Is this board active? Here for FET...

[Levana]

I remember when I used to hang out on this board 8 years ago or so. It was hopping then!

Anyway, today I started the process of my first FET. Very nervous and very excited and also happy that the procedure seems much easier than a fresh cycle.

Good luck to everyone who is cycling here!
Levana

[Carlaliz]

Hello! Sorry that this board is so quiet. I don't know how many people are on here normally, but I haven't heard of anyone talking about doing a cycle of IVF or FET since Dec. Probably a lull due to the holidays.

We haven't yet started our cycle. We're still waiting to hear the official word that we're matched with our clinic. I just tool around some and happened to see you'd made a post. I don't want you to feel all alone out here! When did you do your last IVF? Did you receive a scholarship from INCIID to do it?

We attempted a FET cycle last year, but the embryos didn't survive the thaw. It is much easier, though, isn't it? I'm sure that you've got a big mixture of excitment and anxiety going on. I wish you tons of luck! Please keep me posted on how it's going!

[Levana]

(Children mentioned)

Thanks for the post - it did make me feel less alone. :-) Hopefully there will start to be some other people posting here shortly.

We did our last IVF 7.5 years ago. We did not get a scholarship from INCIID (not even sure if they had that program then) but we didn't need it. We live in Israel and the healthcare system is totally different here. Basically they cover the costs for all fertility treatments up until you have two kids. We did have to pay for the drugs but even those are much cheaper than what it costs in the US.

I am very nervous about the embryos surviving the thaw. Obviously we transfered the best ones during our fresh cycle so the ones left over were already not as good. We have two vials -- each with two embryos -- so if the first two don't survive, we still have two more to try. It seems like a breeze though, compared to a fresh cycle. It was very strange to be back in the IVF clinic after so long. I didn't really think we'd ever be going back.

Anyway, best of luck to you! What do you mean that you are waiting to see if you've been matched with your clinic? Are you waiting for a donor?

Take care,
Levana

[Carlaliz]

I'm sure that your embryos will make it, especially since there are four of them. We didn't even have that many, so we knew doing a FET cycle was a long shot. Do you have any children or will this FET be providing you with your first? Any idea when you'll be doing the transfer?

Due to sever male factor, we have to do IVF. We did two IVF cycles and one FET cycle at our own expense. (As you know our insurance comp. wouldn't cover it.) Unfortunately, both IVF cycles ended in a miscarriage. After that, our finances were completely tapped out and we applied for the scholarship. We were accepted (Thank God!) and completed our fundraising requirement. From there, we had to wait to be matched with a clinic who was willing to donate an IVF cycle to us. Sometimes that can take awhile - it depends on numerous circumstances. Anyways, we got a call from the director of INCCID on Christmas Eve telling us that she was pretty sure she'd matched us with a clinic. We had to fill out some paperwork that was sent to the clinic and now we're just waiting to hear that we're officially matched and can start our cycle. I didn't think that I could be any more impatient then I was the past few months, but I was definitely wrong. I'm soooooo ready to start this cycle and can't wait to hear that we can get going!

You're VERY lucky to have a health care system that will cover this kind of thing. I really wish that folks in the US would "get over themselves" and revamp our system because it needs fixing!!!!

Good luck - once again!!!

[Levana]

Ahh, I understand now. The scholarship program that INCIID created is so wonderful and I am really happy that you were accepted. Hopefully you'll get a go-ahead from the clinic really soon and you'll get to start. It is so hard when you are ready to start but for whatever various reasons, you can't. It is torture to wait when you're all psyched up emotionally.

We have twin girls who will be 7 in April from our second fresh IVF cycle. However nervous I am about this coming cycle, it is nothing like it was when we didn't have kids and I am thankful for that every minute.

[Carlaliz]

Yes, I imagine it would be easier once you already have kids. We did tons of tests and it would appear that both my miscarriages were stress related. I'm doing my best to try to keep that to a minimum now and hope to continue that through the procedure. Guess we'll see...... Did you do anything that you think was particularly helpful in making your second IVF attempt a success? I'm open to all suggestions!!

[Levana]

Hi again,

I wish I could I tell you that I did something specific that helped the cycle succeed, but I really didn't. I didn't do acupuncture or anything else special. Physically, I was fitter than I had been in a while and I had recently lost a good amount of weight and I guess I was just really positive and upbeat. Who knows why they stuck? Unfortunately, I am probably at my highest weight and the least fit of my life right now so I hope that doesn't effect the cycle negatively. But I am *trying* to be positive.

Anyway, I can't wait to see you here when you start your cycle! Please let me know when you hear from the clinic about when you can start.

[Annette]

Hi Levana! It is so neat to be able to talk with people from other countries here and see what things are like in terms of fertility treatments in other countries. I just did a fresh cycle last month (I am also a scholarship recipient) but my blood test was negative and we had no embryos left over to freeze. So for now we are just regrouping and healing.

Good luck to you in your FET!! Do you know yet what day you are doing the transfer?

[Levana]

Hi!

Thanks for the response. I am so sorry to hear about your negative. (((HUGS))) Will you be able to cycle again?

So far I don't know when transfer will be exactly. We went to the clinic last Tuesday and started estradiol. I am supposed to go back this Tuesday for a bloodtest and an u/s. The nurse said it will be about two weeks of estradiol and then a few days of adding progesterone and then the transfer, which would be put the transfer around the second week of February, but that is just appoximate. I guess we'll get a better idea when we go in on Tuesday.
My parents are arriving for a visit right around the time that I think the transfer will be so that is stressing me out. (They don't know that we are going through these treatments.)

[Annette]

We definitely want to try again, I'm not ready to give up. Sher Institute has a Micro-IVF plan that we might be able to do and the cost is dramatically less.

What form is the estradiol in? Is it an injection? The FET meds sound sooo much better than fresh cycle meds!!

Are your parents staying with you? Do you have an action plan of how to handle the situation? Stress is bad so whatever you can do to alleviate that will be good. Can you tell them that you have appointments that can't be re-scheduled?

Let us know how your appointment goes tomorrow!

[Levana]

Appointment went well this morning (remember we are 7 hours ahead of EST.) The nurse called a little while ago and said that the bloodtest looked fine (I didn't ask for any numbers) and the U/S technician said that my lining is now at a 7.9 and she seemed happy with that. I am supposed to be continuing with my estradiol and go back on Sunday or Monday.

I am taking estrogen pills 3 times a day. Ironically, the little dispenser that the pills come in looks like birth control pills. The progesterone will be vaginal suppositories -- I am absolutely thrilled to be able to avoid the shots this time around. Getting my blood drawn isn't so fun though and I got pricked three times this morning. :-(

My parents will be here for a total of two weeks but only one week with us. They will also be staying with my sister for a week. I will probably ask her to take the first week if she can in order to alleviate the stress of possibly having my parents here when I have to transfer. (My sister doesn't know that we are doing any treatments either but I can make some excuse...) But even so, they will be here during the 2WW and I know that I will want to take it easy which is not so easy when you have guests. Oh well.

All the best!!

[Carlaliz]

Really glad to know that things are looking good. Any date for the transfer yet? I hope that things work out with your parents too. Maybe you can tell them that you're not feeling well and that can be your excuse to take things easier. Just a thought....

[Annette]

Oh that's right, your time zone is way ahread of us, I am in California so that's like 10 hours ahead!

I'm glad to hear that things are progressing well for your cycle! But geez I'm sorry about the blood draws. I know how bad it can get and I really feel for you When I did my cycle, I had some of the worst blood draws of my life, I am normally a hard draw but all the meds made it nearly impossible to get blood out of me. Every day was between 3-5 pokes to get blood out, and in very odd places sometimes (forearm, side of my wrist, but all the blood ended up having to come out of my hand in the end).

Oh that's great that your sister can visit with them while you do your transfer. Do you have any stress relief methods that work well for you? I am going to try acupuncture and yoga.

[Levana]

Hi again,

I just went to the clinic again today. My lining is at 8.1mm and I was told to start the progesterone. Transfer is going to be Thursday.

I'm very excited and very nervous. I am really happy that transfer is going to be this week, I thought it might be Sunday or Monday of next week. This way at least I'll have a few days of rest before my parents arrive.

Levana

[Carlaliz]

WooHoo!!! That's such very good news! I'm really glad that the timing is so good. I would imagine that's a sign that things are going to work out perfectly, so try not to worry. Thanks for the update. Please keep them coming. I'll be thinking of you!!!