Dazed, confused & excited - any advice?

[Mrsp1977]

Following a 12 wk miscarriage, medical management and then surgery - two years of trying we’ve been given the go ahead for Assisted conception ... Yay!!

After a two year wait i’m exited that we now have a plan, although must admit quite terrified. All checks carried out on Tuesday and ICSI is the way forward - drugs being delivered next week and due to start following week.

I’m reading lots of forums but would like to hear first hand from anyone who has and advice or tips on the following:

Diet - anything i should or shouldn’t do

Exercise - currently quite active and enjoy classes and running

Books - anything you recommend i read

Side effects - what to expect when starting injections

Any help or advice would really be appreciated

Thanks x

[Franco81]

Hi Mrsp.

First of all I just wanted to say Im so sorry to hear of your loss and wanted to wish you the best of luck with your first cycle. It’s such a mixture of excitement and nerves isn’t it but I hope you’ll find it reassuring that I personally didn’t find it anywhere near as bad as I’d expected.

There are lots of tips about diet but I’ve come to my own conclusion that if you continue to eat relatively healthily, cut caffeine and alcohol to a minimum and try to include lots of protein then that’s the best way. But there are so many fertility diet tips out there I just got a bit confused in the end to be honest!

I continued my normal exercise routine until stimming as I was told the ovaries stretch to much bigger then than they ever would normally so there’s a risk of twisting or tearing if you do anything too intense but I’d say your body will guide you to an extent so whatever you feel comfortable with really.

I read a great book called ‘Get a Life, a His and Hers survival guide to IVF’ which I thoroughly recommend and found very easy to read for both me and my husband. It goes through the entire process from both points of view and is written in quite a light hearted way (if there is such a thing with infertility).

Oh and it seems everyone has slightly different reactions to the meds, some get slightly dizzy or nauseous but personally I was very pleasantly surprised by how little symptoms I had! I had the occasional hot flush and was extra thirsty but apart from that I was pretty calm, maybe because I find going through the actual treatment gives me a positive focus so I feel better about everything then.

You’re in the right place for support here and any questions you have along the way there will be lots of lovely people here to give you advice.

Good luck and I hope it all goes smoothly for you

Sarah xx

[Mrsp1977 in reply to Franco81]

Thanks Sarah that’s really helpful. I think once i start treatment i’ll have a focus 😊

[Mrsp1977 in reply to Mrsp1977]

Also ordered book thanks

[Hidden]

Hi!

Sorry to hear you had such a long road to get here - but good news that you are going to start IVF soon!

I am in the TWW of my first cycle so can only share a little bit about my experience so far.

It has not been as bad as I expected at all....the side effects from the drugs were not as bad for me as some women experience. I think they actually under-stimulated me so maybe that is why, but in any case I didn't experience any dramatic or unbearable side effects.

I did an endometrial scratch procedure day 21 at the end of the cycle before the IVF cycle. This was with a private clinic - and was only painful for about 2 seconds and then ok. It is unproven, but some people say it aids implantation and is fairly reasonable so I went ahead and got it.

The Egg Collection was not painful for me either - I had slow developing follicles, but ended up with 2 blastocysts one fresh to transfer and 1 for the freezer so was not the worst result with a slow start to the cycle.

Egg transfer I found emotionally draining - but an easy process and not painful. I am at the tww stage now.....which is the hardest part - waiting. But.....it is only 2 weeks!

But overall not as bad as I thought! I was just so delighted to be doing something proactive after getting the unexplained diagnosis.

That is just my experience so far - wanted to share in case it helped.

xxx

[Mrsp1977 in reply to Hidden]

Did you take time off work after transfer?

[Hidden in reply to Mrsp1977]

Hey there,

Well I got made redundant a few months before I started IVF. So was a bit stressful - but kind of good timing. As I was then free to do all my initial tests and appointments without worry and rearranging anything.

I felt a bit emotional after the transfer - but didn't feel any pain or anything. I read that it is good to take it easy for a few days - not sure how beneficial that actually is.

I think if I overdid it after transfer and the ET didn't work - then I would have been regretting it. It is a crucial time as the embryo is trying to implant.

It is possible though if you prefer to go back to work.

Hope this helps.

x