IVF what to expect

Hi there

I am new to the site, my husband and I have been TTC for over 3 years I am 27. We have recently seen a specialist and are looking to start IVF ICSI in April/May we are goingto do one round private then go from there, i have no idea what to expect or even the process i am quite nervous about it all especially the drugs prior to it, any tips and sucess stories would be so appreciated

Thanks heaps

Hi GAL51,
You are in almost exactly the same situation as me, but we had been trying 6 months before seeing a specialist. I just turned 28 and we just had our first round of IVF ICSI in September last year.

I found the whole IVF experience really positive. The nurses were amazing. The doctor was really supportive and the drugs didnt affect me too badly. I have no fear of needles so that wasnt a concern for me.

I think the most important thing is to consider it a journey not a one off thing. We got two good eggs, we froze one, implanted the other. It didnt take so now we are waiting for me to ovulate so we can defrost the frostie and implant.

I also tried not to stress about things. I followed all the doctors instructions, tried to carry on a as much of a normal life as possible, and worked really hard not to think about it unless there was a doctors appointment. I think that way I was not too invested in the whole process so when it didnt work it was easier to move on and say 'maybe next time'.

Everyone reacts differently. Everyones chances are different. Try not to compare yourself too much to others and have open and honest conversations with your doctor.

Even now I am preparing mentally for the fact that the frozen transfer might not work and that we will need to save for another round of IVF in December.

Good luck!

Hi and welcome. I found this vid at another forum, this shows ivf with icsi

http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/science/health-human-body-sci/human-body/ivf-sci.html

hope this helps with the visual

Hi Gal,

Kiwi has said things perfectly. Each person has a different "reaction" to the journey then the next. For my partner and I we start our journey on a private cycle of IVF w ICIS last April. We followed what the doctors told us and found lots of support on the IVF Chat forum for those little questions that pop up that doctors do not usually cover.

As for the needles i don’t have a fear of them but i did have a fear of sticking one in myself so my partner did that for me. It was a way for him to feel part of this process as well (again people are different here). The drugs for me didn’t bother me in the least. I did feel a little more bloated then normal but other than that I was ok.

The nurses for us were the most amazing support as well, the doctors were great too but I found I have more interactions with the nurses then the doctors as times.

In the first round we ended up having 5 very good embryos. One was transferred and unlucky for us we received a BFN. We then had a FET and were surprised with a BFP (it was a very crazy time for us at this point) but heartbreaking we miscarried at 6 weeks.

That being said we still have our heads held high and are doing round 2 of IVF w ICIS in April 11 (publicly funded) and are hoping for good results. We know we still have 3 frozen Embryos waiting for transfer but after talking to the doctors they have advised us this is the route we should go so that we don’t have to wait another year for the public funding.

I know that this is not a success story but there are many wonderful ladies out there who have success in this journey. Some from the first transfer others have had a longer journey but are now have a beautiful baby of their own.

I wish you the best in yours journey and hope that the first time will be the charm.

Sorry that was my first thought when i start looking here almost a year ago. I found this:

http://www.ohbaby.co.nz/Forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=22425&PN=1

If it doesn't work then let us know and we can see what we can do. You may have to scroll down a little to find the short forms.

Cheers

This is what my steps were in IVF w ICIS:

Day 1 - call nurses

Day 21 - started injection of burslin

2 weeks later (maybe abit longer - there were blood test here to make sure that I down regulated) I started the second injection which was the stimulate drug.

1 week after now taking 2 injections day (there where internal scans in here I had 2 which I had to travel to the clinic for) I was told to have the trigger injection.

36 hours after the trigger injection I went into the clinic for egg collection.

I had a Day 5 transfer which means 5 days after the egg collection I went back in (sone have a Day 3 transfer).

Then the dreaded 2 week wait until the blood test.

Hope this helps. I would have to pull out last years calendar if you wanted more in depth detail. But remember everyone is different and will respond differently to the drugs.

Ditta what all the other lovely ladies have said. I too started out first IVF ISCI cycle November last year. After reading so much about IVF and after suddenly realising we could start pretty much straight away - we are based in aussie we didnt have too much time to ponder anything. In my experience though I took syrnal (spray) to down regulate which I found okay and then took the injections for 10 days or so before I needed to trigger for egg collection. I also didnt have many issues with the injections - only feeling occasinally a bit flat or exhausted (I usually have heaps of energy and didnt have all I normally have). One thing I believe though is both people are in this together talking about thngs is good - my DH came to most appointments and scans even though it is MFI I dont consider this as his issue.

Also there is too much info on IVF on Dr Google and I would just go into it with open mind knowing that every person is different and responds differently to drugs and treatment etc,

The other IVF chat forum is also very helpful.

Hi GAL51,

I'm new here but my story is very similar to yours! I am 27 also and we been trying (not as long though, still under one year) but we had an appointment with Fertility Plus on Wednesday and they advised that our only chance is via IVF with ICSI. This was really hard to take even though deep down we might've thought that's where we are heading. I didn't like the doctor that we had our appointment with....he didn't seem very compassionate or empathetic. We qualify for public funding but would have to wait for over 16 months and both husband and I agreed that it's just too long. We want to do a private cycle while on the waiting list for public.
My question is - where do you go to for the private IVF? I know we can do it via Fertility Plus but are there any other options? Has anybody done a comparison of facilities/prices/any other criteria? I've heard of Repromed and apparently they have a clinic on the North Shore (which is where we are based). Does aybody know whether they do IVF there? It would be a lot easier for me for appointments etc...

I would appreciate any suggestions from those who have gone through or is currently considering IVF!