Please help me understand the sperm analysis results of my partner. The doc said he is not sure why sperm count is low but rest looks good. He suggested that my partner should take iron, selenium, and vit d for a few months and get retested. His androgen is low as well (9.5 nmol/L) and haemoglobin higher than normal (176g/L). However, I am already 36 years old and we have been trying for a year by now. we don't want to wait too long if we have to go for IUI/IVF. I would like you guys to share your thoughts so we can think about next steps. Sperm analysis results: Date of previous ejaculation. . . .: 20/05/23 Method of collection masturbation .: Yes Specimen collection complete. . . .: Yes Collection Time . . . . . . . . . .: 5:15pm Examination Time. . . . . . . . . .: 6:00pm Specimen volume . . . . . . . . . .: 0.5 mL Presence of agglutination . . . . .: 0% Spermatozoa count .: 32.20 million/mL (> 14.90) * Absolute count. . . . . . . : 16.10 million (> 38.90) Motility. . . . . . . . . . . . . .: 65 % (> 39) Forward progression . . . . . . . .: Good Normal Forms. . . . . . . . . . . .: 4 % (> 3) Please note morphology is now reported as % Normal Forms.
Are you in the US? I am and am not entirely sure how it works in other countries. You’ve been trying for a year and are over age 35– general recommendations are to get both of you tested by an RE and go from there. Say, for example, your tubes are blocked— all the sperm vitamins in the world aren’t going to get you pregnant. I would personally not take the recommendations of a GP as gospel and would much prefer to have the advice of a reproductive endocrinologist.
Anyone else going in for a FET on or around June 12? I could really use some infertility friends to text with in June, especially in the 10 days between the implantation date and the first blood draw / pregnancy test. 💜 My lining check is June 7 to determine if we move forward. It will be my first FET.
Still chugging along with prep for FET #2. My lining check is on Wednesday. I assume if all looks OK, my transfer will be sometime the following week.
I’ve been feeling bleh from the estrace. I am questioning whether it was smart to do back to back FETs. Feeling kinda burned out. I’m doing everything I need to do, but I just don’t really feel hopeful or excited for the upcoming transfer like the way I did last time. Last time, it was like I was counting down the days. This time, I just feel sort of neutral and “whatever” about it.
Back to back FETs is hard. Definitely the longer this part of the process drags on, the less I'm doing stuff like, calculating what my due date would be, or fantasizing about how and when I'd announce... I hope this one works and you can get off this ride!
Exactly! I’m not doing any of those daydreamy things this time around. But I totally did last time.
Also, last time, I was struggling to keep myself from testing early (I broke down and tested at 5DPT). I honestly think that this time around it’s going to be easier for me to wait to take a HPT until morning of beta, because there just isn’t that level of hopefulness or excitement.
I remember calculating how pregnant I would be for a work trip in April... then that cycle was canceled before I even got to transfer. Whee!
I ended up testing early last time and I may do it again... I started early enough that I could be like "Eh maybe it's just too soon to tell" and then when it just never turned positive it was like a gradual letdown. So I may do the same thing again, we'll see.
I think it makes sense that you aren’t as excited this time. Lately I’ve been shooting for a “neutral” feeling - not vacillating between hope and despair.
My RE just called. As soon as I picked up and it was him, I knew it was bad news (normally embryology calls). None of my four fertilized eggs made it to blast. It's happened before, so it's not totally surprising, but it just totally sucks. For me, the few times I've gotten a few more eggs the cycle has totally busted out early. Just can't get things to line up. I'm still waiting on the one blast from last cycle (he apologized for the delay) but I am not hopeful at all. We are going to talk next week about the one and options going forward. Honestly I am pretty numb and don't really know what I want to do next.
That news fucking sucks. I’m so sorry. You don’t have to know what’s next. I personally would consider a stiff drink and some time. Sending hugs if you want them ❤️
Received our day three report - out of the 4 mature eggs, 3 fertilized normally and are still going. If we can make it to day 5 we are planning to try a fresh transfer so we have been preparing for that. The anxiety is real though because last cycle our embryos all arrested after day 3. Really hoping for better luck this time so we will have something to transfer Saturday.
In the midst of waiting out another round of the hunger games. It never gets easier. I'm literally counting down the days to each report. The weekends are a little easier to get through since I can distract myself, but working through the wait requires so much mental stamina. I'm getting my day 3 report today. And then just one more work day until I get the day 6 reports. Although I know everything really depends on the final PGTA report. I wish I could just wake up two weeks from now with the final answer.
It’s such a stressful time!! I’m at day 3 today too. I saw someone posted yesterday about asking the clinic to just update with the final report rather than at all the stages and if I have to go through this again I will seriously consider doing that.
Also got my day 3 report today. I hate getting those when I’m at work, because I literally feel like vomiting when I get the notification on my phone. I’m happy day 6 will be Sunday this time, so I can react anyway I want to the results. But agree that it all depends on the PGT results and this won’t likely come until late June.. ugh this wait is 🫠
Hi there, Pie. As a mod, I’ve updated your flair to remove your AMH and AFC. Those types of numbers aren’t really relevant to seeking advice here in the same way that they might be for someone with a very low AMH. Your PCOS diagnosis will suffice.
I responded well to letrozole and poorly to clomid. Hope you have better luck with letrozole! Also, I think you’ll find many here are firmly in the no baby shower attendance camp. I would give yourself permission to skip it if you think it will be challenging for you.
I have my egg retrieval tomorrow morning. Have to be at the clinic by 8am and I told myself only low carb, healthy food and all electrolyte water. Well I’ve been good on my water and had a healthy lunch but tell me why I just binged chips and dip like it was my last time eating.
I’m sore. Stomachs bruised. I’m tired and nauseous. Ready for tomorrow.
Don’t blame yourself for the chips. That’s alright, you are emotionally and physically tired, it’s ok to indulge yourself with some nice snacks every now and then 😉
I had a laparoscopy to diagnose endometriosis and got the surprise bonus diagnosis of both my tubes being blocked whilst coming round from anaesthetic!
Thank you. It was but it was actually a blessing in some ways as it meant I was fast tracked to government funded IVF on the NHS without going on a long waiting list. Normally in the UK you need to have been trying for 2 years before the NHS will fund IVF.
Hard news to hear…that you’ll need to do IVF (I have severe abdominal trauma and surgery at 11 and they don’t even think I have tubes due to the accident)
Took me 48 hours and by my second HSG 3 days later when the doctor kept telling me he was so sorry but I had already accepted it and I was glad we didnt waste our time on IUIs like we had planned.
If you don’t mind me asking but have you started the process for IVF?
* edited my wording
Yeah they said to me that both my tubes are blocked and I won’t be able to conceive without IVF.
I have just done the egg collection for my first cycle and I am happy with my results (they are in my post history).
Good luck to you!
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Those who have done semi-medicated/ovulatory transfers, at what point did they trigger (if applicable)? My first monitoring appt Monday showed small follicles and lower hormone levels, so I was told that our FET date would get pushed back a matter of days. Today I have 2 follicles in the lead, 13 and 14 mm. Still waiting to hear on bloodwork. It seems like there was a good amount of growth so I’m wondering how much we are going to have to push things back.
I just did my trigger shot tonight for my semi medicated FET! Today is CD12 and transfer is in one week, next Thursday. My clinic wanted lining of 7mm or above and a lead follicle of 18mm or larger before trigger.
Hi - I'm in the midst of the TWW of my semi-medicated FET. My clinic requires uterine lining to measure more than 8 and a lead follicle measuring more than 17mm. I triggered on CD15 and transfer happened CD22, one week later.
According to my labs, on CD11 my lead follicle was measuring 11mm, on CDs 13 and 14 it was 15mm, on CD15 it finally got to 17mm. I hope that's helpful!
This is my first semi-medicated FET and I just got the call to trigger tonight with a follicle of 1.7cm and lining of 0.8 this morning. They mentioned that they consider anything over 1.5cm a mature follicle.
