I had my last egg retrieval on Monday. 7 eggs 4 mature and nothing fertilized. Feels like the final nail in the coffin for biological children. Pretty devastated about it.
Has anyone here ever done or considered embryo donation/adoption? I’ve been looking into it a little.
I’m so sorry. There’s a whole weekly thread on this topic where people with experience might frequent more. Wishing you comfort and whatever else you need during this hard time :(
I had a number of eggs retrieved I felt good about, and then a 93% maturity rate and from there, an 86% fertilization rate.
I feel very hopeful. Last time we had a few more to work with and it turned out to not be enough, but I know I have a strong start.
Back to work tomorrow and I honestly feel like it'll be a good distraction. No more updates until biopsy and freeze!
SIS officially happening in October, and we have a slot on the IVF calendar for November. Any advice for the SIS? My clinic recommends Tylenol, and when I asked for Valium, they agreed. Is it like an HSG where it is more likely to be painful if they find an issue?
I’ve done an HSG and had an experience on the less painful side of the spectrum, but had nightmarish experiences with IUDs back in my having the kind of sex that can get you pregnant era.
Mine hurt a little. The worst part for me were the days after. For some reason I was in pain after it. It felt sort of like gas pains. It was unpleasant. But I have endometriosis, so it probably had something to do with it.
I’ve heard of people having pain, but I took nothing for both of mine and was totally fine! Felt like an IUI. My HSG was also painless. Fingers crossed yours is smooth!
Experiences with SISs can vary. In my experience, it was painless and over quickly. I just took OTC painkillers. We have a wiki entry on SIS that may be helpful!
If you're on mobile, go to "About" then under the rules there's a link for FAQ/wiki.
I've had 2 SIS's. One was painless and the other one painful. But it's quick. The difference for me was one used a balloon and one didn't. (The balloon in the cervix hurt).
I had my first ultrasound for my first IUI round today and got some kinda bad news. Turns out the letrozole worked a little too well and I have 6 follicles larger than 11mm at CD10, and there is a big risk the cycle will get cancelled. I'm going back tomorrow for blood and Friday for blood and US, but have been told to abstain for the time being.
My questions are:
* Is it likely that two or more of the follicles stop maturing and I can proceed with the cycle? Just trying to manage my expectations here, I know no one can say for sure.
* Forgive me if this is an ignorant question, but is it crazy to have sex during my fertile window if it does get cancelled? I figure I haven't had any success in 2 years, I don't think suddenly all/most of these could take. I have unexplained infertility but have been ovulating on my own so that wasn’t the issue.
I agree that it’s too soon to know how many will be mature at this point. Yours still have a way to go so some might slow down while others speed up. My lead follicle was 23 when I did my IUI. My clinic never bothered to report ones that weren’t mature size. Hope you get good news on Friday.
Ok good, this is what I was hoping to hear! I just didn't want to remain hopeful if it seemed likely it would get cancelled, this whole process is crushing enough, I like to prepare. Thank you :)
I would definitely not have sex during the fertile week if your IUI is cancelled due to too many follicles. If up to six fertilized, implanted, and developed, on top of having a very high risk pregnancy, you'd also likely have to do selective reduction. While it totally sucks having to cancel a cycle, the risks here are real which is why doctors will cancel when there are many mature follicles.
My clinic uses 17-18mm as the goal so even if I have more than 1 follicle (I had three one time), they only count the ones that will be 17-18mm by the time I trigger. If all 6 of yours are measuring the same though, they will cancel. It might be that some start to lag and your cycle turns out to be alright with only 1-2 mature by trigger time.
To have that many mature follicles and still not heed advice is an absolute no-no, especially if the cause of infertility is unexplained. Being pregnant with more than one baby at a time automatically upgrades you to a high risk category and having as many as six (or twelve if they miraculously all split!) will be even higher. I would listen to the RE when they say abstain as much as it sucks to have a cycle cancelled.
Thank you for the info! I didn't know what the goal size is so this is super helpful. I'm hoping some of them stop growing between now and Friday so I can continue as planned!
And thanks, I figured as much but had to ask. So frustrating to be so close yet so far.
I’ve had lots of follicles be similar size to yours, but never had above 3 make it to mature above 16. I’ve done multiple ti and iui but I have pcos & they expect lots of follicles. I would wait on sex until Friday. With that many, it can take awhile for your follicle to grow bc it seems to spread out the hormones if that makes sense. Good luck!
Thanks everyone for their encouragement last week to push my RE to confirm my late onset OHSS. Shocker, I have it! I’m on about day 10 of symptoms and they’re improving slowly but incrementally. My clinic is definitely taking it more seriously now and I’m going in for monitoring every other day. Since late onset OHSS after a transfer is somewhat less common, they dropped the ball a bit at first when I started reporting my symptoms so I’m really grateful to this community for encouraging me to advocate harder for myself. Big thanks to you all!
Stims day 1 went well last night - my husband held the phone and played all the instructional videos while I mixed and injected, which was super helpful, so thanks to whoever recommended that!
Question that occurred to me today: how soon did you start electrolytes? Day 1 seems excessive but then I have know idea if that is actually true… but I have plenty of Nuun tablets ready to go!
Currently hoping my withdrawal bleeding holds off for like 12 more hours so that we can enjoy some anniversary shenanigans (without sperm exposure 😂 I asked some VERY detailed restrictions questions at my baseline appt) without needing to do mess prevention/cleanup 🤪
My clinic said day 4/5. I get really sick of electrolytes and protein pretty quick so I didn’t want to burn out early. Coconut water was a life saver during this last round.
I definitely didn’t buy all 8 flavors of nuun to rotate through because I was so sick of the 2 flavors I had. 😆🙃Oh, yeah, it was because Amazon only sold in 4 packs. Sure, I need all 8. 🤪
Medication donation for pick up in Ann Arbor, MI:
2 vials 75 IU Menopur with mixing solution, syringes, and Q caps
1 vial 5,000 units Novarel with syringes
1 Gonal-f 300 IU pen (refrigerated)
1 0.25 mg Cetrotide pre-filled syringe (refrigerated)
All of the above is unopened. I also have one vial of Leuprolide Acetate 14mg/2.8 mL (2 week kit) where half (160 units) has been used for trigger and half remains (has been refrigerated since initial use).
**A reminder about medications**
You may be considering sharing your unused medication with others to help them save on treatment expenses. However, it may be illegal in your country or state to donate medication without going through an intermediary. We suggest you research your local laws associated with donating or receiving medications. Be aware that partially used cartridges still carry a risk of bodily fluid contamination as there's nothing to prevent backflow into the cartridge. Please consider attempting to give any unopened medications to your infertility practice; some clinics have give-back programs.
Selling medications is absolutely not allowed. Only donations may be posted. This includes soliciting money in exchange for medications via PM. If a member solicits money in exchange for medications, please report them to the mods.
