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IVF
Hi my name is Jo and I was wondering if anybody has gone through IVF or is going through it now.
Just fancied a chat.
Just fancied a chat.
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We went through ICSI which is IVF last October and we are now 19+3 weeks pregnant. It was a very emotional time and it had many ups but more downs. It was our second attempt as the first time we went through it i ovulated the day before egg collection which there was no explanation for. So we had to find more money to fund the second attempt and it has all bee worth it so far. We go for our scan on Tuesday.
Are you going through IVF or thinking about it? Where are you from?
Nic x
We are starting IVF and ICSI in May.
Am so excited about it all!! Would love to hear what your experiences of it all are Nic, good and bad, what to expect from the drugs etc. Thank you ever so much Lanni x
The first course we did was more stressful than the secand as its all a learning curve. I had to sniff a drug called Synarel for 2 weeks morning and night and i did find that to give me hot flushes, which werent very nice but i got used to it. I was then scanned to see how my body was doing as to shutting down. Then the nervous bit......injections! i am not in the least frightened of needles when someone professional is doing it but we had to do it on our own, i was shitting myself....excuse the pun. we set the needle up and my hubby took the control of it as i didnt think i could press the trigger myself lol. There was nothing to it and got braver as the days went on, then i did them in my stomach which i found a lot easier. I didnt have any side effects from the injections. Then i was scanned again to see if the follicles where growng and they where. So i had a final injection 2 days before egg collection. I was nervous on collection day. When i came round from the sedation my hubby didnt look very happy and then a nurse came to tell me that they didnt get any eggs as i had already ovulated..... well you can imagine how we felt. To get to that point it cost us ??2200. We decided to try again but this time they took a different route, instead of sniffing the Synarel i had to inject 2 different drugs a day. When collection day came again i was having very negative thoughts. When i came round from that one the nurse came to tell us that we had 7 eggs, i was dissappointed as wanted more but they told me they couldnt find my left ovary so 8 was a great result from one ovary. My hubby said his part in this wasnt very good and was worried that he didnt produce enough. lol. The next day we got the long awaited call from the clinic telling us we had 4 that had fertilised and that 2 would go back in the next day. So embryo transfare took place then we wait.......and wait...... then day 13 we couldnt wait anymore and did the test, it was faint but it was there, i thin blue line....i wasnt convinced so did another one...same result, still not sure we went and bought the Clearblue Digital ones the next day and there it was..... a big fat PREGNANT!!! We where so excited. I have 2 boys from a previous marriage who where concieved naturally so to have gone through IVF was different. I'm not going to say it's easy as it's not there are so many emotions running through your bodies at the time and it can put strain on your relationship. You want to blame each other if things dont go according to plan but try not to. Be strong with each other and be there for each other. God don't i go on lol. I wish you lots of good luck with your treatment. If you want to chat more i am here for you!! Nic x
I'm from South Wales.
My husband and I have been trying for a baby for 11 years - we waited 4 years to have IVF - we had 1 try on the NHS last year. I got pregnant last September and had a miscarriage at 10 weeks.
We were absolutely devastated - still am. Thankfully, we chose to freeze our remaining 4 embryos and I have just gone through the treatment again and am awaiting an embryo transfer (pray that they survive the freezing) - should know in a couple of weeks.
It's been such an emotional time as you know - especially to have gotten pregnant and lost it. At first, we didn't want to try again, couldn't face the heartache, but we knew we'd regret it if we didn't.
Our baby would've been due to May - which is why we wanted to try again before then.
I'm excited, yet incrediably nervous - we just pray they will survive freezing and we get a second chance.
Good luck Nic
Jo x
I'm sure you've read and heard so much to do with IVF. As you can read on the bottom of this page - my husband and I went through it last year and are going through it again.
We started last January - I suffer with endometriosis and Polysistic Ovary Syndrome - really not nice and has made me infertile - hence going through IVF.
You hear good and bad about IVF and to be perfectly honest - it's not a nice experience to go through. I gave up looking too much into it, because everybody reacts differently to the treatment.
The nasal spray is not nice - makes you incrediable tired because it lowers your hormone levels. I get very forgetful and careless. Because this time around we are using frozen embryos, I do not have to have the injections, thankfully - to me - they were the worst part - but only if you have a fear of needles, as I do.
I had an operation to remove the eggs, which again, wasn't pleasant, but copeable. You really have to rest afterwards, as I was very sore and very swollen.
I had the embryo transfer 2 days after egg collection and for me, that was the easiest part. I had done so much reading and some people made it sound horrific. I was so nervous, but I needn't have been. I had my husband holding my hand the whole time - the transer takes about 15 minutes and was just like having a smear done - there was barely any discomfort.
