looking for personal IVF information

[Jroxy]

We finally decided to do IVF. How soon does your dr start the IVF process? is it right away or does it takes a couple months? does it hurt when they take the eggs. and does it hurt when they put the eggs back? Any info you guys can give me will help thanks.

[Jroxy]

Thank you all so much. I cant wait to get this going. I hope it works. Good luck to all of you.

[happynifer]

it takes about 2 months for an IVF cycle from start to finish.  This is because they have to suppress your ovaries first (generally done with 3 weeks of birth control pills +/- lupron injections) then stims, then retrieval, then transfer, then the evil wait.
most recommend a mock transfer while you are suppressing which involves inflated your uterus with saline and using ultrasound to look for any issues and to determine the correct size and path of the catheter to use for the actual transfer of the embryos.  not painful, but in some cases they find something that needs treating before you can continue (they found 3 fibroids during mine that required surgery to remove)
the retrieval is done under brief anesthesia, so you are not awake for it.
i had only very mild cramping and took that day off work and only needed tylenol.  I was fine the next day.  Other women I have heard need stronger pain meds than I did.
The transfer is done awake and is entirely non painful

the wait afterwards is horrible.....but there is no way to get around that one unfortunately :)

[Jroxy]

Im not sure what IUI is. But I did try clomid and didnt do one thing for me. I have PCOS and dont ovulate. So I recently seen an RE and he gave me three options. IVF, Ovarian Drilling that may or may not work, or Injectables, But with the injectables he wants me to do IVF. He said it will overstimulate my ovaries and I will end up with alot of eggs, and he will have to cancel it in the middle of taking it. And with the IVF he can take the eggs. I dont want to go througha surgery that doesnt have a high chance. So we picked IVF. IUI was never an option he gamve me, im guessing it couse im not ovulating.
Thanks for your help, and let me know what your experience is like? Good luck!

[hopeitworks]

Hi - You will start by having a consult with the RE. From there you will be instructed to contact the office on the 1st day of your next cycle. Once you have discussed the IVF, process and protocol.  You will have horomone testing which is labs and u/s on either cycle day 2 or 3.  You will begin BCP on either cycle day 3 or 5(at least thats how mine worked). You take those for cycle days 4-16 approx(depending on if you started on cycle day 3 or 5), days 17-26 of your cycle you will incorporate lupron this suppresses your ovaries. The pill and lupron overlap for about 7 days. After this you will go in for a supression check which is US and lab. You will then be instructed of either cont on lupron for another week if your ovaries arent suppressed enough or you will start the stimulting drugs. I used Gonal F.Once you start the stims the lupron is decreased. So you will take lupron and stims for about 4 days then you will go in for US and lab again. Ther nurse will call with the results as needed, and from there is a matter of adjusting your meds til you get your follicles to 18mm. SO you will go in for US and lab every few days to every day. Then they will schedule you for your trigger shot. You take that at the designated time, and 36 hrs after that will be your retrival. This was painless for me. I was in and out in about 20 mins. You wake up a little groggy from the anest but otherwise I was pain free. I was very tired, some people experience some cramping. I did not I just slept the entire afternoon/evening away afterwards. The clinic may or may not call you the next day to tell you how many of your embryos fertilized. Then you will have either a 3 or 5 day transfer. The day of the transfer you cant wear any purfume, hairspray etc nor can anyone who is with you. You will be adv to eat a small meal, and drink water. They will give you a valium to relax yourself. Once your bladder is the right size not too full but full enough, you will lie back they insert a speculum and a cath and they put them in. Using US to make sure its in the right spot. I layed there for 10 mins then left. I thought it was better than a pap to be honest(i know right!), but it was pain free. Then you will begin your 2ww.
Also the night of the retrieval you will start progesterone either oil or suppositores. You cont those until your first beta. Best of luck to you!!!

I hope this helps :)

Leanne

[docsaf]

Have you tried iui? Clomid? injectables? Have you had an ivf consult with your RE?

Me and my DH have unexplained infertility.

I had 2 failed iui cycles using Clomid. Then my RE moved to Follistim+iui. I got a BFP and delivered a healthy, DS.

TTC#2 - 2 failed natural cycles, 3 failed Follistim+iui cycles. My insurance only covers 6 iui's (lifetime) and b/c of my age (I'm 36), we moved to ivf. I had the IVF consult in the middle of Sept. (before we knew the results of the last iui). When we got the BFN, we started the next available IVF cycle. My RE is a 1-person practice so he groups all of the ivf's cyclers together - there are 2 groups/month that start stim meds on the same day. I started b/c on 10/4 (CD 4) and took b/c until 10/16. I started lupron on 10/11. On 10/22 I had an u/s and b/w. All looked good so I started stim meds on 10/22. My egg retrieval (ER) will be on Wed and the embryo transfer (ET) will be 5 days later.

I have not had the ER nor the ET so I don't know if they hurt. I will be under anesthesia (twilight) for the ER so I think I'll be sore. My RE said that the ET feels a lot like an iui and only takes a couple of minutes.

I think the protocol depends on your RE and your diagnosis. I know some people take b/c for longer than I did; some people do not take b/c at all. My RE insisted on a consult about injectables and another consult for ivf before approving us for an ivf cycle. Good luck!