New to the group and unsure about IVF

Hi there

I am new to the group. My husband and I have been trying to conceive for 2 years. I have endometriosis, PCOS and now adenomyosis. I knew the odds would be stacked against us and it has been heart breaking. We have been on Clomid on and off over the last two years and I have also recently had surgery to ensure that my endo has not returned. Thankfully, no new endo but was diagnosed with adenomyosis. We have now been given another 2 months to TTC on Clomid although I have been told that our chances are only 1%. I was devastated to find this out yesterday however I am trying to remain positive.

The next step if we do not succeed in the next two months, would be IVF. Having watched a DVD about the procedure I am not sure about going down that path. I tend to get most of the symptoms that come with various hormonal treatments and find it extremely difficult to deal with. We would like to try IVF but I am unsure about the injections and the whole process. I would love some advice and/or experiences of IVF. Also, how it affects your day to days life, work etc.

Thanks for reading.

Belle.

Hi Belle

Firstly, welcome to BB - you have come to the right place both for info and support.

Secondly, sorry to hear about your fertility issues - I know how hard it is, DP and I have been doing the fertility specialist rounds for quite some time now.

With regard to IVF - I am still a virgin in that area (but give me a few months and I will be well on my way to knowing my way around) butyou will find that there are lots of really intelligent, switched on women in here who are at various stages of IVF treatments (including our all knowing guru Sushee who knows it all - Hi Sush!).

Wishing you the very best of luck with what the future brings and looking forward to getting to know you better.

Taff

Let me tell you Belle,it is scary as!! But in saying that, I'm onto my third day of injections & it's not nearly as scary as I first had anticipated. I've not done the entire thing yet, just two injections LOL!

There are quite a few appointments beforehand, we had 3 that were about an hour long & our final one where we got instructions for the injections was 2 hours. Then you'll do all the testing, semen analysis & other bits n pieces for you. Once in the IVF cycle, our clinic (SIVF) has a system where all blood tests & ultrasounds are done between 7.30 & 9.00am so there is minimal disruption to work. You need to have a full day off for egg pick up and then I think only a short time, like an hour or two, for the embryo transfer.

Hi Belle,
Before starting IVF me and DH had some great appts with a nurse and a counsellor and they really helped (especially the nurse). We got to ask lots of questions and we got lots of info (and plenty to take away and read later). We were very lucky in that we dealt with only one nurse throughout - we both felt we could ring her whenever we wanted to ask questions - and trust me, we did! Lots!

I am a chronic migraine sufferer and we were concerned with how the hormones would affect me. Honestly there were bad days - but never so bad that i would give up. After a while, and after all the help and support i got here on BB, this whole AC thing seemed quite normal, and i was a lot less stressed, as i felt we were doing our best to conceive. The injections aren't ever as bad as anyone thinks!
My clinic doesn't do blood tests during a cycle (yay!) and all the ultrasounds etc are arranged early in the morning so you can get to work on time. You can take all your meds in the morning and evening - so you needn't worry about injections at work.
I believe that arming myself with all the information i could gather, helped me through. That's just me though! BB and the ladies here helped me more than i could have imagined.

Good Luck and I hope that this Clomid cycle is the one for you.
Jo

Hi Belle,
I can tell you about my experiences...
Personally, the injections were fine for me. Got a bit cranky and anti-social, but nothing serious. Some people do have a physical reaction though, or just go a bit bats##t, if you know what I mean. Fingers crossed for you on that, but it's a good idea to read up on possible side effects and ask lots of questions to the nurses and doctors at your clinic before you start so you're prepared and know what to expect. The nurses at my clinic are really good and happy to answer questions (stupid or otherwise:doh:).
The regime will vary depending on individual circumstances and the clinic itself. After an initial visit to get my meds and have the first blood test, I had to go in every other day for bloods & ultrasound for about a week before i had the trigger shot (which sets in motion the final maturation of the eggs so they can be collected about 36 hours later). These visits are first thing in the morning, and it does get a bit tiring. Depending on what time you start work it could be a tricky.
The other thing is that they can't really tell you when your collection will be till a few days beforehand, because it depends how things are developing. I pretty much had to put work 'on notice' that I would need a day off sometime within a 1-week period.
Then the transfer day may depend whether they do a 2/3-day or 5/6-day transfer... which you won't know till they see how many embryos survive till day 3.
Hmm, that was very long.... hope it's helpful for you. I think the key thing to remember is that everyone's experience is different.
Wishing you all the best!

Thank-you all for such a quick response. It is very re-assuring. I'm sure over the coming months I will have a lot more questions.

Belle

you are more than welcome to come and chat in the LTTC & AC thread. i have done one stimulated cycle of IVF and a natural cycle (drug free) transfer and am about to start another natural cycle.

it IS an emotional roller coaster, but to me it sounds like you are already used to that. The drugs do knock you around a bit, but to me it was re assurance that at least they were doing something. luckily i dont work, but my bloods were done between 7.30 and 9am and i was always told in advance when i would have a transfer and/or egg pick up.

if you do end up on ivf, never be afraid to ask your specialist ANYTHING,and dont forget the amazing support and information you will receive from the girls (and guys) in BB...

good luck hun..

Hi Belle and welcome to BellyBelly.

We have a nice, supportive IVF/AC community here on BB and a great general discussion chatter thread that you can find here. Jump in, introduce yourself there and I'm sure you'll be part of the crowd in no time!

Hi Belle and welcome,

I had many reservations about IVF also. My problems were related to my (and DP's) age, and concern about ovum quantiy and quality. I talked to as many people I knew who had gone through IVF and asked them for their good/bad views. Once I found BB, I found this forum REALLY helpful also.

I have had two fresh collection cycles, and I didnt find the drugs too bad, but I had the sort where you dont have the pill/synarel first...just start straight on the puregon and go from there, so I am not sure whether that makes a difference or not. the injections arent too bad ESPECIALLY if you let the alcoholic spirit dry on your skin B4 injecting yourself! :) I did all my own, but I have a medical background so that wasnt too hard.

The first cycle I took 2 weeks off...simply bc with my line of work it was really hard to just say that I would need a day here/there etc. the second cycle I bit the bullet and told them WHY I needed that flexibility and they were really cool about it.

Emotionally I found the whole thing quite hard, but manageable. I have a partner who isnt really one for talk talk talk, and I AM, so it was great to find BB. Even wen i didnt post, I could read other peoples stories, and that was an outlet for me.

Touch wood, our experience has been a +ve one so far. I had a chemical pregnancy with the first cycle, and am currently 6 weeks pregnant from the second, so with luck, our story has a happy ending. :)

Good luck with your decision making!

Hi Belle

I have just formally finished my first IVF cycle. The only probs I had with the drugs were hyperstimulation. The actual needles themselves I felt were ok and I didn't get any headaches etc.. I guess it is something you could discuss with the specialist.

I wish you luck on your decision :dance: