Anyone else starting IVF now...I start Synarel tomorrow!!!

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1

Hi girls!

I didnt think id be back on this site for some time but its amazing how everything changes and how strong we can be isnt it! In the last 10 months we sadly suffered 2 x ectopic pregnancies and ended up having 3 emergency laparoscopies and now I have no tubes! I swore against IVF after my last operation on 7th July and here I am starting my treatment tomorrow! Im on Synarel sniffs and all going to plan start stimming 24th October with a hopeful EC planned for 5th November. This is ALL NEW to me! Im panicking as you can imagine but also very excited! I had so much time off work with all the operations though and work has been great however the last 2 operations were 8 weeks apart and I was very ill in between so i absolutely cant take any more time off and Im worrying a lot about losing my job, ive got a pretty good position with a company ive worked my way up in however all the time off with the ectopics really took a toll on my business. I also have chronic migrain! So I handle life really well with my preventative meds and triptan tablets when needed but I am considerably anxious that IVF is going to trigger the migrains to a high level. It also just so happens that my busiest is the next few weeks when Im going through all of this with 3 day trips away from home and entertaining in the evening with bosses…which if your going through the same as I am you will completely understand that the LAST thing in the world we want to be doing when sniffing or stimming is bloody getting done up and having to drink and be sociable!!!

Would be great to hear from other girls going through IVF just now who have been through similar. Im 35, DH is 31 and we have no children, sadly its all been losses :frowning:

Hopefully here back from some of you soon! xx

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Ooh, not me, but wanted to wish you GOOD LUCK!!

One up side is that you will be so busy it will fly by, I found downregging dragged sooooooooooo much

Hopefully you will have a cycle buddy but even if not please keep in touch and let us know how you are doing, would love to cheer you on :smiley:

lots of love Angie xxxxx

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Thanks Angie!!! Did you have any success with your IVF cycle? xx

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Sure did, result of our first attempt asleep in his cot in the corner of the room as I type on my bed, baby Daniel is 7 weeks old tomorrow :smiley: My EPs were in 2003 and 2005, we never intended to do IVF, just took time off from the whole thing (quite a lot of time haha), then made a kind of impulsive decision to do IVF last year on my 32nd birthday, intended to have 3 attempts just so we could put it to bed and have no regrets, never thought it would actually work :lol:

I did not have the sniffs, I had injections for downregging. I did get a bit headachey on it but no migraines (I get occasional migraines anyway but nothing like you), well not really even headaches, more like that feeling where you just need to clear your head and get some fresh air, didn’t sleep too well but overall felt pretty mellow.

I’m excited for you!! Hope this is your time xxxxx

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Hi Fosses,

Great News …I am doing exactly the same cycle as you right now and my egg collection is on the 5th November too!! So nice to see someone else has the same dates as me. I was made redundant so for me I have no work, but I totally understand that you are worried about losing your job. It must be hard, all I can say is I am sure your work will not want to lose you as you are such an asset to to company and it would cost more to train someone to do your job and actually be good at it so Im sure they will be understanding if you need more time off.

I have so far had one injection - Gonapeptyl to suppress my hormones - 2 weeks ago (even though I have just had a period so I am confussed at that as I thought it was suppossed to stop your period - hope I do not have another as it will be the same time as egg collection - I will ask my nurse in one week when I go in for bloods and scan). I start my stims on the 23rd October, egg collection 5th Nov, transfer 2 -3 days later. Hopefully it will work for both of us and we will have babys due exactly the same time. Just want to wish you all the luck in the world. Stay positive! Thats my attitude at the moment. x

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Hi ladies,

Can I join? I am just starting a frozen cycle this month, have my 1st baseline scan tomorrow, already quite nervous about it! I hope that you are getting on ok with the down regging? I definitely think that staying positive is really important - I previously did IVF two years ago and have a wee boy now who is 15 months old. All the way through I tried to focus on the end result and am sure it does help, even if only a wee bit (or to keep you sane :shock: ). I had a couple of frozen embies left, so am trying for round 2… As for my history, I have also had 2 ectopics within a year of each other, one which was an emergency and been advised that IVF was probably the safest way for me to have kids.

Sorry that work is a bit stressful at the moment Fosses, though in a way it will give you something else to focus on if you are busy with that. Sounds like you have had a hell of a year, am so sorry that you have had to go through that. I just hope that this is your time :slight_smile:

Keates that is great that you have started too and nice that you are both on the same schedule :slight_smile: Hope that the down regging is going ok so far?

Angie xxx

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Hi Badger (Angie),

Thanks for your responce on my worry on my post about period when egg collection - very relieved now so thank you for your responce.

