1st IVF cycle - what to expect?

Hi everyone,

I am starting my first IVF cycle. I've been on the contraceptive pill for the past 3 weeks (seems weird when I'm not even having sex and I want to get pregnant but I understand it is to get your cycle into sync with what the clinic want). Anyway I start on the nasal spray (can't remember what it is called) on Tuesday morning.

The IVF counsellor told me that it basically puts your body into a sort of menopause and you may suffer from mood swings, facial hair and hot flushes. My mother suffered really badly with hot flushes when she went through menopause. She would wake up covered in sweat 3 times a night and have to change the sheets and her nigthie etc. She ended up suffering so badly with the physical symptoms that she had no choice but to go onto hormone replacement theraphy to ease these. I asked the IVF nurse about this and she told me that they have never had any one suffer more than a few headaches. So I wondered what others experiences have been?

I find the clinic I am going through aren't very supportive. I always feel like they think I'm stupid for asking questions etc. I'm feeling nervous about the whole thing and I am doing this as a single woman so no partner to offer emotional support. I do have a 13 year old daughter and I'm worried about her coping my crappy moods so would love any advise on how to keep the mood swings in check. I normally don't suffer with PMT at all... just a bit of depression with my failed AI attempts and the emotional rollarcoaster of trying to concieve.

At this stage I've been told my egg pick up should be 12th of April if everything goes well. I only have enough money for 2 attempts (my parents are loaning me this money otherwise I wouldnt' be able to afford it at all). I've already spent over $3000 on my failed AI attempts.

Any advice or support gratefully accepted.

Lori

Me 36
DD 13
Sperm donor hunt since Dec 06. First AI attempt Jan 09. Crazy cycles meant only 3 AI attempts over 12 month period - last one Jan 2010. Now 1st IVF cycle. Egg pick up scheduled for 12th April.

Hi Dreamrise

I found Synarel the worst for side effects. I had killer headaches and was just hot all the time. I started my very first cycle in April when it was cooler and would just spend my time sweating with my office aircon on 18 degrees all day.

Apart from that I found the rest of the side effects slightly uncomfortable, but bearable (my DH might argue that point though).

Good luck with your first cycle.

Hi, I'm in the same boat, this is my first IVF cycle.
I had no problems whatsoever on the Synarel Nasal Spray which I started 27th Feb, other than a bit of a quesy feeling a few minutes after spraying it but that only lasts for about 2 minutes).

I've started the gonal injections two days ago, other than a dull headache, no other side effects (SO FAR) but I know it's early days.

My egg pick up should be week of 22nd March. I've also felt a bit silly asking the Dr questions, feel like he's rushing me out of his clinic (he looks up my hoo-hoo, takes my money - I feel like I'm paying a prostitute!)

All I can suggest is drink lots of water (3ltrs daily) as you'll need to do that when you start the FSH injections anyway so you may as well get used to it, and it might lessen some of the potential side effects.

So far, I've found google and these forums the best information source - no-one laughs at what might be a silly question.

GOOD LUCK with your cycle - I hope you find Synarel as symptom free as I have.

Chrissy.

Hi girls, you can join us in the LT TTC & Assisted Conception chat thread; there are plenty of others currently cycling.
All the best~~

Hi Petta,

I'm sorry to hear you have experienced such horrible side effects and are back to square 1 again in your journey. It's an awful feeling thinking - god I'm back to where I started X years ago. On my own journey I have often looked back and thought it's not fair (and I haven't been through the heartbreak you have of miscarrying). Early on I spent 6 months building up a good relationship with a guy who was going to be a known donor. I felt very confident about our future with him having regular contact with the child. He then changed his mind just as we were finally about to sign our legal agreement (after months of negoiating it). He never gave me a reason and to this day I still don't know why he changed his mind. Not only did I lose my donor though - I also lost someone I considered a friend as once he changed his mind I never heard from him again. So I was back to square 1. In Feb this year, after my last failed AI attempt I thought - god I have been on this journey over 3 years now and I'm no closer to having a child then I was when I started... in fact I'm probably further from it because I am 3 years older (so my fertility is reduced). It's hard not to let it get you down... but I'm hoping that now I'm doing IVF I will hopefully be one of the lucky ones.

Best wishes to you.

Thanks for the heads up about feeling hot... hopefully I won't be too bad as I have my own office at work but it is centrally heated/air conditioned so I can't alter the temp in there.

