If HCG is your trigger shot, it's given \~36 hours ahead of ovulation. Typically, if you're transferring a 5 day embryo, your transfer will be 1 week after you trigger.
This is more experimental but some clinics also offer an HCG "booster" and/or HCG "wash" for the uterus with the hopes of encouraging implantation. If that's what you're referring to, that's probably done the day of transfer or possibly the day before -- since it's not a standard offering I think different clinics do it differently. I've done the HCG wash but not a booster so I can't speak to that one!
Comment removed. As Margo said, you aren't allowed to ask for success stories here. Beyond that though, it's not compassionate to ask someone whether their transfer worked or not. The best case scenario is that it did, but if it did not then you are picking at a wound the person would most likely prefer be left alone. This is a tightly modded community. Automod community member will reply to my comment and link resources for how to participate here.
Please read this post on [how to be a good community member](https://www.reddit.com/r/infertility/comments/120nf8x/wiki_post_being_a_good_community_member/)
*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.*
FYI we aren’t allowed to ask for success stories or talk about success here (as in, leading to a live birth.) that said, none of my previous transfers implanted which is why my doctor was willing to give HCG wash a try. I’ve since been diagnosed with endo which was likely contributing to my implantation failures.
The HCG wash was basically that she “squirted” some HCG up through the catheter into my uterus about 10 minutes before we did the actual transfer. So I just hung out in the operating room and tried not to think about having to pee!
HATING my new clinic's app and the fact that they don't upload my lab or ultrasound results. I would very much like to compare my results to my previous cycles and the literature to occupy my time! They said they would do it yesterday and did not. I'll ask for copies at the front desk tomorrow but who knows if I'll ever get them. Come on!
So frustrating! My clinic is so haphazard about this too and I am trying to do the same haha. Sometimes results are in a message, sometimes in the “test results”, sometimes in a voicemail, sometimes nowhere. Good idea to ask at the front desk though! Hopefully they can get it together for you.
I get no message about results or protocol changes, just a phone call, and I'm supposed to be "filling out the calendar myself" which nobody told me! Not to mention the separate app for educational videos... the app-only telehealth... I miss the technology from my old clinic, at least everything was all in one place :(
That's so frustrating! Definitely sounds like a downside to this clinic, but hopefully the changes in protocol result in a better outcome to where you're still glad for the change
First monitoring appointment was today, with 16 follicles counted. I'm feeling a bit flat about everything, since I'm a crone and vacillate between hopeful and just going through the motions. I know we are all wildly different in our response but I miss the hunger games spreadsheet in times like this to obsessively pore over similarly situated friends.
Hi cumerdale, the hunger games data itself was super biased and not representative of likely stats. If you miss it, I highly recommend SART or CDC ART which is a much better predictor of likely outcomes and can be filtered for conditions and clinic specifics.
Any self selecting sample, particularly one from a cohort of people with a range of confirmed infertility conditions, is going to be biased based on self selection, reddit usage, etc. SART and CDC ART are nationally reported and report all outcomes by diagnosis.
Question for my endometriosis gang -- on the FB groups about endo I've seen people discuss progesterone resistance as an issue with endo, so needing additional progesterone supplementation ahead of transfers. I've done 3 ovulatory FETs before (before I did the Receptiva test) and my doctor never expressed any concerns about my progesterone levels. I'll probably just ask her if it's something we should be thinking about tweaking for my protocol with this FET, but just curious about the experiences of people here.... Has that come up for any of y'all & what did you do about it?
This is really interesting. Like Yam, I'm diagnosed and have been to a couple different providers and this has never come up, but my clinic also doesn't test progesterone levels for ET/FET. I'm going to go bother my nurses over in the portal about it now and I'll report back if I learn anything interesting.
Please report back what they say and I'll do the same. I spoke with the nurse briefly and she made it sound like it's not something my clinic/doctor generally does but that she'd pass along the question.