Yes type away with us all - it’s nice to chat to others if needing to isn’t it to get things of your chest if need me, I don’t think anyone else can fully understand unless they are going through the same thing as us hey. My down regging is going fine, a few hot flushes, mild pain but that’s it i feel ok. One more 10 more days then I start my stimms which in a way I am looking forward to because then it wont be long for the egg collection and transfer (even though egg collection is my biggest fear - im being brave). And it aint far from Christmas so it will be so nice if we all got BFP’s what an early Christmas present that will be :smiley: xxx

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Not a positive at the minute as I currently have an EP from my second cycle of IVF but don’t let my current situation give you any less hope of success at all (hug)

My tips for IVF,

Take everything in steps, don’t look to EC or ET before you get there & when you do, feel ever so proud of yourself for hitting that step, every part of IVF is a milestone, completing down regs, starting Simms, having follicles grow, producing eggs, getting the call that eggs have fertilised, embryos surviving to transfer, a smooth transfer, a PPTest, HCG tests, a happy pregnancy, & a baby, remember, you go into IVF for a baby, not a PPT.

Hitting any of these steps are something to be proud of, if you look from step 1 to the end it’s way to much strain to put yourself under.

WATER, drink & drink, it prevents the headaches.

Look at your protein levels, increase if needed.

Lots of other tips but rushing out shopping.

Wish you all the luck in the world.x

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Hi Hope,

So sorry to hear about your Ep. Take care and never give up. Hugs.

xxx

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Thanks Keates,

I may be new to EP :cry: but at ICSI IVF , I’m a seasoned traveler, ask away & if I can advise in any way I will.

The biggest things so far I have taken from my IVF journeys are, steps, as already said.

Easier said but calm, chill & positive thoughts, don’t stress about all the doo’s & don’ts, rights & wrongs.

A small glass of wine or hot chocolate with a splash late at night if you like (strictly just IMHO & personal choice).

Again, water, again, protein.

Try not to get too het up in all the carp out there about supplements, alternative therapy etc ( unless you choose too), I can only go by mine & friend experiences, 1st time we both rattled when we walked, got all the gold stars for effort but never got to the end, last time we both relaxed, made sure we where healthy as we could be & took it in our stride, we got further.

Egg collection is a walk in the park, my first was semi sedated, the second I asked to be far out of it but took longer to come too 100%, yes I was frightened, still am but I think that is a lack of control issue I have :lol:

IVF will take you emotionally to places you may not of been before, never forget there are two of you along for the ride, involve OH as much as you can emotionally & appointments etc, some people drift apart through all this but I know through fertility, EP etc, I’m closer to OH than ever before, one bonus I suppose :roll: :lol:

Take care.x

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Hi ladies!!!

OMG i am so sorry I havent been on, I thought nobody else would be where i was and didnt log in to EPT until this morning!!!

Thanks so much for the lovely messages and support. Keates…how are you getting along sweetie?? Cant beleive we are hopefully EC together, how funny!!! Are you still injecting? Did they tell you you would have a withdrawal bleed whilst DRing? Im on day 10 of Synarel now, and no blood anywhere in site so im getting a little anxious, but i feel so bloated and painful down there so I do think something is defo happening!

Badger…so sorry ive not been on here! How did your baseline scan go??? are you on the end of the injections now??

Hoping you ladies are still around and we can keep each other strong!

Hope 4 - wonderful advice, massive help! Thanks so much for your support.

luv and hugs

xx

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Hope 4 - so so sad to hear about your current EP :frowning: this is something I sadly know a lot about and its very very tragic. You need to keep yourself as relaxed and cosy as possible, let us know if we can help. My first was November and i had to have operation, then second was just in May this year with another operation so I totaly feel your pain. Its the worst thing ive ever had to go through in my life. Hugs xxx

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Thanks fosses (hug) year, EP has dragged me down but I’m sat here, sun on my back, a mastiff dribbling on my knee, & a husband hoovering down stairs, dinner in the slow cooker & a walk in the woods planned :smiley: so hard has it dragged me down I know God will lift me up again, he already is.

Never had a withdrawal bleed or heard of it, are you sure, the DR shuts your cycle down, your lining will be measured so can’t see how a bleed would happen, should be nice & thin to start & thicken as you start Stimms, was only a few months ago maybe I dreampt or skipped that stage :lol:

I think every one entering the IVF chapter should get the first go free, a trial run, on your first attempt drugs will be given at standard low dose, they are so frightened of you over stimulating that caution above succession is given, they don’t know how your body will respond & rightly so, the last thing they want is to cause you OHSS or other complications.

You might be lucky (hope so) & respond text book, but not always.