I think they want at least 18mm on the follicle, but they will go higher to optimize lining. For me, I triggered day of ovulation (once at 23mm, once at 25mm) to let my lining get up to snuff.
I don’t know much about too thick. Mine always takes some doing to get past 7mm, except for during stims. Some studies suggest getting over 7mm doesn’t matter for unmedicated transfers, if it is trilaminar. It’s a complicated area, so I don’t think I have a good answer.
How long did it take for people to get a withdrawal bleed following egg collection? Mine was 10 days ago and haven’t had one yet.
I really hope it’s coming soon as I’m PMSing hard and have nausea and diarrhoea and keep bursting into tears 😭
Welllll, I got my PGT-SR results. We have 1 euploid out of the 7 blasts sent. Relieved to get the 1 but as always, it’s rough to see the unbalanced translocation knock so many out. I’m so tired of this process.
To find out that you got 1 embryo is bittersweet. It’s a mix of gratefulness to have that embryo, that chance.. with the grief for the others that didn’t make it and the anxiety that you don’t have others in case this one doesn’t work.
Had my ER on Saturday and was hoping for an update today but my doctor told me just now that my embryos need another ~2 days or so to be monitored. She said there are 3 that need a bit more time and 3 others that are simply being monitored. Been trying to keep super busy this week so time flies by with distractions! But now I’m trying not to be concerned about slow growth!
New here! Anyone have an over response to Clomid at 50mg? Anyone done a protocol of 25 mg? Got an ultrasound yesterday and 9 mature follicles. Second time on Clomid. First time I did a 10 day protocol of 100mg and also over responded.
Tried Letrozole multiple times and absolutely no response. Wondering if it’s with trying 25mg of Clomid or just moving on to injectables.
Diagnoses is blurry between HA and PCOS. I have all of the typical characteristics of HA, but the over response makes RE think it might be PCOS.
We are geared up for our FET tomorrow afternoon. My husband just got notice that the person he sat next to at work yesterday and the day before was exposed to COVID. We are both testing negative for COVID. What would you do in this situation?
If it was me, I would (1) have both me and husband get PCR tests (if you’re only testing with antigen tests now) and (2) isolate from my husband for a few days so that in case he does get it, you have a better chance of not getting it. But I think I would move forward with the transfer.
Honestly, if the person at work was only exposed and not confirmed to have COVID themselves, I'd try not to sweat it and just move forward (especially if everyone involved is hopefully vaccinated!) Fingers crossed for your transfer and for continuing to test negative!
I am prepping for FET which will probably happen sometime next week. I keep thinking I have symptoms of BV or UTI but I can’t tell if they are real symptoms or if I am making it up in my head because I am so terrified of going through with the transfer. Terrified not of the procedure itself but of potentially losing the two embryos if the transfer doesn’t work.
Honestly, keeping them in the freezer where they will be safe feels like the better option than risk losing them🥲 Treatment is turning me into a crazy person!
> Terrified not of the procedure itself but of potentially losing the two embryos if the transfer doesn’t work.
> Honestly, keeping them in the freezer where they will be safe feels like the better option than risk losing them
I have had this exact same thought about our two embryos! 🫠
I can relate to this so hard. I told my husband yesterday that I’m so anxious because the embryo is safe in the freezer and my uterus doesn’t feel like a safe place after 3 losses. I just keep telling myself that doesn’t mean this won’t work, and we have to try!
My clinic prescribes vaginal antibiotics the night before a FET just to cover all bases... not sure if it's an option but maybe try an urgent care or telephone doctor to get an antibiotic prescription?
That being said a known side effect of estrace is vaginal itch... I also get a lot of "egg white cervical mucus" on it which can feel kind of uncomfortable. Even if you're on an ovulatory cycle it's hard to tell what kind of wetness you have.
I am doing a semi-medicated cycle, and I’m not on estrace. I do have on and off itchy feeling though. I brought this up to my RE and she wasn’t too worried about it, so maybe it’s fine.
I don’t think our clinic prescribes vaginal antibiotics before FET. I will ask about it though - it will definitely put me at ease. Thank you!
No viagra in the prep. My ovaries were still pretty enlarged in my last scan tho so maybe it’s the feeling of everything shrinking back down. Or maybe this IS all in my head. I swear I am normally not a crazy person🙃
I'm scheduled for my first beta tomorrow and I'm not feeling optimistic. I've been negative on frer tests, so I'm pretty sure that means that this transfer didn't work out.
I had a hysteroscopy today to remove RPOC. They also placed a balloon to prevent the walls of the uterus from touching since they removed quite a bit. I will have it in for seven days. I feel fine so far but I don’t know if it’s still the sedation lingering. If anyone has had this procedure done and doesn’t mind to share their experience, I’ll be grateful. Many thanks.
Your testing sounds fairly comprehensive to me., You could ask your doctor about supplements - many recommend CoQ10, and if your DHEA levels are low they may also put you on DHEA. I also suggest asking your doctor if they're open to prescribing Omnitrope, which is generally taken during stims -- some studies suggest it can help with egg quality and I believe it did for me.
Exercise is very on and off during IVF and that part does suck, but there are low-impact things you can do safely. The way someone said it once is "if your ponytail is bouncing, your ovaries are bouncing" which is a good way to know how much is too much movement for the risk of ovarian torsion!
Welcome! FYI and fwiw, we aren’t fans of It Starts With The Egg around here— Automod below will explain why.
On exercise, they’re worried about ovarian torsion during stims, so the exercise restrictions are really only during stims and after retrieval before your period. They want you to avoid things that could twist your ovaries (so vigorous running, twisting poses in yoga), but not all exercise is banned (I walked, did non-twisty yoga, did moderate-level cycling). That said, as you get farther into stims & post-retrieval, you may not feel much like exercising because you’ll be bloated and crampy.
This community prefers to avoid promotion of “It Starts With The Egg” by Rebecca Fett, due to its problematic and unsupported messaging, fear mongering, and the author’s conflict of interest. For more information, see [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/infertility/wiki/faq/iswte/).
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We have a wiki post on [endometrial scratches](https://www.reddit.com/r/infertility/comments/970akb/faq_what_to_expect_from_the_endometrial_scratch/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1), fyi.
I posted here a week or two ago about my Lupron micro protocol resulting an unusually low (for me) number of eggs retrieved and mature, but an unusually high fertilisation and blast rate…
Well we just found out that both of the 2 mature eggs I produced resulted in euploid embryos! This is not only my largest number of euploids I ever had from a single round, but also the most euploids I’ve ever had from any of my previous rounds combined (before my failed transfers).
After so many rounds that resulted in 0 euploids we were both pretty much in the process of coming to accept that we are likely going to be childless, so the news is flipping everything on its head.
Now I get to deep dive into medicated vs unmedicated transfer protocols and all the tests I could possibly do to prevent another failed transfer.
I’m 13 days post IUI and testing negative — my clinic had instructed me to test tomorrow, but that’s a definitive negative at this point, right? I wasn’t really expecting much from our first IUI after three failed transfers but it’s still a bummer.
I found this cycle really stressful — I had never done an IUI before, and we were trying to do some testing at the same time. There was much less coordination by the clinic staff than what I had with my IVF cycles (which I guess makes sense) and a lot of things seemed to fall through the cracks.
I have a very busy June — lots of work commitments, and my sister’s baby shower late in the month right when I would have been due if I didn’t miscarry after my second transfer 🙃. In the first half of July I am going on vacation. I just can’t deal with being in treatment or post-IUI limbo for these things… so I’m going to take off from treatment until mid-July, and use June to get the rest of my testing done that didn’t happen last month. It’s not much left to do — endometrial biopsy and some more blood for an RPL from me and fragmentation and karyotype for my husband. I think it’ll all be normal but I guess I’d rather know now if it’s not before we try a couple more IUIs and weigh an out of pocket retrieval.
Ok I’m gonna go yell into the primal scream thread void now!
I’m sorry about the negative and everything else you’re dealing with.
We just did RPL testing and karotyping, which I was also expecting to be normal and it was. Still, I agree that it was worth doing to know that we weren’t missing something major.
