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The forum has a new look and the Fairfax Team is so excited to create the best experience for our users.
To Note:
Private Donor Groups and Private Sibling Connection Groups are now located under the category "Groups". Search the donor number in the search box and you should find exactly what you're looking for!
Questions about your forum access? Email forum@fairfaxcryobank.com
Follow these steps to join a private donor group:
1) Press "Join" at the right of the group
2) Once prompted to confirm your request please list this information so we can verify your information:
Name (under which the vial was purchased)
Clinic Name
Donor number
Child Date of Birth
*If you are looking to start a private group for a PRS donor please email forum@fairfaxcryobank.com with the above information and that you are looking for a PRS group*
If you have any questions about the verification process please email forum@fairfaxcryobank.com
Prep for first IVF
Hey Ladies,
I'm looking for some information that I'm hoping you experts
can provide. I know each person's situation is different, but i'm just looking for general information. I'm planning to move on to IVF the end of September/beginning of Oct. I'll be flying to New York for it, since their prices there are about a third of what they are here in Arizona. What i'm looking to find out is what is the general plan? I know that's pretty generic so let me clarify, I am a huge planner so i'm trying to get an idea of what to prepare for on timing. When do cycles start on IVF, I've done 5 IUI's (all failed) and they generally start meds on day 3, ultrasound on day 12 or 14 depending on meds and then IUI shortly after. I understand that with IVF you have to take a lot more meds (and different ones) so i'm curious when the drugs and the monitoring starts. I'm basically curious if i need to be in New York at the very beginning or if I can fly up a few days in or what to expect. Are the cycles (medication and monitoring) generally a couple weeks or does it last longer before the retrieval and transfer?
Sorry for the rambling, I hope this makes sense.
I have a phone consult with the New York doctor end of next week, so I'm sure i'll get more information then, but I'm impatient and want to get a general idea before then if possible.
Thanks everyone!!
I'm looking for some information that I'm hoping you experts
can provide. I know each person's situation is different, but i'm just looking for general information. I'm planning to move on to IVF the end of September/beginning of Oct. I'll be flying to New York for it, since their prices there are about a third of what they are here in Arizona. What i'm looking to find out is what is the general plan? I know that's pretty generic so let me clarify, I am a huge planner so i'm trying to get an idea of what to prepare for on timing. When do cycles start on IVF, I've done 5 IUI's (all failed) and they generally start meds on day 3, ultrasound on day 12 or 14 depending on meds and then IUI shortly after. I understand that with IVF you have to take a lot more meds (and different ones) so i'm curious when the drugs and the monitoring starts. I'm basically curious if i need to be in New York at the very beginning or if I can fly up a few days in or what to expect. Are the cycles (medication and monitoring) generally a couple weeks or does it last longer before the retrieval and transfer?Sorry for the rambling, I hope this makes sense.
I have a phone consult with the New York doctor end of next week, so I'm sure i'll get more information then, but I'm impatient and want to get a general idea before then if possible.
Thanks everyone!!
Comments
Start birth control pills approx 21 days
**Baseline bloodwork/us (hopefully no cysts)
Wait for AF to show up (about 3 days after last BCP)
Start injections around cycle day 8 (Menopur and Gonal F)
**Bloodwork day 10 or 11
Continue Meds based on results (may increase/decrease)
**Bloodwork/US day 13 or 14
Continue Meds
*Bloodwork/US day 16
Follies hopefully are >10mm
Start Ganirelex shot in addition to prior shots
Now there were daily blood draws and U/S (I had about 3 or 4 days in a row!!) until multiple follies are mature
Trigger shot
Then egg retrieval 2 days after trigger
Then depending on embryo, it could be three or five days later for the transfer.
My days may be slightly off but on average IVF prep time is usually atleast 1 month after BCP's are finished.
Not to be smart but you will need quite a bit of frequent flyer miles to pull this off. Anything is possible huh??
The main question I would ask the doctor is how often you will need to be available for bloodwork/ultrasound just prior to retrieval. I would be cautious about minimal monitoring because you cannot assume your body will respond to the meds in a typical fashion, everyone responds differently.
Feel free to PM me with specific questions. Good luck!!