Your stomach does get swollen though, as you will find out - I looked like I was 6 months pregnant.
2 weeks later when we took the test and we found out that I was pregnant was an experience we will never forget. After all these years, it was a dream come true. To say we were excited was an understatement.
We had our first scan at 7 weeks and we were told then that the baby was smaller then it should be and they couldn't find a heartbeat. We lost our baby at 10 weeks.
We knew we had to try again and that is what we are doing right now - only this time we have told no-one. We find it easier just the 2 of us going through it.
We pray we will be luckier this time.
What's mean't to be will be.
I hope you have great success Lanni.
If you want to know anything, I'll be glad to answer your questions if I can.
Take care
Jo x
Thank you so much for taking the time to write back. Jo, I have all my fingers and toes crossed for you and your frozen embryos. We are also hoping to be able to freeze any remaining embryos once the egg transfer has all been done! I am very nervous about taking the drugs, the injections dont bother me as I am diabetic (have been since I was 2 years old!) but I am very worried about getting over emotional and tearful. But we will have to take the rough with the smooth, and will just have to cope! You both seem to have managed fantastically with everything, and I hope we fall pregnant first time.
We are on the NHS list, but there is currently a 2 year wait, so have decided to opt for private treatment the first time round.
Did you end up taking much time off work while going through everything? Taking time off wont be a problem as I can work from home, but I wondered if you felt too ill some days to actually go into work?
We have both vowed to be strong with each other and even though it will get stressful and hard it will all be worth it in the long run. My husband feels so guilty that he is making me go through this, as I am perfectly well and fertile, it is my husband that has a very low sperm count, hence the ICSI! Did your husband feel the same Nic? We have had some amazing counselling and he is now feeling better about it all but I dont want him to feel bad while I am taking the drugs, it is just something we both have to deal with!!
How many weeks pregnant are you Nic?
Jo, do you know when you will be trying again?
Thank you ever so much once again for sharing your advice. I will keep you both updated on how we do!!!
Love
Lanni
x
Last year when we went through it first - I was self-employed - I did have many days of feeling rough - mostly very tired and not much energy - so I just used to finish work early and go home and relax. I stopped working when I had the operation to remove the eggs - my husband and I wanted me to rest as much as possible during the 2 weeks prior to the pregnancy test. Just made us feel better that we did everything possible.
I have been on treatment for our second try for 3 weeks (nasal spray and hormone replacement tablets), I am due to start the pessaries next week. We are scheduled for the embryo transfer a week Thursday - should know the day before if our frozen embryos have survived - we are preparing ourselves for the worst. We just hope and pray for a miracle.
It's worse, because this is our last try - we do not want to go through the whole cycle of IVF again - it is so mentally and physically draining, that we have said we would see this try through to the end and then we would call it a day. We have tried for so long, that we knew one day we would have to calll it a day and we have to stick to our decision.
Will catch up with you soon to see how you are doing.
I pray you are both successful - just take each day at a time. You'll get good and bad days.
I will let you know of our outcome.
In the meantime - take care.
Jo x
Just wanted to send you a message and wish you and your husband all the very best for Thursday and your embryo implantation. My thought are all with you both and I really hope things go well for you. Love Lanni x
Just want to wish you all the best for your transfare, i know tomorrow is going to be a very nerve racking day, waiting for that phone call to tell you if the embryos have survived the freezing process, fingers crossed for you.
Keep us posted and if you want to chat anymore then please do, i fully understand the emotions you are going through.
Good Luck xx
Nic
This is the end of the line for "Wannabemum" - the hospital rang today to tell us that our frozen embryos had not survived the freezing process - so there won't be any transfer tomorrow.
We are both so disappointed - I feel absolutely devastated - I will never be able to give my husband a child - I will never have my husbands child. I feel sick, angry, but most of all shear devastation.
I will never get to be pregnant again - to think last September, we were there - I was pregnant. We so wanted this second chance. I doubt we'll go through IVF again - couldn't cope emotionally or physically.
I really don't know where we go from here - the most important thing is that we have each other, but the thought that I will never carry our own child breaks my heart.
I'm not sure I'll be on here for a while - good luck to you all out there, I hope there is at least a happy ending for you.
Jo xx
this is the 1st time ive left a message on this subject.ive been reading the posts on here daily,and i cant tell u all how humble it makes me feel.it really puts things into perspective.
love to you all,Gayle xx
KEEP YOUR CHIN UP WANNABEMUM!! Thinking bout you loads.
Nic xx