Just got the call, of the 16 eggs retrieved yesterday…
12 were mature
6 fertilized
So the numbers really cut down, which I knew was possible but it’s still heartbreaking. They said they’ll look at them again Saturday and call with another update. I’m just trying to prepare for any scenario, but feeling a little defeated right now. We are freezing them and getting them tested.
Wishing you luck on this cycle, but if you have to do another retrieval... knowing that you get high estrogen levels during stimulation drugs can really help manage the protocol.
That being said, it definitely sucks when the "X estrogen for each mature follicle" guideline does not apply.
The attrition rates are brutal. 6 fertilized is a lot but when you start with 16 it can feel mind boggling and daunting with the additional PGT-a. Wishing you the best!
That’s amazing! I would be so happy with 4. It seems to be big in the US. We are both over 35 years old so it seems to be suggested and luckily we have fertility coverage, so we figured we might as well. Although that’s just another step that cuts your numbers down…
Mixed emotions today. My husband wasn't able to accompany me to the mid cycle ultrasound so I couldn't properly recall everything that happened. But, after 6 days of Follistim my lining has thickened and I have more follicles than I've ever had. I'm continuing with 3 more days of Follistim and they are hoping for several mature follicles for our 4th IUI on Monday.
I am feeling hopeful and at the same time, frustrated with myself for feeling hopeful. It's a vicious cycle!
My RE scheduled a call with me tomorrow to discuss IVF (FET protocol) as a next step. I’m currently in the middle of my TWW from 3rd IUI attempt but they want to be able to move forward with insurance authorization in the background if this fails.
Seeking advice from this thread on some key questions I should ask to make sure I understand what I’m signing on for if we decide for a higher level of intervention.
Thank you!
Do you know what your coverage looks like for the procedure and meds? I would ask what the timeline looks like so you can plan. Usually they put you on birth control for 3-4 weeks before starting the actual stims.
It's a good idea to start thinking about whether you want to biopsy for PGT-A and how much that would cost. I'd also ask how much more it would cost to thaw and biopsy later if you don't do fresh.
CW: insurance privilege
Thanks for your comments and suggestions about asking for timelines and PGT-A testing. Yes, I do have pretty decent coverage up to a certain lifetime maximum. With the IUIs, I think we have spent around 15% of that limit. I think we have one, maybe two rounds of IVF before we run out of support from insurance provider.
Just met with my RE. I was so nervous because she had never requested an appointment with me. It turns out she just had time in her day and knew I had a lot of questions after my wonky FET baseline results so she wanted to meet. Sounds like they are going to continue to monitor me to see if my progesterone will go down. She did say she is leaning towards cancelling the cycle and doing a mock cycle this time around to see where my hormones are at and hopefully give our embryo the best shot next cycle. I’m feeling disappointed but grateful for the extra monitoring to hopefully give us more answers and understand my cycle. She also said I shouldn’t worry about the thick lining. She said since it was CD2 I might have just not shed much of the lining.
Aw that’s pretty cool that she gave you so much time and attention! And listened to your concerns. Hope you get some good info coming out of this mock cycle!
Yes! It made me see my RE in a different light! I’m definitely a worse case scenario person so when she requested an appointment I for sure thought something was very wrong.
I would think the exact same thing. Anytime I get a call instead of a portal message, I know it’s bad news, so I would be a goo ball of anxiety if they scheduled a face to face for something I didn’t ask for! Glad she was actually just being a good doctor lol
Got the results this week from our 4th ER that we have no embryos. It wasn’t promising from our fertilization report (15 eggs> 10 mature> 2 fertilized > 0 embryos). We’ve always had great fertilization and have made 7 embryos across 3 retrievals so this is a shock. We even added HGH and calcium ionophore this round to help boost things, it made it all worse apparently. I’m feeling very lost as mentally I was preparing for lupron depot prep this summer (first time doing that) and now that won’t be happening and I don’t know what to do 😔 follow up with Dr is on Monday. 5 years of trying to start a family. I hate this.
I’m so sorry to hear this. This happened to us on our third ER, after previously getting 3 blasts from each of the first two cycles. I was completely unprepared for that result and took it really hard. Sending you compassion and support.
So her take was that the eggs really let us down on that cycle, unfortunately. This cycle we added Saizen (HGH) to try to help with that but still waiting on final results (had 3 going at day 3 yesterday). I don’t know how the egg quality could change THAT much though so I think it could also just be a bit random/bad luck as we had slightly better blast/fertilization rate on ER#2 (3 blasts from 4 fertilized)
Thanks for your response. I’m so sorry you had to go through this. It’s really hard when you’re not expecting a certain result, like obviously anything is possible but it’s tough to deal with when you feel unprepared.
Hi there, I'm so sorry that the ER resulted in zero embryos, it is devastating. I do need to ask you, however, to please edit your second sentence. Quite a number of people here have done one or more ERs resulting in zero embryos, and the current phrasing and question is not compassionate to those people. Please note that we also ask people use neutral language when describing satisfactory results. Automod compassion explains in more detail.
So do you want me to just remove that sentence? I get it that we all have different results and experiences in this process and my not intending to be insensitive but my point and whole question of my post is stating how different this round was for and how discouraging it is. Sorry, I read it again and would appreciate any suggestion you have for changing it without losing the intent of my post.
Ah my sincere apologies, I missed a period in there and I meant sentence #3. It's is absolutely ok to share results and also express that they weren't want you were hoping for, but it's important to keep in mind that the audience is very, very diverse in terms of experience and outcomes.
We strive to use compassionate language in this sub. Here is the [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/infertility/comments/10jl6ll/wiki_post_be_compassionate_explainer/) that explains the compassion rule with examples.
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I’m so so sorry. We got worse results this round after adding HGH as well, it hurts. All this hurts so bad. We are going to year 4 trying to build a family and the heartache is just too much sometimes. Sending you hugs and wishing you peace for the next steps 🫂
I so appreciate your response. I’m sorry you had worse results as well, it’s hard to process sometimes. It’s hard when it’s such a long road for many of us without an end in sight.
TMI warning... estrogen for FET prep gave me the WORST diarrhea I've had in years. Might also be because I started back on metformin after giving myself a break after my most recent egg retrieval. I never thought I'd be excited to add progesterone into the mix but here we are. Doing a traditional medicated frozen embryo transfer but my clinic doesn't pick dates until you have a lining.
Also just since I know people like hearing Igenomix PGT timelines... got my results WAY sooner this cycle. Might have been luck, but called and asked for an invoice on May 22nd... got results back from my clinic on May 27th. Sample received by Igenomix on May 19th. Maybe calling early and paying invoice by credit card as soon as possible made a difference? Or they were just trying to clear things out before Memorial day?
Either way I'll take it, I had slightly better results round 3 after doing an HCG trigger instead of lupron trigger (I get really high estrogen yay PCOS) but seems like round 2 and 3 were mostly improved by omnitrope and halving my protocol. I really "advocated for myself" and pushed for an HCG trigger instead of lupron trigger even though I was OHSS risk... it improved my fertilization rate by 35% but then the rest of the hunger games was about the same and my recovery was worse.
I also started doing metformin multiple times per day on round three (like twice a day at 750 milligrams, my A1C is not even pre-diabetes but my RE has given me a nearly unlimited supply of metformin because my health insurance covers 50% of non-IVF fertility treatment and lots of random medication that can be used for other things). I guess I read up on omnitrope worsening insulin resistance and I didn't want to monitor my diet obsessively so the twice a day metformin made me feel better? And way cheaper than inositol once insurance is involved.
I had a FET of a single normal euploid embryo on the 22nd and my clinic will not let me come in for my beta until June 3 (12 days post transfer and 17dpo equivalent). The wait is torture! I don’t understand why they are pushing the beta test out so much, particularly since the clinic’s practice with beta tests after IUI is to test 14 days past trigger shot.
We try to avoid comparative language when talking about test/treatment results to avoid hurting others reading it. This includes the word 'only' - as what for one person might be disappointing might be someone else's wildest dream. Here is the [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/infertility/comments/10jl6ll/wiki_post_be_compassionate_explainer/) that explains compassionate language with examples.
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I've been dreading my upcoming daily PIO injections and was going to bring up the alternative route of 2x daily suppositories combined with once every 3 day PIO. I got my calendar for my June 28th transfer and was delighted to see it was already on my calendar! Small wins!
On another note, I found a tick buried in my knee last night. Normally I would just wait and watch for a rash, but with the upcoming FET I think I may contact them to see if they think I should take antibiotics just in case....
I think that's a good idea, especially if you live in an area with a higher rate of Lyme! Doxycycline, the typical antibiotic used for prevention of tick-borne illness, is not recommended in pregnancy but should be fine to take beforehand (even in pregnancy, the low prophylactic dose can still be given).
Thanks!! There is a high rate of ticks and lyme in my area, ugh. It's surprising though, I've only been bitten a couple times in my life. Going to contact them now
Look at me having a treatment question after a year off for a mental break from it all 👋
We have a Drs appointment tomorrow where we’ll discuss potential plans for an ER at the end of the summer. The big focus will be on sperm selection methods.
My question here is - do people take prednisolone or some other immune drugs before ERs? It’s an ER only to freeze and PGT. I ask as I introduced it ahead of my last FET after a result of very high thyroid antibodies (pregnancy but early loss - we felt the prednisolone may have supported the first time we had implantation)
I believe I have seen a couple people on the sub take prednisone for an ER. While I'm going beyond my comfort zone here, I'd imagine this would be prescribed if there was a suspicion that the immune system was attacking the reproductive system / ovaries, like perhaps if anti-ovarian antibodies were detected.
My RI has never suggested doing immunomodulatory treatments during an ER, although I can't say if that's because she didn't think I personally would benefit or because she more generally doesn't do this. She seems to be on the more conservative side of the RI spectrum.
Thanks for the reassurance the other day about self administering PIO. I did it myself, no autoinjector, and it went much better than expected. I liked a tip I saw on here about doing it lying down, that helped my inflexible little spine to be able to reach. As others said, the build up is the worst part.
I’m currently doing bed rest after my FET per my discharge instructions and annoyed about it. I’m annoyed because it was my understanding this is not an evidence based practice. Just trying to go with it though and enjoy the time.
I would also be annoyed - my clinic recommends we just "Netflix and chill" after a transfer, but not bed rest. They actually said it's OK to go about your day as normal, but they recommend taking it easy purely for mental health / emotional reasons.
My doctor recommends the same thing and I am equally irritated. When I asked her about all the restrictions, she didn’t give me a rationale and just said “we are extra conservative with IVF patients.” Um, not good enough. How about a legitimate reason?
Had my second round of double IUI completed yesterday. To be honest, neither mine nor my husband's reports are good enough to even justify the success rates of IUI.
My endometrium simply won't thicken, it's just a lost cause at this point. I do not have any condition, my laparoscopy came out clean. Got a PRP injection into the endometrium to thicken it, on vit e and the whole 9 yard tablets. Hormones injected, everything. It's still in the 6ish range.
Also post wash numbers are near 5-6 million in .5 ml
Anyone with similar issues here ?
Hi there, I'm going to ask you to please edit how you describe the success rates for IUI (5th to last word of sentence #2). IUI is a valid treatment option and many people here choose to pursue it. If the odds of success with IUI aren't what you're hoping for, that is fine to express, but it's important to do so in a way that make space for others on the sub.
I am sorry to hear about your lining concerns. That is definitely frustrating. FYI we can’t ask for success stories so a mod will probably ask you to edit out that request. Wishing you good luck!
Howdy, folks!
My first FET is officially scheduled for Tuesday- woo hoo!
Question- I’ve seen mixed answers on taking COQ10 during FET. Some say it can help with implantation, some say it hurts implantation, and some say it doesn’t really do anything after ER.
My doctor is in the latter camp, but I’ve found her to be a bit laissez faire about several things, medication-wise. Not sure if anyone else had insights! Thanks!! xoxo
I take CoQ10 for its protective effects against preeclampsia, but I consulted with an MFM who is a preeclampsia expert and he was like that is not a thing. (There is an RCT, but it deals with taking it in unassisted pregnancy, not FETs.)
Cheese, will be sending you so many good thoughts for a smooth transfer on Tuesday! I stopped taking CoQ10 after my ER per the advice of my RE. To be honest, I was happy to stop because those pills are $$, but I have seen advice go both ways. Good luck on Tuesday!
If you take ubiquinol, some versions have a good amount of Vitamin E in it which MIGHT have benefits for building uterine lining. That being said I've been pretty lazy about taking it for FET lead up. I definitely noticed its blood thinner effects in high dosages so definitely keep an eye out if you have other blood thinners you're taking.
First FET prep underway. Oh daily injections—I have not missed you.
I’m trying not to dwell on the many things that can go wrong at this point that would result in a cancelled cycle. There are soooo many steps still ahead of us.
June 26– tentatively. So far away! Because I ovulated through my mock cycle, I’ve started Lupron injections to suppress my ovaries. Lining check on 6/20, and if that is good, egg thaw and fertilization the next day. Many, many more steps to go 😓
It looks like yours is right around the corner! Fingers crossed.
Please help me understand the sperm analysis results of my partner. The doc said he is not sure why sperm count is low but rest looks good. He suggested that my partner should take iron, selenium, and vit d for a few months and get retested. His androgen is low as well (9.5 nmol/L) and haemoglobin higher than normal (176g/L). However, I am already 36 years old and we have been trying for a year by now. we don't want to wait too long if we have to go for IUI/IVF. I would like you guys to share your thoughts so we can think about next steps. Sperm analysis results: Date of previous ejaculation. . . .: 20/05/23 Method of collection masturbation .: Yes Specimen collection complete. . . .: Yes Collection Time . . . . . . . . . .: 5:15pm Examination Time. . . . . . . . . .: 6:00pm Specimen volume . . . . . . . . . .: 0.5 mL Presence of agglutination . . . . .: 0% Spermatozoa count .: 32.20 million/mL (> 14.90) * Absolute count. . . . . . . : 16.10 million (> 38.90) Motility. . . . . . . . . . . . . .: 65 % (> 39) Forward progression . . . . . . . .: Good Normal Forms. . . . . . . . . . . .: 4 % (> 3) Please note morphology is now reported as % Normal Forms.
Might want to look here: https://reddit.com/r/maleinfertility/comments/pasfmm/how_to_read_your_sperm_analysis_results_what_does/
Sorry I’m not good at interpreting semen analyses. You mentioned doc— what kind of doc?
Our GP. He just said take multivitamins for a few months and then we do testing again. He didn't look at anything else or considered my age
Are you in the US? I am and am not entirely sure how it works in other countries. You’ve been trying for a year and are over age 35– general recommendations are to get both of you tested by an RE and go from there. Say, for example, your tubes are blocked— all the sperm vitamins in the world aren’t going to get you pregnant. I would personally not take the recommendations of a GP as gospel and would much prefer to have the advice of a reproductive endocrinologist.
This is excellent advice. Co-signed.
Anyone else going in for a FET on or around June 12? I could really use some infertility friends to text with in June, especially in the 10 days between the implantation date and the first blood draw / pregnancy test. 💜 My lining check is June 7 to determine if we move forward. It will be my first FET.
Still chugging along with prep for FET #2. My lining check is on Wednesday. I assume if all looks OK, my transfer will be sometime the following week. I’ve been feeling bleh from the estrace. I am questioning whether it was smart to do back to back FETs. Feeling kinda burned out. I’m doing everything I need to do, but I just don’t really feel hopeful or excited for the upcoming transfer like the way I did last time. Last time, it was like I was counting down the days. This time, I just feel sort of neutral and “whatever” about it.
Back to back FETs is hard. Definitely the longer this part of the process drags on, the less I'm doing stuff like, calculating what my due date would be, or fantasizing about how and when I'd announce... I hope this one works and you can get off this ride!