I agree with Moe, I totally wished i'd moved on to IVF after IUI #3 (I ended up doing 6 IUIs) but I'm here now so I'll keep moving forward! Anyway you just might get the feeling that the IVF cycle OWNS you with all the appointments and shots and emotional breakdowns but just keep focusing on the reward and coming to these boards to read/post when you feel a meltdown coming on! Here was my schedule:
BCPs for 2 weeks (this was to align my cycle with the clinic's IVF cycle; they do one cycle per month & all patients are on the same cycle)
CD 3 - baseline U/S and bloodwork; all ok so started Follistim & Menopur shots PLUS 100mg clomid (clomid for 5 days only & thank goodness because I was ready to kill after the insomnia and when I did get sleep I had crazy dreams!)
CD 6 - bloodwork to check my levels
CD 10 - U/S & bloodwork to check follie development & hormone levels
CD 12 - repeat of CD 10 (begin Ganirelix shots in addition to Follistim & Menopur shots)
CD 13 - Blood work; trigger shot
CD 14 - pre-op appt for E/R, bloodwork & U/S (felt like I was carrying a litter of puppies by then & told the doc we were no longer friends!)
CD 15 - E/R; retrieved 11; 9 were mature; 3 fertilized but only one made it to 5 day blast
Froze one blast and doc gave me time to decide whether I wanted to stim again for more eggs or just transfer the one; I went with the one and it did not work so going to try again in August
What I would ask the doc is if they do 3 day transfers or if they recommend freezing and then doing FET. My clinic only does 5 day transfers in most patients and likes to freeze 5 day blasts on patients over 35 as they have a better success rate doing FET rather than fresh transfers. It's a lot to soak in so feel free to send me a PM if you need to know more
Moe, you're funny about frequent flyer miles, i can't imagine flying back and forth so much (especially that distance) for this! Fortunately, with my job I can either work remotely for a period of time from New York, or I have enough vacation, I'll just take the time off, or do a little of both. I guess it will just depend on what my protocol ends up being. I'm kind of looking at this as positively as I can and will be a vacation time to get a way and only focus on this and relax and sightsee, etc (if I take vacation anyway).
For me, because the doctor here in AZ doesn't have the same "package" deal as the New York doctor, I would have to pay for each ultrasound and lab check here. If i just head to New York and just do everything there then it's one flat rate for monitoring for self pay patients. So for me, that would be the most ideal.
You both are right about wishing i had moved on to IVF after #3 (Moe warned me
Latebloomer, from what i can tell of the discussion forums on this other doctor site, they do 3 or 5 day transfers depending on the progress of the embryo, so I think its case by case with them, but that will be one of the questions that I ask when I have my phone consult with them next week.
Another question for both of you, does everyone going through IVF need to go on BCP pills? I'm just curious, because I've always been like clockwork and I thought the BCP were to "restart" your body when you were irregular. Is that not always the case? If you are regular and like clockwork, what is the point of the BCPs?
Again, thank you both for the information, it's a great help and really does help ease some of this anxiety trying to plan everything. I'm really just trying to go with the flow (what will be will be), but obviously there is still a great deal of planning that goes with all of this and the more i'm aware the more at ease I can be.
Moe, Congrats again on your success and I wish you a healthy pregnancy!! Latebloomer, good luck on your next round, I'll be following you the following month it looks like
I'm also like clockwork but yes, I went on BCPs too. It helps them know exactly the timing of your body. Of course, my body decided not to cooperate this time and I didn't get my period for a full 6 days after going off BCPs so now I likely won't be able to do a fresh transfer
But yes, you will need to be available for monitoring every 2-3 days after you go off the BCPs. Be prepped for lots of needles and blood tests.
As far as my cycle goes, I could set my watch to it and I always knew when I ovulated. BUT in order to take control of your cycle so that things could be planned they put me on low dose BCP's for both my fresh IVF and then later the FET (frozen embryo transfer). I think I was instructed to take them within a certain timeframe after AF started and then once you finish the prescribed number of BCP's then AF should show up within a few days.....Thats when the stimulation part of your cycle begins, injections, multiple office visits, etc. I can say that aside from the bloating and eating like crazy the side effects were waaaay better then Clomid :-)
Sine let us know how the phone consultation goes and good luck!!!
Thanks again for all the information and I'll keep you posted on the consult this Friday!
I've started to line up hotel, car rental, flights and all of that for the festivities, lol. Thank goodness my mom is coming with me!! I'm getting more excited than scared now too. With all the failed IUI's i just lost so much confidence.
I want to thank all of you ladies for your postings. I know it benefits you to vent and share, but it also helps to read what you're going through and know that what I'm experiencing or feeling or going through is not a first. And most importantly, that you are succeeding in getting your dreams. Thanks for that.