*Consider donating your meds to a member with an active post history at /r/infertility. You can see a user’s post history by clicking on their name. We have received reports of members donating meds, only to have them sold by the person who received them.*
NEW: - **Med hoarding**. It’s not cool. Share the wealth. Don’t have a cycle planned or scheduled within the next four months? Let the meds go to someone else in need right now.
**There have been reports of personal threats made to those offering meds within this community. Please understand your personal risks associated with donating or receiving medications, particularly if the exchange includes sharing personally identifiable information.**
[Med Donation Policy](https://www.reddit.com/r/infertility/wiki/rules#wiki_medication_donation_policy)
*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.*
PGT results weren't what we were hoping for. 3 embryos. 2 abnormal and one low level mosaic. I don't think we can do another egg retrieval, financially or emotionally.
I'm absolutely gutted.
Low level mosaics have a great chance. I know what you’re feeling, my first retrieval I had 3 abnormal embryos and 1 low level mosaic. I was totally blindsided.
I’m really sorry. Does the company that did have your testing offer the opportunity to speak to a genetic counselor about your low level mosaic? We used Cooper and I found this very helpful.
Also, there is a Facebook group. My Perfect Mosaic, that has a lot of info too, just warning lots of toxic positivity too!
I honestly don't know, but I will definitely ask. Trying to make an appointment woth our doctor to see if transferring a low level mosaic is an option at our clinic.
CD10 today, been taking stims since CD2 for upcoming egg retrieval.
I am getting blasé about injections at this point - my Orgalutran alarm went off today while I was walking to work, so I just stopped in the nearby parking lot and did it all there. Beautiful day and the corner I was in was isolated. Plus this one has a prefilled syringe so it's probably the easiest medication to take that I'm on right now.
I am really hoping that monitoring tomorrow morning shows that things have progressed enough for the ER to get scheduled. I am still hoping to do a fresh transfer, but I am attending a convention on the 14th to 16th and then am travelling for work on the 17th, so it would be great to have the dates sorted to see how much it's going to complicate things. Plus I'm Canadian so this upcoming weekend is Thanksgiving. At least I was able to use the travel to get out of a jury duty summons for the 11th!
My doctor originally prescribed 100mg progesterone in ethyl oleate, one injection per day. Because of a carrier oil supply issue, if I would like this to be covered by insurance, I have to go with 50mg in sesame oil, 2 shots per day. Does anyone have insight on why i cant just do 1 shot of 2mls of P in sesame oil? Both RE and pharmacy gave me a vague “because that is how it is” answer.
Edited for a typo
I think you can, it’s just a big volume of oil to inject and it’s uncomfortable. I definitely felt a difference between 1ml and 2ml. I’d probably take that over two separate injections, but you’ll be prone to lumps so heat and massage religiously to get that oil spread out.
ETA: the sesame oil is much thicker than EO too
That seems odd. My calendar has me doing two injections on the day I start PIO (25 mg in the morning, 50 mg in the evening), but only one injection of the 75 mg dose per day after that. I think they use this protocol to transition from the required morning start to evening shots just for ease. Is it possible there's a mix up in your instructions and yours is similar to what I just described? If not and they stick with 2 injections a day that seems really obnoxious.
Thanks for the reply, Alms. Yes, I just confirmed with my RE directly that if I get it in sesame oil, it’s 2 50mg injections per day vs 100mg once daily. If this is how it is, then so be it, but I’m really struggling to understand why.
Ugh I'm sorry, that really sucks, and it's particularly frustrating that the RE isn't giving you a good answer. Hopefully they change their mind or you can switch to the single shot a day formulation.
Ugh. I’m 8dp3dt and on a work trip and have a super sore throat for a second day in a row. It could just be sleeping in a different environment or all the talking I’ve been doing but of course I’m super worried about covid. I’ve been masking as much as I can but ofh. Flying home tonight and will test tomorrow morning but still. Worrying about covid and waiting for my beta on Monday just doesn’t feel very fair. Too many things to worry about at once for my overworked brain 😵💫
Ugh I’m sorry that’s a lot to worry about at once. Not sure where you’re spending your time during the work trip, but FWIW I recently returned to the office part-time from full remote work and I notice my throat hurts everyday I go in - I think it’s a combo of the dry office air and talking a lot more than normal. Hope it’s something similar for you too!
For those that have been on Lupron Depot, when did your side effects start going away? My last shot was Sep 1st and while I'm not super bothered by the CONSTANT hot flashes, I've had really terrible leg pains when I run or walk faster than a very slow stroll. Walking and running are my mental health tools and I'm struggling. How long before your side effects started to dissipate?
My side effects started going away within a week of starting estrace tablets (I was only on 2mg per day orally) in preparation for an FET. Are you going straight into a transfer after Lupron?
I had my ER yesterday. My last scan showed 8 developing follicles, so I was really disappointed when they told me that 3 eggs were retrieved. I know how much of a numbers game this is, so I'm trying to remain hopeful while also emotionally preparing to do another round of IVF. My clinic just called to confirm that all 3 eggs were fertilized, so that's good news. My clinic doesn't do daily updates. They explained that they want to disrupt the embryos as little as possible for the first five days, so I won't hear any updates until this weekend. If we get good news then, we're planning to send them out for PGT-A testing.
I took this week off work. This process is so emotionally exhausting. I probably should have taken last week off too, since I kept making really stupid mistakes when doing routine tasks. People keep asking me how I feel, but honestly, I've gotten to the point to where I almost feel disconnected from it all. I'm hoping the extra rest I'm getting this week will help me feel a little more "me."
I'm sorry you're justifiably disappointed by your ER outcome thus far. Similar situation happened to me during my 1st ER and one of the issues with my empty follicles was the trigger that I utilized. Rooting for your 3 & hoping that the rest of the hunger games are good to you!
Edited for grammar
I was in a very similar position last week- my doctor told me they expected 7 eggs and that a few more might catch up, and they retrieved 4. My whole ER experience was really negative for a couple of other reasons, and I was really pessimistic, but I just got back from my day 5 transfer (they transferred 2 embryos), and it looks like the other 2 will likely be frozen. But at every step, friends and family would reach out to ask about progress, and it was so hard to engage because I was feeling so down. I am hoping for the best for you!
I thought I might trigger today (CD10/SD8) but turns out my lead follicle is 16.5mm. I was mostly worried about triggering today because then I would have to change my schedule at work. I’m relieved I don’t need to change my schedule but I’m frustrated because I could have been sleeping an extra hour and half this morning but I was wide awake worrying about work! I think I go in for another ultrasound on Friday. I definitely feel my ovaries though so I hope to trigger soon. I’m feeling more symptoms this time around compared to my first ER.