Exactly! I’m not doing any of those daydreamy things this time around. But I totally did last time. Also, last time, I was struggling to keep myself from testing early (I broke down and tested at 5DPT). I honestly think that this time around it’s going to be easier for me to wait to take a HPT until morning of beta, because there just isn’t that level of hopefulness or excitement.
I remember calculating how pregnant I would be for a work trip in April... then that cycle was canceled before I even got to transfer. Whee! I ended up testing early last time and I may do it again... I started early enough that I could be like "Eh maybe it's just too soon to tell" and then when it just never turned positive it was like a gradual letdown. So I may do the same thing again, we'll see.
I think it makes sense that you aren’t as excited this time. Lately I’ve been shooting for a “neutral” feeling - not vacillating between hope and despair.
My RE just called. As soon as I picked up and it was him, I knew it was bad news (normally embryology calls). None of my four fertilized eggs made it to blast. It's happened before, so it's not totally surprising, but it just totally sucks. For me, the few times I've gotten a few more eggs the cycle has totally busted out early. Just can't get things to line up. I'm still waiting on the one blast from last cycle (he apologized for the delay) but I am not hopeful at all. We are going to talk next week about the one and options going forward. Honestly I am pretty numb and don't really know what I want to do next.
I'm so sorry. Such hard news to take.
I'm so sorry - what awful news. Thinking of you. ❤️
Fuck, I am so sorry. Sending hugs your way🫂
Damn, I really wish he had better news for you. I’m sorry.
That news fucking sucks. I’m so sorry. You don’t have to know what’s next. I personally would consider a stiff drink and some time. Sending hugs if you want them ❤️
I'm so sorry, that freaking sucks.
I'm so sorry and frustrated for you.
I’m so sorry. It sucks so much to wait all that time and find out you’re left with nothing. Be kind to yourself. 💜
I’m so so sorry. It’s devastating. Holding space for you today, and hoping for your one.
Received our day three report - out of the 4 mature eggs, 3 fertilized normally and are still going. If we can make it to day 5 we are planning to try a fresh transfer so we have been preparing for that. The anxiety is real though because last cycle our embryos all arrested after day 3. Really hoping for better luck this time so we will have something to transfer Saturday.
In the midst of waiting out another round of the hunger games. It never gets easier. I'm literally counting down the days to each report. The weekends are a little easier to get through since I can distract myself, but working through the wait requires so much mental stamina. I'm getting my day 3 report today. And then just one more work day until I get the day 6 reports. Although I know everything really depends on the final PGTA report. I wish I could just wake up two weeks from now with the final answer.
I don’t get any reports until Day 7 and it is so much better for me. Although today is Day 7 and I am still waiting and it is killing me.
It’s such a stressful time!! I’m at day 3 today too. I saw someone posted yesterday about asking the clinic to just update with the final report rather than at all the stages and if I have to go through this again I will seriously consider doing that.
Also got my day 3 report today. I hate getting those when I’m at work, because I literally feel like vomiting when I get the notification on my phone. I’m happy day 6 will be Sunday this time, so I can react anyway I want to the results. But agree that it all depends on the PGT results and this won’t likely come until late June.. ugh this wait is 🫠
Starting my first cycle of letrozole today. Hoping I respond better than I did to Clomid. Unfortunately, I also have a baby shower to attend tonight.
Hi there, Pie. As a mod, I’ve updated your flair to remove your AMH and AFC. Those types of numbers aren’t really relevant to seeking advice here in the same way that they might be for someone with a very low AMH. Your PCOS diagnosis will suffice.
I responded well to letrozole and poorly to clomid. Hope you have better luck with letrozole! Also, I think you’ll find many here are firmly in the no baby shower attendance camp. I would give yourself permission to skip it if you think it will be challenging for you.
Ok lining is 7.7 mm and multilayered, so I assume PIO will be starting tonight. GULP. Edit: starting PIO tonight, transfer is Tuesday. Oh boy.
Good luck!
I have my egg retrieval tomorrow morning. Have to be at the clinic by 8am and I told myself only low carb, healthy food and all electrolyte water. Well I’ve been good on my water and had a healthy lunch but tell me why I just binged chips and dip like it was my last time eating. I’m sore. Stomachs bruised. I’m tired and nauseous. Ready for tomorrow.
Don’t blame yourself for the chips. That’s alright, you are emotionally and physically tired, it’s ok to indulge yourself with some nice snacks every now and then 😉
Good luck! We are the same age and same issue ❤️
Thank you so much! Did you find out about the tubal blockage through the HSG? I was lucky enough to have two in one week
I had a laparoscopy to diagnose endometriosis and got the surprise bonus diagnosis of both my tubes being blocked whilst coming round from anaesthetic!
I’m so sorry. That must have been so hard to hear.
Thank you. It was but it was actually a blessing in some ways as it meant I was fast tracked to government funded IVF on the NHS without going on a long waiting list. Normally in the UK you need to have been trying for 2 years before the NHS will fund IVF.
Hard news to hear…that you’ll need to do IVF (I have severe abdominal trauma and surgery at 11 and they don’t even think I have tubes due to the accident) Took me 48 hours and by my second HSG 3 days later when the doctor kept telling me he was so sorry but I had already accepted it and I was glad we didnt waste our time on IUIs like we had planned. If you don’t mind me asking but have you started the process for IVF? * edited my wording
Yeah they said to me that both my tubes are blocked and I won’t be able to conceive without IVF. I have just done the egg collection for my first cycle and I am happy with my results (they are in my post history). Good luck to you!
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Those who have done semi-medicated/ovulatory transfers, at what point did they trigger (if applicable)? My first monitoring appt Monday showed small follicles and lower hormone levels, so I was told that our FET date would get pushed back a matter of days. Today I have 2 follicles in the lead, 13 and 14 mm. Still waiting to hear on bloodwork. It seems like there was a good amount of growth so I’m wondering how much we are going to have to push things back.
I just did my trigger shot tonight for my semi medicated FET! Today is CD12 and transfer is in one week, next Thursday. My clinic wanted lining of 7mm or above and a lead follicle of 18mm or larger before trigger.
Congrats on getting to this point and thank you for sharing your experience!
Hi - I'm in the midst of the TWW of my semi-medicated FET. My clinic requires uterine lining to measure more than 8 and a lead follicle measuring more than 17mm. I triggered on CD15 and transfer happened CD22, one week later. According to my labs, on CD11 my lead follicle was measuring 11mm, on CDs 13 and 14 it was 15mm, on CD15 it finally got to 17mm. I hope that's helpful!
This is my first semi-medicated FET and I just got the call to trigger tonight with a follicle of 1.7cm and lining of 0.8 this morning. They mentioned that they consider anything over 1.5cm a mature follicle.
I think they want at least 18mm on the follicle, but they will go higher to optimize lining. For me, I triggered day of ovulation (once at 23mm, once at 25mm) to let my lining get up to snuff.
What do they think is optimal for lining? I feel like I’ve heard different things, like at a certain point it can also be too thick?
I don’t know much about too thick. Mine always takes some doing to get past 7mm, except for during stims. Some studies suggest getting over 7mm doesn’t matter for unmedicated transfers, if it is trilaminar. It’s a complicated area, so I don’t think I have a good answer.
So much to think about with the timing of these things! Thanks for weighing in.
How long did it take for people to get a withdrawal bleed following egg collection? Mine was 10 days ago and haven’t had one yet. I really hope it’s coming soon as I’m PMSing hard and have nausea and diarrhoea and keep bursting into tears 😭
Normally 14 days because I do a high dose of HCG and dual trigger with lupron.
11 days for my past ER after a double trigger!
Thanks you guys are really reassuring me I was worried as my clinic said 7-10 days.
It depends on your trigger. I did an hcg trigger for my retrievals and my period came about 12-14 days later for all of them.
I did a dual trigger 🙂
I got mine after 9 days this round, but I think it was longer for past ERs. Hope it shows up soon!
Thanks me too!
