reciprocal IVF journey

[lilleyofthevalley]

Hi we have just had our first phone and are now on the NHS waiting list for IVF. We are both female and both very nervous as this is the first time for us both. I will be the "egg donor" and my partner will carry. We are just looking for some first time advice really? like how did you react to the injections? what to expect at our first appointment? Was egg retrieval painful? Has anyone else been through the Reciprocal process?

[Nat246]

Hi injections were okay for me, I didn’t like administering them to myself so my partner did them. Not too painful and main side effect was bloating. But everyone responds differently. Egg retrieval is not painful - you will either be under general anaesthetic or heavy sedation so you are completely out of it and won’t be aware at all of what is happening. The main thing I struggled with is how intrusive the process it, it’s not enjoyable having so many people examine you intimately but needs must! Best of luck x

[lilleyofthevalley in reply to Nat246]

ooft bloating, not looking forward to that. You are absolutely right, needs must and I guess its just a case of throwing ourselves in.

Thank you so much for sharing

😊

[Hope_1234]

Me and my wife are currently going through RIVF, I'm going to be carrying and she had her eggs removed.

She said the egg retrieval process was completely fine, she felt no pain during it and she doesn't remember the collection because of the anesthestic (she was in a little pain before but that's because she had so many follicles) but after the egg collection she felt much better..

The injections, pessaries I have to take are fine. Be prepared for quit a lot of internal scans before transfer as they need to check your uterus lining is where it needs to be.

I'd do some research online about vitamins you both should be taking etc. (I wish I started taking vitamins sooner)

We are currently on our third transfer and in our 2 week wait to know if it has worked this time around

The main thing is to keep positive and have realistic expectations..😊

Good luck on your journey 🥰

[lilleyofthevalley in reply to Hope_1234]

Hi Hope,Aww its great to know that there are others going through the same process. And thank you for your helpful advice, we will definitely look into vitamins. Yeah not going to lie i'm not looking forward to the invasive nature of it all but i guess needs must.

I really hope that you and your wife get the outcome you both have worked so hard to achieve! you must be nervous/excited.

[Hope_1234 in reply to lilleyofthevalley]

Yeah it will all be worth it in the end. It's not that bad anyway (the internal scans only last a few minutes) 😊

I'd recommend for your partner having her eggs out - definitely taking C0Q10 and vitamin c and vitamin d

And for yourself ..I always take l-arginine, folic acid, vitamin e, vitamin d, vitamin c

They seem a lot but since I've been taking them my lining / blood flow has massively improved (which is good for having a thicker uterus lining) for an embryo to implant xx

[lilleyofthevalley in reply to Hope_1234]

Well that gives us a great platform to start on ☺️ We will have a wee look on amazon and see what we can get. I don't suspect that we will be called in for tests any time soon? Waiting list is around 9 months. But its worth while getting our bodies prepped!

[Hope_1234 in reply to lilleyofthevalley]

Awww really..good luck on your IVF journey, if you have any questions about anything my inbox is always open 😊

[ashcat89]

My wife and I are i the 2WW with my eggs and her carrying. The process is a load shared i think as both of us had a part to play. We done each other injections and took all the same vitamins through out. (COq10, follic acid, prenatal vitamin, vitamin D, cod oil)

The bloating and pain closer to Egg Collection was the worst for me. I did have a lot (37) of follicles though and was treated afterwards with more injections to prevent OHSS. The injections themselves were quite stingy also but just depends which treatment protocol you guys will be on.

Our 1st appointment was through Zoom to do the consultation and again for Consents appointments. Due to covid we also had to do all of our scans on our own as partners were not allowed in which was kind of crappy as trying to remember everythin was hard to relate back.

Good luck on your jouney

[Hope_1234 in reply to ashcat89]

Hi ashcat89 me and my wife are also in our 2 week wait..

How is she feeling ? Has she had many symptoms

I'm so nervous .. our test day is next Saturday 😬

[lilleyofthevalley]

Good Morning Ashcat,

Thats good to know that you guys are going through it now. Can i ask, what is 2WW? I am new to all of the abbreviations and jargon. You mentioned you felt bloated, was that to do with constipation? Where are you based?

Thank you for all you advice regarding Vits

😃

[ashcat89 in reply to lilleyofthevalley]

Hi, sorry 2WW is 2 week wait is after transfer its the 2 weeks before you blood test to see if positive or negative.

The bloating for me was just feeling really fat and my stomach was so tight. Never really had constipation from any of the meds thankfully. I actually felt pregnant just with how much swelling there was in belly. But i had 37 rather big follicles so thats why i got so fat lol

We are based in Aberdeen with GCRM so going between the Aberdeen satellite clinic and the main clinic in Glasgow.

[lilleyofthevalley]

Ah I see! thank you for clarifying..Did you not try and go through the NHS?

You both must be super nervous/excited?

xx