasal spray from 8hourly to 6hourly. She went for another blood test and scan today so hopefully today's results will show downreg has ended and stimming can start.
She did go to another pharmacy who had given us prices of ??18 for each fostimon 75units and also ??17 for merional 75units. However, when she went to collect them today the pharmacy said the prices have gone up significantly (almost doubled) and the pharmacist even showed her the invoice saying that Fostimon and merional are costing the pharmacy themselves ??29 each. So I think we will stick to buying the meds directly from the clinic at ??30 (Fostimon) and (??20 Merional). I will check the link you provided and if it cheaper then definitely will order from them.
Thanks for that. Also will give you an update on what happens with her blood results. We are so eager to start the next phase.
G/c, just wanted to say I wish you all the luck in the world and I wish my dh was as amazingly supportive as you, I hope you get the bfp you desire so much as you sound like you will make amazing parents, your in my prayers
The results of the blood test on Friday suggested my wife had not downregulated. They called her in again on Saturday for a scan and blood test. The results showed that downregulation had not happened and that her estrodial levels were increasing and the two folicles were growing. They said to stop the suprecur spray and now to go back on day 1 of her next cycle.
She was so very upset, and while I try my best to reassure her that everything will happen when the time is right, I know it will still be upsetting. I too am sad although trying my level best to stay positive and not to show any signs of being sad to her.
I wish things were easier, I am not sure what they will do now. Whether it means she will be on a short protocol next time or whether they use a different Downreg drug. Amazing that most women down reg in 10 days but even with our first IVF the down reg did not happen quickly for us.
IVF is a really emotionally draining process. I pray that we get some strength from somewhere to stay positive and get the baby we both so long for.
Not satisfied with the lack of information provided by the clinic and also knowing my wife is not pushy and will not push for more information, I called the clinic yesterday to find out what the plan was now. The admin assistant told me that the fact that my wife had been called in on Day one of her next cycle suggested that they would put her on the short protocol. This means that Day 1 would be blood test to check her Estrodial levels, Day 2 would entail more bloods and also a scan. If the lining was thin enough then they would put her on the stimulation phase.
I asked whether the expected results (in terms of number of eggs harvested) were better on the long protocol, and she said that they were no different and every person is different and some women do not respond to the downreg drugs as well as other women. The clinic's choice of treatment would always be to get the maximum number of eggs in a controlled way (obviously without hyper stim). So am hoping that the day 1 tests and day 2 test all go well and that the stimming can start. It won't be for another two weeks or so I think so for the moment just sitting tight and waiting.
Due to having taken the down reg sprays my wife normal 23 day cycle extended to 30 days. On day 1 she went to give a blood test. The results came back with a higher level of Estrodial than desirable. The following day she went for a scan and blood test, again the clinic was umming and ahhing about what to do, they asked her to come back on day 3 again and the results from that test showed that the folicles that had already started developing were too big for them to do the short protocol and get many eggs, they abandoned the treatment for this cycle and asked her to come back again on Day 1 of her next cycle. She was very upset. Having given up work at the end of March she has basically nothing to concentrate on apart from this so makes it harder to accept delays.
I went to the clinic that evening hoping to speak with one of the doctors, I was told that there was no one free to speak with me and someone would call me back the next day. A doctor did call me the next day and I spoke at lengths with him. I said that with our very first IVF cycle, my wife had troubles down regulating and eventually they had put her on 4 sprays a day to completely DR her and it eventually worked. This time round they had put her on just 3 sprays and changed it to 4 sprays right at the end for only 2 days.
I suggested they allow us to go for the long protocol again and this time with 4 sprays daily. They said it was worth considering. My wife has to go in for a blood test and scan 5 days after her LH surge and from that point they will determine whether it is worth trying the 4 spray Down Reg attempt or just to wait and see if her Estrodial levels are low enough on day 1 / 2 for them to propose the short protocol.
It's an emotional roller coaster. I strongly feel cheated in everything at the moment and then I was watching something on DVD this morning and it said something very philosophical. "Fate is already set in stone, prayers don't change fate, but give you hope and strength to deal with things when they go wrong, if all prayers were answered. If all prayers were answered then there would be no pain or problems and we would all be immortal".