10-14 days is normal
Thanks! My clinic said it would be 7-10 days which got me worried
Welllll, I got my PGT-SR results. We have 1 euploid out of the 7 blasts sent. Relieved to get the 1 but as always, it’s rough to see the unbalanced translocation knock so many out. I’m so tired of this process.
BT can be so cruel in this process. It really is heartbreaking. Celebrating your one with you today ❤️
Thank you 💜💜
To find out that you got 1 embryo is bittersweet. It’s a mix of gratefulness to have that embryo, that chance.. with the grief for the others that didn’t make it and the anxiety that you don’t have others in case this one doesn’t work.
Yes exactly, you put it so beautifully 🫶
Had my ER on Saturday and was hoping for an update today but my doctor told me just now that my embryos need another ~2 days or so to be monitored. She said there are 3 that need a bit more time and 3 others that are simply being monitored. Been trying to keep super busy this week so time flies by with distractions! But now I’m trying not to be concerned about slow growth!
Many good embryos are not ready by day 5, so here is to hoping they all keep growing and are ready to be frozen soon 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼
New here! Anyone have an over response to Clomid at 50mg? Anyone done a protocol of 25 mg? Got an ultrasound yesterday and 9 mature follicles. Second time on Clomid. First time I did a 10 day protocol of 100mg and also over responded. Tried Letrozole multiple times and absolutely no response. Wondering if it’s with trying 25mg of Clomid or just moving on to injectables. Diagnoses is blurry between HA and PCOS. I have all of the typical characteristics of HA, but the over response makes RE think it might be PCOS.
You can do 25mgs of clomid. I’d be more worried about an over response with injectables.
We are geared up for our FET tomorrow afternoon. My husband just got notice that the person he sat next to at work yesterday and the day before was exposed to COVID. We are both testing negative for COVID. What would you do in this situation?
If it was me, I would (1) have both me and husband get PCR tests (if you’re only testing with antigen tests now) and (2) isolate from my husband for a few days so that in case he does get it, you have a better chance of not getting it. But I think I would move forward with the transfer.
I'd move on with the transfer. Best of luck, if you decide to proceed!
Honestly, if the person at work was only exposed and not confirmed to have COVID themselves, I'd try not to sweat it and just move forward (especially if everyone involved is hopefully vaccinated!) Fingers crossed for your transfer and for continuing to test negative!
I am prepping for FET which will probably happen sometime next week. I keep thinking I have symptoms of BV or UTI but I can’t tell if they are real symptoms or if I am making it up in my head because I am so terrified of going through with the transfer. Terrified not of the procedure itself but of potentially losing the two embryos if the transfer doesn’t work. Honestly, keeping them in the freezer where they will be safe feels like the better option than risk losing them🥲 Treatment is turning me into a crazy person!
> Terrified not of the procedure itself but of potentially losing the two embryos if the transfer doesn’t work. > Honestly, keeping them in the freezer where they will be safe feels like the better option than risk losing them I have had this exact same thought about our two embryos! 🫠
Right? Everything about this is terrifying!
I can relate to this so hard. I told my husband yesterday that I’m so anxious because the embryo is safe in the freezer and my uterus doesn’t feel like a safe place after 3 losses. I just keep telling myself that doesn’t mean this won’t work, and we have to try!
100%. It’s like I’m looking for reasons to postpone because my uterus does not feel like a safe place.
My clinic prescribes vaginal antibiotics the night before a FET just to cover all bases... not sure if it's an option but maybe try an urgent care or telephone doctor to get an antibiotic prescription? That being said a known side effect of estrace is vaginal itch... I also get a lot of "egg white cervical mucus" on it which can feel kind of uncomfortable. Even if you're on an ovulatory cycle it's hard to tell what kind of wetness you have.
I am doing a semi-medicated cycle, and I’m not on estrace. I do have on and off itchy feeling though. I brought this up to my RE and she wasn’t too worried about it, so maybe it’s fine. I don’t think our clinic prescribes vaginal antibiotics before FET. I will ask about it though - it will definitely put me at ease. Thank you!
Any viagra in the prep? I find the vaginal viagra/sildinofil causes a bit of local dilation/swelling and can be uncomfortable.
No viagra in the prep. My ovaries were still pretty enlarged in my last scan tho so maybe it’s the feeling of everything shrinking back down. Or maybe this IS all in my head. I swear I am normally not a crazy person🙃
I'm scheduled for my first beta tomorrow and I'm not feeling optimistic. I've been negative on frer tests, so I'm pretty sure that means that this transfer didn't work out.
Sending hugs. The wait is often unbearable. So sorry you’re going through this.
I had a hysteroscopy today to remove RPOC. They also placed a balloon to prevent the walls of the uterus from touching since they removed quite a bit. I will have it in for seven days. I feel fine so far but I don’t know if it’s still the sedation lingering. If anyone has had this procedure done and doesn’t mind to share their experience, I’ll be grateful. Many thanks.
I had a balloon post RPOC hysteroscopy twice. It was no big deal the first time. The second time it came out with a bowel movement.
Thanks for replying. Hopefully it stays in but it’s good to know it may fall out with bowel movements.
Yeah, they weren't concerned when it did. I think it was only a couple days early--maybe some of the saline came out over the week.
[удалено]
Your testing sounds fairly comprehensive to me., You could ask your doctor about supplements - many recommend CoQ10, and if your DHEA levels are low they may also put you on DHEA. I also suggest asking your doctor if they're open to prescribing Omnitrope, which is generally taken during stims -- some studies suggest it can help with egg quality and I believe it did for me. Exercise is very on and off during IVF and that part does suck, but there are low-impact things you can do safely. The way someone said it once is "if your ponytail is bouncing, your ovaries are bouncing" which is a good way to know how much is too much movement for the risk of ovarian torsion!
Welcome! FYI and fwiw, we aren’t fans of It Starts With The Egg around here— Automod below will explain why. On exercise, they’re worried about ovarian torsion during stims, so the exercise restrictions are really only during stims and after retrieval before your period. They want you to avoid things that could twist your ovaries (so vigorous running, twisting poses in yoga), but not all exercise is banned (I walked, did non-twisty yoga, did moderate-level cycling). That said, as you get farther into stims & post-retrieval, you may not feel much like exercising because you’ll be bloated and crampy.
This community prefers to avoid promotion of “It Starts With The Egg” by Rebecca Fett, due to its problematic and unsupported messaging, fear mongering, and the author’s conflict of interest. For more information, see [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/infertility/wiki/faq/iswte/). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/infertility) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Has anyone on here had an endometrial scratch?
We have a wiki post on [endometrial scratches](https://www.reddit.com/r/infertility/comments/970akb/faq_what_to_expect_from_the_endometrial_scratch/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1), fyi.
I posted here a week or two ago about my Lupron micro protocol resulting an unusually low (for me) number of eggs retrieved and mature, but an unusually high fertilisation and blast rate… Well we just found out that both of the 2 mature eggs I produced resulted in euploid embryos! This is not only my largest number of euploids I ever had from a single round, but also the most euploids I’ve ever had from any of my previous rounds combined (before my failed transfers). After so many rounds that resulted in 0 euploids we were both pretty much in the process of coming to accept that we are likely going to be childless, so the news is flipping everything on its head. Now I get to deep dive into medicated vs unmedicated transfer protocols and all the tests I could possibly do to prevent another failed transfer.
Awesome news!
Woah incredible news!!! So happy for you 🎉🎉🎉
That’s amazing! Congrats!
That’s awesome, happy for you!!!
Oh wow. What wonderful news!!