On my second go they knew I was very unlikely to over stimulate so I was given max dose of stimms, I responded much better, 9 eggs retrieved, 3 fertilised, 2 transferred at day 3, was very lucky & although ectopic of unknown location, got pregnant, pitty they couldn’t of shoved a Tom Tom up there with them :lol:

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Hi ladies,

Thanks for your lovely messages of support :smiley: glad to be part of the group, even if I am only doing the transfer and not the full cycle… As you say it is good to have somewhere to come to isn’t it? I know how much I valued this space both after EPs and then doing IVF - it is just good to know that there is somewhere to come where you can share your thoughts, no matter how silly, embarrassing :oops: or otherwise :wink: As for my update, I had my scan which showed my lining was fine but that I had a cyst on the left ovary :shock: Apparently this is very common (I actually had one at the start of my 1st round of IVF but they went ahead anyway) but my doc has decided that it would be better to wait until next month to make sure that I give myself the best chance. Was really gutted about it on Friday as have been all geared up for this cycle but now have got used to the idea and figured it is probably for the best.

Keates - glad you are more relaxed about the egg collection side of it - I remember being really stressed about it too, but then a huge sense of relief once it was over. I think I had major sedation when they did it as I remember coming to, think that they were about to start and being confused when they said they had finished! But it didn’t help matters that it was all done in Japanese as was living in Tokyo at the time :roll: Glad that the down regging is going fine, hope the days go quickly until you can start stimming! Feel free to ask any questions you want about stimming onwards and I will do my best to help :slight_smile:

Hope - so sorry that you have had an EP from your IVF - big, big hugs to you. I have gone through it twice now and know too well how painful it is. Sounds like you are doing really well though and I hope that you had a nice walk out - simple things like that really do help. Thinking of you xxx

Fosses - lovely to hear from you and it is nice we are all in a similar boat together :slight_smile: Sounds like the down regging is going well for you, hope you are not in too much discomfort from it all?

Angie xxx

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Hi ladies,

Yep I am a lot more calmer about the egg collection now most definatly I am proud of myself for being brave. I ama litle over weight so I am eating healthy but again I am not worried to mouch a bout that bacause I am only a little chub, I really do think that it is natures way and all you can do is be positive.

Fosses… well I did have a bleed but my nurse said to me it does not matter if you don’t, but they would expect one so don;t worry all womens bodys are different. I think I had a bleed becasue I had ovulated (know I did as I did one of my many ovulation sticks just to check) and then I had the suppressant injection (Gonapeptyl) 2 days after on my first appointment to sign consent forms (which I was not expecting. I was worried cos I thought I would have another bleed on the 5th Nov (egg collection day!) and was like ahhhh nooo! But one of the lovely ladies of here informed me I will not have a next bleed as the Stimms will basically stop that from happening as the whole process is controlled so don’t worry.

Still in my suppression stage (I have had quite a wait with my suppression as it isn’t until the 23rd October - one week toomorrow I start my stimms, so had a bit of a wait) Suppression is fine for me apart from these headaches - had a migrane two days ago which made me feel so sick. Other that that im really ok, so far it is a dodle. Im sure things will progress rapidly once I start stimms. So what stage are you at? Have you started Stimms yet?

xxx

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Hi ladies!

How are you all today!!? God this IVF is quite tough isnt it…it just seems to go on for ages! Im on day 12 today of synarel and called the clinic yesterday as still no bleed, I think im just worried because they told me I would defo bleed between day 7 and 10 and to call if nothing, anyway called and they said dont worry its fine and normal :roll: so god knows what im meant to think heehee! Im still booked in for baseline day 0 (sounds like a army mission lol) on 23rd…same as you keates yikes! It just feels like we have been doing this forever and its only a couple of weeks nearly - feels like years!

Hope - LOL when I read about your hubbie and your dog haahaa, thats what I was like after all the operations - one good side was the drugs (I begged for the strongest codeine for the firt week afterwards) and lying on the couch with feet up cuddling my cats and hubby looking after me and pourning me coupoulous amounts of wine! You will get through this - but one day at a time. The shock of Ectopic resonates with us all on this board and just now your wee body will be in adrenalin mode, it takes a few weeks for the reality to properly hit. It happened with me each time and each time i thought i was ok and i wasnt. Thats why every lady on these boards make a big thing about looking after you, hot baths, wine, cuddles, no work, eat chocolate, just let your body heal. MASSIVE HUG.

