Medicated FET or Natural FET

[MakingbabyN]

Hi all, following an egg collection this week I’m having a freeze all due to risk of OHSS. After just about recovering from the disappointment, I’m now thinking ahead to FET. Please can I have advice on whether to opt for natural or medicated? I do have a period each month but not like clockwork and long cycles. So I’m wondering whether medicated might be best to give me some control! Natural without more needles must be good as well though, just can’t bare the thought of more delay! Advice please! Thank you xx

[Masief]

It all depends on how much you know about your lining, natural is great (I am doing that this cycle) but can be stressful if you don't have a regular cycle. It can lead to a cancelled cycle if your lining isn't getting thick enough, follicle size not big enough too. Also, if you're not sure about cycle length it can cause stress waiting for your lining to thicken up and then delay ovulation. I have had a few medicated FETs and it's simple and I managed to fall pregnant on my first but then miscarried. I think on average success rates are similar for both, and FETs in general seem to have a higher success rate than fresh transfers. A FET means your body can recover from stims and be more relaxed for FET. Good luck xx

[MakingbabyN in reply to Masief]

Thank you xxx

[Bluelady-sing in reply to Masief]

FeT frozen egg transfer more successfully than fresh?

[Masief in reply to Bluelady-sing]

From what I've read, due to time for yoyr body to recover from stims. Some clinics in the US have a freeze all policy due to this.

[AndRelax]

I had a medicated FET and it definitely helped with feeling in control. It felt much more collaborative with the clinic than my fresh rounds and it helped at work too. My old manager was really relaxed when I first started IVF but my current manager is a bit of a nightmare with wanting exact dates for when I'm working and when I'm not i.e. wants loads of notice and hates last minute changes. So the medicated FET eased that as I was able to choose dates for transfer and obviously didn't have to take time out for collection.I took oestrogen pills and progesterone pessaries but didn't have any more needles which was nice!

If feeling in control helps to manage your stress levels then I'd definitely recommend doing a medicated FET xx

[MakingbabyN in reply to AndRelax]

So helpful, thank you. I think I am siding towards medicated for those reasons xxx

[MakingbabyN in reply to AndRelax]

How long was your FET cycle? I’ve read elsewhere that it’s about 6 weeks from starting meds to transfer. Didn’t realise it was so long!

[AndRelax in reply to MakingbabyN]

It was quite short! I'm now wondering if the way I did it was unusual. Worth checking with your clinic exactly how they do it. On 4th September, my period started and I started taking the medication the day after. Had a scan on 14th and everything was looking good and then had the frozen transfer on 22nd September. So from start of period to transfer was less than 3 weeks xx

[Savs]

Congratulations on making it this far. I know it’s a disappointment to have to wait for the transfer but trust me OHSS is no joke .. I spent the a week in hospital at the start of my pregnancy with my son , touch and go whether the pregnancy would continue. And the pain , oh gosh I don’t wish it on anyone, recovery took about 7 weeks! Think of this as a blessing an extra month to feel relaxed and ready. I’ve always gone for medicated cycles for FET’s as my period were around 5 wks but never exact. I think you know where you are more with medicated. Totally personal preference. Good luck with your transfer. Baby dust to you xx

[MakingbabyN in reply to Savs]

Thank you xxxx

[rainbow_123]

I wanted to do a natural cycle as the medications seem to make me feel unwell but our clinic doesn't scan on Sundays so meant a risk of multiple cancelled cycles. In the end went for a medicated cycle but managed with just tablets and pessaries (no needles) so speak to your clinic about what medication they would put you on so you can fully consider your options. I still had side effects and was unwell throughout but I'm now 16 weeks. I was also gutted when they said we'd have to do freeze all but it worked out for the best, I needed time to recover. Hope it all goes well for you whichever option you choose. X

[MakingbabyN in reply to rainbow_123]

Thank you, that’s great advice. I’m due to have a call with them in 2 weeks so will find out what the medication is. Congratulations on your pregnancy xxx

[PurplePiggie]

Hi, have you discussed with your clinic yet as to what their recommendation would be? Good luck with whichever option you decide 😊 xx

[MakingbabyN in reply to PurplePiggie]

Thanks so much. I have a call with them in 2 weeks so just trying to work out what’s best for me beforehand 😄 xxx

[PurplePiggie in reply to MakingbabyN]

Totally that makes sense, fingers crossed for you 😊 xx

[Hidden]

I did a natural cycle this time and it worked better for me, I had nasty reactions to the injections so I had little choice this time. The only thing I'll say and its been mentioned above is I felt very unsure, kept thinking I've no support (medications)... Im expecting my body to do this all alone. The control as previously mentioned is a comfort!! Im 8 weeks now and still praying. Best of luck to you 🥰

[MakingbabyN in reply to Hidden]

Amazing news, congratulations! Xxx

[Hidden in reply to MakingbabyN]

Thanks 🥰 xx

[Expectingplease]

I have done both (no success yet) but I liked the natural cycle more. With the medicated my lining wasn’t getting thick and I ended up having to do vagina estrogen (which was gross) and I felt all out of sorts with all the hormones. Plus, I had to do the PiO shots on the clinic’s timing, which was 11 an, which was very very inconvenient (I know it’s a small price to pay but the ERA cycle I did was 6 pm and it made much more sense with work etc) - I had a much easier time with the pessaries and letting my lining do its thing naturally. But see what your doctor recommends.

[MakingbabyN in reply to Expectingplease]

Thank you. Sounds like natural is a much quicker option too, so I might give that a go. Xxx

[ashbb]

I was in the same situation apart from I have regular cycles between 25-28 days. I was so so gutted about the freeze all, i feel your pain. The last thing you want is MORE delayss. However, it did give a chance for my body to calm down and i just had a natural FET with an ovitrelle injection at transfer to support implantation. No nasty pessaries. Phew. I hear they're not nice to take.

My clinic recommended this route for me. I'm now pregnant. Early stages (5 weeks) but it was successful. Good luck whatever you decide. Xx

[MakingbabyN in reply to ashbb]

Congratulations! And thanks so much for the reply. I’ve learnt so much today and didn’t realise how many medicated options there were, so I feel a lot more informed ahead of my meeting with the clinic xxx

[ashbb in reply to MakingbabyN]

Wishing you all the best with the next step. X

[KiboXX]

It’s important to know that both medicated and natural have the same success rates so whichever you pick, it won’t matter from that perspective.

Go for the one you think you will be most comfortable with. I have pretty regular periods but the idea of my body not quite playing ball one month and messing it up was more stressful for me than the idea of taking some drugs.

You can do a short medicated, so no down regging and I found that really straight forward xx

[MakingbabyN in reply to KiboXX]

Thanks so much! Will definitely find out all the options when I speak to the clinic. Feeling a lot more positive reading all of these replies 🥰🥰 xxx

[KiboXX in reply to MakingbabyN]

Good luck! 🥰♥️

[sunset212]

With natural there can be more lining thickness monitoring scans which can be a bit irritating. With my son's cycle who is now 17 months , i did a natural FET with just progesterone pesseries from ovulation onwards until 12 weeks but i do have regular 28 day cycles. They usually bring you in about day 10-12 for a lining check on a natural but if not thick enough you often have to come back again. My first check at day 10 i was only 4mm but by day before ovulation i was touching 9mm. I think if your cycles are bit unpredictable in length it might be better to do a medicated cycle and then its all controlled plus you will know your lining at a specific stage because they will know when to scan you from when you take the progynova tabs / oestrogen so less stress on the making sure the lining is thick enough ( i think my clinic likes a minimum of 8mm before a transfer) I believe there is no difference in success rates between the two options. I'd take your Dr's advice above all else though Good luck x x