First cycle of ivf

[Kpeskett17]

Hi me and my husband our due to start our first cycle of ivf in the next few months and I’m very unsure of what to expect. We’ve got our information appointment on the 5th January to sign paperwork etc and I suppose we will find out when and where we go from here, any advice on what to expect would be highly grateful x

[Gingergirl17]

Hi Kpeskett17,

Our first one we signed a load of paperwork, and it happened to be my day 1 so they done a scan, done a rough count of follicles and then advised us what protocol I would be on (which is the long one) then the following week had our drug lesson which was a bit dornting but it was all fine.

I am on day 7 of my first down regulation so I have nearly the whole journey to go

good luck with everything xx

[Kpeskett17 in reply to Gingergirl17]

Thank you for your reply, we’ve already been told we will be on the long one I’m not sure it’s the strandard one or not. Only found out at the end of November that we would be starting ivf due to only having one ovary as the other was removed due to having a cyst and also a low egg count.

Are you experiencing any side effect from the down regulation?

Hope everything goes well for you xx

[Lilli79]

Hi Kpeskett17 we're on second icsi cycle. After you attend the info appointment, you would normally attend a planning appointment (on our first icsi I had to call when I got my period, but didn't do that on this round)- usually with a nurse where they will give you a schedule of what will happen and when. They'll detail all the meds and when to take them. Your meds should arrive soon after but you'll have to call the meds company to arrange a delivery date. They should all arrive at the same time. You'll down regulate (basically slow/stop your cycle) for a few weeks with a nasal spray or injections, then take a different drug to stimulate the cycle to get everything going. During the down regging you'll have a period (induced or not, depends on the clinic). It'll all happen quite quick after this. You'll have a few monitoring scans to check both follicles and cervix lining. All going well you'll have final scans, egg collection and embryo transfer all in the space of about 2 weeks. If you're unsure of how to take meds or anything, try looking on YouTube - the nurses will normally give you instructions before you start taking any meds anyway. That's a general overview and some clinics do things slightly differently so don't take it as gospel. Hope it all goes well for you - it's ok to be a little excited!! 😄xx

[Kpeskett17 in reply to Lilli79]

Lilli79 thank you so much for your reply and all your useful information, you’ve done made it a lot clearer for myself and my husband. You read so much online and it’s hard to know what to believe or not. I’ve read some right horror stories and it kind of scared me if I’m honest but after reading your reply it’s made me a lot less nervous.

I’m kind of excited but trying not to get my hopes up to much. Hope everything goes well for you ☺️ xx

[Lilli79 in reply to Kpeskett17]

Not a bother, it can all seem quite daunting and the clinics do it so often I think they forget that people are nervous and probably a little scared so don't explain things at all. I have never been in hospital so I really didn't know what to expect during egg collection, but it was fine. I was sedated and I also read loads of horror stories but it was really fine, just felt like waking up from an amazing sleep!! As far as I'm aware the down regulating is the main side effect bit I think because you do it for a while. I haven't have any side effects at all this time, last time I just had irritated sinuses from the sprays (I'm injecting this time which I much prefer). I've never had problem periods, pmt etc so I think this means less side effects because of more balanced hormones. It's good to ask questions on here, you'll be able to gauge what is normal & when/if you need to call your clinic for advice. Good luck with yours xx