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Good luck on Thursday Onja. I hope bubs co-operates and flashes you ;)
I had my egg collection today and I got 10 eggs. I hope that's a good amount. The dr. wrote "well done!" in the comments section of my form under where he wrote how many eggs we got, so fingers crossed that it's good. They are being fertilised this afternoon and I should find out tomorrow how many fertilised. Then we have the pgd done on Sat, and hopefully embryo transfer on Mon...
Well, things haven't gone very well :( Seven of our 10 little eggs fertilised and grew nicely and all seven were big enough to be biopsied today. Two of them weren't able to get any results (one had a fragmented nucleus, and the other had a problem with the cell contents not sticking to the slide). Of the other five, all of them had chromosomal problems :( I'm devastated. I didn't realise that I would take it this badly. I guess I had convinced myself that everything would be good the first time around. And I never thought that it would be chromosomal problems that would issue. I mean, I'm young and healthy, I thought the embies would be healthy too! They don't think the embie with the fragmented nucleus will make it to day 5, but they said that we could transfer the other embie that got no results if we wanted to. We decided not to take the risk. I mean, when 5 out of 5 that got results had problems, what's the chance that the one little embie with no results would be perfect?
I guess we have to start back at the beginning again :(
Big hugs to you - I'm sorry that things didn't go well.
Mylitta sorry ive not responded to your post sooner. I forget to check the site when im on ivf hiatus.
So sorry for your results but don't give up, it seems as tho your actual cycle was very good and besides the biopsy results everything went ahead well with no complications, yes?
So next time imagine this... everything goes smooth again but with great biopsy results!
Im guessing you do day 3 biopsies? Im with SIVF and they do day 5-6 biopsies so if we even end up with any still big and strong enough by day 6 it is a miracle! So far we have had 2 full cycles and only 3 biopsies with 1 transfer. Which resulted in a chem preg. Also devastating.
Let me know when your next cycle is and i promise i'll be checking on here for updates!
xx
Hi all, just popping in to give an update. We've just started our second cycle and I'm on day 3. I've been put on a higher dose of Gonal F to try to produce more eggs this time. Hopefully more eggs = more embies = more chances of healthy embies :) My FS is aiming for 20ish eggs, but told me not to tell anyone that, hehe. I know it increases risk of OHSS but as I had no side effects last time we are keeping fingers crossed that all goes well.
We are still waiting on our karyotyping test results which were meant to be back a couple of weeks ago. Apparently the lab got backed-up over easter. FS said we should go ahead with this cycle anyway, as the likelyhood of our results showing something abnormal is pretty low. We can always stop the cycle if we need to.
Jaki - Everything went rather well last time. The only hiccup was when I discovered that I had stitches inside me 2 1/2 weeks after EPU that I knew nothing about! Talk about freaking me out! Turns out there must have been some excess bleeding that they stopped by putting in some stitches, but someone was extremely naughty and forgot to inform me!
Yes, our embies are being tested on day 3 and then transfer would be on day 5. I had a question though, and I asked the FS and got an answer, but I still wonder about it... One of our embies last time wasn't able to get any pgd results due to a problem during testing. Seeings as the test only took them a couple of hours, I wondered why they can't go back and take another cell and test that one? When I asked the FS he told me that if they took another cell it would lower the viability of the embryo and increase the chances that it wouldn't survive. I accepted his answer at the time and left the appointment. But since then I've been thinking more about it... Right now we have a frosty embryo that unfortunately will never be given the chance at life because we feel we can't take the risk that it's not healthy. So right now it has 0% chance of becoming a baby. If they had taken another cell and found that it was a healthy embie, there would be a chance that the testing process would make it not survive, but there's also a chance that it MAY have survived. So by testing another cell, surely it's giving the embie at least a higher than 0% chance at life. Does that make sense? Why wouldn't they just retest?
Mylitta i know what it feels like to have these worries/ questions and not like the answer given even tho we accept these things at the time. Like you i would have had it tested anyway. I think sometimes we need to be more firm with what we want, the doctors can give us good advice however they dont have to live with the decisions after. I wish i have been more forceful with several things in both our cycles.
What day was this particular embryo frozen? I dont see why they cant thaw it and test it later for you if things get desperate ( FX they wont!)
Jaki - I guess at the time it's easy just to think "doctor knows best", but not being tested again and not having any chance of becoming a baby doesn't seem like the best thing for the snow-embie... I'm going to discuss it again with the FS and if this situation comes up again hopefully we can do a second test. They embie grew well and survived to day 5 and then was frozen. If your embies aren't tested until day 5, then I wonder why they couldn't test mine again at day 5...?
