Thursday 30 November 2017

IVF5, egg collection and transfer.

Egg collection was last Friday (6 days ago), I was so lucky to be first down to theatre (due to still nursing LO) although they were running about 20 mins late and then it took aaaaages for everyone to organise themselves and knock me out/get started.  I'm sure my eggs were already being released, I had ovulation pains, I could basically feel those little follicles popping!
I also had a surgeon that I've never met before, with my severe adhesions and the difficulty getting to my ovaries through them, I was worried.
They collected 2 eggs.
Pathetic!

We got the call on Saturday to say one had fertilised (ICSI) but the second wasn't quite mature so they were giving it the rest of the day....We were told to expect a call Monday morning but they weren't sure if I was going to go in for transfer then or if they would wait until day 5.

Sunday clinic was closed.

Monday (3 days post collection), we got the call that the second egg wasn't mature enough so we only had the one embryo, however it was looking OK.
I was fully expecting to go in for transfer, after all in our previous four IVF cycles we have never EVER had embryos pass day 3, they ALWAYS arrest by day 3, every transfer we've had has been on day 2, and we were already passed that so I was very, very anxious!
They decided to wait until day 5....this would also give chance for the second embryo to catch up - the one we were just told hadn't matured enough to be fertilised!

Tuesday I called to check on our embryo, I was sure that by now we'd have nothing....they don't look at the embryos on day 4 as they don't want to disturb their environment, but they assured us that yesterday they both looked good - they said both....?!

Wednesday, the call....no transfer.
The embryo had grown but not enough to transfer. 
Heartbroken.
I wanted my embryo back with me, given a chance at life.  Instead it will have been disposed of in the labs petri dish :(
The only good thing to come out of this is that the cycle doesn't count as a 'try', so we're back to being allowed 4 full tries at IVF.

We can arrange for the next IVF to begin in three months, for now I am making my own plans!
I have a LOT of left over medication....instead of taking progesterone as I would for each and every cycle regardless of IVF (progesterone helps control my mega bleeds), I am taking estrogen.  I was prescribed estrogen in the cycle prior to IVF with LO, it helps to prep the womb and it also does something to the follicles to help them mature at an even rate.  For some bizzare reason my consultant told me not to take it for IVF5, I truly believe it would have helped....!
Then when af is here I am to get some more blood work done, this will go to my consultant gyne at the local hosp (where they do IUI/tracking but not IVF), I asked her in the summer if I could go in for tracking, so next cycle this is what we will do.
To be sure there is something to track, I'm going to take menopur 150 for a week.  I only have one tube and hubby has lazy sperm, so it's highly unlikely that with low AMH and diminished ovarian reserve I'm going to be an octomom due to self medding, but the tracking will be there as back up ;)

I'm also on;
Ubiquinol
Vit D
5mg folic acid
B vitamins
Selenium
Magnesium and Zinc
Flax seed oil
TTC Multi Vit

I'm looking into Vit A & Vit E
I'm going to purchase Zita West IVF diet on google play and also *it starts with the egg* also on google play.
Fingers crossed I get a golden egg, one that gets all loved up with one of hubbys bestest sperm and we have our Christmas miracle.
I will then be hanging my ovaries out to dry lol!

Tuesday 21 November 2017

IVF#5 follicle tracking.


Stims started on CD1 (Tuesday 14th), I'm on 450 menopur.
CD5 follie scan = 5 follies, happy there's more than 3.  Started down regging to stop ovulation.
CD7 follie scan = 5, happy there's still 5 (the second follie scan last cycle most decided to hide!), but still gutted there's no more popped out from hiding - I had a dream there were going to be 13!
CD8 follie scan = 5, I have one more night of stims (tonight) then trigger tomorrow ready for egg collection on Friday, eeek!  Both worried and optimistic that I've only stimmed for 8 days.

I've been googling a lot to try and help with the PMA, watching some vids on YouTube has helped, there's one of the Hewitt centre in Liverpool (baby makers I think it is called) and their average number of eggs collected is 6, so I feel better about only having 5 follicles given my consultant has labelled me (or at least my eggs and hormone levels) with an OAP status lol!
Also, some doctors say that earlier collection is better with older eggs, I'll be CD11 on collection day so that has filled me with some positivity too, yay!