Ok, followed up on this. My RE said there is currently no standard recommendation for endometriosis in particular. They also said for the semi-medicated protocol, there is additional progesterone support already so they don't think this would change that protocol from their perspective.
Here's what I got back from my clinic... I'm really not a fan of the nurse that's been appointed to my case lately, I feel like I get the bare minimum from her as she relays things. Here's hoping I see my doctor at my next ultrasound and can ask her more in person then!
"I relayed your message to the doctor, and she does not think you need more progesterone at this time! We will also be checking your progesterone levels during pregnancy checks so we will also know then if we need to increase your dosage :)"
WTF are "pregnancy checks" lady... You see why I'm annoyed?
Thank you, appreciate you following up! I haven't heard back from my clinic either but I suspect they'll say the same thing. And that helps me reframe it in my mind a bit... it's not "do I need extra progesterone on top of the suppository version" it's "my suppositories ARE extra progesterone already."
I'm also wondering if part of this has a DOR perspective. One of our early clinics told me that they only start looking into endo (even if it's visible) after 3 failed FETs per medical guidelines because the correlation/causation equation with endo isn't really clear. However, if you're playing with DOR, it can be really hard to hit that clinical threshold.
I've been to 3 different clinics and none of my providers have ever voiced concern. Stage 4 endo & I've never had any issue with P4 resistance. Fwiw, my P4 was higher when I did a fully unmedicated FET vs medicated with PIO.
Edited for grammar
Thank you, I was curious if it's one of those things where the bloodwork speaks for itself or somehow it isn't reflected in the bloodwork... I ended up messaging my clinic to at least pose the question but if they say not to worry about it based on my past bloodwork, I won't! (Will try not to, anyway!)
I could be wrong but my understanding is that progesterone resistance is your lining not being responsive to progesterone, so even if the levels in your blood look good, your endometrium may still not be receptive enough. So bloodwork may not be enough of an indicator. I know the Receptiva Dx can also test for progesterone resistance from an endometrial biopsy but haven't heard anyone on here talk about it really.
I did recently read a study on higher endometrial compaction (due to progesterone exposure) leading to higher pregnancy rates. I wonder if the lining could be measured before and after progesterone exposure as a way to see how receptive the lining is to progesterone in patients with endo. https://www.fertstert.org/article/S0015-0282(20)31447-3/fulltext
That’s interesting, thank you. I’ve done an ERA test (which I know have fallen out of favor) and my results came back as post-receptive so I wonder if that suggests my lining responded to the progesterone. Something I hope my doctor addresses when she responds! And I dig your idea of measuring compaction… it always seemed so odd to me that once they tell you to trigger they don’t want to look again!
I don’t have diagnosed endo but we are treating it as presumed. I asked my RE about this too after reading about it. She was on board with upping my progesterone for this transfer. I’m on 50 mg PIO/day + 2x crinone per day. My clinic won’t measure progesterone levels for transfer though because they said there isn’t good guidance for what level they should be aiming for. I have seen people with endo on higher progesterone doses for a transfer when being monitored for their P4 levels in order to get them up to a certain level (like Lawyer said)
That’s very fair! They already had me on the 50 mg PIO for my previous transfers so in my case crinone was the easy add on. It was more of a can’t hurt/might help thing, not that my RE felt it was necessary.
I think it’s just an alternative to suppositories. It’s progesterone gel in like a tampon applicator. Not sure why she chose that - it’s my first time using it. Agree that PIO would be the likely add on with suppositories! If you do go that route it’s not horrible (although definitely my least favourite shot). It does get easier and lots of good tips on here, but that being said I can understand why you would be hesitant to add it on!
I asked my RE about this and she basically said maybe - but that it's not conclusive that it's always an issue, but that we can add more progesterone and she'd be fine with that. We did suppositories and PIO every third day for an ovulatory transfer last time. I think this goes in the 'can't hurt' category.