Lori

hi Chrissy,

nice to hear from someone else who is close to the same place as me in the IVF journey. I've taken Synarel 3 times so far and I don't feel queasy afterwards (yet) but I hope I'm taking it right. I tried ringing the clinic yesterday and they said they'd call me back but didn't. It's frustrating. I'll try them again today. I have a shocking head cold at the moment and my nose is blocked so I had trouble taking the Synarel (have one nostril fully blocked so couldn't use it, the other nostril is okay - after lots of blowing!!!).

It is frustrating when you feel that you can't ask your doctor any questions. In my case I have only seen the doctor twice (once when I first started AI and once when I changed to the IVF program) the rest of my appointments have been with the nurses. I find the Doctor seems very short with me but the nurses had seemed okay when I was doing AI but once I changed to IVF they have seemed quite short with me too. Probably because I now have lots of questions and feel quite nervous because I was pretty clued up on AI but feel like I know nothing when it comes to IVF.

Good luck with your egg pick up (hopefully there will be a few good ones that will fertilize).

Thanks for the pointer about drinking water (that is going to kill me... I'm normally lucky to drink a total of 1.25 litres per day in total of any fluid - if I drink more than that I feel bloated and like I need to run to the toilet all the time).

Lori

Hi Lori,
I really feel for you in your situation. I have done IVF twice and a couple of FET as well and feel blessed to have ou 21 month old. We're doing another FET in April and I'm 40. To help relieve stress and deal with hormones etc. I recommend you try drinking chamomille tea!!! I find this helps relax me and makes me feel more grounded. Keep totally away from caffeine as this may contribute to negative feelings and anxiety. I found accupuncture to be a great help too. My FS told me that in his opinion and based on studies it significantly increases embryo implantation rates. I also found it relaxing - something I never expected. My pregnancy was the result of the only cycle in which we used accupuncture while doing IVF.
Although it is all new, try to think as positivley as you can about the process ahead of you and not let the staff get to you too much when they are dismissive and show lack of understanding (my favorite visualisation for this is water running off a duck's back - you can acknowledge it, but try not to let it penetrate a deeper level of you). You could write down some positive affirmations (eg. My body is responding well to the medications; I am feeling optimistic about this process; etc) and post them on a wall and sit comfortably in the quite, or with soft music, relaxing and drinking your chamomille and visualise the success you want. Also, a gently walk can be soothing on the mind.
As far as expenses go, are you aware that you can claim back on your tax return 20 cents in the dollar for every dollar you (combined with your daughter) spend on medical (and dental, optical) expences over $1500.00 in a tax year. My FS wrote a letter saying he recommended accupuncture so I could claim some of those costs back too.
Wishing you and everyone else all the best with your journeys ahead, Christina.

Hi all,

I did my first attempt at IVF earlier this year (no luck unfortunately, but its only early days). With the Synarel I had headaches and 3 or 4 hot flushes. I finally had an appreciation fo what menopause will be like! :redface:Each hotflush was in a restaurant and I sat there sweating and fanning myself in airconditioning! But it was only a few times and as soon as I stopped the Synarel I was fine again.
Christina is right about the water, drink as much as you can, even if it means running to the loo at least you will be flushing the toxins out.

Good Luck for April 12th Lori :) I hope everything goes well for you.:hug:
xo

Hi Kate

I used Synarel for my first 2 cycle and told my FS I was having side effects (nausea, hot flushes, mood swings etc). FS suggested I move to Lucrin. I found it to be a heaps better drug, and a lot easier to manage as it was an injection once a day as apposed to the every 12 hour thing. Having done Lucrin now I would never go back to Synarel. Just thought I would let you know before your next cycle.

Hi everyone,

Well I have been on the nasal spray for almost 1 week now. So far no serious side effects. Have tended to feel a bit hotter (had to strip off a few times as I felt like I was overheating but haven't had to have the airconditioner on or had the sweats like my mum got when she went through menopause). No nausea and no headaches so far. I know it's only early days so far but I was wondering if I was going to get side effects how long into taking it do you think it would be before I experienced the side effects.