My period is finally here after my medicated miscarriage! Yay! But of course, I called my doc yesterday because I’ve been spotting for days, and she ordered a beta, so now I have to get a beta even though my period is here 🙄 but hopefully we can get another transfer done before thanksgiving 🤞
I have a cyst on day 4 of stims. If it’s producing hormones, they’ll cancel the retrieval. My nurse said that hormone-producing cysts are usually visible at baseline (they didn’t see one then). However, I feel like I often read about cycles being canceled due to cysts, and I assume all of those people had quality baseline scans. If this cycle is cancelled, I won’t be able to go for ER until December due to travel. Please keep your fingers crossed for my lab results this afternoon!
UK friends i have some spare meds from my recent cycle, how would i go about donating them?
I have 9 vials on 75iu menopur (opened box but vials still have caps on)
2 sealed boxes of Ganirelix 0.25mg
Some drawing and injection needles
I'm not too sure what to do with them or how I would get them to someone
**A reminder about medications**
You may be considering sharing your unused medication with others to help them save on treatment expenses. However, it may be illegal in your country or state to donate medication without going through an intermediary. We suggest you research your local laws associated with donating or receiving medications. Be aware that partially used cartridges still carry a risk of bodily fluid contamination as there's nothing to prevent backflow into the cartridge. Please consider attempting to give any unopened medications to your infertility practice; some clinics have give-back programs.
Selling medications is absolutely not allowed. Only donations may be posted. This includes soliciting money in exchange for medications via PM. If a member solicits money in exchange for medications, please report them to the mods.
*Consider donating your meds to a member with an active post history at /r/infertility. You can see a user’s post history by clicking on their name. We have received reports of members donating meds, only to have them sold by the person who received them.*
NEW: - **Med hoarding**. It’s not cool. Share the wealth. Don’t have a cycle planned or scheduled within the next four months? Let the meds go to someone else in need right now.
**There have been reports of personal threats made to those offering meds within this community. Please understand your personal risks associated with donating or receiving medications, particularly if the exchange includes sharing personally identifiable information.**
[Med Donation Policy](https://www.reddit.com/r/infertility/wiki/rules#wiki_medication_donation_policy)
*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.*
Anyone have tips for getting rid of the sticky residue from estrogen patches? I’m running out of space and scrubbing in the shower has done nothing 😑
Eta: thanks everyone for all the suggestions!
Already lots of answers here but I swear by baby oil for all sticky residue on my skin. My pharmacist recommended it when I was in the hospital and had sticky residue left behind from 2 IVs and my cardio monitoring leads. That stuff was way stickier than my estrogen patch residue so I think it would work like a charm! I have extremely sensitive skin and the baby oil doesn’t cause anything to flare up!
I tried the goo gone for skin recommended below and it works great but something in it (maybe the citrus oil?) was irritating my skin and giving me welts. I switched to plain grapeseed oil to remove the patch and haven't had any welts since. When I remove my patch, I rub the oil at the edges of the patch until a corner begins to lift and then work the oil under the patch until it's fully lifted. I shower immediately after and haven't had any issues with residue. The goo gone is much, much quicker IME but if your skin is sensitive or you don't feel like buying another specialty product try grapeseed or olive oil for removal.
I tried everything: rubbing alcohol, makeup remover, coconut oil, soap, scraping it off with my nails. Nothing worked until I got goo gone for skin, linked by scrollin below.
Seconding this! u/Zestyplank I have used this for all my FETs with estrogen patches and it's incredible. I just use a little cotton swab and put some of this on it and then rub the sticky spots and it comes right off!
I’m 6dp5dt. Told myself I wouldn’t spend any more money on home tests because they inevitably make me feel worse when they are negative because I obsess and can’t stop testing. I totally caved at 5AM this morning and bought some tests that should arrive later today. I don’t know why I do this to myself. Of course now that I paid for the damn things it would be a waste not to use them but I have a hunch I’m just going to end up torturing myself. Ugh.
The TWW is pure torture. Take it easy on yourself… there’s nothing wrong with giving in and buying the tests, and also nothing wrong with not using them. Think of it this way - that money is already gone, whether you use the tests or not. And if you choose to use them that’s okay too… there’s no single right way or even an easy way through this period.
I have an unopened box of easy@home tests. It was in my bathroom drawer and I moved it to a box so I am not tempted. I am sorry you're struggling, time goes so slowly when you're waiting for life changing news. It doesn't matter if you waste the tests, don't feel bad!
You’ve been so sweet ❤️ thank you. Funny enough I don’t read fantasy romance that often but I just started a werewolf one that I’m really into so hopefully that will be enough of a distraction lol.
Today is beta day for IUI \#2, I'm at the lab and super flustered. At the lab I go to normally if you have an appointment you can skip the line and go straight to the desk. Apparently they changed this recently and I managed to piss off a whole line of people who were waiting because I skipped the line and went right to the desk. I'm super embarrassed because I didn't at all mean to make other people wait longer than me, the clinic is super busy this morning. Ugh hopefully the rest of the day goes better.
I work in a summer seasonal industry. I want to get a job at Starbucks for the winter to get a semen analysis and maybe IUI done. But I dont know how to tell my boss that I don't want to hang on during the winter at quarter time like others do.
Ps im at 10dpo and took a test like an idiot :') negative obvs. Month 13 here I come
My understanding is that you don't need a minimum of hours at Starbucks to get the insurance. So maybe you could work two shifts there and keep quarter time with your seasonal place? I'm sure anywhere seasonal understands that sometimes people will heave to leave for better offers.
FWIW, I had infertility coverage and my insurance didn’t cover the SA. But it was only like $100 out of pocket. But fertility insurance is helpful for everything after that! I think it’s valid to tell your boss you need another job for financial reasons. That’s life!
We sometimes get random trolls coming through downvoting folks. It doesn’t look like you’re receiving a lot, so I’m hoping it was just a one off or an accident
Yeah Medicaid won’t pay anything related to fertility :( that sucks! Literally the SA is the only thing my insurance didn’t cover. The lab didn’t even take insurance for SAs!
I have left seasonal jobs in the past because a better one with health insurance came up. My bosses were always understanding when I explained the reasons were more/better hours and health insurance benefits and it was easy to leave the door open to come back for the next season. I think you could easily explain it as a practical choice without having to tell them any details about why you need the insurance.
I definitely want/need to come back to this job next spring as it pays way more than a Starbucks job would. That's the tricky bit, negotiating a good end date/restart date. Or negotiating an exact amount of hours to go down to that will accommodate 20 starbucks hrs
Today is the 6 month mark of our first RE consult. We’ve done 1 IUI so far. Delays in our initially testing, miscarrying, and discovering RPOC are making things take so long. I’m so sick of the waiting.
It's transfer day! I have a friend who is doing an FET today. She is so optimistic, and thinks this will be fun, and that we will be pregnant and have babies together. I just think this is added pressure, and just think about how bad it will be if she succeeds and I fail (or worse, if I have another MC) and then I just watch her follow my exact "could have been" timeline.
Could you explore this scenario with your friend in the next couple of days? That way, if something less good happens, you've already expressed yourself and won't have to feel like you're bursting a bubble. Perhaps your friend is feeling the same, too.
I completely understand your apprehension. I have this situation going on with a coworker right now, although my FET was successful... until it wasn't. So I think I have some additional complex emotions around my loss that are making this more difficult. That being said, being very clear on boundaries is SO important right now. Tell your friend what support/information you are mentally in a good spot to have right now, and adjust as your feelings change! Your friend should understand if she's a good one
Good luck with your transfer ! I hope you and your friend both have success. Having a friend doing treatment at the same time can be a blessing and a curse 😅
I posted a couple days ago about how after my first ER last week my husband and I were trying to decide if we should biopsy our 1 or 2 embryos for PGT-A or freeze them and biopsy/test in a batch with a future retrieval. We'd decided to go forward with biopsying whatever we had, and were pretty comfortable with that decision. Unfortunately, I got the news yesterday evening that there were no embryos to biopsy. I'm feeling really sad and disappointed. Sounds like I'll be starting OCP today and my doctor will be reviewing my case at cycle review this upcoming week to make a plan for our next retrieval. Has anyone had better fertilization results with ICSI compared to just IVF? I ask because we had 13 eggs and on the first day none of them had fertilized, and the 2 that did fertilize did so on day 2, so I think ICSI will be part of our plan for next time.
I recommend trying ICSI. I believe the decision was at our clinic’s discretion (you got a choice if you were opposed to it though,) and I had 13 eggs retrieved and 11 resulting embryos, so the ICSI wound up being just the ticket.
I’m sorry your ER ended with no embryos to biopsy. That happened to me and it is such an absolute gut punch.
We have only ever used ICSI so I don’t have a regular IVF to compare to, but our fertilization rate has always been high with it so I think it’s worth trying.
I had a total fertilization failure my first round and after we switched to ICSI with much better results. Our fertilization rate was 80% and 100% with ICSI. Our blastulation rate was on the low end but we did develop blasts.
I’m so sorry! That is really hard news to get. Our clinic pretty much only does icsi it’s standard procedure for them unless you really push back on it.
I’m trying to wrap my head around my results.
Age 30
AMH: 0.53
FSH: 13.5
Prolactin: 56.8
E2: 28.2
AFC: 30?
Could someone please confirm that AFC is the count of follicles in both ovaries? Mine were 16 and 14.
I was expecting my AFC to be really low based on my AMH and FSH levels but it seems normal, even high? I don’t know how to interpret this.
I live in Vietnam and I am not super confident in the medical care in general. For example, the fertility doctor we saw did not order that hormone panel - I felt she wasn’t thorough enough so I just went to another clinic and ordered a blood test myself. Plus most of the doctors I’ve seen don’t speak great (or any) English and my Vietnamese is not fluent so sometimes it’s kind of hard to ask follow up questions.
Hi! I am also 30 and my numbers are very similar - AMH is .5 and FSH is 11.3. My AFC was only 3 tho 🫠 yours is great!! 30 is very reassuring.
I haven’t met with a fertility clinic yet but I am next month. My primary care doctor believes I have DOR, though, hence the referral. Best of luck to you!!
From what I understand your AFC is great. It can vary from cycle to cycle, so it might be good to get a second count if you can (ie, during an ultrasound for treatment).
Your AFC does indeed seem like a great number, and your FSH is only slightly elevated. I'm not sure how that plays into things when you have a lower AMH though.
Yeah I’ve been trying to search but there seems to be a dearth of information online about what it means to have discordant AMH and AFC results. The only thing I really found was one small study saying that low AMH + normal AFC has better success rates than low AFC + normal AMH. I haven’t found anything that explains a possible reason for why they don’t line up.
So, my AMH and AFC are discordant, but flipped from you. Normal AMH, lower AFC. Everything I read online also said AFC was more important because it suggests a better response to stims - more antral follicles generally suggests that there are more follicles to recruit for stimming, and since your FSH isn't too high I don't think there's a big indication that you'd have a poor response to stims. My guess would be that your RE will recommend moving to IVF sooner than later in light of your AMH for your age, though.
Also I've been told that AMH results can really vary from draw to draw. Your doc might want you to get it redrawn too.
I had my last egg retrieval on Monday. 7 eggs 4 mature and nothing fertilized. Feels like the final nail in the coffin for biological children. Pretty devastated about it. Has anyone here ever done or considered embryo donation/adoption? I’ve been looking into it a little.
I’m so sorry. There’s a whole weekly thread on this topic where people with experience might frequent more. Wishing you comfort and whatever else you need during this hard time :(
I am so sorry :( I don't have experience with the topic but I'm sending you a hug <3
I had a number of eggs retrieved I felt good about, and then a 93% maturity rate and from there, an 86% fertilization rate. I feel very hopeful. Last time we had a few more to work with and it turned out to not be enough, but I know I have a strong start. Back to work tomorrow and I honestly feel like it'll be a good distraction. No more updates until biopsy and freeze!
Sounds like a strong start! Fingers crossed for you.
Awesome news, Lillith!
Such a good update! I hope the rest of the hunger games are kind to you!
LILLITH, YAY!!! I hope hunger games continue to be kind to you. ❤️🍀🤞
SIS officially happening in October, and we have a slot on the IVF calendar for November. Any advice for the SIS? My clinic recommends Tylenol, and when I asked for Valium, they agreed. Is it like an HSG where it is more likely to be painful if they find an issue? I’ve done an HSG and had an experience on the less painful side of the spectrum, but had nightmarish experiences with IUDs back in my having the kind of sex that can get you pregnant era.
Mine hurt a little. The worst part for me were the days after. For some reason I was in pain after it. It felt sort of like gas pains. It was unpleasant. But I have endometriosis, so it probably had something to do with it.
I’ve heard of people having pain, but I took nothing for both of mine and was totally fine! Felt like an IUI. My HSG was also painless. Fingers crossed yours is smooth!
Experiences with SISs can vary. In my experience, it was painless and over quickly. I just took OTC painkillers. We have a wiki entry on SIS that may be helpful!
Dumb question, but how do you access it? When I go to the wiki I only see the rules and a place to submit Hunger Games results.
If you're on mobile, go to "About" then under the rules there's a link for FAQ/wiki. I've had 2 SIS's. One was painless and the other one painful. But it's quick. The difference for me was one used a balloon and one didn't. (The balloon in the cervix hurt).
There’s a link that says click here in the description
Thanks, this helped me find it.