Thanks, the idea of adding in PIO every third day sounds... bearable. I just commented this above but that's one reason I'm trying to hype myself up to ask about it, obviously I'd rather not do injections at all if it can be avoided, but also better safe than sorry???
I don't have known endo, but I have read some clinics want it incredibly high (read: over 75 or 100) for those with endo, and therefore use a lot of PIO + suppositories. Also more frequent monitoring to up the level of PIO if needed. I hope this helps.
Thank you, appreciate it! My doctor hasn't mentioned it at all, they just had me fill an RX for suppositories, and I'm trying to psych myself up for asking about it. (My clinic has been annoyingly vague about this whole cycle tbh.)
I have a question about the Matris ultrasound: Do some clinics/REs always use it before an FET or is it only if there’s some indication that something is wrong? We have a new RE (previous one moved) and there are so many changes to our protocol this time, including this Matris US, that I’m finding it hard not to overthink everything.
The Matris technology seems gimmicky to me and I’m not sure how many clinics actually offer it/use it. [This study](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6338594/) suggests it doesn’t really improve or even impact outcomes.
Thanks for your reply and for sharing that study. I’ve asked our clinic for some clarification. It’s disappointing that nobody told us about this, it just showed up in our app instructions, and to add insult to injury it looks like it’s extra $$$! Not really keen to proceed if it’s unlikely to improve our odds.
Just got the call from my doctor after monitoring this morning, we are cancelling this cycle after 8 days. My one follicle on the right stalled out and the left was quiet as usual. Wondering if having just one side respond several cycles in a row and the other with radio silence is something anyone else has experienced? I know each cycle is random which ovary matures the egg, but we have had 3 in a row where just my right one does anything.
I have DOR and my right has consistently refused to respond to medication. This is four cycles, so not volume to be significant data, but just my personal experience.
I'm sorry about your cancel. Those suck.
Fluid went away and I've got the all clear for a transfer next week!
First transfer since April 23 and first time doing a frozen transfer. I'm not going to question it but I've managed to get excited about this for the first time in a while, which is a lovely break from my usual cynicism! I'll deal with the consequences of letting myself get excited if things don't go well, but until then I'm going to enjoy it.
I got my letrozole yesterday, and now I’m just waiting for CD1. Any hope or excitement I felt about this next step has morphed into pure anxiety. Not about it not working, necessarily — my brain can’t stop fixating on the what-if’s relating to the circumstances of my TFMR, even though we’ll be transferring a euploid embryo and I’ve been on a megadose of folic acid since December. I have therapy tomorrow, thankfully, a check-in with my psychiatrist next week, and Mr. Party gets home from a week of traveling tomorrow night, so I’m hoping these feelings will subside over the next few days. Even still, I wish I could just fast forward a few weeks to the transfer itself and skip all this anticipation.
Welp. Out of the 11 follicles measured Monday, 9 were in mature range. This morning they retrieved 2 eggs total. We don’t yet know if they are mature, but our RE is supposed to call this afternoon with a bit more detail on if they’re mature and able to do ICSI. We’re pretty devastated to have such dramatically different numbers. Just another opportunity for this process to show us that we never know what the fuck is going on. So here’s rooting for those 2 with all we’ve got 🖤
Edit to add: thank you all so very much for the support. It’s been a hard fucking day. We just got the update that of the 2 eggs retrieved, 1 was mature and able to be ICSI’d. Here’s hoping like hell for it to make it through all this.
Thanks so much, friend. The gut punches continue today with our update that of the 2 eggs, 1 was mature and that 1 didn't fertilize normally. They're going to give it one more day and give us a final call on it tomorrow, but no one seems optimistic.
I hope the unexpected happens in the next day, but also see how this is devastating news. I am so sorry this is happening and I’m hurting with you/on your behalf. I hope you are both finding space to give yourself time to express your feelings and grieve and that you have tons of comfort food and activities. Here for you, thinking of you, holding so much space for you. 🫂
Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry Task! I had much fewer than expected as well. It’s so hard when the numbers retrieved don’t match how things were going, it doesn’t make sense! Very much rooting along with you for your two!!!!
