IVF 2: Stims update
A quick update from my first scan during stims for IVF 2.
Right ovary: (partially accessible – this is the guy who looks like a peanut and tends to hide)
12, 13, 13 + 2 smaller
Left ovary:
11, 12, 12, 11 + 4 smaller
Apparently this is on track and good. (I’m not sure if that is actually true – they tend to be a bit positive at our clinic.) It’s sort of where I was this time last cycle, just under a year ago, but last time my progress sort of plateaued at this point and I needed a whole other week of stims. Apparently they want the follicles to get to 18 (I think it’s mm, but I can never be sure… They don’t tell us much and the stats above I had to memorise whilst I was having the scan!).
Actually this is something I’ve noticed a bit at my clinic (NHS hospital). They don’t tell you a great deal. Also you don’t get to see the scan whilst they’re doing it – they don’t show it to you. They more or less don’t talk much during the scans, other than to the note taker, which can be a bit disconcerting. I also learned during the previous cycle that they aren’t straightforward with you when the prognosis is bad. I had hope last time because they didn’t say “It looks like your baby isn’t growing which is a bad thing” – they just said to come back in the next week because they wanted to do another scan.
I’m not complaining about the NHS because I think we have to be grateful we get NHS treatment at all. It’s more of an observation compared to private where they specifically show you the scans and explain what is going on. At least this time I kind of know what I’m looking out for so I lay there and memorised what she was telling the person taking notes.
The nurses at the clinic are the nice ones and they have a bit more time to explain stuff. The nurse was very positive about the stats and seemed to think it was okay. She said to us (T came along as he had to sign the consent forms) that we should be on track for a Monday or Tuesday transfer. Though it depends on Friday’s scan.
Also I called up Dr S’s clinic and spoke to L, the midwife. As part of the borderline immune protocol for Dr S, I have to have treatment (intralipids infusion) before transfer. I got a bit confused previously and I thought it was before egg collection, but the treatment is more for transfer. She said that ideally I should have the IV infusion 7-10 days before transfer. So we tried to figure it out and realised if egg collection happens on Monday then the transfer would be Friday. So then we tried to decide when we have the IV infusion. She’s away on Friday so it couldn’t happen then, so it was between Thursday (tomorrow) and Monday… In the end we went for Monday, which I can cancel if I end up having the egg collection then.
It’s all a bit hectic!
In terms of symptoms, my stomach is all puffed up and my boobs = humungaboobs. I can hardly do up my coat! I really don’t like it and it means I’m completely paranoid about being fat, and having to try on loads of outfits to try not to look super chub. T is being nice about it and saying he thinks I still look beautiful (I think he has been to Boyfriend 101, with distinction). But it makes me feel really not myself! I’ve been weighing myself too – I dropped last cycle as it was too scary, but this time I’ve put on a few kilos, which is quite alarming. Yesterday I didn’t overindulge at all and I put on almost a kilo! Argh. I’m hoping it’s all ovary / fluid retention or something.
My other symptom is that I’m sooooo tired. Like, to the point of people actually asking if I’m okay. I must look like I’m knackered! I am usually a night owl. I was saying to T this morning, can you imagine that just under a year ago I was doing this whilst on a really stressful project and working 18 hour days away from home? Quite frankly I have no idea how I got through it. At least this time I can take it easy!
Aside from that, we went on a mini date night last night to the cinema to see Eddie the Eagle. If you haven’t seen it, I really recommend it! It was really enjoyable and easy to watch. After the last few I’ve seen (10 Cloverfield, High Rise, Anomalisa) were all weird, it was nice to watch something that was just easy viewing and fun. Uplifting! Try and see it before it finishes! And have a happy hump day! 🙂
Those measurements sound great for where you’re at! Can’t believe you could be transferring by next week Friday. So exciting.
I know it’s easier said than done but try not to stress about your weight and overall appearance during stims. I felt like sh*t the whole time, and thought I looked like a complete beast. My gf at the time kept telling me otherwise but i just cried and stopped getting naked. Be kind to yourself. You’re trying to create life. Eat all the chocolate and then watch a movie x
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Aww thanks! Yeah I am hopeful that this is right… I forgot, the midwife said that they usually grow by 1mm(?) each day, and they’re aiming for 18mm(?) so that means by next Monday they would be approaching that. Who knows?
Thanks for the body confident thing. It’s weird. I was always reasonably confident (I would wear a bikini etc). But since IVF and a bit before, I put on a lot of weight (for me) which really knocked my confidence. I know I’m not fat as such, but I’m fat for me. It makes me feel like a heffalump. 😦 I will definitely be on a diet after this! But right now I just have to accept it. It will be worth it if it ends up in a baby…
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Hey did you turn off comments? I just wanted to say how great your scan looks! Congratulations! Xx
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Bloody hell. I was messing about trying to figure out how to reblog something. I must have pressed the wrong button lol. They’re back on now. Aww thank you 🙂 Good luck with your next scan xxxx
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Phew. I didn’t want you to think we didn’t care! 🙂
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Sounds like things are progressing right along! Good luck!
