32, from the USA, starting my first IVF cycle

Hello to all the wonderful women on this site. How I was able to find a site that seems to be almost exclusively Australia is mind blowing to me. I can hear the accents through your written words. It is great.

I live in North Carolina right now but grew up in Atlanta, Ga (96 Olympics). I'm 32 (33 on June 30th) and I am on my first IVF cycle. I have been trying with no luck to get PG for a little over 2 years now.

I started taking Lupron shots on June 15th. I have unexplained infertility. My husbands boys are great. I decided to skip all the IUI's and go right for the big guns (IVF). I have read so many stories of people spending so much money on so many different options and then having to go to IVF anyway, so I figured I would get straight to business.

I will be on Lupron shots for 12 days, have a Lupron bleed (which I hear is sheer misery) then I start taking 3 shots a day for 10 days (Gonal F, a smaller dose of Lupron, and Ovidrel Microdose). Followed by the HCG trigger shot, a beta check, retrieval (hopefully), then a 3 day wait, followed by a transfer. That is if Jupiter alligns itself with Mars.

All the infertility books say that it is good to have an IVF buddie. As I have not told any family or coworkers - I feel kinda all alone in this process. My husband is probably a lot like many of your husbands. He thinks he understands but really he couldn't possibly.

If there is anyone out there who is also starting an IVF cycle right now who would like a cycle buddy (from across the world) then I would love to chat. I hope everyone on this site all the best of luck in your journey to become mothers.

P.s. If your opinion of Americans is that they are all "Jerry Springer" or "Desperate Housewives" then you have me all wrong. I am more of a "Baywatch" chick. Just kidding.

Christine

Hi Christine, welcome to BB! I've been through 2 IVF cycles and it is really great to have cycle buddies - you're in luck, there a heap of lovely ladies on cycles right now. I was like you, once speaking to my RE I didn't bother with IUI either (my rationale was that if you are going to be injecting, having bloods and ultrasounds, and there is a possibility of cycle cancellation due to over-response, then why not go straight to IVF where the odds are much better anyway).

My first cycle I had Lupron (down-regging) and the AF I had from that was a bit heavier than normal, but really nothing to worry about. I hope you don't experience anything horrid either.

Welcome Christine and goodluck! And please don't think we are anti american as we aren't ;) In fact one of our moderators is american :D

I hope you can find all the babydust you need to get your BFP!!! Goodluck!

*hugs*
Cailin

Thanks ladies for the supportive words.

Sal, I went onto your website. Did you get PG by way of your second IVF? Why did they feel the first one didn't take? Congrats on your future arrival. That rocks.

Christine

Thanks Christine! Actually, funnily enough neither the full fresh IVF cycle (replaced 1 day 5 blast) nor the frozen embryo transfer cycle (of 2 blasts) took. I was taking a break, where I tried Metformin (for PCOS) and I managed to fall pg naturally on the cycle before I was going to start another full down-reg IVF cycle. As to why they didn't take - the first time, the blast was so good that the doc said he wished he was putting back blasts like that every day...he said it was luck of the draw that it didn't take. I had three good blasts frozen from that cycle and two were defrosted - they officially 'made the thaw' but the %age survival rate of the cells was 60% and 70% (needs to be 50% to be said to survive but the scientists want the %age to be much higher than that). The embryologist didn't leave me feeling hopeful at all about the cycle so I was not surprised when I got the BFN.

I really hope that you are one of the lucky women who get a success first go. I understand that IVF costs the earth over there!

Sal,

Yeah, it is very $$$$ over here. I keep hearing about women who go "over the pond" to get PG in Europe because it is a lot less expensive over there. I was able to qualify for a refund plan. I paid $13,800 up front and they guarantee to have me PG in 3 IVF's. If they don't then they have to refund me the full $13,800 back. I'm not sure how that translates in your currency. That does not include any of the medications though. They run about $3,000 per cycle. If all 3 cycles fail then you are out that money for the meds.

I am unexplained, by hubbies swimmers are good, HSG was normal, FSH was a 6.5 (supposed to be between 5 and 7). Cycle day 21 bloodword was excellent and the Saline Ultrasound was excellent. So I am hopeful that this will work. I just have to get hubbie back into the clinic to "produce" on the day of retreival. It was near impossible to get him there for the seman analysis and freeze. So I am not sure how I am going to fanagle this again. I'll have to drag him there. He is a hard core Italian from New York and thinks it is an impossible thing for me to ask him to do that. Geez. I tell him, "Have you seen the PIO needles? Are you kidding me"? I wish my part was so easy. ;(

Thanks for letting me ramble.

Christine

Hi Christine

Welcome!!!!!!!!!!

First of all, all the best of luck with your IVF journey.

Wow, it sure is expensive in America, we are very cheap here in comparison.

I am on my first ivf down reg cycle. My infertility is due to my hubby having 100% abnormal swimmers. We will be doing a procedure call ICSI which is where rather than just putting the sperm & egg together, they actually inject a single sperm right into the egg. Everything else is exactly the same as reg IVF.

Hope you join us in the monthly thread

Take care and good luck

Ali

Hi Christine,
wow,it is expensive over there but a money back guarantee that you will be pg. in 3 treatments sounds like the money will be well spent. I am sure you won't be needing to get your money back.
Good luck with the battle with your husband. sounds like fun :D

Welcome Christine.
I too am just starting my first down reg cycle.
Starting my first pill today in fact!!!

Its great to have the journey to share with others so welcome abord!!

Cazz

Christine,

Welcome, welcome and best of luck with your cycle. You sound very upbeat and optimistic about it and I really think that sometimes that is half the battle.

I'm on my first cycle myself - it's a long down regulated one so I'm still sniffing Syneral. I'm due for a scan next Tuesday and I assume then I will be told when to start Puregon.

My DH is from the States. Something else we have in common. He's from California but has lived here since 2000.

Hope you enjoy our monthly thread ... there's a big spread of us in here with all types of IVF and infertility experience so it's great for making you feel not so alone as you embark on this journey.

Once again, welcome and good luck!

Melissa

Ali - A little story about ICSI from my RE. During my first consultation we discussed ICSI and its pros and cons. He told me that a woman (that very day) got the news that only one of her eggs had fertilized. This woman had refused ICSI even though her hubb's counts were very low. See, it costs an extra $2,000 if you want ICSI. I'm not sure if she didn't do it because of the money or for other reasons. But I guess it must have been devestating to hear that only 1 egg took, when if they had done the ICSI they probably would have had more.

My RE told me that I probably don't need it because of hubb's good swimmers. But that story makes me nervous. So I say, go girl. You won't have to worry about if your kids are going to want to play together nicely in the pool (er dish). That would take a lot of the stress off. I'm thinking about making them do it even though I don't technically need it.

Anney - Thanks for the encouragement and good luck to you as well.

Cazz and Melissa - It is nice to have so many of us starting at the same time. I hope the fertility gods are smilling on us. :)

Christine

Christine

Thanks for that story. I am feeling fairly positive about being successful. I have a 7 year old daughter from a previous relationship and had no probs at all, so hopefully this will work for us sooner rather than later.

It costs an extra $600 here, not that we have an option, but I think that's pretty reasonable.

How are things going with you?

Ali

hi fellow ivfer, i too am on my first attemt at ttc through ivf. i am waiting for the dreaeded phone call now to tell me if me son will have a sibling. 8-[ he is 3 and a half and we have been ttc for about 15 months. i can understand not telling anyone (including family and friends) but you will lots of us to talk to here. good luck Had enough