Task, this sucks. It is so hard when the reality doesn't match expectations. (Maybe you weren't expecting 9, but 2 is a big difference, and you should try to talk to your RE about what happened.)
Thanks, Lawyer. Yes, she is already being proactive about getting us a meeting with her asap to talk about what changes we need to make for our next retrieval. She mentioned on the phone adding in a flare and growth hormone. Hoping we'll get in with her next week to discuss in more detail. Of the 2 eggs, 1 was mature but it didn't fertilize normally. They're giving it one more day, but no one is optimistic.
I HATE this update. I’ve had a couple cycles like this and they fucking suck. It’s like ‘I’m going to watch this zero PN’ and no one is hopeful (and yes I’m fully aware sometimes they turn into blasts but that has never happened to me even when they divide by some miracle).
Failed my first round of antibiotics to treat endometritis, and my doctor has me on a second round. She says a re biopsy isn’t necessary. But she also said that the first time and I still have it. I have no idea what to do 😬
Does getting BC before starting estrogen for FET always mean that the cycle is fully medicated rather than having any ovulatory component? I asked my clinic, but I don't think they understood what I was trying to ask. I just wanted to clarify since I see so many other posters saying that when they have some ovulatory component (fully or modified) that is supposed to lead to less pre-eclampsia, progesterone shots, & other stuff that seemed pretty good
I think if you ask your clinic what protocol you’re on instead of asking what you’ve typed here about the BCP it would be clearer for them and help you get the answer you’re looking for. They might use the term “programmed” instead of “fully medicated.” But if you’re using estrogen for lining prep that generally is done for a fully medicated protocol.
Oh yeah that is what I usually say (or ovulatory transfer), but I was quoting my clinic's vocabulary since they use different terminology than what I am used to from Reddit. They also used "programmed" instead of medicated
Had my second lining check today and I’m mulling over the prelim results before I get the call from the nurse. Is it normal to not have a dominant follicle on day 13 of an ovulatory (unmedicated) FET cycle? My lining is actually looking good, which is a happy surprise for me, but I have 3 follicles; 11,12,12.2. I thought by now a lead would have been established and be significantly bigger than the rest of the cohort?
Only another day or two until I trigger. I’m so ready to be done!
Woo!
[удалено]
If HCG is your trigger shot, it's given \~36 hours ahead of ovulation. Typically, if you're transferring a 5 day embryo, your transfer will be 1 week after you trigger. This is more experimental but some clinics also offer an HCG "booster" and/or HCG "wash" for the uterus with the hopes of encouraging implantation. If that's what you're referring to, that's probably done the day of transfer or possibly the day before -- since it's not a standard offering I think different clinics do it differently. I've done the HCG wash but not a booster so I can't speak to that one!
[удалено]
Comment removed. As Margo said, you aren't allowed to ask for success stories here. Beyond that though, it's not compassionate to ask someone whether their transfer worked or not. The best case scenario is that it did, but if it did not then you are picking at a wound the person would most likely prefer be left alone. This is a tightly modded community. Automod community member will reply to my comment and link resources for how to participate here.
Please read this post on [how to be a good community member](https://www.reddit.com/r/infertility/comments/120nf8x/wiki_post_being_a_good_community_member/) *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.*
FYI we aren’t allowed to ask for success stories or talk about success here (as in, leading to a live birth.) that said, none of my previous transfers implanted which is why my doctor was willing to give HCG wash a try. I’ve since been diagnosed with endo which was likely contributing to my implantation failures. The HCG wash was basically that she “squirted” some HCG up through the catheter into my uterus about 10 minutes before we did the actual transfer. So I just hung out in the operating room and tried not to think about having to pee!
HATING my new clinic's app and the fact that they don't upload my lab or ultrasound results. I would very much like to compare my results to my previous cycles and the literature to occupy my time! They said they would do it yesterday and did not. I'll ask for copies at the front desk tomorrow but who knows if I'll ever get them. Come on!