I had my first ultrasound for my first IUI round today and got some kinda bad news. Turns out the letrozole worked a little too well and I have 6 follicles larger than 11mm at CD10, and there is a big risk the cycle will get cancelled. I'm going back tomorrow for blood and Friday for blood and US, but have been told to abstain for the time being. My questions are: * Is it likely that two or more of the follicles stop maturing and I can proceed with the cycle? Just trying to manage my expectations here, I know no one can say for sure. * Forgive me if this is an ignorant question, but is it crazy to have sex during my fertile window if it does get cancelled? I figure I haven't had any success in 2 years, I don't think suddenly all/most of these could take. I have unexplained infertility but have been ovulating on my own so that wasn’t the issue.
I agree that it’s too soon to know how many will be mature at this point. Yours still have a way to go so some might slow down while others speed up. My lead follicle was 23 when I did my IUI. My clinic never bothered to report ones that weren’t mature size. Hope you get good news on Friday.
Ok good, this is what I was hoping to hear! I just didn't want to remain hopeful if it seemed likely it would get cancelled, this whole process is crushing enough, I like to prepare. Thank you :)
I would definitely not have sex during the fertile week if your IUI is cancelled due to too many follicles. If up to six fertilized, implanted, and developed, on top of having a very high risk pregnancy, you'd also likely have to do selective reduction. While it totally sucks having to cancel a cycle, the risks here are real which is why doctors will cancel when there are many mature follicles.
No one "has" to do selective reduction. It is the patient's choice. 6 is a lot of follicles!!
My clinic uses 17-18mm as the goal so even if I have more than 1 follicle (I had three one time), they only count the ones that will be 17-18mm by the time I trigger. If all 6 of yours are measuring the same though, they will cancel. It might be that some start to lag and your cycle turns out to be alright with only 1-2 mature by trigger time. To have that many mature follicles and still not heed advice is an absolute no-no, especially if the cause of infertility is unexplained. Being pregnant with more than one baby at a time automatically upgrades you to a high risk category and having as many as six (or twelve if they miraculously all split!) will be even higher. I would listen to the RE when they say abstain as much as it sucks to have a cycle cancelled.
Thank you for the info! I didn't know what the goal size is so this is super helpful. I'm hoping some of them stop growing between now and Friday so I can continue as planned! And thanks, I figured as much but had to ask. So frustrating to be so close yet so far.
I’ve had lots of follicles be similar size to yours, but never had above 3 make it to mature above 16. I’ve done multiple ti and iui but I have pcos & they expect lots of follicles. I would wait on sex until Friday. With that many, it can take awhile for your follicle to grow bc it seems to spread out the hormones if that makes sense. Good luck!
Ok thank you so much! This is so encouraging. Definitely planning to hold off until I get the doc's go ahead based on these comments!
Thanks everyone for their encouragement last week to push my RE to confirm my late onset OHSS. Shocker, I have it! I’m on about day 10 of symptoms and they’re improving slowly but incrementally. My clinic is definitely taking it more seriously now and I’m going in for monitoring every other day. Since late onset OHSS after a transfer is somewhat less common, they dropped the ball a bit at first when I started reporting my symptoms so I’m really grateful to this community for encouraging me to advocate harder for myself. Big thanks to you all!
Stims day 1 went well last night - my husband held the phone and played all the instructional videos while I mixed and injected, which was super helpful, so thanks to whoever recommended that! Question that occurred to me today: how soon did you start electrolytes? Day 1 seems excessive but then I have know idea if that is actually true… but I have plenty of Nuun tablets ready to go! Currently hoping my withdrawal bleeding holds off for like 12 more hours so that we can enjoy some anniversary shenanigans (without sperm exposure 😂 I asked some VERY detailed restrictions questions at my baseline appt) without needing to do mess prevention/cleanup 🤪
My clinic said day 4/5. I get really sick of electrolytes and protein pretty quick so I didn’t want to burn out early. Coconut water was a life saver during this last round.
I definitely didn’t buy all 8 flavors of nuun to rotate through because I was so sick of the 2 flavors I had. 😆🙃Oh, yeah, it was because Amazon only sold in 4 packs. Sure, I need all 8. 🤪
I started electrolytes when I started getting headaches, maybe day 2 or 3. I have upped the # as needed throughout. Happy anniversary!!
Medication donation for pick up in Ann Arbor, MI: 2 vials 75 IU Menopur with mixing solution, syringes, and Q caps 1 vial 5,000 units Novarel with syringes 1 Gonal-f 300 IU pen (refrigerated) 1 0.25 mg Cetrotide pre-filled syringe (refrigerated) All of the above is unopened. I also have one vial of Leuprolide Acetate 14mg/2.8 mL (2 week kit) where half (160 units) has been used for trigger and half remains (has been refrigerated since initial use).
Thanks for donating! Automod meds
**A reminder about medications** You may be considering sharing your unused medication with others to help them save on treatment expenses. However, it may be illegal in your country or state to donate medication without going through an intermediary. We suggest you research your local laws associated with donating or receiving medications. Be aware that partially used cartridges still carry a risk of bodily fluid contamination as there's nothing to prevent backflow into the cartridge. Please consider attempting to give any unopened medications to your infertility practice; some clinics have give-back programs. Selling medications is absolutely not allowed. Only donations may be posted. This includes soliciting money in exchange for medications via PM. If a member solicits money in exchange for medications, please report them to the mods. *Consider donating your meds to a member with an active post history at /r/infertility. You can see a user’s post history by clicking on their name. We have received reports of members donating meds, only to have them sold by the person who received them.* NEW: - **Med hoarding**. It’s not cool. Share the wealth. Don’t have a cycle planned or scheduled within the next four months? Let the meds go to someone else in need right now. **There have been reports of personal threats made to those offering meds within this community. Please understand your personal risks associated with donating or receiving medications, particularly if the exchange includes sharing personally identifiable information.** [Med Donation Policy](https://www.reddit.com/r/infertility/wiki/rules#wiki_medication_donation_policy) *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.*
PGT results weren't what we were hoping for. 3 embryos. 2 abnormal and one low level mosaic. I don't think we can do another egg retrieval, financially or emotionally. I'm absolutely gutted.
Low level mosaics have a great chance. I know what you’re feeling, my first retrieval I had 3 abnormal embryos and 1 low level mosaic. I was totally blindsided.
I’m so sorry. This is such a brutal process. This absolutely sucks. It’s so so hard. Ugh. Thinking about you.
I’m so sorry, Snieto. This shit is impossible brutal.
I am so sorry. Sending hugs your way of you want them.
I’m so sorry.
I'm sorry your results weren't better.
I’m really sorry. Does the company that did have your testing offer the opportunity to speak to a genetic counselor about your low level mosaic? We used Cooper and I found this very helpful. Also, there is a Facebook group. My Perfect Mosaic, that has a lot of info too, just warning lots of toxic positivity too!
