IVF Support Group

I'm a new member of Minti and this support group, so I thought this would be a good time to introduce myself.

I am a 36-year-old mother of a six-year-old son, the result of an FET. I have PCOS, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and hypothyroidism, so not only was getting pregnant difficult, but I had a high-risk pregnancy as well. Of course, that wasn't just because of my health problems but because of what happened in previous IVF attempts.

Our first attempt, after Clomid, low-dose FSH injections and ovarian drilling had failed, was in October 2000. Amazingly, I fell pregnant (and had 2 embryos stored for the future) and couldn't believe my luck. Everything seemed to be going well until I got to 19 weeks in February 2001, when I went into labour. I had no idea what was going on, and I was alone as my husband was in Singapore on business. I rang my clinic and they told me to go straight there. I drove myself - yes, while in labour, remember, I didn't know that's what it was - and they examined and scanned me. They didn't tell me what was going on, but sent me in a taxi to hospital. I gave birth to my baby son in the emergency room and he died in my arms about 15 minutes later. It was later determined that he was healthy and normal, and the problem was that I have an incompetent cervix.

We were forced to wait 4 months before trying again. Our second attempt failed. Our third attempt was cancelled due to poor response to the drugs - only 2 follicles were growing. They wanted to cancel the fourth attempt as well as this time only 1 follicle was growing. I managed to convince them to give me more drugs and we "sacrificed" that follicle to see what else would develop. That worked out really well, as they ended up having 19 follicles to harvest from, and got 15 eggs from those.

We had 12 good embryos, so they recommended that we freeze 4 and keep 8 to see if we get a blastocyst to transfer. That worked, with 7 embryos dying, but 1 did make it to blastocyst and was transferred. My HCG levels were rising, but very slowly, and it was discovered when I was about 9 weeks pregnant that I had an ectopic pregnancy, and had to lose my left fallopian tube.

Surprisingly, they didn't make me wait very long, and I had my first FET in February 2002. This used the two embryos left over from our first attempt, and failed.

I had my next FET in April 2002 and was given the wonderful news that I was pregnant again in May. The HCG levels looked a little dodgy at first, so I was given extra hormonal support. At 13 weeks, I had a cervical stitch put in to prevent another miscarriage, and was given steroid injections at 24 weeks in case I went into labour early - to help the baby's lungs develop quickly.

In spite of the stitch and all the restrictions on my lifestyle, I went into labour at 36 weeks. I think the baby must have heard the doctor say "Thank God you've made it this far. Now it doesn't matter if you go into labour early." It was that very night that my waters broke! Not that I realised straight away as it was sort of a slow trickle, but by the next morning, there was no doubt. It was decided way back in 1999 that I would need a caesarean delivery (andro-pelvis, thanks to the PCOS), so my son, Michael, was born by caesarean. He will be 6 next month.

We had hoped to have a second child, and waited until Michael started kindy so I could live the restricted lifestyle I'd need to if I managed to get pregnant again. After being messed around by doctors, I was finally able to have an FET with our last 2 embryos around the middle of last year. It failed, and I had to have another fresh collection. As I expected, I got ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome - which I'd had with all my previous collections - but I found it more painful than ever before, and I felt really really sick. So we decided that we would only keep trying until we ran out of embryos.

That transfer failed as well. So it was back to FETs. Now we were using only 1 embryo at a time as it was considered to risky to let me possibly fall pregnant with twins. We needn't have worried. In May/June of this year, I had our last embryo transferred - unexpectedly the last, since the first embryo they'd thawed for that attempt had died, so it was the very last one that got transferred.

Once again, the transfer failed, and we agreed that it was the right decision to move on with our lives and "our little family" as Michael likes to call it.

So now I'm looking for a part-time job that I can do while Michael is at school.

I joined this group in the hope that I could offer support and encouragement to those of you going through treatment. I probably won't know much about newer forms of treatment, but I certainly understand the emotional rollercoaster.

Good luck to you all!

Gilli

FYI, FET on Monday...fingers crossed.

As happy as I am for all of the pregnant mums and those who have just had or are getting ready to have their babies, I am terribly jealous.  That should be me!!!  It is over a year ago that we started trying to get pregnant again.  I should have a baby now. 

I would never say anything negative towards anyone.  I have kept these thoughts to myself, but with the influx in labour and newborns, it is getting to me...

I just want to be pregnant.  I want another baby. 

Another failure.  Very discouraging.  No pregnancy hormone at all meaning it didn't take.  This must be the 4th or 5th in the past year that has resulted like this.  Next step may be genetic testing of the embryos prior to implant to ensure there isn't something inherently wrong that would make it a nonviable embryo. 

And, hubby is tiring of the game.  And I am not.  Not sure where we will go from here.  3 in storage so wishing for success there.

For thoses going through the process or thinking about starting, just keep in there.  It can be a long slow process for some  ( took one of my co-workers 8 attempts before a successful cycle )- with all kinds of things going wrong, and for others its like a walk in the park.  I spent 10 years wondering what was wrong with me prior to IVF.  I was put on hormone tablets, underwent surgical procedures to find out why I wasn't falling pregnant, and in the end I  started to get a little depressed as my family members and friends were all falling pregnant around me.  I never thought I would have to use IVF but I was really ready to become a mother.  Just the lead up to getting the eggs ready for fertilisation was a long process with on-going ultrasounds.  I did have a cyst at one stage but it seemed to dissappear without any treatment.  But at the end of it all, after all the hard work, I fell pregnant on my first cycle.  I didn't want to say anything to anyone as I'd had co-workers who had miscarried early in their pregnancies after having IVF, so I waited at least 12 weeks before celebrating.  Since then I have had a further success with another IVF baby.  I would like a third child at some stage, but these two keep me on my feet. 

My brother ( a GP), recently gave my details to a patient of his who is about to undergo/start IVF.  She, like most others, feels really low - her co-workers have given her negative thoughts about doing IVF with comments like " why would someone go and do something unnatural like that" etc......  Well... for some of us, it is one of the only ways for us to start that family we have always wanted.  You don't need people making the experience negative for you. 

I do wish you guys starting or currently trying, all the  luck in the world with it all.  It is worth it for the little bundle of joy at the end.  Feel free to message me if you want to talk about any thing.

Melissa

Well, my period has finally come and we are set to start another IVF cycle.  Wish me luck!

 Hello.  Today is not a good day for me.  Let me start from the beginning..... I am Jordyn's mommy.  She was my daughter.  I lost her to an AVM in Feb 2004 at the age of 7.  She was my only child.  I met my husband a few months after her death ( I know she sent him to me).  We tried to get pregnant 6 months after we married (He was on leave from Iraq).  After months and months of NOTHING, we seeked help.   I only have 1 ovary but a great ovarian reserve according to my doc.  We did 3 IUI inseminations.  I was pregnant in Dec 07, but misscarried.  We decided to try IVF.  The first month they cancelled my cycle due to an ovarian cyst.  The 2nd month the cyst was gone but they cancelled my cycle because my doc was going to be on vacation.  The 3rd month they cancelled my cycle because I had 5 cysts on my ovary--one being 34mm.  They started me on desogen and the cysts dissolved.  We started Lupron injections and this past Sunday we started Gonal-F 150 units bid.  I am now day 7 and was at the doc yesterday morning.  Scan showed 6 follicles but my E2 level is only 103.  Tonight they will add a 4th injection of luveris to see if I stimulate better.  I go back to the doc on Sunday.  If my levels don't rise then we will AGAIN cancel my cycle.  I'm just so frustrated!!  After the the heartache of losing my daughter and then the miscarriage and now all of this...... Does anyone have any encouraging words or similar experiences?  I could use a pick-me-up. 

Thanks for listening.

Had my scan today and it looked ok.  Bloods though indicate that the cyst that they found on my first scan although collapsing, is sucking up all my estrogen and producing progesterone...therefore, we had to cancel my cycle this month.  And if that isn't bad enough, I have to go onto birth control pills after my next cycle.  It apparently helps to prevent the development of any more cysts.

I am really sad.  I just feel like it has been one hurdle after another and it is so discouraging.

And to make matters worse, Dean is away with work so I am here alone.  It really sucks.

So far so good.  Started the drugs almost a week ago.  Bloods show estrogen level rising as they should.  Scan and bloods tomorrow so I will know more tomorrow afternoon.  OPU will likely happen some time next week.  Implant then 5 days later.  They go to blastocyst stage at this clinic.  Hoping the small differences make all the difference for us.

Well, it is that time again...fingers crossed.