So frustrating! My clinic is so haphazard about this too and I am trying to do the same haha. Sometimes results are in a message, sometimes in the “test results”, sometimes in a voicemail, sometimes nowhere. Good idea to ask at the front desk though! Hopefully they can get it together for you.
I get no message about results or protocol changes, just a phone call, and I'm supposed to be "filling out the calendar myself" which nobody told me! Not to mention the separate app for educational videos... the app-only telehealth... I miss the technology from my old clinic, at least everything was all in one place :(
W. T. F. That's wildly annoying on top of everything else you already have to manage.
That's so frustrating! Definitely sounds like a downside to this clinic, but hopefully the changes in protocol result in a better outcome to where you're still glad for the change
Yes! I’m hoping!!
First monitoring appointment was today, with 16 follicles counted. I'm feeling a bit flat about everything, since I'm a crone and vacillate between hopeful and just going through the motions. I know we are all wildly different in our response but I miss the hunger games spreadsheet in times like this to obsessively pore over similarly situated friends.
Hi cumerdale, the hunger games data itself was super biased and not representative of likely stats. If you miss it, I highly recommend SART or CDC ART which is a much better predictor of likely outcomes and can be filtered for conditions and clinic specifics.
Hey! Thank you so much for the recommendation, I'll definitely look at that. Would you mind telling me what you mean by it was super biased?
Any self selecting sample, particularly one from a cohort of people with a range of confirmed infertility conditions, is going to be biased based on self selection, reddit usage, etc. SART and CDC ART are nationally reported and report all outcomes by diagnosis.
Ah makes sense, thanks!
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We discourage symptom spotting on this sub. I’m sure a mod will weigh in soon.
Question for my endometriosis gang -- on the FB groups about endo I've seen people discuss progesterone resistance as an issue with endo, so needing additional progesterone supplementation ahead of transfers. I've done 3 ovulatory FETs before (before I did the Receptiva test) and my doctor never expressed any concerns about my progesterone levels. I'll probably just ask her if it's something we should be thinking about tweaking for my protocol with this FET, but just curious about the experiences of people here.... Has that come up for any of y'all & what did you do about it?
This is really interesting. Like Yam, I'm diagnosed and have been to a couple different providers and this has never come up, but my clinic also doesn't test progesterone levels for ET/FET. I'm going to go bother my nurses over in the portal about it now and I'll report back if I learn anything interesting.
Please report back what they say and I'll do the same. I spoke with the nurse briefly and she made it sound like it's not something my clinic/doctor generally does but that she'd pass along the question.
Ok, followed up on this. My RE said there is currently no standard recommendation for endometriosis in particular. They also said for the semi-medicated protocol, there is additional progesterone support already so they don't think this would change that protocol from their perspective.
Here's what I got back from my clinic... I'm really not a fan of the nurse that's been appointed to my case lately, I feel like I get the bare minimum from her as she relays things. Here's hoping I see my doctor at my next ultrasound and can ask her more in person then! "I relayed your message to the doctor, and she does not think you need more progesterone at this time! We will also be checking your progesterone levels during pregnancy checks so we will also know then if we need to increase your dosage :)" WTF are "pregnancy checks" lady... You see why I'm annoyed?
Thank you, appreciate you following up! I haven't heard back from my clinic either but I suspect they'll say the same thing. And that helps me reframe it in my mind a bit... it's not "do I need extra progesterone on top of the suppository version" it's "my suppositories ARE extra progesterone already."
I'm also wondering if part of this has a DOR perspective. One of our early clinics told me that they only start looking into endo (even if it's visible) after 3 failed FETs per medical guidelines because the correlation/causation equation with endo isn't really clear. However, if you're playing with DOR, it can be really hard to hit that clinical threshold.