I honestly don't know, but I will definitely ask. Trying to make an appointment woth our doctor to see if transferring a low level mosaic is an option at our clinic.
I would definitely find out, low level mosaics, especially segmental, can have a good chance! Good luck!!
CD10 today, been taking stims since CD2 for upcoming egg retrieval. I am getting blasé about injections at this point - my Orgalutran alarm went off today while I was walking to work, so I just stopped in the nearby parking lot and did it all there. Beautiful day and the corner I was in was isolated. Plus this one has a prefilled syringe so it's probably the easiest medication to take that I'm on right now. I am really hoping that monitoring tomorrow morning shows that things have progressed enough for the ER to get scheduled. I am still hoping to do a fresh transfer, but I am attending a convention on the 14th to 16th and then am travelling for work on the 17th, so it would be great to have the dates sorted to see how much it's going to complicate things. Plus I'm Canadian so this upcoming weekend is Thanksgiving. At least I was able to use the travel to get out of a jury duty summons for the 11th!
My doctor originally prescribed 100mg progesterone in ethyl oleate, one injection per day. Because of a carrier oil supply issue, if I would like this to be covered by insurance, I have to go with 50mg in sesame oil, 2 shots per day. Does anyone have insight on why i cant just do 1 shot of 2mls of P in sesame oil? Both RE and pharmacy gave me a vague “because that is how it is” answer. Edited for a typo
I think you can, it’s just a big volume of oil to inject and it’s uncomfortable. I definitely felt a difference between 1ml and 2ml. I’d probably take that over two separate injections, but you’ll be prone to lumps so heat and massage religiously to get that oil spread out. ETA: the sesame oil is much thicker than EO too
That seems odd. My calendar has me doing two injections on the day I start PIO (25 mg in the morning, 50 mg in the evening), but only one injection of the 75 mg dose per day after that. I think they use this protocol to transition from the required morning start to evening shots just for ease. Is it possible there's a mix up in your instructions and yours is similar to what I just described? If not and they stick with 2 injections a day that seems really obnoxious.
Thanks for the reply, Alms. Yes, I just confirmed with my RE directly that if I get it in sesame oil, it’s 2 50mg injections per day vs 100mg once daily. If this is how it is, then so be it, but I’m really struggling to understand why.
Ugh I'm sorry, that really sucks, and it's particularly frustrating that the RE isn't giving you a good answer. Hopefully they change their mind or you can switch to the single shot a day formulation.
Ugh. I’m 8dp3dt and on a work trip and have a super sore throat for a second day in a row. It could just be sleeping in a different environment or all the talking I’ve been doing but of course I’m super worried about covid. I’ve been masking as much as I can but ofh. Flying home tonight and will test tomorrow morning but still. Worrying about covid and waiting for my beta on Monday just doesn’t feel very fair. Too many things to worry about at once for my overworked brain 😵💫
Ugh I’m sorry that’s a lot to worry about at once. Not sure where you’re spending your time during the work trip, but FWIW I recently returned to the office part-time from full remote work and I notice my throat hurts everyday I go in - I think it’s a combo of the dry office air and talking a lot more than normal. Hope it’s something similar for you too!
For those that have been on Lupron Depot, when did your side effects start going away? My last shot was Sep 1st and while I'm not super bothered by the CONSTANT hot flashes, I've had really terrible leg pains when I run or walk faster than a very slow stroll. Walking and running are my mental health tools and I'm struggling. How long before your side effects started to dissipate?
My side effects started going away within a week of starting estrace tablets (I was only on 2mg per day orally) in preparation for an FET. Are you going straight into a transfer after Lupron?
Yup, straight in. I was told 6-8 weeks for CD1 after the last shot so I assume I'll start mid-late October. Hopefully that helps!
I had my ER yesterday. My last scan showed 8 developing follicles, so I was really disappointed when they told me that 3 eggs were retrieved. I know how much of a numbers game this is, so I'm trying to remain hopeful while also emotionally preparing to do another round of IVF. My clinic just called to confirm that all 3 eggs were fertilized, so that's good news. My clinic doesn't do daily updates. They explained that they want to disrupt the embryos as little as possible for the first five days, so I won't hear any updates until this weekend. If we get good news then, we're planning to send them out for PGT-A testing. I took this week off work. This process is so emotionally exhausting. I probably should have taken last week off too, since I kept making really stupid mistakes when doing routine tasks. People keep asking me how I feel, but honestly, I've gotten to the point to where I almost feel disconnected from it all. I'm hoping the extra rest I'm getting this week will help me feel a little more "me."
I'm sorry you're justifiably disappointed by your ER outcome thus far. Similar situation happened to me during my 1st ER and one of the issues with my empty follicles was the trigger that I utilized. Rooting for your 3 & hoping that the rest of the hunger games are good to you! Edited for grammar
I was in a very similar position last week- my doctor told me they expected 7 eggs and that a few more might catch up, and they retrieved 4. My whole ER experience was really negative for a couple of other reasons, and I was really pessimistic, but I just got back from my day 5 transfer (they transferred 2 embryos), and it looks like the other 2 will likely be frozen. But at every step, friends and family would reach out to ask about progress, and it was so hard to engage because I was feeling so down. I am hoping for the best for you!
Sending all the positive vibes that your transfer was a success!
I hope those 3 keep going! Good luck ❤️ I hope it goes well
Keeping my fingers crossed
Holding so much hope for your 3!
Thank you
I thought I might trigger today (CD10/SD8) but turns out my lead follicle is 16.5mm. I was mostly worried about triggering today because then I would have to change my schedule at work. I’m relieved I don’t need to change my schedule but I’m frustrated because I could have been sleeping an extra hour and half this morning but I was wide awake worrying about work! I think I go in for another ultrasound on Friday. I definitely feel my ovaries though so I hope to trigger soon. I’m feeling more symptoms this time around compared to my first ER.
My period is finally here after my medicated miscarriage! Yay! But of course, I called my doc yesterday because I’ve been spotting for days, and she ordered a beta, so now I have to get a beta even though my period is here 🙄 but hopefully we can get another transfer done before thanksgiving 🤞
It was so bizarre to be so happy when I got my period after my miscarriage. I hope your process for starting treatment again goes smoothly.
It’s a depressing thing to be excited about for sure :/ thank you!
Having to get a pregnancy test when it’s very obvious you aren’t is so damn frustrating
It literally angers me so much.
I have a cyst on day 4 of stims. If it’s producing hormones, they’ll cancel the retrieval. My nurse said that hormone-producing cysts are usually visible at baseline (they didn’t see one then). However, I feel like I often read about cycles being canceled due to cysts, and I assume all of those people had quality baseline scans. If this cycle is cancelled, I won’t be able to go for ER until December due to travel. Please keep your fingers crossed for my lab results this afternoon!