It is a pain having to take it 12 hours apart isn't it. I decided 7.30 would be a good time as in the morning I am normally able to just get up at that time and in the evenings it's normally pretty easy to do it then, however on Sat we had a stall at a trash and treasure market and had to be there at 7 to set up. I took the spray with me but was so busy getting everything set up I didn't even think about it to check the time until 8.50am. So then had to take it 8.50 that night. Next day I decided to do 8am and 8pm to try to bring it back towards the 7.30 times, so today it was 7.30 again. I also got my period this morning... so now it really feels like I'm on the countdown for IVF (day 1 of this cycle now - egg pick up possibly day 22).

I also wondered is it normal for egg pick up to be so far into the cycle? I mean when you are doing IUI they base it on assumptions that you will ovulate around day 14 and as my periods were weird I would normally start having follicle scans on day 13 and sometimes right through to day 24. But if you were a woman who normally ovulated around day 14 why do they delay it so much (I know the nasal spray stops you actually ovulating so they don't need to worry about when they do the egg pickup so long as the eggs are developed enough). Anyway I just wondered if this is normal or if it's just my clinic choosing to lengthen the cycle because of easter etc. I don't start on the hormone injections for ages (because obviously I don't need to until close to egg pick up) but if they weren't lengthening the cycle wouldn't I start on these earlier?

Anyway I'd love to know how long your IVF cycles were? How long did you have to wait for egg pick up?

I now I'm getting ahead of myself but I also wondered for those who have done it a few times. If you don't have any frozen embryos left from your first cycle and need to do a full cycle again do you have to go through the full process of being on the contraceptive pill for 4 weeks first? Or do you just start on the spray when your period arrives (I guess you can't start on it before that because you wouldn't know if you were pregnant or not). Do you have to have a break between attempts?

If you do have any frozen embies left can you have one implanted on the very next cycle or do you have to wait?

Thanks
Lori

Hi Chrissy,

So this is the week of you egg pick up? Hope all goes well. Have you had scans to see how your body responded to the meds? Do you have any clearer idea about when egg pick up might be? I look forward to hearing all about it.

Lori

Hi dreamrise

I have done IUI and also IVF but with the IVF i used an egg donor. The side effects we both had with the nose spray were totallt different. With myself i felt very tired and i got the hot flushes but my donor was way different, the nose spray gave her such an energy boost she was hyper all day like she was on speed lol but as soon as she took the needle at night she kinda shut down she had no energy at all. So everyone is different.

As for starting the next cycle i was told (because i wasnt naturally ovualtin) i would have to go back on the pill for a month to get the cycle in sinc again.

Good luck with IVF for the ladies here starting the journey it really is a wonderful thing. When ever i get fed up with anything i just think of the wonderful gift i have in the end.

Hi all,

Well I was due to have my first egg pick up around the 12th of April. I went in for my scan before starting injections and everything was on track... the nasal spray was doing it's job and I was told to start on injections but then they noticed that my rubella blood test results had been flagged - low immunity so I was advised to get reimmunised and wait atleast 28 days before trying to get pregnant.

The clinic has had these results for 6 weeks so I was furious that they didn't tell me earlier (I could have been immunised and waited the 28 days whilst I was on the contraceptive pill).

I was told I might have to start all over again (with going back on the pill after I was immunised) but then the doctor said I could stay on the nasal spray to keep my cycle where it is for another month and then we'll start on the injections.

Thank god I haven't had serious side effects from the spray (just feeling pretty tired). Now I will end up being on it for 8 weeks.

Egg pick up might be around the 10th of May now. I'm feeling very frustrated with all the delays and I haven't even really started yet. I know it will still be a long process from when I start injections (especially as I know the chances of getting pregnant first go aren't great).

Lori
Started donor Search Dec 06, Started donor insemination Jan 09, Started IVF process Feb 10

Hi All,

Lori thats a shame you will be put back waiting until you have given the immunisation time to do its thing, how frustrating! Luckily you are coping with the Synarel side effects. Have you thought about having a Berocca a day, thats what my FS has me on and it helps with my energy levels.

Petta, thank you for the advice on Lucrin, it turns out that is what has been recommended for my next cycle. Its expensive but we all know about that!
Im taking DHEA hoping to improve my egg quality, and will try naturally until my next IVF treatment. I tried using a urine test/pregnancy planner that measures your rising LH levels, but I didn't have a positive result for the 7 days I tested (at the time I should have been ovulating), so Im not sure if I have even ovulated this month?

Im thinking I might try taking my temperature and charting my mucous (as I read about in the Billings Method book) and see if I can work out what my body is up to.

Good luck to everyone :pink-babydust: