Our next step will be IVF after 3 failed rounds of IUI. We have an appointment at the hospital 24th May.
The hospital can give us all the information but it not the same as from someone who's been through it themselves. So just wondered if there anything you wish you knew before starting IVF? x
Hi,
I just wanted to send a quick comment and say good luck for your first cycle. I've recently just finished one and it really isn't that bad! The injections sometimes sting but you know it is all for a purpose. People warned me about how stressful it can be but I really didn't find that with mine. I think everyone's cycles are different so just take each day as it comes. I hope everything goes smoothly for you x x
I think my husband would say he wished he had known more about hormones... but having done IUI I think you are probably up with that by now x
Yes he's used to my crazy moments from IUI & I was a nightmare when on clomid!
Hi theblondeone, the one thing we wish we had known is how long everything took from seeing gp to egg transfer was 2 years on NHS. Not everyone is the same but we naively thought the whole process would be done in 6 to 12 months. For us we had to get re referred to a clinic that did ICSI, then all the tests repeated ect.. At the time it seems to drag but once your treatment starts it seems to have flew over. Hope all goes well & good luck xx 🍀🤞🏻🍀
Fertility treatment definitely takes a lot of patience! We are already with a clinic after waiting to be referred then we've spent almost 2 years with tests, trying different drugs then IUI. So I'm hoping ivf will be started in the next few months fingers crossed! Thank you x
I don't know your age, but I wish I'd really understood how the 2ww is just the first of many - there's the 3ww to the first scan and then another 3-6weeks before screening... Speaking as someone with declining quality eggs I wish there's some way I could've prepared better for the chance of miscarriage and the uncertainty that follows even a positive test (we saw it was faint and from then on for 6 weeks we were basically waiting to miscarry).
I don't want to be completely down so... the positive one is... just how fantastic it is to find a small group of people within one of the fertility communities who you click with - either on this board or I found mine on fertility friends. It might be people at your clinic, who're a similar age or cycling at the same time. One particular group of 5 of us who have all had a miscarriage but are cycling again have kept me sane and made me feel normal (even when my DH was calling me insane because of my highs and lows). BTW, I'm preg again as a result of my 2nd cycle but am currently in that 3ww for the scan - so that might be colouring my comment above 
I'm 34. We've been TTC for 5 years. Originally we were told it was due to me not ovulating every month but I then changed consultants & was told my egg reserve is now low so time is ticking...
Unfortunately we can't afford a 2nd cycle of IVF so it is a lot of pressure & we know the chances of success is low but got to give it try.
I'm sorry for your loss but keeping everything crossed for you this time! Hope your wait doesn't drag to much x
I just wanted to say that I wish I had known about ivf abroad. We forked out around 3k before I even had an egg retrieved! Cycle was cancelled and even though I went to two top quality private clinics I was disappointed with their service. So going from being a poor responder, stimming for 23 days etc to having the treatment abroad for 1950 euros and having 17 mature eggs with 7 being grade A embryos. It was simple and an adventure which was actually a little fun at times. That was mainly because we felt on holiday. It's not for everyone but it may ease financial pressuses on a second go hopefully not required. Lots of luck xx
Hi, sorry to jump in the post, but would you mind messaging me the name of the clinic you used? Looking in to treatment abroad as a back up plan, thanks x
Please can you Let me know where you went? Thank you
Could I also have info of where you had treatment? X
And me also! Xx
Thank you and all the v best for you too x
Hi!
I completed my 1st icsi last month (unfortunately resulting in a bfn)...I'd say the stuff u worry about the most like injections were nothing when it came to it but don't under estimate the physical and emotional side effects of the drugs. Down regging wasn't too bad but stimming made me feel like a zombie (although everyone's different!) By far the worst bit was the waiting...not just the 2ww but the wait to see if the down regging had worked, the wait to see if the stims had worked, the wait for egg collection (the procedure itself is ok - it's the waiting for the results that were a killer) and then the dreaded 2ww...all in all its not the worst thing in the world. When I got my bfn I wanted to go again straight away so it can't have been that bad (u forget the side effects as soon as it's over)...I'm starting down regging for my 1st frozen cycle in 3wks and can't wait!
Good luck xxx
Don't close the lid on your sharps bucket. Once you do you can't open it again! They don't tell you this. It's a little thing but it was so annoying when we did it and didn't know what to do with the rest of our needles. X
Lol I discovered that when I did IUI thought it was just me x
Hi,
Just want to say good luck with your first ivf, I think I wish I'd known how hard the 2ww and all the waiting would be and that I should have been prepared to ask more questions, it seemed to take forever to get treatment started but then it all happened so quickly! the injections weren't so bad, but I was then put in for egg collection early which I can't lie I did find it quite painful after, but everyone is different. I wish I had asked more questions during the scans so I would have been more informed about how many eggs I was likely to get, then maybe I wouldn't have been so disappointed, it might also have made all the waiting for results easier if I'd felt more informed, I think that could just be me though, I like to know as much as I can about it all, but my husband prefers not to know so it's finding the balance in between. Unfortunately our first round failed but we have started an FET cycle with transfer in a few weeks, fingers crossed it works as we only have one frostie, but if not I'd certainly do a fresh cycle again. Just try and prepare yourself emotionally as well as physically and be kind to yourself xx
Thank you. Trying to prepare myself mentally. Think I might write a list of questions to ask. Wishing you lots of luck x
Thank you 😊 x
Using ice to numb the injection spot for a minute before injection was super helpful for me.
Best of luck! X
I wish I knew how important it is to hydrate yourself after egg retrieval ! Lots of milk and eat protein ! Also sorry about the TMI but I was so severely constipated and bloated between egg retrieval and transfer that I was in a lot of pain with cramps ! I told the hospital and they prescribed me lactulose which really helped ! Apparently it's very common I wish I'd know because I would have started taking a little but before hand... the injections are a doddle really didn't hurt that much at all... the egg retrieval I can't remember a thing, I felt nothing at all ! I also wish I'd known about the recommended lining thickness before embryo transfer ! It's 8mm and above ! Mine was 6.9 on the day and I still believe this is the reason our first cycle failed ! I wish I'd asked someone to check it inbetween our egg collection and transfer I could have had a whole 5 days of estrogen to bump it up before transfer ! It's definitely something il be asking next time ! All the best xxxxxxxxxxx
Thanks I can get prepared now & will get them to check my lining. X
Sending you luck for your next try x
Hi there blondeone, I guess having done iui you have had all sorts of symptoms to cope with butI would say have some loosish clothes ready for the weeks around egg collection. Not sure what you do workwise but I ended up buying trousers a size up from my usual and having to chose tops carefully for work in the run up and a bit after as I was self conscious of my Mr Greedy pod around the office 🙄 .
Wishing you good luck! X
I guess i didn’t know how demanding it would be. Medication every day at given times, scans, in my case endo scratch etc etc It felt like a second full time job, and the week after egg collection was tough for me. So try to free up your calendar with less work and less social life to rest as much as you can.once you start it is all very straight forward, but definitely demanding physically and emotionally. This group is a great help throughout the process. Good luck, I am 25 weeks pregnant now from my 1st cycle 💙
Before starting IVF.
What you wish you know before ET
Contraceptive pill before IVF - when does that start?
Starting our IVF journey 