Badsger - NOOOO im absolutely gutted for you hunny. Aww im so so sorry, at least you can try again next month but thats rubbish. I have a feeling i might be similar to you - each time ive had scans with the EPs they kept finding haemorrghic cysts in there (they last for months and months at a time), I had NOOO idea I had cysts but apparently I get them a lot, now I know the feeling and pain of a haemorrhghic one and thats the pain ive been getting the last week or so, when they scanned me pre ivf back in August he found a haemorrghic cyst on my left ovary but just said it was fine and not to worry - i didnt realise they could stop the IVF because of this. How you feeling??? xxx

Keates - Honey we are at exactly the same place! My synarel sniffing putting me into ovary sleep stage is still ongoing, Im actually not too bad on it, Ive had a few tears, but MY GOODNESS the Migrains!!! I get migrain anyway and take a preventative daily for it (only way to calm them down) but i had a killer one when i started sniffing but ive been drinking 3 litres of water a day, stopped wine completely, and been as healthy as possible. Been ok for a week or so with small headaches but nothing major and today ive got a real sinusy one that has rendered me useless! Ive not told anyone but im working from home today as i cant pull it together to drive. Just feel rank. So im baseline scan on Monday too and all going well im injecting on 24th!!! Are you the same???

Lots of luv ladies xxxx

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Hi Fosses,

My baseline scan and bloods start one week today - 23rd Oct and I start my stimms (1st injection) that evening - got to pick a time to start injecting and stick to the same time every night. So nice to see someone going through this exactly the same time as me. Where are you having your IVF? Mine is at Shrewsbury. Im sure I will be on here again to talk about the next stage. My husband will not be able to do the injections as he most definatly has a needle phobia. After the group information session we all had to go an get a blood test to check for HIV/antibodies and other things and he came out from having his first blood test ever, in front of all the other couples and nearly fainted. I didn’t know what to do, but I was not expecting him to nearly faint so my reaction was laughter (which made it worse) but it was so funny I couldnt control myself, the nurse came rushing over to him another lady ran to get him some water and his face was grey/white and me and the other girls just wet ourselves - i felt awful, bless him - he still hasnt forgiven me lol and I dont blame him but god it was funny.

I am just finding this whole IVF thing exciting and even if it does not work there are always other goes at it, I know we have to pay, but a woman told me that on average after 3 goes at it the majority of women are pregnant. I don’t know if that is scientifically true, but I am holding on the that nice thought. I see it a bit like passing my driving test I never thought is would happen, but I never gave up (even though my examiner highly recommended I did because of the amount of serious ticks on my failed exam/test sheet lol) I just knew it would happen and I am a stronger believer in positive thinking really does get results.

We have already picked my baby names too - Grace Chloe for a girl and Jake Thomas for a boy, and I do not mind what we have as long as it is a healthy bundle of joy :wink: xxx

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Hi ladies i hope you dont mind me popping in, i had a ep 2 years ago i had a tube removal and recently found out my remaining tube is partially blocked and scarred and i will need ivf to get pregnant and im terrified. Ive read so much about ivf i cant stop researching. Ive found a clinic that does a 3 for 2 package using fresh,frozen and thawed eggs. I just want some advice really as my gynos basically told me the bad news nd left me to it and i have no idea where to star, i just thought as you lovely ladies have started ivf you could give some advice or tips. Im terrified ivf wont work. I hope every ones doing ok and you get the bfps very soon xx

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Hi angel23…

Well if there are any questions you want answering please ask away as we are the right ladies to help you. All I can say is this is my first go at IVF. I had an ep 2 years ago too with right side tube removed. So far I am finding the IVF fine, but I am only in the suppression stage and I have not started my STIMMS yet so I guess I am the same as you - awaiting for the unknown. The whole process of IVF in itself I think goes really quickly roughly 6 -8 weeks. This is what is happening with me - First I have had a suppression injection (Gonapeptyl) in my belly (does not hurt at all!) which shuts down your hormones so you may suffer some pre menopausal symptoms (although you may not), then 2 -3 weeks later you start your stimms (daily injections which you inject in the evening for 12 days), throughout this time you have blood tests and and ultrasound scan every other day to check hormone levels, then you take a HCG injection night prior to egg collection, after egg collection you have the transfer - usually 3 days later, 2 weeks later you take a pregnancy test and I will have to take perssaries too, to thicken the lining of my uterus one day before and for two weeks after egg collection. But as I say this is what is happening to me, but all IVF centres may do things slightly different too. Wishing you all the luck and we are here to chat to if you need to chat xxx :slight_smile:

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Keates thankyou for your reply its just so overwhelming been told you need ivf and no one to talk to about it. I do have 2 cysts on my ovaries but im not sure if this can affect ivf or not. I think my problem is because ive got it in my head i cant conceive and need ivf i always think ill never see that positive test again im a quite stressfull person ( i know not good at all ) i kind of think more negative to save the heartache. Im goping to start ivf next year after xmas so im really hoping it works. Good luck in your ivf journey and ill keep popping over to see how your doing x