When did you start progesterone for a natural FET of a 5 day blastocyst?

[Fingerscrossed38]

I'm getting conflicting timelines from my Dr and my nurses.

We've got some 5 day blastocysts frozen and are about to start my first ever natural frozen transfer this cycle.

I'm doing a natural cycle. My Dr said I'll start progesterone pessaries (1x400 cyclogest once nightly) the day after ovulation. Then 3 days later I'd have the transfer. The day after the transfer I'll start 25mg Lubion (progesterone in oil) subcutaneous injection in the morning and 1x400 cyclogest pressure in the evening.

This morning at my day 2 scan the nurse said I would do cyclogest Pessaries 5 days prior to 5 day FET. The Dr had said 3 days...also nurse said intramuscular progesterone in oil but Dr wrote subcutaneous...I'm confused!

What did everyone else do? Remember it's a natural cycle.

[kitscat]

I don’t have any experience of this sorry but I would ring up the clinic and get them to clarify this for you! It sounds very confusing! X

[Gueritarubia]

Confusing! I just had a transfer. Started progesterone pessaries last week Monday morning (three times a day, 2x 100 mg), then got a transfer Friday afternoon. Good luck!

[Hidden]

It's the nurse who is right. For a 5 day blastocyts you need 5 day progesterone. It's to mimic a real cycle. All my 3 transfers were 5 days blastocysts (fresh cycle and 2 FET) and every time I did 5 days of progesterone before the transfer.

My clinic recommends Utrogestan pessaries 200mg 3xday. Good luck!

[Fingerscrossed38 in reply to Hidden]

I'm beginning to think you're right about it being 5 days before transfer that I'll start cyclogest.

I think it's possible to do progesterone in oil Lubion subcutaneously so the nurse may have got that bit wrong...I'll check. Thanks

[Hidden in reply to Fingerscrossed38]

You can do it both ways! Lubion is intended to be a subcutaneous or intramuscular administration!

[Fingerscrossed38 in reply to Hidden]

Ah ok! I've never understood why you'd do intramuscular if you didn't have to...seems far more painful? Not even sure why it's put into oil and not saline surely saline would be easier to inject than thick oil? Anyways it is what it is!

[Hidden in reply to Fingerscrossed38]

I agree with u IM is more painful than subcutaneous but some patients are too thin so you need to do an intramuscular administration. Regarding oil vs. Saline it's all about chemistry and the stability of the drug!

[Fingerscrossed38 in reply to Hidden]

Ahh ok definitely not too thin here! I'll be double checking with my Dr. Thanks

[Lynnr54]

Can’t help with the Lubion but I agree that your pessaries should start 5 days before transfer if you were doing a medicated cycle as this is when you would normally start producing it. However as you’re doing a natural cycle, is it possible your doc wants to use your natural progesterone for days 1 and 2 before supplementing for days 3-5 and then after transfer? If you’re concerned about your progesterone levels then I’d definitely push to use progesterone supplements on all 5 days but worth a conversation with your clinic in case starting it earlier changes the dosage prescribed. Good luck with your cycle!

[Fingerscrossed38 in reply to Lynnr54]

True. I've got naturally low progesterone even with 2x400 cyclogest Pessaries daily my progesterone level was only 54 so I'll be pushing got more and longer. Think that's why he'll put me on Lubion as well as Pessaries eventually...

[Olivia1980xxx in reply to Lynnr54]

Hi lynnr I being random looking for any story’s for natural frozen cycle and I just read your comment.

I had 3 fresh cycles. From my second one I have 26 months old baby girl and one frostie. The 3rd cycle we done this feb a had grade A transferred but didn’t work and we have another 3 frostie ..so now I start my very first natural frozen cycle .

I ask if I need at least a pessaries but they told me no only on medicated one.

I’m so confused and nervous specially that I will have 2 embryos transferred. I just had scan two days ago and so far my lining looking good 7.8 and I had follicle 17mm which indicates that I should ovulate later on 2day.

Please if u have any advice what should I do will be great . Thank u xx

[Fingerscrossed38 in reply to Olivia1980xxx]

Have them test your progesterone level two days after you ovulate naturally. If its low they'll start you on Pessaries before your transfer...Your body should naturally produce progesterone after you ovulate so I'm guessing your Dr thinks you won't need added progesterone. My levels are too low natural at around 28 so in prescribed it. I start my first ever frozen unmedicated cycle in a few weeks so interested to see how you go xx

[Olivia1980xxx in reply to Fingerscrossed38]

Thank u hun. I only had fresh cycles so doing cycle without any drugs feels bit weird ...☺️

I’m keep doing my ovulation test morning and evening so I just hope I’m gonna see that smiling “face”so we can call a clinic for transfer day and they want do one more scan before.

I’m so nervous hun . Thank u for replay XX

[Lynnr54 in reply to Olivia1980xxx]

I agree with fingerscrossed38. Because you’re doing a natural cycle they will be looking to use your natural hormones that you produce meaning that you wouldn’t need any additional progesterone supplements. However if you have low progesterone then that is a reason why the cycle might not work so if you have any indicators that might be the case then I’d push your clinic to test your levels. Good luck with your Frosties. Similar to you I had success with a fresh cycle then went on to use Frosties to try for baby no 2. It took me 3 attempts but we got there so don’t be too disheartened if the first attempt doesn’t work. You’ve done it once so your body knows what it’s doing and the chances of it working a second time are increased x

[Fingerscrossed38 in reply to Lynnr54]

When you finally got there with your frosty did you do anything differently? Add medication or go completely unmedicated? I'm so nervous I won't pin point ovulation because the advanced clear blue fertility monitor doesn't always pick up my ovulation so I hope they'll scan me daily on the lead up to it?

[Lynnr54 in reply to Fingerscrossed38]

I had a medicated cycle for all 3 rounds. The first I did long protocol and it took but was a chemical pregnancy and I lost it at about 4.5 weeks. The second two tries I used the short protocol, the first being a BFN and the second working. When I was chatting to my consultant about my failed attempts he said that it’s natural that not all embryos are successful, even in couples with no fertility problems. The difference being that if you’re not doing ivf, on a month when it doesn’t work you have no idea whether the egg didn’t fertilise or whether it did fertilise but either didn’t make it all the way to a blastocyst or did but failed to implant. I think most ttc couples would just assume the egg didn’t fertilise - I know I did. With ivf you know you have a blastocyst so if you get a bfn it feels like a bigger failure. He said that depending on your age it can be normal for quite a high % of embryos not to implant (for me who had egg collection at age 35 he said about 50% of embryos wouldn’t implant) so if you know what your issue is with getting pregnant and have taken steps to fix that then it was a numbers game and just keep trying.

[Fingerscrossed38 in reply to Lynnr54]

Thanks for this. We've had ours pgs tested too so on booing that's increase the chances. If these fail to implant it surely must be a uterine issues with me. Argh so stressful!

[Olivia1980xxx in reply to Lynnr54]

Thank u hun . I don’t know if I can face another failure 😔 if doesn’t work.

I have my baby girl from my second cycle and we will use frostie from that and one from the last cycle.

In end of the may I repeat all my bloods test in GP what normally they ask before IVF treatment and all come out normal.

I ask to put the frostie from the cycle what I have my baby which is grade A with the one from last cycle which is Grade C ....but they don’t want to do that.... they want to put both A which I will end up having 2 frostie left grade C .

[Dreamingofbaby]

That is confusing. I’m starting my natural FET with pessaries too. I was told to start after my scan so when knew ovulation had began. Def ring to check. Best wishes hun xx

[Fingerscrossed38 in reply to Dreamingofbaby]

Yes I'm saying the same thing. You only start progesterone after you've ovulated. Some women don't need additional progesterone on a natural cycle because their body naturally produces it after ovulation.

[Dreamingofbaby in reply to Fingerscrossed38]

Indeed so it makes sense to start then. Hope it can all be clarified. 🤞best wishes c

[Facingreality in reply to Fingerscrossed38]

Hi Fingerscrossed38I had a natural cycle FET a few months back. Natural progesterone very high.

Got pregnant. Lost it at 7 weeks, which perhaps was due to the embryo not being chromosomically okay (I'll never know, since not tested).

[Fingerscrossed38 in reply to Facingreality]

So sorry you lost your baby. It's the not knowing why that is the hardest. Please read my profile there might be an answer in there or at least a test or two you could do to eliminate that reason. Many clinics love to put losses down to chromosomal issues but I think there is often something else they've missed. I was told my 2 natural losses were likely to be chromosomal so I did ivf with pgs testing and there were only 3/9 that were abnormal. It turns out I needed a blood thinner for a rare clotting issue (pai-1) that isn't routinely tested for. So please have a read and get tested for that if you can. All the best xx

[Facingreality in reply to Fingerscrossed38]

Thank you!