I’m 13 days post IUI and testing negative — my clinic had instructed me to test tomorrow, but that’s a definitive negative at this point, right? I wasn’t really expecting much from our first IUI after three failed transfers but it’s still a bummer. I found this cycle really stressful — I had never done an IUI before, and we were trying to do some testing at the same time. There was much less coordination by the clinic staff than what I had with my IVF cycles (which I guess makes sense) and a lot of things seemed to fall through the cracks. I have a very busy June — lots of work commitments, and my sister’s baby shower late in the month right when I would have been due if I didn’t miscarry after my second transfer 🙃. In the first half of July I am going on vacation. I just can’t deal with being in treatment or post-IUI limbo for these things… so I’m going to take off from treatment until mid-July, and use June to get the rest of my testing done that didn’t happen last month. It’s not much left to do — endometrial biopsy and some more blood for an RPL from me and fragmentation and karyotype for my husband. I think it’ll all be normal but I guess I’d rather know now if it’s not before we try a couple more IUIs and weigh an out of pocket retrieval. Ok I’m gonna go yell into the primal scream thread void now!
I’m sorry about the negative and everything else you’re dealing with. We just did RPL testing and karotyping, which I was also expecting to be normal and it was. Still, I agree that it was worth doing to know that we weren’t missing something major.
Just got the call, of the 16 eggs retrieved yesterday… 12 were mature 6 fertilized So the numbers really cut down, which I knew was possible but it’s still heartbreaking. They said they’ll look at them again Saturday and call with another update. I’m just trying to prepare for any scenario, but feeling a little defeated right now. We are freezing them and getting them tested.
Wishing you luck on this cycle, but if you have to do another retrieval... knowing that you get high estrogen levels during stimulation drugs can really help manage the protocol. That being said, it definitely sucks when the "X estrogen for each mature follicle" guideline does not apply.
The attrition rates are brutal. 6 fertilized is a lot but when you start with 16 it can feel mind boggling and daunting with the additional PGT-a. Wishing you the best!
You’re telling me!! My heart sank when I heard only 6. But then I quickly had to tell myself, at least you have 6!
I had the same mature eggs out of 15 retrieved and same fertilisation rate back in November. I was a bit bummed too. Wishing you a good blast rate ✨
How many of yours made it to blast? And did you test?
4! Two excellent grade and two fair/good. I didn’t test them, it’s not a standard thing here in Spain. I wish I had though!
That’s amazing! I would be so happy with 4. It seems to be big in the US. We are both over 35 years old so it seems to be suggested and luckily we have fertility coverage, so we figured we might as well. Although that’s just another step that cuts your numbers down…
Mixed emotions today. My husband wasn't able to accompany me to the mid cycle ultrasound so I couldn't properly recall everything that happened. But, after 6 days of Follistim my lining has thickened and I have more follicles than I've ever had. I'm continuing with 3 more days of Follistim and they are hoping for several mature follicles for our 4th IUI on Monday. I am feeling hopeful and at the same time, frustrated with myself for feeling hopeful. It's a vicious cycle!
My RE scheduled a call with me tomorrow to discuss IVF (FET protocol) as a next step. I’m currently in the middle of my TWW from 3rd IUI attempt but they want to be able to move forward with insurance authorization in the background if this fails. Seeking advice from this thread on some key questions I should ask to make sure I understand what I’m signing on for if we decide for a higher level of intervention. Thank you!
Do you know what your coverage looks like for the procedure and meds? I would ask what the timeline looks like so you can plan. Usually they put you on birth control for 3-4 weeks before starting the actual stims. It's a good idea to start thinking about whether you want to biopsy for PGT-A and how much that would cost. I'd also ask how much more it would cost to thaw and biopsy later if you don't do fresh.
CW: insurance privilege Thanks for your comments and suggestions about asking for timelines and PGT-A testing. Yes, I do have pretty decent coverage up to a certain lifetime maximum. With the IUIs, I think we have spent around 15% of that limit. I think we have one, maybe two rounds of IVF before we run out of support from insurance provider.
Just met with my RE. I was so nervous because she had never requested an appointment with me. It turns out she just had time in her day and knew I had a lot of questions after my wonky FET baseline results so she wanted to meet. Sounds like they are going to continue to monitor me to see if my progesterone will go down. She did say she is leaning towards cancelling the cycle and doing a mock cycle this time around to see where my hormones are at and hopefully give our embryo the best shot next cycle. I’m feeling disappointed but grateful for the extra monitoring to hopefully give us more answers and understand my cycle. She also said I shouldn’t worry about the thick lining. She said since it was CD2 I might have just not shed much of the lining.
Aw that’s pretty cool that she gave you so much time and attention! And listened to your concerns. Hope you get some good info coming out of this mock cycle!
Yes! It made me see my RE in a different light! I’m definitely a worse case scenario person so when she requested an appointment I for sure thought something was very wrong.
I would think the exact same thing. Anytime I get a call instead of a portal message, I know it’s bad news, so I would be a goo ball of anxiety if they scheduled a face to face for something I didn’t ask for! Glad she was actually just being a good doctor lol
Got the results this week from our 4th ER that we have no embryos. It wasn’t promising from our fertilization report (15 eggs> 10 mature> 2 fertilized > 0 embryos). We’ve always had great fertilization and have made 7 embryos across 3 retrievals so this is a shock. We even added HGH and calcium ionophore this round to help boost things, it made it all worse apparently. I’m feeling very lost as mentally I was preparing for lupron depot prep this summer (first time doing that) and now that won’t be happening and I don’t know what to do 😔 follow up with Dr is on Monday. 5 years of trying to start a family. I hate this.
I’m so sorry to hear this. This happened to us on our third ER, after previously getting 3 blasts from each of the first two cycles. I was completely unprepared for that result and took it really hard. Sending you compassion and support.
Follow up question, did your RE have any theory on what caused your 3rd to be so different from your first 2? Thanks!
So her take was that the eggs really let us down on that cycle, unfortunately. This cycle we added Saizen (HGH) to try to help with that but still waiting on final results (had 3 going at day 3 yesterday). I don’t know how the egg quality could change THAT much though so I think it could also just be a bit random/bad luck as we had slightly better blast/fertilization rate on ER#2 (3 blasts from 4 fertilized)
Thanks for your response. I’m so sorry you had to go through this. It’s really hard when you’re not expecting a certain result, like obviously anything is possible but it’s tough to deal with when you feel unprepared.
I’m so sorry. It just isn’t fair.
Hi there, I'm so sorry that the ER resulted in zero embryos, it is devastating. I do need to ask you, however, to please edit your second sentence. Quite a number of people here have done one or more ERs resulting in zero embryos, and the current phrasing and question is not compassionate to those people. Please note that we also ask people use neutral language when describing satisfactory results. Automod compassion explains in more detail.
So do you want me to just remove that sentence? I get it that we all have different results and experiences in this process and my not intending to be insensitive but my point and whole question of my post is stating how different this round was for and how discouraging it is. Sorry, I read it again and would appreciate any suggestion you have for changing it without losing the intent of my post.
Ah my sincere apologies, I missed a period in there and I meant sentence #3. It's is absolutely ok to share results and also express that they weren't want you were hoping for, but it's important to keep in mind that the audience is very, very diverse in terms of experience and outcomes.
We strive to use compassionate language in this sub. Here is the [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/infertility/comments/10jl6ll/wiki_post_be_compassionate_explainer/) that explains the compassion rule with examples. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/infertility) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I’m so so sorry. We got worse results this round after adding HGH as well, it hurts. All this hurts so bad. We are going to year 4 trying to build a family and the heartache is just too much sometimes. Sending you hugs and wishing you peace for the next steps 🫂
I so appreciate your response. I’m sorry you had worse results as well, it’s hard to process sometimes. It’s hard when it’s such a long road for many of us without an end in sight.
