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IVF 1st Cycle

7/25/2010 7:51:02 PM

Mark

2 posts

IVF 1st Cycle

Hi All,

My wife and myself have started our 1st IVF cycle in Hari Clinic. We have been trying to have a baby for a year and have had a miscarraige and an ectopic pregnancy during the year. Unfortunately my wife had to get both tubes removed as a result of the ectopic, we only had one good tube as Karen had an operation a fews years back for a burst appendix in Portugal unfortunately the doctos over there messed things up completely resulting in one tube being damaged beyond repair.

Today we wet in for our day 5 check up/scan and it showed up approx 6 follicles, Karen is very upset with this amount and she was expecting a lot more. The doctor told us that this is a perfect number and I am trying to save positive for Karen. We are hoping to do a blastocyst transfer but Karen does not think they she will have enough eggs for this and is looking to maybe doing a Day 2 transfer.

At this stage Karen is very upset and I am trying to stay positive for us as I can only see us getting a positive result.

Would you be able to let me know should we be worried about the amount of follicles at , I presume it is quality rather than quantity. Karen is so afraid of it not working and is starting to think at this stage it is not going to work,

I really do hope that it works for us and I am trying not to think of a failure as I know how devasted Karen will be.

I have sent an application to join NISIG as I feel a support group would definately help us.

Thanks in advance,

Mark

7/25/2010 9:49:27 PM

A&C

99 posts

Re: IVF 1st Cycle

Hi Mark and Karen,

Hope you are having a good day. Sounds like you and Karen have been through alot. You some how get through and need to take each day at a time. If Karen or you need to talk give support line a call durning the week. 1890 647 444.

I attended the Hari and found the staff professsional and helpful, it was a few years back now. We ended up doing donor egg in Spain and have twins.

At the NISIG meetings you will find a friendly ear and safe haven. Some were you can talk and feel like there is hope. The meetings are in Dublin and Cork. Ring the support line to get details.

Best of luck

Cats

7/28/2010 11:56:07 PM

Caitriona

93 posts

Re: IVF 1st Cycle

Hi Mark,

It sounds as though you've been through an awful lot in particular this last year. And now to add to it, you're doing an IVF cycle which is a big stress too - although obviously hopefully it will bring you your heart's desire. IVF cycles are full of ups and downs and worries all along the way - it's one of the most stressful things you can do, in my experience. It's fantastic when it works and devastating when it doesn't.

Have you had any more scans since the day 5 scan? To be honest with you, I would encourage you to follow the doctor's lead on this one. If the doctor says 6 follicles is a good number for day 5, I would tend to go along with that. Apart from anything, day 5 is pretty early to be being scanned and it is perfectly possible - although not guaranteed - that more follicles will develop in the next few days. Hopefully that will be the case. I too have attended the Hari and found the level of care there to be excellent. I felt that patient safety is a major priority for them. I don't know for sure but this might mean a slower stim phase and also a focus on quality over quantity. It is very important, I think, in a first IVF cycle to not risk overstimulating a woman because it's difficult to know without doing stims beforehand how a woman's body is going to respond to the medications.

Anyway, my advice would be to not panic! Anything could yet happen. There is definitely hope! And even if you do end up with fewer eggs than you had hoped for / expected to get, there are plenty of people out there who have had success with 2 day transfers ... the odds are better, sure, on blast cycles, but you are by no means out of the running if you have an earlier transfer.

Try not to read too much on the internet about other people's IVF cycles - that's one other thing I would say. I used to get freaked out, reading about people doing cycles in clinics in the US in particular. They'd be coming out from Egg Collection with upwards of 20 eggs! Knowing what I know now, I don't think this is a good thing. Clinics this side of the water tend towards being happy with much lower numbers. I've had 12, 9, and 12 eggs retrieved in my three fresh cycles and that was regarded as really good. And whatever about egg numbers, the key thing is, having some nice embryos to transfer, at whatever date the clinic recommends you go for transfer. Of course it's nice to have the numbers on your side and even embryos left to freeze, but if you have two embryos for transfer, then that is a good cycle, in my opinion. Here's hoping you make it there, and to a positive outcome :-)

I'd like to second what Cats says about getting support though, also. It's important to talk to people who understand what you are going through and it does sound as though you are coping with this situation in different ways (as is common). The counsellors at your clinic are available to talk things through with you and provide support and of course there's the nisig helpline as Cats says. I think talking through your fears and your hopes for the cycle would help. Facing the possibility of failure is important - as also is hoping for the very best outcome. They're not mutually exclusive but it can be difficult if you're not 'on the same page', particularly at a time of high stress such as this.

I wish you all the very best for your cycle - lots of luck!! - hoping you have success first time around.
Caitriona

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