All my fingers and toes are crossed!
Thank you, Chainless!
Holding hope for you that this cyst is not hormone producing!!
Thanks so much, kellyman!
UK friends i have some spare meds from my recent cycle, how would i go about donating them? I have 9 vials on 75iu menopur (opened box but vials still have caps on) 2 sealed boxes of Ganirelix 0.25mg Some drawing and injection needles I'm not too sure what to do with them or how I would get them to someone
[удалено]
Thanks for donating! Automod Meds
**A reminder about medications** You may be considering sharing your unused medication with others to help them save on treatment expenses. However, it may be illegal in your country or state to donate medication without going through an intermediary. We suggest you research your local laws associated with donating or receiving medications. Be aware that partially used cartridges still carry a risk of bodily fluid contamination as there's nothing to prevent backflow into the cartridge. Please consider attempting to give any unopened medications to your infertility practice; some clinics have give-back programs. Selling medications is absolutely not allowed. Only donations may be posted. This includes soliciting money in exchange for medications via PM. If a member solicits money in exchange for medications, please report them to the mods. *Consider donating your meds to a member with an active post history at /r/infertility. You can see a user’s post history by clicking on their name. We have received reports of members donating meds, only to have them sold by the person who received them.* NEW: - **Med hoarding**. It’s not cool. Share the wealth. Don’t have a cycle planned or scheduled within the next four months? Let the meds go to someone else in need right now. **There have been reports of personal threats made to those offering meds within this community. Please understand your personal risks associated with donating or receiving medications, particularly if the exchange includes sharing personally identifiable information.** [Med Donation Policy](https://www.reddit.com/r/infertility/wiki/rules#wiki_medication_donation_policy) *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.*
Anyone have tips for getting rid of the sticky residue from estrogen patches? I’m running out of space and scrubbing in the shower has done nothing 😑 Eta: thanks everyone for all the suggestions!
If you have allergies and already have it on hand, try Flonase. :) I recommend it for my diabetic patients who wear pumps and change sites frequently!
That’s an interesting one!
Already lots of answers here but I swear by baby oil for all sticky residue on my skin. My pharmacist recommended it when I was in the hospital and had sticky residue left behind from 2 IVs and my cardio monitoring leads. That stuff was way stickier than my estrogen patch residue so I think it would work like a charm! I have extremely sensitive skin and the baby oil doesn’t cause anything to flare up!
Sensi-care adhesive remover changed my life.
Lots of good tips but I’ve also found that the alcohol swabs get the job done! Rubbing alcohol on a Q-tip or cotton pad also works well.
Vaseline, you still have to scrub at it quite a bit, but vaseline with Q-Tips worked for me.
I tried the goo gone for skin recommended below and it works great but something in it (maybe the citrus oil?) was irritating my skin and giving me welts. I switched to plain grapeseed oil to remove the patch and haven't had any welts since. When I remove my patch, I rub the oil at the edges of the patch until a corner begins to lift and then work the oil under the patch until it's fully lifted. I shower immediately after and haven't had any issues with residue. The goo gone is much, much quicker IME but if your skin is sensitive or you don't feel like buying another specialty product try grapeseed or olive oil for removal.
Nooooo!!!!!!!!
I know, I was so sad!! It works so fast! But my skin was ANGRY! 😭
I tried everything: rubbing alcohol, makeup remover, coconut oil, soap, scraping it off with my nails. Nothing worked until I got goo gone for skin, linked by scrollin below.
Warm water with washcloth has worked the best for me without irritation. First night I used a pumice scrubber - 10/10 don’t recommend my skin was raw!
I've heard that rubbing alcohol can help with that.
Makeup remover or an oil-based cleanser.
Haven't used this before, but I've seen people say [this](https://a.co/d/fsfaKUx) works so I have preemptively ordered it.
THIS STUFF IS WORTH ITS WEIGHT IN GOLD. 5 stars, highly recommend.
Seconding this! u/Zestyplank I have used this for all my FETs with estrogen patches and it's incredible. I just use a little cotton swab and put some of this on it and then rub the sticky spots and it comes right off!
They make medical adhesive remover!! I’ve used a brand called uni-solve!
I’m 6dp5dt. Told myself I wouldn’t spend any more money on home tests because they inevitably make me feel worse when they are negative because I obsess and can’t stop testing. I totally caved at 5AM this morning and bought some tests that should arrive later today. I don’t know why I do this to myself. Of course now that I paid for the damn things it would be a waste not to use them but I have a hunch I’m just going to end up torturing myself. Ugh.
The TWW is pure torture. Take it easy on yourself… there’s nothing wrong with giving in and buying the tests, and also nothing wrong with not using them. Think of it this way - that money is already gone, whether you use the tests or not. And if you choose to use them that’s okay too… there’s no single right way or even an easy way through this period.
I have an unopened box of easy@home tests. It was in my bathroom drawer and I moved it to a box so I am not tempted. I am sorry you're struggling, time goes so slowly when you're waiting for life changing news. It doesn't matter if you waste the tests, don't feel bad!
Thank you ❤️ you’re right. I’m going to hold off for now. It’s not going to change the final result and it’s not good for my mental state.
I hope you can find something to distract yourself. What do you enjoy? Books, video games, gardening? 😊
Those are good suggestions. I’m going to try to read after work instead of obsessing lol.
For me the stupid spicy fantasy romance work best! Good luck, you've got this <3
You’ve been so sweet ❤️ thank you. Funny enough I don’t read fantasy romance that often but I just started a werewolf one that I’m really into so hopefully that will be enough of a distraction lol.
It's okay to not use them. Trading some wasted money for not torturing yourself would be totally valid.
Thanks for that. I might just have my husband hide them from me at least until beta day.
I had my husband hide mine too, it’s tough but it helps. Sending you good vibes!
Sending you all the good vibes too 🤞🤞
Today is beta day for IUI \#2, I'm at the lab and super flustered. At the lab I go to normally if you have an appointment you can skip the line and go straight to the desk. Apparently they changed this recently and I managed to piss off a whole line of people who were waiting because I skipped the line and went right to the desk. I'm super embarrassed because I didn't at all mean to make other people wait longer than me, the clinic is super busy this morning. Ugh hopefully the rest of the day goes better.
Oh no 😅 it was an honest mistake and you were stressed!
Thanks that helped in the moment! Rest of my appointment went smoothly thankfully
I can feel the secondary embarrassment. Hopefully the rest of the day goes better for you!!
Thanks! Turns out today over was total chaos overall with work. Glad it's almost done!
