[anjup]

Hi friends,
I am due to start my 1st IVF Cycle around 15th June.....my questions are
1.anyone else contemplating IVF around same time?....
2. also would appreciate suggestions on diet plan to be followed right now in the preparatory stage.....
3. the doc has not put me on folic acid tabs as yet...shud i ask for the same?
4. For the ones who have undergone IVF, out of ER and ET, which one did you find harder and more painful.......
5. did you have to see the doc every day right from beginning of super stimulation....if not, how often?

thank you all for being there.....

[macandyvonne]

Anjup,

I didn't go through ER,but to me ET was not too bad... my RE told me to stay away from caffeine and nutrasweet, also she told me to not eat too much sugar... but I am also a little bit insulan resistant, so maybe that had something to do with it. As for folic acid, check your prenatal vitamin, if it doesn't have 1 milligram folic acid, then you should definitely get on folic acid right away... Some of the OTC folic acid is Microgram so make sure to ask the pharmacist if you have questions. That is all I have to add but maybe others have some info... so I will turn the floor over! Good luck with your prep and the meds!!!

[slobin]

Anjup,

The most current advice is that we should all be taking 5 mg. of folic acid. Most prenatals have 800 mcg, so you have to take a separate supplement. Many women (40%) have a MTHFR DNA mutation which causes poor absorption of folic acid, B6 and B12, so it's recommended to take high doses of all of these to prevent neural tube defects.

Slobin

[macandyvonne]

Wow... didn't realize that... 5mg... I am going to have to see about adding more to my daily dose. Thanks Slobin!

[einstein]

Here are some answers to your questions:

2. also would appreciate suggestions on diet plan to be followed right now in the preparatory stage..... I ate lots of healthy foods, although I did treat myself to a glass of wine daily until I went for my retrieval. The RE said it was okay. Eat lots of healthy protein (like eggs or low fat meats) to help the quality of your own eggs.

3. the doc has not put me on folic acid tabs as yet...shud i ask for the same? You should be on a good prenatal vitamin which would have the right amount of folic acid.

4. For the ones who have undergone IVF, out of ER and ET, which one did you find harder and more painful. I'm not sure the difference. I did IVF/ICSI and transferred 3 embies at 3dp my retrieval. I did have a lot of discomfort from the hCG shot and some bloating crampy feelings, but the nurses said it was normal. Overall, I felt like I had a bad AF without the bleeding.

5. did you have to see the doc every day right from beginning of super stimulation....if not, how often? Yes, I did have to go daily to have b/w done and u/s.

thank you all for being there.....[/quote]

[kglasgow]

I just underwent IVF/ICSY to try for baby 2. Saw the doc every other day for u/s and bw during stim-no problems there, BUT Had a lot of pain and bloating this time after the retrieval and into the day of the transfer. Hcg shot was not as bad as the progest. REALLY sore in the bum!

Am going to check into the folic acid level though, thanks for the info.

Happy to be part of the site and get some support.
kari

[anjup]

Thanks a lot friends.....I will start on a good multi-vitamin right away......Karen I have read somewhere that you were on lots and lots of Pineappale juice....i am glad it worked for you but can you believe it, here in India, pineapple and papaya are said to cause abortions !!.........myeeee, that was scary...so many food myths....that is what propmted me to ask the question on diet plan.....
I would be glad to get a cycle buddy......Yvonne, Mine too is a case of PCOS but the doc did not mention anything to me about insulin-resistance......she is a very sweet lady who hates questions that border on pessimism, (she was angry specially when i asked questions on second cycle)......she says pls take one day at a time....so i am scared to ask her questions on insulin resistance...can you give me info abt it,specially because i am planning to gorge on fruits due to a bad constipation and am scared that it may interefere with the insulin thing..:-(

Sorry for making this so long...:-(

[slobin]

Anjup,

The myth about pinapple juice helping comes from the fact that the core of pineapple has bromelain an amino acid that may help with implantation. I take Bromelain capsules for this reason. I've also heard the thing about pinapple causing abortion- not sure where this comes from.

Don't be afraid to ask your doctor about your fasting insulin level. It is so important and if it is high you can take Metaformin which helps lower it and this has a huge impact on fertility. I would recommend that you not do IVF without getting this info and treating if necessary.

Slobin

[macandyvonne]

I agee with slobin, get your fasting insulin and if it is high then the metformin will help greatly in increasing the quality of your eggs. You may want to see if you can order a book called insulin resistance diet... it will help if your insulin levels are high.

As for your doctor, sounds like a bit of ego... (not to be negative myself) but remember the doctor is working for you on this, you are paying your good hard earned money for your procedure... it is only right and natural that you want it to work and you want to prepare for it. So don't let it bother you if she gets an attitude... she should be happy that you are trying to work with her rather than against her.