IVF with ICSI Please help.

Hello Ladies,

Well we had an appointment to meet with an RE to discuss our options & it did not go as planned.   Hubby's total count was 10.6M I am not sure what his total motile count was, but they said after a wash the motile count would be like 1.5M and they want at least 5M for IUI..so our only option is IVF with ICSI, I was really surprised because I thought his number would go up..not down..and I thought we would be able to do IUI for sure..but of course not.. I am beyond disappointed, and I haven't really let it sink in yet.

Hubby took it well, as always,  he has been really sweet, and said we will figure out away to get it done, I am so surprised, I really didn't think it would be an option, but we asked my parents if they can chip in & they siad they can help us out some.

From the success rate sheet the clinic gave me we have a decent chance with a fresh cycle.  
I have 24 Follicles in the R ovary, &  20 in the L. I need to do the HSG thing, and the U/S Said that I had small calcifications adjacent to EE@ fundus...does anyone know what EE means?  Is it really bad to have calcifications?

I still have not gotten my period, yet and I have to wait for it to come or induce it and then wait for my 1st natural cycle before I can do the required CD3 BW, if my cycles do not "fix" on their own then I will have to go on BCP for 3 months then  do the IVF, so it will be quite a few months before I even get a shot at it.  The wait list for "ready" couples is 2-4 months right now, so I really wanna get my cycles together, so I can get it as soon as it's our turn.
So if I get my period by talking provera and then my 1st natural cycle comes on time, then i may only be 2 or 3 months but if my cycle stays messed then its BCP for 3, so this brings us to about 5 months from now.. ugh..I just hope it all works out and all this will be worth it

We called the clinic today get on the list...so it begins!

Has anyone gotten a BFP & a healthy baby from IVF with ICSI??  How many cycles did it take??
HOw did the medications affect you? Will I be able to work through all of this, I don't wanna take anytime off work if I don't have to.  I know I will be in Calgary for the 2weeks before the transfer.  BUt I just hope the meds are not too bad.
If anyone has any advice or good news to offer I would really appreciate it..I am still in shock.

Thanks!

[Hoping2BAMom]

I did IVF w/ ICSI and I am currently 17 weeks pregnant.  We did our first complete fresh IVF cycle without ICSI and it didn't work (for several reasons).  We switched to a more experienced doctor for our second cycle and he did IVF w/ ICSI.  Although we didn't get our BFP with the fresh cycle, we were able to freeze one day 6 embryo from this cycle.  We transfered that embryo in our next cycle and it was our BFP!  

Don't worry or stress about the meds, just keep your mind focused on what they are going help you get...a BFP!  With the exception of the Progesterone, the shots are NOT bad at all and I had very few side effect from them.  I took Follistem, Lupron, Ovidrel and Progesterone injections.  The Progesterone injections were the only ones that were somewhat uncomfortable, but they were all worth it to be pregnant.  I also worked through all the procedures.  I took the necesaary days of rest (48 hours) after my egg retrieval surgeries and the transfers, but otherwise was ok going back to work.

I agree that you have a very good follicule count.  I think I had 10 on each side the last time and they were able to harvest 16, 14 of which were mature enough to fertilize, so your numbers are great!  

[babyhope40527]

Hey Jenny - Am not a success story yet, but an ICSI IVFer. And as i read, there are thousands of women out there went ahead with ICSI IVF and had beautiful babies. So you just don't worry about it. As an IVFer, it doesn't really matter to us whether it is ICSI or not, It is all in the lab, where sperm is injected into the egg, infact, with ICSI, fertilization rates are high.

So don't hesitate and go ahead with the treatment and wish you all the luck and happiness, and you wouldn't have any specific side effects as such, eat more protein and healthy. Take care. Wish you and your husband all the luck in this 2012.

[Jennie1211]

I did IVF with ICSI and assisted hatching and we came up positive the first time (I am currently 29 weeks along.) I know it can all come as a shock when you first hear of all the procedures that have to be done. It can be pretty overwhelming. I had to take BCPs too and of course all the meds. Honestly, I did not find the meds to be all that bad until I was close to transfer because I produced so many eggs in my cycle (26). That's a lot to stuff in there! Towards the end, it was pretty uncomfortable to walk or even lie down, but after the transfer I was fine. I was terrified of the shots, but really, once you know you have to do it, your mind just switches into "go" mode and you get it done. And yes, I worked through the whole meds process and then took a few days off after the transfer. Good luck! I totally relate to the shock factor--it wears off though :)

[JennyB0125]

Thanks so much!!  I really hope you get your BFP!!  How many embies did you transfer??  

[JennyB0125]

Thanks so much! I am so happy to hear it worked for you!!  How many eggs is the average for women? When I had my U/S they said I had 20 follicles on one side & 22 on the other. I really hope we get a good bunch so we can freeze some just in case, ya know?? lol

[Azwoman]

I am due for IVF in March and my RE does ICSI with all IVF's.. why take a chance? I read somewhere it could damage an otherwise healthy egg but if this happened frequently, my RE would not be doing it. It does seem that ICSI increases fertilization rates greatly so I would do it if RE recommends it.