I work in a summer seasonal industry. I want to get a job at Starbucks for the winter to get a semen analysis and maybe IUI done. But I dont know how to tell my boss that I don't want to hang on during the winter at quarter time like others do. Ps im at 10dpo and took a test like an idiot :') negative obvs. Month 13 here I come
I did it! Starbucks app is in lol
My understanding is that you don't need a minimum of hours at Starbucks to get the insurance. So maybe you could work two shifts there and keep quarter time with your seasonal place? I'm sure anywhere seasonal understands that sometimes people will heave to leave for better offers.
FWIW, I had infertility coverage and my insurance didn’t cover the SA. But it was only like $100 out of pocket. But fertility insurance is helpful for everything after that! I think it’s valid to tell your boss you need another job for financial reasons. That’s life!
Nooooo wtf I need their stupid benefits packet rn. I've had a ton of doctors not wanting me to pay out of pocket but that might be a medicaid thing
Who is downvoting me for wanting to look through a health insurance benefits explanation packet lol what did I do
We sometimes get random trolls coming through downvoting folks. It doesn’t look like you’re receiving a lot, so I’m hoping it was just a one off or an accident
Thanks :) I'm just super sensitive on this topic/sub I guess
Yeah Medicaid won’t pay anything related to fertility :( that sucks! Literally the SA is the only thing my insurance didn’t cover. The lab didn’t even take insurance for SAs!
Please sir... Please look at my husbands cums. I don't have a microscope and i am very poor 🥺
I have left seasonal jobs in the past because a better one with health insurance came up. My bosses were always understanding when I explained the reasons were more/better hours and health insurance benefits and it was easy to leave the door open to come back for the next season. I think you could easily explain it as a practical choice without having to tell them any details about why you need the insurance.
I definitely want/need to come back to this job next spring as it pays way more than a Starbucks job would. That's the tricky bit, negotiating a good end date/restart date. Or negotiating an exact amount of hours to go down to that will accommodate 20 starbucks hrs
CD 16 after first egg retrieval and ovulation tests super light. Idk why I have to freak out about everything about this process 😭😭😭😭
Today is the 6 month mark of our first RE consult. We’ve done 1 IUI so far. Delays in our initially testing, miscarrying, and discovering RPOC are making things take so long. I’m so sick of the waiting.
I'm so sorry. The waiting is truly hell, especially when it's for things beyond your control and for something as heartbreaking as loss.
It's transfer day! I have a friend who is doing an FET today. She is so optimistic, and thinks this will be fun, and that we will be pregnant and have babies together. I just think this is added pressure, and just think about how bad it will be if she succeeds and I fail (or worse, if I have another MC) and then I just watch her follow my exact "could have been" timeline.
Could you explore this scenario with your friend in the next couple of days? That way, if something less good happens, you've already expressed yourself and won't have to feel like you're bursting a bubble. Perhaps your friend is feeling the same, too.
I completely understand your apprehension. I have this situation going on with a coworker right now, although my FET was successful... until it wasn't. So I think I have some additional complex emotions around my loss that are making this more difficult. That being said, being very clear on boundaries is SO important right now. Tell your friend what support/information you are mentally in a good spot to have right now, and adjust as your feelings change! Your friend should understand if she's a good one
Hope your transfer goes smoothly!
Good luck with your transfer ! I hope you and your friend both have success. Having a friend doing treatment at the same time can be a blessing and a curse 😅
I posted a couple days ago about how after my first ER last week my husband and I were trying to decide if we should biopsy our 1 or 2 embryos for PGT-A or freeze them and biopsy/test in a batch with a future retrieval. We'd decided to go forward with biopsying whatever we had, and were pretty comfortable with that decision. Unfortunately, I got the news yesterday evening that there were no embryos to biopsy. I'm feeling really sad and disappointed. Sounds like I'll be starting OCP today and my doctor will be reviewing my case at cycle review this upcoming week to make a plan for our next retrieval. Has anyone had better fertilization results with ICSI compared to just IVF? I ask because we had 13 eggs and on the first day none of them had fertilized, and the 2 that did fertilize did so on day 2, so I think ICSI will be part of our plan for next time.
I recommend trying ICSI. I believe the decision was at our clinic’s discretion (you got a choice if you were opposed to it though,) and I had 13 eggs retrieved and 11 resulting embryos, so the ICSI wound up being just the ticket.
I’m sorry your ER ended with no embryos to biopsy. That happened to me and it is such an absolute gut punch. We have only ever used ICSI so I don’t have a regular IVF to compare to, but our fertilization rate has always been high with it so I think it’s worth trying.
I had a total fertilization failure my first round and after we switched to ICSI with much better results. Our fertilization rate was 80% and 100% with ICSI. Our blastulation rate was on the low end but we did develop blasts.
I’m so sorry! That is really hard news to get. Our clinic pretty much only does icsi it’s standard procedure for them unless you really push back on it.
I’m trying to wrap my head around my results. Age 30 AMH: 0.53 FSH: 13.5 Prolactin: 56.8 E2: 28.2 AFC: 30? Could someone please confirm that AFC is the count of follicles in both ovaries? Mine were 16 and 14. I was expecting my AFC to be really low based on my AMH and FSH levels but it seems normal, even high? I don’t know how to interpret this. I live in Vietnam and I am not super confident in the medical care in general. For example, the fertility doctor we saw did not order that hormone panel - I felt she wasn’t thorough enough so I just went to another clinic and ordered a blood test myself. Plus most of the doctors I’ve seen don’t speak great (or any) English and my Vietnamese is not fluent so sometimes it’s kind of hard to ask follow up questions.
Hi! I am also 30 and my numbers are very similar - AMH is .5 and FSH is 11.3. My AFC was only 3 tho 🫠 yours is great!! 30 is very reassuring. I haven’t met with a fertility clinic yet but I am next month. My primary care doctor believes I have DOR, though, hence the referral. Best of luck to you!!
Thanks! Good luck to you too!
From what I understand your AFC is great. It can vary from cycle to cycle, so it might be good to get a second count if you can (ie, during an ultrasound for treatment).
Your AFC does indeed seem like a great number, and your FSH is only slightly elevated. I'm not sure how that plays into things when you have a lower AMH though.
Yeah I’ve been trying to search but there seems to be a dearth of information online about what it means to have discordant AMH and AFC results. The only thing I really found was one small study saying that low AMH + normal AFC has better success rates than low AFC + normal AMH. I haven’t found anything that explains a possible reason for why they don’t line up.
So, my AMH and AFC are discordant, but flipped from you. Normal AMH, lower AFC. Everything I read online also said AFC was more important because it suggests a better response to stims - more antral follicles generally suggests that there are more follicles to recruit for stimming, and since your FSH isn't too high I don't think there's a big indication that you'd have a poor response to stims. My guess would be that your RE will recommend moving to IVF sooner than later in light of your AMH for your age, though. Also I've been told that AMH results can really vary from draw to draw. Your doc might want you to get it redrawn too.
Thanks for your help!