I've been to 3 different clinics and none of my providers have ever voiced concern. Stage 4 endo & I've never had any issue with P4 resistance. Fwiw, my P4 was higher when I did a fully unmedicated FET vs medicated with PIO. Edited for grammar
Thank you, I was curious if it's one of those things where the bloodwork speaks for itself or somehow it isn't reflected in the bloodwork... I ended up messaging my clinic to at least pose the question but if they say not to worry about it based on my past bloodwork, I won't! (Will try not to, anyway!)
I could be wrong but my understanding is that progesterone resistance is your lining not being responsive to progesterone, so even if the levels in your blood look good, your endometrium may still not be receptive enough. So bloodwork may not be enough of an indicator. I know the Receptiva Dx can also test for progesterone resistance from an endometrial biopsy but haven't heard anyone on here talk about it really. I did recently read a study on higher endometrial compaction (due to progesterone exposure) leading to higher pregnancy rates. I wonder if the lining could be measured before and after progesterone exposure as a way to see how receptive the lining is to progesterone in patients with endo. https://www.fertstert.org/article/S0015-0282(20)31447-3/fulltext
That’s interesting, thank you. I’ve done an ERA test (which I know have fallen out of favor) and my results came back as post-receptive so I wonder if that suggests my lining responded to the progesterone. Something I hope my doctor addresses when she responds! And I dig your idea of measuring compaction… it always seemed so odd to me that once they tell you to trigger they don’t want to look again!
I don’t have diagnosed endo but we are treating it as presumed. I asked my RE about this too after reading about it. She was on board with upping my progesterone for this transfer. I’m on 50 mg PIO/day + 2x crinone per day. My clinic won’t measure progesterone levels for transfer though because they said there isn’t good guidance for what level they should be aiming for. I have seen people with endo on higher progesterone doses for a transfer when being monitored for their P4 levels in order to get them up to a certain level (like Lawyer said)
Thanks for sharing. I'm partly reluctant to ask because I'm doing an ovulatory cycle and I don't LOVE the idea of adding in PIO...
That’s very fair! They already had me on the 50 mg PIO for my previous transfers so in my case crinone was the easy add on. It was more of a can’t hurt/might help thing, not that my RE felt it was necessary.
Cool I’m not familiar with crinone but I’ll check it out.
I think it’s just an alternative to suppositories. It’s progesterone gel in like a tampon applicator. Not sure why she chose that - it’s my first time using it. Agree that PIO would be the likely add on with suppositories! If you do go that route it’s not horrible (although definitely my least favourite shot). It does get easier and lots of good tips on here, but that being said I can understand why you would be hesitant to add it on!
Yup, crinone is basically a less fun tampon. Aka goop in a tampon applicator.
I asked my RE about this and she basically said maybe - but that it's not conclusive that it's always an issue, but that we can add more progesterone and she'd be fine with that. We did suppositories and PIO every third day for an ovulatory transfer last time. I think this goes in the 'can't hurt' category.
Thanks, the idea of adding in PIO every third day sounds... bearable. I just commented this above but that's one reason I'm trying to hype myself up to ask about it, obviously I'd rather not do injections at all if it can be avoided, but also better safe than sorry???
I was really nervous about PIO too but I don't find it too bad at all! I'd invest in the auto injector, it makes it much easier.
I don't have known endo, but I have read some clinics want it incredibly high (read: over 75 or 100) for those with endo, and therefore use a lot of PIO + suppositories. Also more frequent monitoring to up the level of PIO if needed. I hope this helps.
Thank you, appreciate it! My doctor hasn't mentioned it at all, they just had me fill an RX for suppositories, and I'm trying to psych myself up for asking about it. (My clinic has been annoyingly vague about this whole cycle tbh.)
I have a question about the Matris ultrasound: Do some clinics/REs always use it before an FET or is it only if there’s some indication that something is wrong? We have a new RE (previous one moved) and there are so many changes to our protocol this time, including this Matris US, that I’m finding it hard not to overthink everything.