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Thanks! It plateaued this time last cycle, so I’m hoping it doesn’t do that this time!
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What day of stims are you on?
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Day 9 – although I only do the injection at 10pm so I have done 8 injections so far. I’m on 250 of Menopur. They’ll call later today if they want me to increase the dose. NB My first scan was meant to be Monday, but given my history of slow response they did the first one today (Wednesday) instead.
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That’s not bad at all! I hope things continue to grow and look good 🙂
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Thanks! I’m not sure my insides will ever look good! They seem to be rather black and white and fuzzy, judging by the ultrasounds! 😂
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Hey Congratulations! I think that sounds like a really good result at your first scan. You have seven good sized follicles of a similar size (you don’t one going off and growing huge whilst the others struggle to keep up). My experiences has been that even if you get lots of follicles / eggs (say >10) it doesn’t really translate to a greater number of embryos at the end, so I would be pleased with a count like that 🙂
p.s. On a separated point I was intrigued by 10 Cloverfield but couldn’t decide whether I’d like it or not so haven’t seen it. What other films would you say it is similar to?…. I like the look of Eddie the Eagle too! 🙂
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Thanks! We had 12 eggs collected last time, of which only 6 fertilised and only 1 made it to day 5 transfer which ended in miscarriage. So not good stats! No frosties. I would really love to have some frosties and not have to go through all this again! Or even just one live baby at the end of it! I’m fine with the idea of just collecting a few high quality eggs. I’d be happy with that. Who knows? It’s all a mystery!
It’s hard to describe 10 Cloverfield without giving it away! Umm if you ever saw this really weird film called Bad Boy Bubby, it’s a bit like that! But not as weird! I went with my friend and we enjoyed it. T is squeamish (seriously… I don’t know how he’d ever cope with childbirth!) so it wasn’t for him. Actually I also saw the Revenant. (My friend has a cinema pass so is always up for going!) I think 10 Cloverfield is worth a watch but I wasn’t so keen on the ending. I would definitely go and see Eddie the Eagle if you can! I had fairly low expectations and I enjoyed it. It was a “gentle” comedy – very British!
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Yeah I think to some extent it’s a bit of luck with what they collect and how many make it transfer, I do hope the dice are on your side! Will you do ICSI or do you not have it as an option?
Not heard of Bad Boy Bubby! Might wait for 10 Cloverfield to be a cheap DVD on amazon. Yes Eddie looks like a typical British film. I like the occasional gentle tickling by the British film industry 😉
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We aren’t doing ICSI as apparently T’s spunk is hunky dory! (He’s very proud of that fact!)
So I think the idea is we do IVF and a 5 day fresh transfer, if we get that far. Here’s hoping!
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Aw bless him! lol! Yes here’s hoping it all works x
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Seriously. The nurse mentioned ICSI today and then said “Oh you are doing IVF so the sperm must be fine” and I think he almost burst with pride! He even asked the doctor last time for a certificate of spunkiness! Haha!
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LOL!
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I mean to say also that it’s a few days later than what would have been the first scan. My first scan timing wise was meant to be on Monday, but with my history of slow response they said to do it today (Wednesday) instead. I’ll find out later this pm whether I have to increase the dosage. Last time I was on Gonal F and I started off on 225 and ended up on 375! This time I’m on Menopur 250 so hopefully it will be a bit more steady and not plateau as it did this time last cycle.
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I think your numbers sound fine! And yes, they measure in mm. That sucks that they don’t let you see the scan, and don’t really tell you anything either. Can you ask them to explain what they’re doing/seeing while they’re doing the scan? Sometimes when I asked them to tell me the numbers, they would give me a screen printout from the u/s machine showing everything. It doesn’t hurt to ask! I hope things continue to go well with this cycle and you get lots of good eggs!!
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Thanks! I think it depends on the doctor who’s doing it really. They are in a rush (it’s the NHS) and so I sort of feel like I don’t want to take up more time than necessary, as there are other women waiting. They don’t really try and build a relationship generally as you don’t see the same doctor each time – it’s usually someone different. So far I’ve seen about 4 different doctors and at least 3 different nurses. The nurses tend to be the ones who try and build the relationship and follow up.
I could ask for the results and for them to show me the scan, but I feel like right now at the follicle counting stage, I’m not so bothered! If/when we ever get to pregnancy scanning then I would definitely want to see it!
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They may be in a rush, but they’re providing you medical care, which you have a right to know about and understand. We don’t have NHS in the US, though I’ve gathered from enough blogs I’ve read from English bloggers what it is. Still, you have a right to understand what is going on with your body, that’s the whole purpose of a Dr!
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Your numbers sound great to me, but to be fair i know virtually nothing about ivf and stims. ☺
I do find myself needing to say that i think you need to give yourself a bit of grace about any weight gain. Stims are hard on your body (this much i know) and once this is over you can work to lose the weight. But for now, just remember that your body is working in overdrive right now. Sending you love my friend and hoping for an awesome retrieval and transfer!
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Thank you! And thank you so much for the post btw… I emailed you but I know you don’t check it all the time! That was so lovely!
I am being okay re the weight. At least T doesn’t outwardly seem to be bothered about it (I feel like an elephant) but I do find myself avoiding people I haven’t seen in a while, because I don’t want them to think I have let myself go! That is more of my problem than theirs though! I’m sure they probably wouldn’t say anything!
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I was totally salivating reading your follicle numbers. Oh the things that get us infertile a going :). Having done 9 cycles I can tell you that having that many follicles close in size and at that size right now is a great thing. Good luck!!
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Ooh thank you! That makes me feel better! They never really seem to tell us what to expect… I think I’ve had most of my education from fellow bloggers! It was funny wiping myself down and getting dressed whilst trying to remember the numbers! (Enjoy the salivation! Haha!)
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Oh and 9 cycles! You are a machine, woman! I haven’t read your entire back catalogue… I should totally do that someday. Which cycle was the most successful one? And did you notice any difference? X
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The crazy thing is the cycles where I got pregnant ( one resulted in my son and one a miscarriage) were the cycles where they said the embryo quality was subpar. Goes to show you can never know and you should hope if you have any embryos. This last banking cycle gave me most day 5 embryos I have ever had (3) still waiting to hear if they are normal. My take home is it all about getting the egg(s) and perserverence and it is hard to predict. That being said- my follicles were around the same size as yours at that time and few less. I think you going to have great results. This is totally tmi but the only thing I did different this time was have sex (and orgasms) which I honestly think helped blood flow to my ovaries. Xo
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Ha! Thank you. ☺️ I told T about the sex thing and he says “When?” (He’s a man… He needs to know timings! 😂)
It’s really great to hear from someone who had successful IVF and nice to think that a lower quality embryo could end up in something as fantastic as your son! You are absolutely amazing for going through so many cycles. X
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Ah, this sounds really positive. I was thinking of you today, wondering how it went. Fingers crossed for Monday!
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Aww thanks! Yeah I just got a call this pm to up my stims amount of Menopur from 250 to 300. Not sure if that’s a good sign or a bad sign! 🙂
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Hey that sounds like a great count. All equal, as everyone else says, is most important. Haven’t seen Eddie the Eagle yet but will do if you say it’s good….I remember that he came to our university balls as a hired celeb… be really must have been short of cash as our balls were pretty rubbish….hahahaha
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Thank you! You should definitely go see Eddie the Eagle – it was a really sweet film. I enjoyed it!
I remember random people used to come to our Uni too! Haha!
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Ooooo well it is all systems go. Yay! I always felt super tired in stims too. Be kind to yourself. I know it is hard when your body is changing and you can’t wear a sign that says “I’m not getting fat, I’m doing IVF” but it is all worth it. Weight can be removed later xx
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Thank you! I really needed that. Just weighed myself this am and put on another almost a kilo overnight! Not sure how that happened as I had soup for lunch and tapas for dinner! Feeling like an absolute blimp! 😭 x
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Are you at Guy’s by any chance? I did all my IVF cycles there. Until we paid to see Dr Awesome I met a whole parade of perfunctory nurses and sonographers. Definitely an NHS thing.
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No! I’m east London. I think it must be an NHS thing, although I found the nurses have generally been nice. It’s just we went for the private scan and the whole thing was totally different. The doctor explained everything and showed us stuff till we could understand it!
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It sounds like everything is going well! I agree those measurements sound great. That is frustrating that they don’t give you a lot of information. If anything, I’d prefer too much information. I absolutely think the weight gain is fluid/ovary growth. You’ll lose it all once your ovaries calm down again!
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Ooh thanks! Yeah it’s a touch frustrating but I’m generally okay. I don’t worry overly about info as it doesn’t affect the outcome. I just try and memorise stuff!
Yeah I gained almost another kilo overnight which is nuts! My whole stomach is completely swollen up! 😦
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My concerns about no monitoring after the weekend were unfounded, and that is great news! Slow and steady wins the race… Almost there! My first cycle generated gigantic follicles and eggs (21-23mm) and not a single baby. The second one generated the desired 18-20 mm follicles /eggs and we know how that turned out. I’m super excited to hear about egg collection on Monday and am glad you’re ahead of me time-wise!
The control freak in me always wanted to take a pad and pen in with me for scans so I could write it all down, but the realist in me knew that would be a bad idea.
This cycle seems to be going quickly!
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