Irregular periods a month after IVF egg collection

[Happy_face]

Has anyone experienced irregular periods after egg retrieval during IVF? I'm 39 years old and had my first egg collection carried out in August of this year and, was scheduled for a fresh transfer but had to freeze my embryo due to suffer from symptoms of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome which was an awful experience. My period came that same but following the month of September and October, I've noticed a shift in my cycles where they are not coming on time or at all and I'm having to induce them by doing reflexology exercises. My periods have always been regular and I've never experienced ovulation issues either. The moment I started IVF, I'm now experiencing issues with my cycle which is concerning me. I'm now worried that IVF has done damage to my hormones.

[raverg]

I’ve had an egg collection in August too (though I did the transfer right after, which resulted in a chemical) and the cycle after that I freaked out that I couldn’t find my LH surge. But in the end my period was 4 days late, so I probably stopped testing too early and everything had shifted. I’m not stressing too much about it though as, even though my cycles have been pretty regular throughout my life, I have experienced deviations in certain moments. Like the anxiety of starting IVF in August made my period come 4 days early! Before taking any stimulants. Or every time I’d have a Covid vaccine or booster, my whole cycle would shift by 1-2 days, enough to freak out, but then it would always go back to normal. I think that mental stress from IVF or physical stress from OHSS, stimulants, medicine, or in other cases working out too much or being underweight, can all affect our cycles, but usually it’s just temporary. So try to relax, slow down, look after yourself and see if anything changes. If not, bring it up with your clinic. Since I was concerned as well about the delay, this month I bought a Clearblue ovulation kit and plan to test a bit more closely to work out what’s happening with my cycle. But it probably just needs some time. Good luck!

[Happy_face in reply to raverg]

Thank you so much for your response. I was looking to have a scan to have my uterine lining checked, but luckily my period came yesterday morning so I can now proceed with my meds to prepare for my frozen transfer. Otherwise the treatment will continue to be delayed which is annoying as i was meant to have the transfer back in August but, gave myself enough time to recover from severe OHSS. But i totally agree, IVF meds and treatment can really take its toll on the body as it did to me and i experienced a lot of symptoms prior to egg collection. Best wishes

[raverg in reply to Happy_face]

Oh I see, you needed your period to come so you could move to the next IVF phase and schedule all the appointments around it / start your treatment. That was the part that I struggled with most as well when my period came 4 days early at the start of IVF. Suddenly I had to scramble to move all of my hospital appointments, both my partner and I had to move all of our work meetings around, we had to cancel some plans, luckily my treatment was delivered early... uh, so stressful. I'm pleased that your period finally came through though and that you can proceed with your FET. And I agree with your message below that it's so friggin tough to schedule your whole life for a few months around something that you can't even control. It's infuriating! Good luck with your FET, hope it goes well for you. I've read on HFEA I think that the stats are better when you do the FET after you've given your ovaries some time to recover from the physical stress of stimulants and egg collection, so fingers crossed!

[Happy_face in reply to raverg]

Thank you, same to you!

[Twiglet2]

it’s totally normal for them to be a bit all over the place for a couple of months following treatment, especially if you had OHSS. Don’t worry when you come back off treatment they do go back to normal 🤗 xx

[Happy_face in reply to Twiglet2]

Thank you, the nurse mentioned the same thing but i hate it when you are not in control of your own body😣 I was scheduled for a scan to check my uterine lining but luckily my period came yesterday morning, so i will continue with my frozen transfer prep. Best wishes xx

[DianeArnold Partner Nurse Fertility Network UK]

Hi Happy_face. I think it would be best to see your GP and get your hormone blood tests redone so you know what’s going on. Obviously, if you are still under the clinic, they will do that for you. Hopefully, you just need regulating again, but it can take a few months for your cycle to return to what is normal for you. Good luck. Diane

[Happy_face in reply to DianeArnold]

Hi, i had spoken to the hospital yesterday and i was scheduled for a scan to check my uterine lining but luckily my period came, so i can continue to proceed with my frozen transfer prep. Thank you!