[mrw]

OK! AF came today so that means injections start tomorrow....assuming bloods and U/S are OK of course. Any suggestions about starting an IVF cycle from the experienced women out there?

I'm trying not to indulge my fears:
1.day 2 bloods will prevent me from starting, though they have never been abnormal before why should they now? Just because.
2. Will overstimulate and have to cancel (on my one injectibles iui try with 150 of gonal f I had at least 13 mature plus many more intermediate follicles and could hardly walk, too many for IUI--this month I'm scheduled for a higher dose, 200...because of PGD, they want 15-20 mature follicles ideally...)
3. Will overstimulate and end up in the hospital!!
4. No good embryos to transfer after PGD...(probably the worst fear)
and all of this before even worrying whether pregnancy will happen!
I won't bore you all with any more of this! But thanks for reading if you've made it through my list.

But seriously...other than trying to stay positive
any other thoughts from those who have gone through IVF already?
It's great to see so many January buddies out there!

[chas]

I can totally understand where you are coming from..I felt the same way....but everything w/come together you wait and see....Good luck and I will be that everything goes your way....

Chas

[tulip23]

I guess everyone approaches IVF with similar fears and you are perfectly fine with these fears in your find.The fact is there can be failures in ttc whether its IVF or natural.Not every natural ttc ends in a pregnancy and the same goes with IVF.BUt dear,you dont take an examination to fail..you take it because you know you can make it through.Its the same here.We are all trying because we have hopes that this may work.So please go in for your IVF with hope ,faith and positivie thoughts.There will be several stressful moments all thro this cycle,learn to deal with it..may be by watching movies,reading a book,shopping,just keep urself busy so that ur thoughts are diverted to other less stressful things(*****ing with ur frnds could b another wonderful way of unwinding ).Try relaxing as much as u can because stress is not good when trying to concieve.And last but not the least ,we r all here to support u ..feel free to talk 2 us.All the best!!!!!

[Savoie]

I like that: we need a T-shirt made with the 10 ten fears about IVF.

The fears are normal. It is hard but worth it.

[Marysa]

I am right there with ya, all your fears are my fears, except I had to cancel once due to having 60 follies(ooopsies, I am an over achiever ) but anyway I start stims tommorrow with ER on Jan17, they lowered my meds a little,but I am very excited minus the Lupron headaches You will be in my prayers that the Lord will sterngthen our Faith and we will not worry-Marysa

[dndtaylor]

I know what you mean about the fears, trust me, I'm going through the same thought process myself. I too will be doing my 1st IVF this month and I'm scared to death. It will all work out, I just need to take it one day at a time and it should be fine. Like others mentioned; I plan to relax, enjoy me time and stay busy. Throughout my long IF journey I've kept a journal / scrapbook of my expierences, I plan to write a lot during IVF, I'd like my baby to know what we went through to get our BFP! Hope this is our time to shine ....

[ruckus]

MRW- have you tried accupuncture for MC? A friend of mine did IUI 3 times and had 3 MC Western med told her they could not stop it so she went to an Accup/Herbalist. She delivered a healthy baby 2 weeks ago. She totally credits accup and the yukky herbal tea she had to drink to why she kept the baby. I know 2 other women who have had sucess with the same accup. I have been going to her for 2.5 months now in preparation.

I started my first IVF almost a week ago. I was nervous. But have really reeled in my fears mostly becasuse everyone inc. the same accup. have said the MOST IMPORTANT thing you need to do is be calm, she said the meds react to anxiety and well as your body.

You will adjust to each stage. Be REALLY GOOD to yourself.
I am totally being self indulgent.


me- 41 yo
Hubby- bad sperm, low morphology and quantity
1st IVF

[Gertzy79]

MRW- Good Luck on your IVF endeavors. With IVF you'll learn that it is one crazy roller coaster ride, there are many hurdles you must pass to get to the next step. I understand your fear of failures and anyone who goes through this process is lying if they said they weren't scared. Just ask a lot of questions and take it one day at a time. You will get your little miracle.