It gave me some perspective on the struggle we are going through, it also helped me to understand that no matter how hard I pray, it will not change the outcome. what will be. will be.
I think it's so lovely KS9 to see such a supportive husband - you are a real gem and I hope that these hard times have made the loving bond with your wife even stronger. I hope for you both that that next cycle comes around very soon and that this is the one xxx
Thank you for your very kind messages. It's been a while since I logged on here as not much has been happening in our world.
My wife had her LH surge on Day 9 and called the clinic. She was told to come in 3 days later for a blood test. So three days later she went for the test and was told to come back the next day for another blood test and scan. After a lot of deliberation and thought and discussions amongst the consultants at the clinic they all felt our best chances would be for her to continue with the short protocol.
We asked whether the estrodial levels which were higher than desired levels on the last cycle were likley to repeat and also will this just be a waste of time waiting month after month to finally realise that her eatrodial levels were always going to be higher.
We were told that the reasons why her Estrodial levels were probably higher is that she had been on the down reg sprays for a long period of time, hence her cycle was also delayed to day 30 rather than the normal day 22 or 23.
The doctors were confident that the next cycle would allow stimulation on the short protocol. I am really hopeful that they are right.
We asked why they just couldn't put her on the long protocol with a higher dose of the drugs. They explained that my wife did not down reg easily even in our first fresh cycle and again this time the down reg has not worked even with several weeks of using the drugs. They said that if we were to go down the long protocol route, her cycles would be messed up again and if she did not down regulate then we would have even longer to wait before we could start the short protocol.
So everything crossed/
My wife is better now. I think she feels a little more reassured and also has accepted that the waiting game is something we have to cope with. We are in the process of buying an investment property and I have asked her to take care of all of that and she was really busy searching for the right one and she found one too. She has some family over from abroad who are here for a few days, so she is spending some time with them at the moment which is also good to keep her occupied.
All of this has brought us closer. I still feel sad though, and after quite a long time I cried again last night thinking about my wife holding our baby in her arms while he took his last breath. It brings tears to my eyes now just thinking about it. I wish things were different. The twins would have been 3 months old now if they had gone to full term. How life would have been so different.
Hi KS9, I really hope it all works out for you on your next attempt, the waiting game really is the worst bit and it is so hard to put your trust in others and allow them to make the decisions. If your anything like me I'm a control freak and it was so difficult to have to sit back and just be told what to do and to have no control over the situation. My heart goes out to you and your wife over your loss, life is so cruel and unfair I wish that you could be holding your sons too and not having to endure and pain and heartache that you do and having to go through all this again. I am popping into this forum every now and then as I have no news at presentme and hubby will not be going for treatment until after christmas due to saving up for our next cycle of treatment so please keep us updated and hopefully very soon you will have good news. Take care Rhian x
Dear Em J thank you for your kind wishes. It means a lot.
We had another set back. Monday was Day 1 of my wife's cycle and she went for a Blood Test. The test revealed Estrodial levels were 149. Then Tuesday she was called for another blood test and scan. The Scan showed that the lining of the womb was thin just like they would hope and the consultant said that if the estrodial level was below 250 he felt that they would start stimulation phase. Later in the afternoon my wife was called to make sure she had all her stimulation medications. I could physically feel the relief in her voice when she called me to tell me that they would call later with instructions on the dose.
Then a call later came and they said, they are abandoning the cycle as the senior consultant at the clinic who everything is referred to, felt the Estrodial levels were too high. My wife was told to come back on Day 1 of her next cycle.
This was heartbreaking for her. She was devastated. This is now the 5th cycle since we went back to the clinic and we have not got to the stimulation phase. It's really disappointing and on my way home yesterday I kept thinking, how life would be for us if we never had children, Would we cope with that, would my wife be able to handle that.
It really is very upsetting. We have now started thinking of using a different clinic now. Yesterday we went on the HFEA's website however looking at the stats and success rates, our clinic currently has the highest success rates for our ages group of 35-37.
I keep asking what it is that we have done that is so bad that we keep being punished.
Maybe we should just accept that there are no children in our lives who we will watch as we grow old.
Replies
This morning her cycle started so, she called the clinic and they have asked her to go in for a blood test and scan tomorrow. So hopefully can start on the Stim soon. Fingers and toes crossed !!!!
Thank you for your kind and warm wishes, it really means a lot.
So today's update is that the scan today showed signs of sufficiently down regulating. Waiting now for the blood test results which should be back in a couple of hours which hopefully confirm down regulation is complete. The next phase will be the stimulation. My wife asked the pharmacy local to the clinic for prices of fostimon and merional a couple of weeks ago and they quoted ??19 for either at 75 units. Today they retracted from that and said Fostimon is ??28 while merional is ??19. Nevertheless it is still cheaper than the ??40 and ??20 charged by the clinic. She purchased a couple of days supply from the clinic and will buy more from another pharmacy nearby which does both for ??18 each. Hopefully that pharmacy will keep their word for the prices. It's a shame Asda is not already selling the drugs at cost price, it got all the media coverage in early march but nothing since.
Anyway, everything crossed and will let you know more once we get the call to let us know whether the stimming can start !
Just been having a catch up in the IVF forum and am so sorry to hear how difficult this cycle has been after all you have been through already. Hopefully it will reap rewards though and you will end up with a successful (and trouble-free) pregnancy!
Good to hear things seem to be moving in the right direction now. Just to say I got all my drugs from central homecare. It was nearly half the price of my clinic and I found them really good. Know many other people who have used them and all been happy. They deliver direct.
http://www.centralhomecare.co.uk/Home/tabid/67/Default.aspx
Lots of luck x
She did go to another pharmacy who had given us prices of ??18 for each fostimon 75units and also ??17 for merional 75units. However, when she went to collect them today the pharmacy said the prices have gone up significantly (almost doubled) and the pharmacist even showed her the invoice saying that Fostimon and merional are costing the pharmacy themselves ??29 each. So I think we will stick to buying the meds directly from the clinic at ??30 (Fostimon) and (??20 Merional). I will check the link you provided and if it cheaper then definitely will order from them.
Thanks for that. Also will give you an update on what happens with her blood results. We are so eager to start the next phase.
Good luck with your IVF as well !
The results of the blood test on Friday suggested my wife had not downregulated. They called her in again on Saturday for a scan and blood test. The results showed that downregulation had not happened and that her estrodial levels were increasing and the two folicles were growing. They said to stop the suprecur spray and now to go back on day 1 of her next cycle.
She was so very upset, and while I try my best to reassure her that everything will happen when the time is right, I know it will still be upsetting. I too am sad although trying my level best to stay positive and not to show any signs of being sad to her.
I wish things were easier, I am not sure what they will do now. Whether it means she will be on a short protocol next time or whether they use a different Downreg drug. Amazing that most women down reg in 10 days but even with our first IVF the down reg did not happen quickly for us.
IVF is a really emotionally draining process. I pray that we get some strength from somewhere to stay positive and get the baby we both so long for.
I asked whether the expected results (in terms of number of eggs harvested) were better on the long protocol, and she said that they were no different and every person is different and some women do not respond to the downreg drugs as well as other women. The clinic's choice of treatment would always be to get the maximum number of eggs in a controlled way (obviously without hyper stim). So am hoping that the day 1 tests and day 2 test all go well and that the stimming can start. It won't be for another two weeks or so I think so for the moment just sitting tight and waiting.
I went to the clinic that evening hoping to speak with one of the doctors, I was told that there was no one free to speak with me and someone would call me back the next day. A doctor did call me the next day and I spoke at lengths with him. I said that with our very first IVF cycle, my wife had troubles down regulating and eventually they had put her on 4 sprays a day to completely DR her and it eventually worked. This time round they had put her on just 3 sprays and changed it to 4 sprays right at the end for only 2 days.
I suggested they allow us to go for the long protocol again and this time with 4 sprays daily. They said it was worth considering. My wife has to go in for a blood test and scan 5 days after her LH surge and from that point they will determine whether it is worth trying the 4 spray Down Reg attempt or just to wait and see if her Estrodial levels are low enough on day 1 / 2 for them to propose the short protocol.