In theory it could be tested defiantly, but it will most likely kill it as they say, still considering you wont use it anyway you may as well go for it, just be firm with them. Tell them you dont want to pay for the storage when you have no intention of using it but you want it tested just incase it survives. They only take 5 mins to thaw so its not a huge effort for them. But i imagine they will charge you for a frozen cycle so do it when you can actually use it, or save it for a future frozen cycle and they can use it as an extra :)
The main difference between our day 3 and day 5-6 testing is that at day 3 they actually drill into the embryo and the biopsy is from what will actually make up the baby. At day 5 or 6 they wait until the embryo has hatched and take the biopsy from what will become the placenta, SIVF believe this is a better/safer way to do it for the embryos future development but it does mean most of my embryos cant be tested as they dont all hatch in time. So its a double edges sword really.
x
Hi there, Im new here...some of my questions may have been answered elsewhere but I cant seem to find up to date info on PGD.
I have had 4 m/c in the last 12months, I have had 2 D&Cs each of which testing was done on the cells. One came out inconclusive and the other had chromosomal abnormalities. My OB seems to think that I have poor egg quality, and just says to keep on trying, but I feel like I should be doing more.
I was wondering how much PGD costs in Melbourne? and who to go and see for a consultation, any recommondations would be much appreciated
Hi Alana.
I have PGD at Syd ivf so i can't advise you on Melb prices. A full cycle of ivf + PGD costs me just over 13k at SIVF, but im told they are more expensive than other clinics.
Good luck.
x
Hi Jaki,
Is that before or after you reach medicare levi? Does private insurance cover any of this amount?
Thats is the original cost for everything. We have never had 2 cycles in the same year so the first time we got 7k back and the 2nd we got 10ish. Not sure how much we will be effected by the government changes yet either. Going again in june i hope.
Alana, I'm going through Monash IVF in Melbourne and the lump sum I paid for IVF and PGD was about $7200. Not sure how much I get back from medicare yet. My private health cover paid for some extra stuff (like the hospital procedure I think...) but Monash IVF claimed it directly for me. There is also the cost of some drugs on top of that amount, and also the appointments with FS were on top of that too (which I think were just over $100 each). Hope that helps a bit...
Thanks for the info, I think I will speak to GP to get a referral and start my journey.
Mylitta - Who are you seeing at Melbourne IVF?
Alana, I'm going through Monash IVF, in Melbourne. I see Dr Weston. He's been really good so far. Very supportive and helpful. I liked that he was also very quick to get things going for us. The waiting is the worst part, and thankfully we haven't had to wait long for anything with him :)
I did go to see Dr Toledo at Melbourne IVF originally and she was really good too. We ended up going through Monash because things were moving faster with our PGD stuff.
Well... I 'think' I have good news. I know I really shouldn't be testing, and I should just wait until the blood test... But the blood test isn't for almost another WHOLE WEEK! So, I've been testing, lol. I had a bunch of the cheap internet tests still here, so the day after the transfer I tested to see if there was any hcg from the trigger shot that would still show. There might have been a very faint line, but so faint that I wasn't sure if I was imagining it. Two days later I did it again and couldn't see anything. The last two days I've tested as well, and have gotten the faintest of faint lines (you know the type where you can only see it in the right light at the right angle?). But this mornings test I can see a very faint line without putting any kind of heavy-duty-industrial-line-reading-goggles on. So, of course I went and bought a 3-pack of first response tests LOL! I've just done one now (3.45pm so not FMU) and I am getting a very definite and easily visible line!!! I thought I better read up about trigger shots, and how long the hcg stays in your body before getting excited. The info I found was that for every 1000IU of trigger shot you get, you should wait 1 day. I had a maximum of 10000IU (was probably actually 6500IU apparently) so after 10 days it will all be gone. We today is 14 days after my trigger shot! I think my line is a real one! Gosh I really hope so. I still look forward to the blood results, but I'll keep "practicing" with the hpt's hehehehe
Edit: Just wanted to mention I'm only on progesterone gel now, so no meds that would give a false positive...
Hey Ladies....
Mylitta that does sound good, i know everyone has different opinions on the HPT's but my FS told me there is no such thing as a false positive, especially if it is coming up visible and fast. If your test is getting more visible it is because your pregnancy hormones should double every second day. So fingers crossed big time!