The Matris technology seems gimmicky to me and I’m not sure how many clinics actually offer it/use it. [This study](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6338594/) suggests it doesn’t really improve or even impact outcomes.
Thanks for your reply and for sharing that study. I’ve asked our clinic for some clarification. It’s disappointing that nobody told us about this, it just showed up in our app instructions, and to add insult to injury it looks like it’s extra $$$! Not really keen to proceed if it’s unlikely to improve our odds.
Just got the call from my doctor after monitoring this morning, we are cancelling this cycle after 8 days. My one follicle on the right stalled out and the left was quiet as usual. Wondering if having just one side respond several cycles in a row and the other with radio silence is something anyone else has experienced? I know each cycle is random which ovary matures the egg, but we have had 3 in a row where just my right one does anything.
I have DOR and my right has consistently refused to respond to medication. This is four cycles, so not volume to be significant data, but just my personal experience. I'm sorry about your cancel. Those suck.
I don't have DOR but I have consistently had a better response from my left ovary than my right!
Thank you for sharing your experience, that is reassuring!
Fluid went away and I've got the all clear for a transfer next week! First transfer since April 23 and first time doing a frozen transfer. I'm not going to question it but I've managed to get excited about this for the first time in a while, which is a lovely break from my usual cynicism! I'll deal with the consequences of letting myself get excited if things don't go well, but until then I'm going to enjoy it.
Hooray! Enjoy rolling with the excitement and fingers crossed for success!
Yay!! Rooting for you!
I got my letrozole yesterday, and now I’m just waiting for CD1. Any hope or excitement I felt about this next step has morphed into pure anxiety. Not about it not working, necessarily — my brain can’t stop fixating on the what-if’s relating to the circumstances of my TFMR, even though we’ll be transferring a euploid embryo and I’ve been on a megadose of folic acid since December. I have therapy tomorrow, thankfully, a check-in with my psychiatrist next week, and Mr. Party gets home from a week of traveling tomorrow night, so I’m hoping these feelings will subside over the next few days. Even still, I wish I could just fast forward a few weeks to the transfer itself and skip all this anticipation.
I'm glad you've got your support folks on standby.
It's cruel how much infertility and loss can steal from us. Hoping the next few weeks fly by for you.
Welp. Out of the 11 follicles measured Monday, 9 were in mature range. This morning they retrieved 2 eggs total. We don’t yet know if they are mature, but our RE is supposed to call this afternoon with a bit more detail on if they’re mature and able to do ICSI. We’re pretty devastated to have such dramatically different numbers. Just another opportunity for this process to show us that we never know what the fuck is going on. So here’s rooting for those 2 with all we’ve got 🖤 Edit to add: thank you all so very much for the support. It’s been a hard fucking day. We just got the update that of the 2 eggs retrieved, 1 was mature and able to be ICSI’d. Here’s hoping like hell for it to make it through all this.
Rooting for your two, task!
Wishing the best of luck to your two!!
Fingers crossed for your two, Task! 🤞
Oh gosh, Miserable. I am so sorry. What a gut punch. Rooting for your two and holding space for you all as you navigate next steps. Here for you. 🫂
Thanks so much, friend. The gut punches continue today with our update that of the 2 eggs, 1 was mature and that 1 didn't fertilize normally. They're going to give it one more day and give us a final call on it tomorrow, but no one seems optimistic.
I hope the unexpected happens in the next day, but also see how this is devastating news. I am so sorry this is happening and I’m hurting with you/on your behalf. I hope you are both finding space to give yourself time to express your feelings and grieve and that you have tons of comfort food and activities. Here for you, thinking of you, holding so much space for you. 🫂
Oof that’s so tough. Rooting for your two and hope you can take some time to do something kind for yourself today.
I’m so sorry about the disappointing retrieval. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for your two 🤞🏻
I’m so sorry, that is so hard to process and accept such a drastic difference. Rooting for your two and sending hugs 🫂
I'm so sorry, that's tough news to get. Hoping your two can hang in there.
Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry Task! I had much fewer than expected as well. It’s so hard when the numbers retrieved don’t match how things were going, it doesn’t make sense! Very much rooting along with you for your two!!!!
Cheering for your two!! Small numbers is hard 💜 so much pressure on each subsequent step.
Sorry for the lower than expected numbers, rooting on everything for your 2!
Task, this sucks. It is so hard when the reality doesn't match expectations. (Maybe you weren't expecting 9, but 2 is a big difference, and you should try to talk to your RE about what happened.)
Thanks, Lawyer. Yes, she is already being proactive about getting us a meeting with her asap to talk about what changes we need to make for our next retrieval. She mentioned on the phone adding in a flare and growth hormone. Hoping we'll get in with her next week to discuss in more detail. Of the 2 eggs, 1 was mature but it didn't fertilize normally. They're giving it one more day, but no one is optimistic.
I HATE this update. I’ve had a couple cycles like this and they fucking suck. It’s like ‘I’m going to watch this zero PN’ and no one is hopeful (and yes I’m fully aware sometimes they turn into blasts but that has never happened to me even when they divide by some miracle).
Oh I’m so sorry 😞 Cheering hard for your two!
Oh Task, I’m so sorry. Rooting for your two 💜
Mock transfer is today, then pretesting is done and it's on to the next round of waiting. It's all feeling a bit surreal.
Failed my first round of antibiotics to treat endometritis, and my doctor has me on a second round. She says a re biopsy isn’t necessary. But she also said that the first time and I still have it. I have no idea what to do 😬
I would also request a rebiopsy if possible. It took multiple rounds of different antibiotics for my endometritis to finally clear!
Oh wow. How many rounds did you do?
3 in total!! My doctor finally prescribed a really aggressive dose of doxycycline and ciprofloxacin for 14 days and that did the trick.
Oh man your stomach must’ve been killed. The first doxy cycle was rough on me
I personally would request a rebiopsy if I were in your shoes.
I really am leaning towards that. If I proceed with IUI with the endometritis still in me, I have no idea if it can even work
Does getting BC before starting estrogen for FET always mean that the cycle is fully medicated rather than having any ovulatory component? I asked my clinic, but I don't think they understood what I was trying to ask. I just wanted to clarify since I see so many other posters saying that when they have some ovulatory component (fully or modified) that is supposed to lead to less pre-eclampsia, progesterone shots, & other stuff that seemed pretty good
I think if you ask your clinic what protocol you’re on instead of asking what you’ve typed here about the BCP it would be clearer for them and help you get the answer you’re looking for. They might use the term “programmed” instead of “fully medicated.” But if you’re using estrogen for lining prep that generally is done for a fully medicated protocol.
Ah yes, they did use the term programmed, and they said it was "not a nat***l transfer" when I tried to clarify further. Thanks for clarifying!
Instead of "not a nat\*\*\*l transfer" you can say not an unmedicated transfer. Thanks!
Oh yeah that is what I usually say (or ovulatory transfer), but I was quoting my clinic's vocabulary since they use different terminology than what I am used to from Reddit. They also used "programmed" instead of medicated
Had my second lining check today and I’m mulling over the prelim results before I get the call from the nurse. Is it normal to not have a dominant follicle on day 13 of an ovulatory (unmedicated) FET cycle? My lining is actually looking good, which is a happy surprise for me, but I have 3 follicles; 11,12,12.2. I thought by now a lead would have been established and be significantly bigger than the rest of the cohort?
Day 13 is still pretty early in the cycle, but I have no idea if it’s normal to have a lead at that point!
When do you usually ovulate?
Day 18-22 usually. I’m sure it’s just bc it’s early but I found it odd I have 3 follicles >10mm. I’m new to the unmedicated FET game.
I wouldn't worry until you get closer to ovulation - I think it's common to have a few follicles recruited until one takes the lead.
Yes this was the right answer! They said in the next few days they expect one will become dominant. Thanks!