It's an emotional roller coaster. I strongly feel cheated in everything at the moment and then I was watching something on DVD this morning and it said something very philosophical. "Fate is already set in stone, prayers don't change fate, but give you hope and strength to deal with things when they go wrong, if all prayers were answered. If all prayers were answered then there would be no pain or problems and we would all be immortal".
It gave me some perspective on the struggle we are going through, it also helped me to understand that no matter how hard I pray, it will not change the outcome. what will be. will be.
I hope for you both that that next cycle comes around very soon and that this is the one xxx
My wife had her LH surge on Day 9 and called the clinic. She was told to come in 3 days later for a blood test. So three days later she went for the test and was told to come back the next day for another blood test and scan. After a lot of deliberation and thought and discussions amongst the consultants at the clinic they all felt our best chances would be for her to continue with the short protocol.
We asked whether the estrodial levels which were higher than desired levels on the last cycle were likley to repeat and also will this just be a waste of time waiting month after month to finally realise that her eatrodial levels were always going to be higher.
We were told that the reasons why her Estrodial levels were probably higher is that she had been on the down reg sprays for a long period of time, hence her cycle was also delayed to day 30 rather than the normal day 22 or 23.
The doctors were confident that the next cycle would allow stimulation on the short protocol. I am really hopeful that they are right.
We asked why they just couldn't put her on the long protocol with a higher dose of the drugs. They explained that my wife did not down reg easily even in our first fresh cycle and again this time the down reg has not worked even with several weeks of using the drugs. They said that if we were to go down the long protocol route, her cycles would be messed up again and if she did not down regulate then we would have even longer to wait before we could start the short protocol.
So everything crossed/
My wife is better now. I think she feels a little more reassured and also has accepted that the waiting game is something we have to cope with. We are in the process of buying an investment property and I have asked her to take care of all of that and she was really busy searching for the right one and she found one too. She has some family over from abroad who are here for a few days, so she is spending some time with them at the moment which is also good to keep her occupied.
All of this has brought us closer. I still feel sad though, and after quite a long time I cried again last night thinking about my wife holding our baby in her arms while he took his last breath. It brings tears to my eyes now just thinking about it. I wish things were different. The twins would have been 3 months old now if they had gone to full term. How life would have been so different.
My heart goes out to you and your wife over your loss, life is so cruel and unfair I wish that you could be holding your sons too and not having to endure and pain and heartache that you do and having to go through all this again.
I am popping into this forum every now and then as I have no news at presentme and hubby will not be going for treatment until after christmas due to saving up for our next cycle of treatment so please keep us updated and hopefully very soon you will have good news.
Take care
Rhian x
Thoughts are with both of you and everything crossed
Love Em J xx
We had another set back. Monday was Day 1 of my wife's cycle and she went for a Blood Test. The test revealed Estrodial levels were 149. Then Tuesday she was called for another blood test and scan. The Scan showed that the lining of the womb was thin just like they would hope and the consultant said that if the estrodial level was below 250 he felt that they would start stimulation phase. Later in the afternoon my wife was called to make sure she had all her stimulation medications. I could physically feel the relief in her voice when she called me to tell me that they would call later with instructions on the dose.
Then a call later came and they said, they are abandoning the cycle as the senior consultant at the clinic who everything is referred to, felt the Estrodial levels were too high. My wife was told to come back on Day 1 of her next cycle.
This was heartbreaking for her. She was devastated. This is now the 5th cycle since we went back to the clinic and we have not got to the stimulation phase. It's really disappointing and on my way home yesterday I kept thinking, how life would be for us if we never had children, Would we cope with that, would my wife be able to handle that.
It really is very upsetting. We have now started thinking of using a different clinic now. Yesterday we went on the HFEA's website however looking at the stats and success rates, our clinic currently has the highest success rates for our ages group of 35-37.
I keep asking what it is that we have done that is so bad that we keep being punished.
Maybe we should just accept that there are no children in our lives who we will watch as we grow old.
Very sad.