Well my cycle starts in exactly a month, got AF today so will have the first BT this time in a month. 3rd cycle for us, quite a big deal. I just hope it goes it goes as well as our 2nd but with a viable pregnancy this time!
xoxo
Oh also Mylitta im just curious as i havent been on for a while again... what were your PGD results this time? If you dont mind giving me a little run down? Im so nosey!
Also when is you BT?
Jaki, they say 3rd time's a charm yeah? Good luck for this cycle!!!
My blood test is tomorrow and I'm still feeling very positive about things. My hpt's are still getting darker :)
My PGD results were quite a shock this cycle as well. Of our 21 eggs, 20 were injected with sperm, 11 fertilised, and 10 survived and were suitable for biopsy. Of the 10 we had one precious little healthy embryo suitable for transfer! Seven all had chromosome problems. Two they were unable to get results for because the cells they took had no nuclei and therefore no chromosomes to look at. One of those embies was only 5 cells, so they only took one cell from it (and found no nuclei). The other one was bigger so they went back and took another cell, and it also had no nucleus. The scientist I spoke to said that was rather rare to have two embies like that. What she said was even more surprising was when they biospied one of the other embies, the first cell they took had no nucleus too! They were able to take a 2nd cell from that embie and she said the results were extremely odd. It had two X chromosome, two Y chromosomes, and a large number of the other chromosomes either had 3 or 4 copies.
With results like what we've gotten from both my cycles, it makes me realise what an absolute miracle it is that we were even able to conceive our beautiful little boy naturally. Now hopefully he's going to be the big brother of another miracle!
wow, that is amazing! What a miricle this will be... im so excited to hear your BT results.
Some people are just meant to be parents i guess!
xx
It's official! I'm pregnant!!! My hcg level is 371. I'm so excited. My little girl is on her way! Our due date is the 25th of January, so this time I'm going to have a summer baby. I'm booked in for follow up bloods in a weeks times, then I'll have another a week later, just to check that the levels are going up like the expect. Oh, my prog level was good too, so no more disgusting prog gel for me! My nurse said that I'll have an ultrasound through Monash IVF around 7-8 weeks, but I rang my Obs today to book in (he fills up real quick) and they've booked me in for me first appointment and scan on June 2nd when I'll be 6 weeks, yay! I'm still so scared that something will go wrong, but I know that this little embie must be a strong little fighter, so I have to stay positive for her!
Thanks for all your thoughts and well-wishes.
Jaki - Fingers crossed that your next cycle will be fantastic!
Wow Mylitta thats amazing news. Im so happy for you. Its such an inspiration to see a happy outcome from PGD IVF.
Dont be scared, your numbers are great. She is holding on strong!
x
Hi everyone,
I'm new to PGD - starting next month. Would greatly appreciate your support 'cause the last 12 months of IVF have been pretty hellish. I'm 32, nearly 33, and I can't believe it's taken this long to get pregnant. Is anyone using PGD for aneuploidy?
My female partner will also be using PGD for her haemophilia gene in the future... and it's looking like she'll be starting sooner rather than later given my hopes for pregnancy are going down and down.
Does anyone have any hopeful stories?
Thanks!
Hi Foxy!!
Welcome to PGD, i was hoping to get a cycle buddy! I am starting around the 20th june. This will be my 3rd cycle, ive also had one Bio chem pg, like you. I have PGD due to a genetic disease and to be honest all the women in here ive met so far have been for genetic reasons so far. What is aneuploidy?
The PGD thread is mostly quiet, but lucky for us we are both starting soon and can support each other!
I have been in this thread for less than a year and have seen at least 3 get a BFP.
Have all your cycles been in the same 12 months?? I spread mine out (3 in 2.5 yrs), if we didn't hubby and i would surely be divorced by now, lol.
I can't believe you and your partner both need PGD, how unlucky :(
Although we have double barreled problems too with my gene and hubby's lazy sperm!
What clinic are you with? Im at Syd IVF.
x
Hi Jaki!! Great to have a cycle buddy!!
I'm with Melb IVF, have done 7 transfers back-to-back over last 12 months (as well as a dermoid cyst removal plus endometriosis removal), 2 of which were fresh cycles, so feeling pretty exhausted and glad to have a month's break!
My transfer is scheduled for 8th July - hoping we get that far. PGD is great in that you can plan ahead for work etc - regular IVF they won't give you definite dates, so makes it much harder trying to plan life.
Aneuploidy is an abnormal number of chromosomes in the embryo, which happens in 50% of all embryos, and the FSs think that might be the cause of my 2 biochemical pregnancies. Using PGD will hopefully mean that only embryos with a normal number of chromosomes get put back - still only a 25% chance of pregnancy though! At least I'll have a lot more information after this cycle ie. how many of my embryos are actually chromosomally normal. I had 19 eggs, 9 fertilised and 9 embryos last time so hoping for similar numbers, in which case we might have 1-4 embryos to transfer... I'll just have to wait and see!
