OHSS - frozen embryos

[nickiulloa]

I was told on my 2nd scan on Wednesday that my oestrogen levels were through the roof. I had around 30 follicles and they were around 22 to 16 in size. I was originally pleased but then they told me that it would be too dangerous to go ahead with the implant and that it would be freeze all on egg collection. I was super upset as it’s another delay and I wanted to have some clarity about where I stood by the new year.

Our egg collection was yesterday they managed to get 23 eggs and today we got a call to say 16 had fertilised- which i know is good, but it just feels a bit like it’s all for nothing.

Does anyone have any experience of having to use frozen eggs? Does it reduce the chance of pregnancy?

I have to call them back when my next period comes to see if they will use these embryos or start again. I really don’t feel like I can go through this part again, it really knocked me about- I don’t know whether it was because I was over stimulated and so in more pain but it was harder than I expected- especially the egg collection, more painful than I thought.

Also I’m at risk of developing sever OHSS now so I’m worried about that. I’m sure I’ll be fine and Sorry if this post is a bit negative, I’m normally super positive, it’s just all knocked me a bit.

[Lolepops]

I know it seems like a long wait but from what I have heard ohss is horrendous . On my first go in June I had over 40 follicles . They ended up cancelling the cycle and I was devastated, they wouldn’t even do egg collection . Try to think positive . You have a fantastic number of eggs there that have fertilised and if they did implant this cycle it may not work if you develop ohss . I have heard so many success stories with frozen embryos . If fact I have read somewhere it can have more success . Try not to be too stressed and think about when they will implant and how much more your body will be recovered and ready xxx

[nickiulloa in reply to Lolepops]

Ah thank you so much. I know your right it just helps to have someone else say it to you. Yeah I already have mild OHSS and so I appreciate that it was too dangerous to go ahead. I’m a little annoyed as I felt that they had over medicated me considering my PCOS. Oh well what will be will be. Thank you again Lolepops

[sanchia46]

If they took 23 eggs sounds to me like over stimulation. There is also research that shows that FET can be more successful than fresh so take heart.

[nickiulloa in reply to sanchia46]

Oh really, that’s great. Thank you for replying xx

[Squeak2]

Hi Nickiulloa! A friend of mine had OHSS and also had to wait for a FET. That friend is now a proud mummy of a nearly one year old!! She had stressed about it at the time but soon realised she had been feeling a bit unlike herself! Good luck xx

[nickiulloa in reply to Squeak2]

Hi Squeak2, this is a lovely read! Thank you so much. I’ve just been reading these to my husband and it’s really helped us to ramp up the positivity xx

[MrsB_2013]

Hi, hopefully I can help to reassure you a little bit with my story... I was overstimulated in the summer (had 28 eggs collected) and had to have a freeze all cycle as a result... Of the 28 eggs, 22 were mature and 17 fertilized. They froze 5 good embryos on day 2 (all 4 cells at that point) and then grew the remaining 12 on to day 5... 4 of them got to blastocyst but they weren't good enough quality to freeze so we'd gone from 28 eggs to just 5 embryos in the freezer...

Fast forward a couple of months and we started out frozen transfer cycle... my body had had time to calm down and get back to "normal" and my head was in a slightly better place. My body responded as it should to the drugs and once my lining was thick enough they thawed all 5 of our embryos with the intention of growing on to blastocyst. 3 of them got to blastocyst and we had 2 transferred back (both grade C) on 9th November.

We got our BFP on 22nd November!!

So, what I think I am trying to say is please don't give up hope... my experience was a total rollercoaster but we got there in the end!

For now, take the time to look after yourself... drink plenty of water and rest lots, OHSS made me feel pretty rotten for a week then it eased, hopefully you'll feel better soon. Feel free to pm me if you think I might be able to help.

Clare x

[nickiulloa in reply to MrsB_2013]

Oh claire, this is great news, thank you so much for taking the time to reply. This has helped to bring some more positivity to the situation plus is its helpful to also understand what happens next as we haven’t really had things explained that well, it’s a bit like your moving forward with your eyes shut. We will find out today how many they freeze. So fingers crossed. I am so looking forward to getting my body back and getting back into my trousers, I can already feel a massive difference emotionally too. Thank you again and I wish you all the love and luck moving forward- ps) I may just pm moving forward if anything else comes up 🙏🏽

[Hidden]

I don’t know much about OHSS but do know that there is a lot of evidence that FET is actually more successful than fresh. So much so that the NHS are doing a clinical trial on it and going forward the FET may be the standard way of transferring. Hopefully that reassures you a little and you can focus on getting better from your OHSS for now. All the very best. Xx

[Kelc86]

I remember the disappointment at having to wait another 3 months after ec as my bloods showed I was at high risk of OHSS. I cried the second they told me after I'd come round from the sedation! It felt like such a setback after waiting almost 5 years ttc.

They collected 19 eggs, 15 were mature and 10 fertilised successfully. They thawed 2 and selected the best one for transfer. That little frozen embryo is now a 9 day old baby girl who is asleep next to me! I know how frustrating it is to have to wait even longer but I feel like it actually helped the treatment to work as it gave my body time to recover and I felt much better by the time it came to transfer. Oh I should say it was our first transfer too, so we were very lucky that it worked first time. I hope yours is as successful too. Best of luck x

[nickiulloa in reply to Kelc86]

Thank you, this is giving us so much more hope. Now I’m off the drugs and my hormones are getting back to normal I am able to process information better anyway but posts like this help so much. I am so happy for you, a beautiful baby girl! Wow! Congratulations and well done ❤️🙏🏽