[Jennie1211]

Well, my RE said that a woman who is my age (38 at the time) would typically produce around eight eggs in his experience. He seemed to think I was a bit of an exception...I just happened to respond really well to his combo of meds, too. Our circumstances were a little different in that while I was fine medically (not withstanding my "advanced maternal age"), my husband had a congenital defect that made it impossible for us to have children naturally (we had to do extraction and then IVF). I think you have a very good follicle count though...you have more than I did...I had between 15-17 on each side...I don't recall the exact numbers. Sounds like you are off to a great start!  

[Hoping2BAMom]

I did IVF w/ ICSI and I am currently 17 weeks pregnant.  We did our first complete fresh IVF cycle without ICSI and it didn't work (for several reasons).  We switched to a more experienced doctor for our second cycle and he did IVF w/ ICSI.  Although we didn't get our BFP with the fresh cycle, we were able to freeze one day 6 embryo from this cycle.  We transfered that embryo in our next cycle and it was our BFP!  

Don't worry or stress about the meds, just keep your mind focused on what they are going help you get...a BFP!  With the exception of the Progesterone, the shots are NOT bad at all and I had very few side effect from them.  I took Follistem, Lupron, Ovidrel and Progesterone injections.  The Progesterone injections were the only ones that were somewhat uncomfortable, but they were all worth it to be pregnant.  I also worked through all the procedures.  I took the necesaary days of rest (48 hours) after my egg retrieval surgeries and the transfers, but otherwise was ok going back to work.

I agree that you have a very good follicule count.  I think I had 10 on each side the last time and they were able to harvest 16, 14 of which were mature enough to fertilize, so your numbers are great!  

[Jennie1211]

I agree with "Hoping" re: the meds...the only shots I hated were the progesterone, but even after a few days, I was just kind of numb to the whole process...your mind just gets in this head space of "this is what I need to do, so I'll do it to get the result I want." When you do the progesterone, just make sure to ice the area really, really well and take all the weight off the side that is getting the injection (like lean over on your bed or something)...it makes a HUGE difference in my opinion (using a heating pad afterwards also really helps).

[Hoping2BAMom]

Yep I did the same thing for the Progesterone injections and it seemed to help.

[mandydln]

I am an ICSI, assisted hatching, IVFer. We are currently on our fifth cycle. The first three cycles we had was with another doctor and I believe they were just plain IVF cycles no extra assistance. We switched doctors with our fourth cycle and I absolutely love him. He takes the time to make sure you understand everything and that you are comfortable. I believe it is very important to have this type of doctor. Our first doctor was horrible but at the time he was the only doctor that I knew of in my area. So thankful I found our current doctor. Our first cycle with him resulted in my first baby, she is currently 20 months old. We started our second cycle at the beginning of the year and I am currently waiting to go back for the blood test to see if I get a BFP. I had started spotting on Tuesday, 8dpt/5dt and I went ahead and took a test and it was a faint positive but a positive nonetheless.

My advice would be this: don't ever worry about how many eggs you have or how many you will freeze because it only takes one to have a precious child. It is very hard going through all of this and your emotions run extremely high. There are times I still want to sit and cry because its a lot of stress and you feel so unsure of everything. You don't know how to interrupt all the signs your body gives you and that adds to more frustration. So just relax, try to enjoy yourself as much as possible, try to keep a positive attitude and don't trust a negative result until it comes from your doctor.

I wish everyone luck and prayers. Its a tough time but you will get through it, if only a day at a time.

[JennyB0125]

Thanks so much for the reply,

Your words are so encouraging & appreciated, I really hope you get your BFP!!  I will try my best to head your advice & stay positive, I have good days & bad. Thanks again!

Jenn

[JennyB0125]

AF finally came!! It feels so good for my page to say CD1!!  lol I got a real thick dark red bleeding late last night..sorry for the TMI..lol so today is CD1 according to the clinic...they say if it starts after 3pm then count the next day as day 1. I am so happy..so weird that I am glad to get a period..lol Now I just have to wait until next month & see if I get a natural cycle so I can get CD3 BW & wait for the HSG then if all the BW is good all we have to do is wait for "the call" I know it will be a few months before we can do a transfer, but I can see the light. I just a hope a natural cycle comes & the BW is all good so that I don't have to do the BCP thing & I hope I get an appt so I can get the HSG done asap..lol I am so excited..this is really going to happen..right?

Take care!

[martin430]

Yayy for you AF lol. I know the feeling of waiting for it just to get the process started. Where are you located?
It gets me about this waiting list for all these woman on here. I hope its all covered on INS if u have to wait, that or I would think about a holiday a IVF holiday . My GF lives in Canada and they have to be on a list and even then she said it would have cost them $10,000 so her and her husband found a Dr in Texas and set up alot of it and then took a 4 week holiday there and had everything done and then was pregnant-awesome for her she ended up having another pregnancy naturally afterwards but said she would have done it again in a heartbeat if she needed too.

[JennyB0125]

LOL yes I ma so glad to finally have af here, I just hope she comes on her own next month! I am located in Saskatchewan Canada.

I will not be covered for IVF, as SK does not offer any coverage, and only some of my meds will be covered.  So far without med costs we will have to pay 8800 when we get "the call" The med will cost anywhere between 3-6 G, I think we might be on the lower end of the costs though.  I am going to the next province over to get it done b/c they have a higher success rate & I hear better things about the docs relationships with he patients.

I still a few things to check off the list before we will get our chance at it, like I mentioned above, but I feel so much lighter b/c I feel like it is in reach!  

I am so glad your friend got her BFP, I love hearing success stories so much!  lol

Thanks so much!