How have you been coping with PGD so far? Is it ok to ask what gene you're looking for? I'm not sure if it's rude to ask or not. My partner has the haemophilia gene, and having seen many of her family members struggle a lot with this condition, she's keen not to pass this on to our kids.
Look forward to hearing more about you, when do you start injections etc?
I check email/internet a few times a week but usually get more obsessive the further I get into a cycle, so please don't be offended if I take a while to respond!
Hi Foxy, I'm lucky to currently be pregnant from our second PGD cycle despite some really bad luck we were having. We were having PGD done to help try to avoid a genetically linked disorder, but when we got the the PGD stage we foundt hat we had an extremely large number of embryos with chromosomal abnormailites.
In our first cycle I had 10 eggs, 7 fertilised, 7 were biopsied, 2 they couldn't get results for, and the remaining 5 all had chromosome problems. They all had aneuploidy. We were devastated.
With our second cycle my meds were increased a bit and I got 21 eggs. Only 10 fertilised, but all 10 were big enough to be biopsied on day 3. Again we got no results for 2 of them (the cells they took had no nucleus), 7 of them had chromosome abnormalities (aneuploidy) and we had one precious little healthy girl. That one precious little embie is still growing strong and I'm nearly at 5 1/2 weeks now. Fingers crossed that she continues to grow strong :)
Good luck with you PGD cycle. I hope you get some good results and finally get your little baby!!!
Foxy i am an open book, ask me anything!
The gene we look for is a sex linked disease called Chronic Granulomatis Disease, It is a blood disorder that i carry. Feel free to google! Lol
I to have watched members of my family suffer, it is carried by women, ie- me. And the males suffer the disease. I have a snowbaby who is a carrier female, thus the fresh cycle.
Im not sure when i will start my injections, just have to wait for June period to show, prob around the 20th. I have 'short cycles' so a little less planning available to be, but better results.
xoxo
Jaki - thanks for writing about your genetic condition, I haven't heard of it, is it very rare condition? We are so lucky to be able to avoid genetic diseases that cause so much suffering because of the era we live in, don't you reckon?
I think they offered us the choice of putting back a female haemophilia carrier embryo for my partner in the future - that would be a hard decision - sort of postpones the genetic problem to the next generation of family. Would you ever put back your female carrier embryo? My partner and I haven't discussed it yet, although we might have to sooner rather than later if my partner starts anytime soon!
Mylitta - congratulations on your pregnancy! I hope everything goes really well. Does the clinic allow you to put back embryos with "no definite result"? - I forgot to ask this at our counselling appointment.
I started the synarel today; fortunately I don't get many side effects with the drugs, it's more that I find it quite hard to remember! I opted for synarel down-reg rather than the pill, as I felt this may have played a part in my ovaries being so down-regulated on my first fresh cycle. I require a daily dose of 400 units Puregon which is HUGE for someone of my age; then again, my FSH is 14, so I guess that's more the problem.
I'm seeing Dr Sacks on Wednesday in Sydney regarding testing for natural killer cells; I had marginally elevated natural killer cells on an endometrial biopsy in February (at the same time as my laparoscopy) but haven't had the natural killer cells blood test, which he wants me to have before prescribing prednisolone. Will be good to also get his advice on where to go in future as well if the PGD isn't successful for me. How many times do people tend to do PGD? Given the cost is so huge, and the fact that my partner wants to use it for her haemophilia gene, I feel there's a limit as to how many times I can realistically keep trying unsuccessfully without giving her a go. Probably this will become clearer with time... just have to wait.... if only I wasn't so impatient!!!
Foxy - We had three embies that got "no results" when they were biopsied. The two in the second cycle both had no nuclei in the cells that were tested. One was a small embie, so they could only take one cell. The other was bigger, so after they found no nucleus in the first cell, they took another cell, but unfortunately it was the same). The embie from our first cycle that had no result was due to a "limitation of the testing process". Apparently the cell contents did not stick to the slide and they couldn't see anything under the microscope. I was told by the scientist that unfotunately it could have been something as trivial as a speck of dust that interferred. We were told that we could transfer that little embie if we wanted to, but with the other 5 out of 5 embies from that cycle all having chromosome problems we felt like we shouldn't take the risk.
