Pain

[Judy18]

Hi all.

I am very fortunate in that my clinic has given me the go ahead to start prepping for our frozen transfer.

I was told to start microgynon and have been on this nearly three weeks. When i was on this before xmas (for egg collection treatment) i experienced a lot of pain and cramping. I have had some pain this time which seems to be coming and going more lately.

I have also started bureselin injections. They have made be feel very moody and low (like i have nothing to give). Normally i am nice person. I am also getting headaches, nausea and not sleeping well. Feel like a zombie today.

Had a bit of a cry at the weekend as i feel like i have lost the person i was. Fertility treatment really does impact. It is rubbish as there is nothing you can do (apart from stopping treatment but it is impossible for us to get pregnant without help).

I have some time booked off of work (working from home currently) in a few weeks but i am really struggling now. Did anyone take time off because of reaction to meds? I really hate taking time off but didn’t think i would feel this bad. Did anyone else feel like this?

Sorry for the rant but just want to feel normal.

Hope to all xxx

[Cinderella5]

Awww sorry to hear that you are feeling low and crappy on the meds! I felt really bad with busereling, it doesnt agree with me at all. I felt almost hungover, heavy fuzzy head, migraines and so so tired. Thats not to mention the emotional stress of even going through a cycle. I did manage to work through mine but I havent had to use it again since as the clinic allowed me to do my FET's without it. If you need time off then dont feel bad, those meds are nasty stuff and you can only do what you can. The only thing I would say is I felt better once I got to add in progynova (estradiol) to build up my lining so hopefully you will feel a bit brighter soon.xxx

[Judy18 in reply to Cinderella5]

Thank you so much for replying Cinderella (i am such a huge Disney fan so you feel like a fairy godmother right now 😊).

I just really thought i was strong enough to go through it all without any time off or without struggling (put myself under huge pressure to manage everything- i know

I do it and it’s silly but my mind always says how well others manage so i should too!)

That is exactly how i am feeling on it. I am adding that in a couple of weeks so hopefully they will help. Also the buserelin injection dosage reduces at the same time.

I may have a word with my manager (she is part time so have to wait until Wednesday. She knows we are going through treatment.

Thank you again for being so kind 💖 xxx

[Cinderella5 in reply to Judy18]

Ahhh you're welcome.....everyone needs a fairy godmother right?! Ha ha ha We do put ourselves under a huge amount of pressure but be kind to yourself for now, treatment is not for the faint hearted. Some people cant even face going through treatment so you're stronger than you think! My manager knew I was doing treatment too and they were really good in the fact that if I was feeling rough I could go home so I think its a good idea to have a word with work. It really is like having a hangover without the fun of a night out....not fair! I think it even helps to just know that you're not on your own!xxx

[Judy18 in reply to Cinderella5]

Everyone should get one- especially when going through this! 😊 My manager has been really good so they has helped no end.

It does help to know others feel like this (not that i want anyone to suffer) but to know that i am not being a massive wuss! Thanks you for making me feel less alone.

I mean my husband is amazing but he can’t really empathise (he does do amazing hugs and cups of tea though).

Sending you a massive hug xx

[Cinderella5 in reply to Judy18]

Nope, definitely not a wuss and no husbands can be helpful but they never fully get it!! Thank you, hug gratefully received!xx

[KiboXX in reply to Judy18]

Just wanted to add a +1 here. Buserlin made me feel awful, exactly as you’ve described! Your not on it for long and as Cinderella said, as soon as you start on the next drug it eases up so hang in there and I hope the rest of your cycle goes well ♥️ xxx

[alittlelife]

Hi Judy, so sorry to hear you are suffering. It’s such a hard process. I think it’s absolutely fine to feel like you need some time off. If it helps I actually decided to leave my career before doing ivf. I had 3 months off completely to mentally prepare beforehand and then still having the time off for the actual process for me made a huge difference in terms of attending appointments and being able to just stay at home with any side effects. I completely appreciate how fortunate I am that I could do this and how for most this is simply not at option. But I wanted to share so you knew that it was totally normal to find it all a bit too much. I genuinely have so much respect for all the working women doing ivf alongside a job. However I have seen so many of them manage without taking the drastic steps I did so have no doubt you will also be fine. But for sire, if you need to take some extra holiday off do not feel

Bad!! You deserve it! Xx

[Chegotsi]

Oh Judy18,

I had the exact symptoms and more under busereline. That stuff is the devil. I start again on Thursday but I stopped working. For me I never could have imagined stopping due to money constraints and also I care about my career maybe a little too much lol. Anyway December rolled on and I was made redundant just weeks before Christmas! So that sorted that issue out. Then had a BFN the same week after a failed second ICISI round. I genuinely felt unstable. I have been through some tough stuff but that was horrendous! I don’t know if I will ever go back to the person I was before that - it just changed me. Anyway we decided that I was too fragile to look for another role. I work in the corporate world very male dominated. So I didn’t look for another role for a while. When I started looking it looked promising and then covid hit! Now we are due to start our last IVF round in Thursday, still no job but as we have been more than fine with one pay check. We discussed it and I decided to be kind to myself and stay home. If there is an option (money wise / annual leave) stay home. None of it is worth it at all. I wish I hand tour myself through the long commute, the crammed tubes while dealing with some serious dizzy spells and hot flashes. I wish I had forced my previous companies to really be flexible and if they had said no I should have walked. But shoulda coulda woulda are the words of a fool they say! Summary lol take the time out, do something fun for you. Focus on your wellbeing - annual leave is for instances like this. Some workplaces allow you to take it as sick. I got signed off for the TWW for each round. Keep us updated on how you get on. Sending you hugs on this round!

[Solly-44]

Hi Judy,

I’m sorry you’re feeling so rough ☹️. Yes I’ve had to take time off due to reactions to meds so don’t feel bad if that’s what you need. Perhaps you could bring some of your leave forward? Or don’t be afraid to take sick leave if that’s more appropriate given how unwell you feel.

Bureselin made me feel dreadful and I only ever had 1 jab - I seriously take my hat off to you ladies who have to take them regularly. I felt like I had flu, couldn’t sleep and was utterly miserable. I really hope you start feeling better soon, good luck for your transfer xx

[Judy18 in reply to Solly-44]

Thanks for your support Solly. I know it will be worth it in the end but i have 9 more injections before the dosage is halved. Just feels a bit never ending at the moment.

Why can’t the meds have nice side effects (like extreme awesomeness)!

What we go through to try to get to our dream xxx