[mrw]

THanks for your suggestion Ruckus:
I did Acupuncture and herbs early on before I ever got pg--it's not really relevant here b/c in my last pg I did not miscarry, I had to terminate a viable pregnancy at 12 weeks because the baby had trisomy 13, (three copies of chromosome 13) very very bad prognosis, many don't survive to term and most don't survive to go home from the hospital. This, although horrible and upsetting, proved to everyone that my mcs are almost certainly just random chromosomal error that occurs at fertilization, which is usually age-related (I'm 38) and it was just a matter of getting a good egg since I know I can support a pregnancy, and conception works ok too (I've been pg three times in the last year for heaven's sake, this is getting ridiculous!!!) I'm doing IVF because of the PGD: pre-implantation genetic diagnosis--to try to avoid more chromosomal problems.

But yes, I'm planning some major self indulgence for the next month--have set up my work so nothing massive is due immediately, backing off on committments, enjoying myself as much as possible.

Originally Posted by ruckus

MRW- have you tried accupuncture for MC? A friend of mine did IUI 3 times and had 3 MC Western med told her they could not stop it so she went to an Accup/Herbalist. She delivered a healthy baby 2 weeks ago. She totally credits accup and the yukky herbal tea she had to drink to why she kept the baby. I know 2 other women who have had sucess with the same accup. I have been going to her for 2.5 months now in preparation.

I started my first IVF almost a week ago. I was nervous. But have really reeled in my fears mostly becasuse everyone inc. the same accup. have said the MOST IMPORTANT thing you need to do is be calm, she said the meds react to anxiety and well as your body.

You will adjust to each stage. Be REALLY GOOD to yourself.
I am totally being self indulgent.


me- 41 yo
Hubby- bad sperm, low morphology and quantity
1st IVF

[jenedens6102]

Best advice I have for you is to let things happen as they happen. When you try and take on too much of the control you will without a doubt drive yourself crazy. I worried so much about over/under stimulating and had a major breakdown during one of my early blood draws (I think my first after starting stims) because it was lower then they wanted. I thought for sure I was done and man did I cry like a baby. They came back telling me to increase my stims and wouldn't you know it everything balanced right back out?! Trust the professionals to do their job and try and relax as much as possible (easier said then done I know). We've got great stats on IVF with PGD on this site and we are looking forward to adding your name to the bunch.

[mrw]

Thanks everyone for the amazing words of comfort and support. It makes it easier going through this with everyone rooting for you.
And Jen, that's great advice! The control thing is hard b/c I am a physician and a geneticist--I know WAY too much for my own good. I'm going to sit back and try to be a good patient now!

[Nuti-Lady]

We were on day 12 of Bureselin injections when I had to have urgent sugery to remove another 11cm endometioma. Whilst we never got as far as Gonal F injections etc I am happy to share our experience ...

For me the journey was helped a lot by DH doing the injections for me. I cant say he enjoyed doing this, but I felt hugely supported and he felt like he was playing a bigger part in the IVF process.

The second thing that was important to us was to ignore people saying "IVF is the most stressful thing a couple can do .. " We believe that no two experiences of IVF are the same, so it is important for us to focus our journey in a prayerful and positive way.

... of course, it seems the support on this site will also be a blessing to us all

[vbaby]

MRW, I am in exactly the same boat as you are with similar baffling MC's and similar plan for action for the future. Thanks for posting this, it was helpful to me too!

[choller]

Hang in there ladies....

My sister had no trouble conceiving but suffered 5 miscarriages before finally producing my nephew....she had another before having my niece. 6 miscarriages total....she always says as difficult as it was, she would do it again to have her two beautiful kids.

Good luck, I wish you the best,

[mrw]

Vbaby:
I'm glad my story is helpful to someone! It's nice if there's some good outcome from experiencing and telling. I actually found it comforting when my "case" was presented at OB GYN grand rounds where I work, for education. Made me feel useful, rather than just miserable.
Do you know when you will be going to ivf/pgd? Waiting for the mc then skipping one cycle?
I'm on day 4 of my first IVF cycle now, hoping for just a few passing embryos. There are very few of us doing PGD out there so it's great to connect. Please feel free to write if you want.
Melodie

Originally Posted by vbaby

MRW, I am in exactly the same boat as you are with similar baffling MC's and similar plan for action for the future. Thanks for posting this, it was helpful to me too!