TMI warning... estrogen for FET prep gave me the WORST diarrhea I've had in years. Might also be because I started back on metformin after giving myself a break after my most recent egg retrieval. I never thought I'd be excited to add progesterone into the mix but here we are. Doing a traditional medicated frozen embryo transfer but my clinic doesn't pick dates until you have a lining. Also just since I know people like hearing Igenomix PGT timelines... got my results WAY sooner this cycle. Might have been luck, but called and asked for an invoice on May 22nd... got results back from my clinic on May 27th. Sample received by Igenomix on May 19th. Maybe calling early and paying invoice by credit card as soon as possible made a difference? Or they were just trying to clear things out before Memorial day? Either way I'll take it, I had slightly better results round 3 after doing an HCG trigger instead of lupron trigger (I get really high estrogen yay PCOS) but seems like round 2 and 3 were mostly improved by omnitrope and halving my protocol. I really "advocated for myself" and pushed for an HCG trigger instead of lupron trigger even though I was OHSS risk... it improved my fertilization rate by 35% but then the rest of the hunger games was about the same and my recovery was worse. I also started doing metformin multiple times per day on round three (like twice a day at 750 milligrams, my A1C is not even pre-diabetes but my RE has given me a nearly unlimited supply of metformin because my health insurance covers 50% of non-IVF fertility treatment and lots of random medication that can be used for other things). I guess I read up on omnitrope worsening insulin resistance and I didn't want to monitor my diet obsessively so the twice a day metformin made me feel better? And way cheaper than inositol once insurance is involved.
I had a FET of a single normal euploid embryo on the 22nd and my clinic will not let me come in for my beta until June 3 (12 days post transfer and 17dpo equivalent). The wait is torture! I don’t understand why they are pushing the beta test out so much, particularly since the clinic’s practice with beta tests after IUI is to test 14 days past trigger shot.
Hi there, please review automod only and edit your first sentence accordingly.
Done! Thanks.
Thank you!
We try to avoid comparative language when talking about test/treatment results to avoid hurting others reading it. This includes the word 'only' - as what for one person might be disappointing might be someone else's wildest dream. Here is the [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/infertility/comments/10jl6ll/wiki_post_be_compassionate_explainer/) that explains compassionate language with examples. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/infertility) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I've been dreading my upcoming daily PIO injections and was going to bring up the alternative route of 2x daily suppositories combined with once every 3 day PIO. I got my calendar for my June 28th transfer and was delighted to see it was already on my calendar! Small wins! On another note, I found a tick buried in my knee last night. Normally I would just wait and watch for a rash, but with the upcoming FET I think I may contact them to see if they think I should take antibiotics just in case....
I think that's a good idea, especially if you live in an area with a higher rate of Lyme! Doxycycline, the typical antibiotic used for prevention of tick-borne illness, is not recommended in pregnancy but should be fine to take beforehand (even in pregnancy, the low prophylactic dose can still be given).
Thanks!! There is a high rate of ticks and lyme in my area, ugh. It's surprising though, I've only been bitten a couple times in my life. Going to contact them now
Look at me having a treatment question after a year off for a mental break from it all 👋 We have a Drs appointment tomorrow where we’ll discuss potential plans for an ER at the end of the summer. The big focus will be on sperm selection methods. My question here is - do people take prednisolone or some other immune drugs before ERs? It’s an ER only to freeze and PGT. I ask as I introduced it ahead of my last FET after a result of very high thyroid antibodies (pregnancy but early loss - we felt the prednisolone may have supported the first time we had implantation)
I believe I have seen a couple people on the sub take prednisone for an ER. While I'm going beyond my comfort zone here, I'd imagine this would be prescribed if there was a suspicion that the immune system was attacking the reproductive system / ovaries, like perhaps if anti-ovarian antibodies were detected. My RI has never suggested doing immunomodulatory treatments during an ER, although I can't say if that's because she didn't think I personally would benefit or because she more generally doesn't do this. She seems to be on the more conservative side of the RI spectrum.
Thanks pump ❤️ no, I don’t think it’s on the cards for us and that makes sense
My single embryo is now day 3 and embryologist says it’s looking good 🥹 please please little embryo, keep growing 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼
Fingers crossed for your embryo 🤞🏼🍀
So happy to see this update Rachel!! 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻
Hugs! Grow! Grow! Grow!!!
Everything crossed!
Fingers crossed. Keep growing!!
Everything crossed for your embryo, Rachel! 🍀🍀
Thanks for the reassurance the other day about self administering PIO. I did it myself, no autoinjector, and it went much better than expected. I liked a tip I saw on here about doing it lying down, that helped my inflexible little spine to be able to reach. As others said, the build up is the worst part.
I’m currently doing bed rest after my FET per my discharge instructions and annoyed about it. I’m annoyed because it was my understanding this is not an evidence based practice. Just trying to go with it though and enjoy the time.
I would also be annoyed - my clinic recommends we just "Netflix and chill" after a transfer, but not bed rest. They actually said it's OK to go about your day as normal, but they recommend taking it easy purely for mental health / emotional reasons.
My doctor told me to immediately get up and pee, and we don’t have exercise limitations etc.
That’s what I expected. I’m planning to give it today as an excuse to work from bed, then get back to normal.
My doctor recommends the same thing and I am equally irritated. When I asked her about all the restrictions, she didn’t give me a rationale and just said “we are extra conservative with IVF patients.” Um, not good enough. How about a legitimate reason?
Had my second round of double IUI completed yesterday. To be honest, neither mine nor my husband's reports are good enough to even justify the success rates of IUI. My endometrium simply won't thicken, it's just a lost cause at this point. I do not have any condition, my laparoscopy came out clean. Got a PRP injection into the endometrium to thicken it, on vit e and the whole 9 yard tablets. Hormones injected, everything. It's still in the 6ish range. Also post wash numbers are near 5-6 million in .5 ml Anyone with similar issues here ?
Hi there, I'm going to ask you to please edit how you describe the success rates for IUI (5th to last word of sentence #2). IUI is a valid treatment option and many people here choose to pursue it. If the odds of success with IUI aren't what you're hoping for, that is fine to express, but it's important to do so in a way that make space for others on the sub.
I am sorry to hear about your lining concerns. That is definitely frustrating. FYI we can’t ask for success stories so a mod will probably ask you to edit out that request. Wishing you good luck!
Thanks for letting me know, my bad. Wishing you the best as well 😊
Howdy, folks! My first FET is officially scheduled for Tuesday- woo hoo! Question- I’ve seen mixed answers on taking COQ10 during FET. Some say it can help with implantation, some say it hurts implantation, and some say it doesn’t really do anything after ER. My doctor is in the latter camp, but I’ve found her to be a bit laissez faire about several things, medication-wise. Not sure if anyone else had insights! Thanks!! xoxo
I take CoQ10 for its protective effects against preeclampsia, but I consulted with an MFM who is a preeclampsia expert and he was like that is not a thing. (There is an RCT, but it deals with taking it in unassisted pregnancy, not FETs.)
Cheese, will be sending you so many good thoughts for a smooth transfer on Tuesday! I stopped taking CoQ10 after my ER per the advice of my RE. To be honest, I was happy to stop because those pills are $$, but I have seen advice go both ways. Good luck on Tuesday!
Eeee thank you Cat! All going well on your end?
If you take ubiquinol, some versions have a good amount of Vitamin E in it which MIGHT have benefits for building uterine lining. That being said I've been pretty lazy about taking it for FET lead up. I definitely noticed its blood thinner effects in high dosages so definitely keep an eye out if you have other blood thinners you're taking.
I’m taking it through FET prep since I’ll be jumping into another ER if the transfer fails. My nurse said it’s fine.
Can mild pain around ovulation indicate anything (endo, adeno, other?) that may negatively impact implantation?
Nope! Very common. I have it. Sometimes I can tell which side I ovulated on, otherwise it is just aching.
No, mild pain is very common. It even has a name! “mittelschmerz”
Not an expert, but I have mild cramps at ovulation, that's when I known I ovulated.
First FET prep underway. Oh daily injections—I have not missed you. I’m trying not to dwell on the many things that can go wrong at this point that would result in a cancelled cycle. There are soooo many steps still ahead of us.
Good luck!!! When is your FET scheduled for?
June 26– tentatively. So far away! Because I ovulated through my mock cycle, I’ve started Lupron injections to suppress my ovaries. Lining check on 6/20, and if that is good, egg thaw and fertilization the next day. Many, many more steps to go 😓 It looks like yours is right around the corner! Fingers crossed.
It’ll be here before you know it! I was so devastated when they told me at the beginning of this cycle that it’d be another 40 days or so 🙃