Hi foxy,
It is quite a rare disease but growing in numbers. When it was discovered my family there were only a few in Aus with it. That was 25 years ago when my brother was 6 months old.
We do plan to use our carrier at some stage if need be, but i wont use her alone, thus the fresh cycle. This will be our last cycle with SIVF, they are to expensive for no results and to far away from us (central QLD). We will go to QFG and do sex selection once we are finished with SIVF.
As for using untested embryos, my last cycle i thought i wasn't going to have any biopsies done again ( SIVF do them on day 5 blasties) and i was all bossy with my doctor saying im putting one back anyway. Then at the last minute we had 3 burst out to blasties and biopsied, The one affected male was our biggest and strongest embie, it would have been the one we put back. That has now scared me enough not to do it in the future.
Hope you are doing well.
xoxo
PS- The technology in this age is AMAZING, it is one of the reasons we decided (after a moral struggle) to use our carriers, imagine what they can do in another 20-30 years when our children are ready to have children!
Hi Jaki,
Sorry for the late reply, I've been on a conference in New Zealand. Went skydiving today, was unreal! Home tomorrow early morning.
As for IVF, I'm still on synarel although starting puregon Wed if everything is ok with my downreg scan tomorrow... EPU planned for Mon 5th July. What are you up to at present? Have you had a transfer yet?
Hope all is going well!
I think that totally makes sense about the carriers... who knows what our kids will be able to do? They'll probably be growing babies in test-tubes then anyway!!! (although people have thought that for at least 50 years!)
Let me know how you're going and I'll try and be a bit prompter to reply!
Susi
New Zealand WOW, what a great way to break up the monotony of an IVF cycle!
Im great, still just waiting for period to get here so i can start injecting. Got all my meds on friday so im all set to go!
I'll jump on and let you when when i start!
Started injecting on thurs! Yay!
BT on monday.
My husband and I are going through PGD with IVF. I have a chromosomal paracentric inversion that's causing miscarriages. We're at MIVF.
New to forums...thought it'd be nice to "meet" some other women going through the same thing. :D
I think I am a week or so ahead of you all in my cycle??? Not sure. We are having our trigger shot tonight! I've got 10 follicles - the numbers went from 6 to 7 to 10. OPU on Monday! Oh my! It all goes so fast in the end.
Best wishes to both of you in those last few days of injections...and getting those follicles mature!
I'm a bit of a stalker of this thread. Always wishing good things for your ladies cycles!
Just wanted to say to Mia's Mama- I love your name! Very very cool. Good luck with your cycle.
(and now i will gracefully retreat again)
Kate
Hi Ladies.....
Mias mamma how did your collection go? You must be through the PGD now too.
Sorry ive been slack, i found belly belly became an obsession on my last cycle so ive been taking it easy.
I have another u/s tomoz, my result at the first were i had lots of follies between 10-13mm. Coming along quite nicely.
xx
Hi there Jaki80 and Kate07,
My first cycle we had no luck. 7 eggs retrieved, 6 fertilized, all had chromosomal abnormalities. Sucks big time!
Jaki80, if you don't mind my asking...if you were/are taking Puregon, what dosage? Sounds like this cycle is going really well for you! Congrats and best wishes in the next week.
I am thinking if we do PGD again I will ask for an increase in dosage to increase the amount of eggs...anything to up our odds!
A messy house is calling!
Hi mia's mama. I am on 150 units. But each person and cycle varies... for example. Cycle 1 i was on 150 and it got decrease as my hormones were to high. Cycle 2 i started on 150 which got increased to 250 in the last few days. This time i am going steady on 150.
Some people get alot of eggs and some get hardy any, im not sure why it is like that but i wish you could get tons without overstimulating. I overstimed on my first cycle and let me tell you it sucked! And as a result all my embies did not survive long.
Im sorry your PGD did not bring better results. If your anything like me those results will make you see how scary a natural conception would be when we carry these conditions :(
Dont give up!
I had another u/s today and will go again on monday.... If i were to make a bet i'd say egg pick-up on weds morning :)
xoxo
Mia's Mama - Sorry to hear that your first cycle wasn't successful. Unfortunately you had similar results with your PGD as me. My first cycle we got 10 eggs, so on my second cycle my doctor increased the meds (I was on Gonal F) and we were aiming for 20 eggs (although he told me not to tell people that because they are not meant to aim for more than 12ish, lol). We got 21 eggs from the second cycle. From those eggs we got our one perfectly healthy, chromosomally normal little girl that I'm now pregnant with. Good luck with your next cycle!!!
Jaki - Good luck with your ultrasound on Monday!