Tuesday 14 November 2017

CD1, IVF#5.

What a start to CD1.
There really is nothing glamorous about having dildocam whilst on your period, there really isn't! 
To add to my joy, I have just a measly 3 follicles, one on the left (with tube) and two on the right (no tube)....pathetic.  I did wonder if clinic would convert to IUI or just abandon....
However, they just called (my scan was locally not clinic) and I'm instructed to max up on 450 menopur.  I knew this would be the case, my consultant warned me that with such a small number of OAP eggs I would be on the max dose, praying shaking up these eggs a bit is going to work.

I'm feeling a little bit high off protein and it's only 3pm. I've managed to scoff about 45g of it so far today and if I eat what I've planned for the rest of the day I'll be up to 122g.  Holy cow!  No, I didn't pop to the farm next door to eat a cow, or two lol, it's all from veggies/soya and a tiny bit of cheese.
It's recommended that you eat 1g of protein for every 1kg of body weight, and as my eggs need that extra boost I'm adding in as much as I can manage whilst staying in my calorie goal.
(Speaking of body weight, although IVF got in the way of my *fifty to fabulous* plan, I did manage to drop quite a bit and this morning I weighed in at 85kg, meaning my BMI is 26.8, pleased with that)

CoQ10 has had the boot, I swapped it for the pure stuff, ubiquinol!  It's supposed to be better/easier absorbed than CoQ10, also upping flax oil capsules to two a day (I've read omega 3/flax is good for OAP eggs and poor response....let's see if it works).

That's all for now, just had a message to say mum is on her way to hosp for her appointment to see if she's got the clear from her melanoma.  Just waiting for hubby to come home then we can go for a walk and clear my head a bit <3 

Friday 3 November 2017

Fanny Gymnastics!

Yesterday was dildocam day! 
My consultant had a good old rummage down there (I actually feel like I've been prodded a LOT - it never usually bothers me)!  I've only got 5 resting follicles (CD17) so she's trying to mentally prep me for low numbers when we start stimming - I should be used to low numbers though, IVF1 we got 5 eggs, IVF2 was 3 eggs, IVF3 was 4 eggs and somehow IVF4 was 6 eggs....!

Whilst she was having her rummage in my lady bits, she asked me to lift my left leg up to my chest (as I was flat out on the couch with my right foot staying in the stirrup) it was like fanny gym lol!  Such a relief there's a lock on the door as I'm sure it was NOT a pretty sight (felt like I was in some sort of perverted porno) lol!

Her face changed as she looked at my uterus too, it's big and bulky measuring in at 131.5cm3....the average uterus (so google tells me) should be between 15 & 56cm3, I'm only CD17 too so it's not like it's filled up ready for my period!  I'm glad it's been noted. 
I also mentioned the amount of blood loss I have each cycle, it was the first time she actually listened (and was shocked), I'm hoping this will help towards a diagnosis of adenomyosis after we've finished completing our family as I'd really like a hysterectomy and my normal consultant would prefer just to clip my tube.

The big and bulky uterus means a slight change in protocol, I'm not happy about it but hubby thinks I should try and trust her as she's trying to make sure my womb does it's job well....

I picked up half my meds yesterday and need to pop out later today to get the rest of them (have to clear the fridge first), then we have our pre-stim scan booked in 11 days and we should be go go go!
I'm on duphaston (progesterone) now for 10 days - I take this each cycle as my big and bulky uterus likes to make life impossible without it, they would normally put me on provames (an estrogen) but due to the amount of 'blood build up' she wants to minimise my bleed, otherwise I'd struggle to leave the house and have my scan!
I'm actually going to take it for a few days longer, she says my period wont come until I've stopped the duphaston for 5 days....I've been taking this each cycle since Jan 2013 I know that it'll come within 48 hours of stopping (I have naturally low progesterone levels)....ideally I'd like my pre-stim scan on CD1 like our last IVF, or CD2 at the latest, so a couple of extra days is needed ;)

Edited to add my stash of meds - the boxes of menopur are for 5 days so I'll need five more boxes (10 days), maybe more if I need to up my dose....?
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