March/April/May 2018 IVF Buddies Community Group

Ladies going through IVF this year supporting each other through the process!

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LovelyLavender 06/22/2018

I had my second egg retrieval procedure a couple weeks ago. It was slightly disappointing again. Going into it, I had 19 follicles on the ultrasound that were the right size. My doctor expected this to be much better than my first stim cycle because that time the follicles were growing at different rates (some were really big and some very small that wouldn't grow). So, we expected it to be much better this time. However, we ended up getting 13 eggs and only 4 fertilized through ICSI. By day 5, we ended up with two embryos for freezing. The good news is that they are both good quality. (Better than last time: we had 3 embyros, but 2 of the 3 were only fair quality). But, obviously, there is something else going on here. It's strange that we get so many eggs and then end up with such a small number of embryos by day 5. At this point, I'm just happy that the number wasn't 0!

The 5 embryos from these two stim cycles were sent to the genetic lab for testing. We're waiting on the genetic test results now. (I'm the carrier of an X-linked mutation for muscular dystrophy, so I'm doing PGD (for that specific mutation) and PGS (general genetic screening)). My doctor thinks we'll probably have the results by next week. Hoping that of the 5 embryos, we have at least one that's genetically normal for embryo transfer.

blbnjf 06/24/2018

Ugh, that is so frustrating when it seems like you have good numbers and then they dwindle down so much. Fingers are crossed that these 5 will be the perfect embryos you need to start your family! Sending love and support:)

LovelyLavender 06/25/2018

Thanks for the support! I really appreciate it! :)

hopeful15 06/25/2018

Ditto, it is so frustrating. But great news that the quality is good, and I hope the biopsy results are also favorable. As you said, something around every darn corner in this journey! The anticipation and the continued unknowns is so stressful, and I bet heightened since this was your second retrieval, and your chances for a genetic disorder. Wishing you continued peace and health during this moment and throughout your experience.

After my own roller coaster of egg retrieval, ISCI, and biopsy, as you likely know I am now preparing for transfer. My last headline suggested June 21st, but I wasn't quite ready...and then wasn't quite ready for the 26th, and now it's just wait and see. Some relatively disappointing news, and during a stressful week where we moved homes, and my work week was insane to boot; but, with the support from family, friends, and a great therapist (!!), I am no longer so frustrated with the results, and truly looking forward to my next check-up (tomorrow!) and just figuring out next steps. Patience is not always beautiful, but it is divine!

LovelyLavender 07/10/2018

So, we finally received our genetic test results for our 5 frozen embryos. I went into it expecting the worst case scenario (no genetically normal embryos for transfer), so I was pleased when my doctor said that we have one genetically normal embryo that is a carrier of the disease. Of course, the best situation would have been that this embryo had been normal and NOT a carrier, but given how challenging it's been for us to get enough good quality embryos to day 5, we'll take what we can get. This means that we can move forward with an embryo transfer of this embryo. We only have one chance, but we'll give it a try. If it doesn't work, we may need to take a mental/financial break from this process before deciding if we want to move forward with another egg retrieval. I'm already taking birth control. How long does the process typically take to prepare for embryo transfer? Will it likely be a few more weeks? I have my teaching visit for FET early next week. Just curious about what to expect in terms of the timeline. Thanks for listening!

hope114 07/15/2018

Hello! Congrats on the normal embryo! There are 2 major categories of FET. One is natural cycle, they pop in the embyro a couple days after you ovulate. Possibly give you progesterone. The other is medicated FET, which is what I just did. They typically give you luteal phase or entire month of birth control or lupron to suppress you. Then on your next cycle, when you get your period, you start estrogen. They scan you to make sure you don't ovulate too early and ensure your endometrium is nice and thick (my doc says anything above 7.5 to 8mm is where he wants me). Then you start progesterone and continue estrogen. Sometime between CD 18-25, they'll transfer. It may be flexible, but it all depends on your lining and hormone levels. I'd say you could be ready for FET as soon as 1.5 months. For me, it took 3 months. I'll post about it later :-)
Good luck! You're almost there!

LovelyLavender 07/16/2018

Thanks for the kind words and information, hope114! Very helpful. :)

hopeful15 07/18/2018

Keep us posted on your progress, Lavender. I am still anxiously awaiting my period to get this party started.

For my first try, once I got my period, I then started BC for a few days to get things "under control", then got my period, started Lupron (to suppress ovulation), then estrogen to thicken my lining, which did not get thick enough. All in, it was about 4 weeks of trying before we pulled the plug on this round. Had it thickened-up enough, I would have stopped Lupron, remained on estrogen, and started progesterone for a a few days ahead of transfer day, and then I think both progesterone and estrogen thereafter. Fingers crossed I can get started by August...!!

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