How simple should an FET be? Facing more delays...

[Skittles11]

Hi everyone So basically I am wondering if anyone has had difficulties starting FET cycles before?

People seem to say they are easier and I'm sure for most people that is true - but for me, I always seem to fall on the wrong side of the stats.

Tried to start FET a few weeks back and started spotting 9 days into estrogen. On scan, my lining was not developing properly so we cancelled and withdrew from all meds.

I am just worried because my cycles are really strange. Firstly, I always find it hard to determine my Day 1 because I have a start stop flow. In recent months I also now have no cervical mucus whatsoever to indicate ovulation (even though scans say I've ovulated, which I don't get).

Does anyone else have these sorts of problems?

And has anyone else had lining issues or spotting issues after commencing meds for FET?

Doctor indicted she thought I'd have a bleed in about 4 weeks after my most recent scan as the lining was so thin and needed to develop but I am so distrustful of my body these days. Perhaps it sounds silly but I can imagine my lining just doing nothing and not ever being able to start.

Thank you as always xx

[Miracle43]

Hi Skittles, I’m having similar problems too 😔. I thought it was just me.

I’ve been trying to have a FET since May, each month it’s been canx.

Here if you want to chat xx

[Skittles11 in reply to Miracle43]

Hi, thank you for this, I will drop you a message x

[Fruitandflowers]

I found the FET process much better than a full round of IVF *but* I don't respond normally to any of the meds, so even on the FETs my first one I got really ill on the oestrogen, my lining got too thick and uneven (clinic wanted to cancel) and had to massively reduce it, then I don't absorb any form of progesterone so that causes its own issues. My lining on my last FET was OK but nothing like as good as it is naturally, my progesterone was low (again fine to high naturally) and I got a BFN. So my clinic agreed to do a natural FET - could you discuss this with your clinic? Mine said as long as I was ovulating they would do it, and all they wanted was a 21 day progesterone test from the month before. I don't always get cervical mucus but ovulation test sticks have been accurate for me (have done basal body temp but sticks seem better) and I guess a scan would be definitive. I had brown bleeding/spotting before periods so get the difficulty doing day 1s, I was just told to go off the first day of bright red or heavy flow (if you get that? I didn't always so in these cases I went with 15 days from when I ovulated). And for ovulation sticks you just test earlier in the month to be sure to capture the surge. I hope this helps a bit x

[Skittles11 in reply to Fruitandflowers]

The clinic seem to think medicated cycle is better for me to gain more control over the cycle. Maybe because of the unpredictable spotting but on this occasion it hasn't worked anyway! Thanks for helping x

[Comfortingsoul]

I’m sorry I don’t have anything useful to say but I wanted to send you a hug as I know how frustrating delays are 🤗🩷

[Skittles11 in reply to Comfortingsoul]

Thanks for the support xx

[Twiglet2]

hi lovely that must be so frustrating for you! I had the opposite issue where my limit wasn’t thin enough to start and I know it’s annoying having delays when your body doesn’t play ball! is it a complete down reg FET you are having? If not I wonder if that would help as they ‘shut down’ everything with prostrap the month before then the clinic determine your ‘day one’ once your lining is thin enough and put you on estrogen to thicken it back up and then determine transfer day based on that. I’ve only ever had lining problems the time I tried to do it without the prostrap (as it’s not a fun med puts you in menopause for a few weeks essentially) and some people do better on the natural lining cycle and others this but just wondering if this might make things a bit more planned for you? You can of course have thin lining issues if it doesn’t thicken up again with the oestrogen. Xx

[Skittles11 in reply to Twiglet2]

Hey

Thanks for your reply. So I had Prostap on the cycle before I started on the understanding that this shut everything down. I then started the estrogen to build the lining. Then on Day 9 I began spotting and on the Day 11 scan the lining was not quite right and I took the decision to cancel. I then continued to spot for a further week and had another scan to check what was happening and the lining had got thinner which is consistent with the spotting. The issue I now have is I have no idea where I am in my cycle having had all the drugs and the lining being so strange. Don't know how ill be able to restart xx

[Twiglet2 in reply to Skittles11]

Ah I see, yeah if you’ve not completed the FET cycle then the prostrap can mess with your timings. I had a cancelled cycle after prostrap and I ended up having to take noristherone to induce a period nearly 3 months later! It was my decision to wait that long through (I couldn’t start a cycle again anyways as I was waiting for repeat smear) so they could have gave me them earlier, if you do not get into a regular rhythm soon might be worth discussing that with them everything went back to being like clockwork after the tablets. I also didn’t ovulate during that time and the clinic did a blood test and said my hormones didn’t look like anything was going to happen on it’s own any time soon why they suggested the tablets. You might not need them though if you’ve already been spotting and you’ve taken the eotsrogen for a while Xx

[Tir-26]

Could you ask the Clinic to consider a full shut down, review your case? My periods are rare so I had an injection called Decapeptyl which shut the ovaries down, then a bleed and then all the drugs to build lining. It’s basically putting me in menopause. My clinic is in Spain so it’s easier this way for them and I in terms of dates. If I had a natural or modified cycle I’d need to be in Spain and or get multiple monitoring scans at home. The right dose of drugs can do wonders for the lining and I found a little more exercise helped my lining growth.

[Skittles11 in reply to Tir-26]

Thanks for this. I had prostap which may e similar as it is supposed to shut the ovaries down. I had this and then had the bleed which is when I started taking estrogen. So using this approach I still had the spotting and had to abandon the cycle. Basically, I don't know the impact of stopping all the meds and what pattern you'd expect to see in terms of the cycle and getting the next bleed. Like would stopping estrogen cause the lining to increase or decrease. Would I still ovulate. I just don't know what to expect and how to be able to start a new cycle xx

[RACMumm]

I had 1 fresh, and 2 medicated cycles in my current fertility journey and then moved on to modified natural. Even though my body appeared to be doing what it was meant to on the medicated cycles, it never worked well with my body. My clinic were not at all keen to move to natural/modified natural but at 46 I knew I was running out of time to give it a go! I was ovulating regularly and my cycles were reasonably regular give or take few days so eventually they agreed. It was a game changer for me. Pain logistically as you have to be able to have regular scans which involves a 3 hour journey and over 200km round trip for me but it was worth it. My first modified natural was simply adding in ovitrelle to time ovulation. I got my positive but sadly miscarried at 6 weeks. My second the clinic added in low dose gonal f on days 3, 5, 7 and 9 of my cycle abs then triggered when the lead follicle was big enough. I also had intralipids, steroids (high NK cells) and blood thinners and this time it was successful. I’m now almost 30 weeks. No harm asking your clinic to monitor a natural cycle to see how your body performs and if it does thicken lining naturally and you’re ovulating maybe go do it. Everything crossed for you x

[Citizenerased83]

So sorry that you're facing so many curveball. I really do hope it all works out for you and you get your miracle baby. Sending hugs and baby dust. Xxx