Starting IVF
Printed From: OHbaby!
Category: Support
Forum Name: Coping with infertility
Forum Description: Have you been trying to conceive unsuccessfully? Dealing with primary or secondary infertility? Get support, advice, and help coping here.
URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=11378
Printed Date: 27 April 2025 at 4:02pm
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Topic: Starting IVF
Posted By: ginsou
Subject: Starting IVF
Date Posted: 09 October 2007 at 11:46am
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Well this is my first time on this website, so hopefully I get it right. My husband and I start our first IVF cycle in December. So I guess this thread could be for anyone starting IVF in the near future. I am alittle nervous, mainly the big buildup, all our friends and family know, and then it doesn't work.
I have blocked tubes from years of Endo, so we are being government funded which is great. So anyone else wanting to share their upcoming IVF experiences here would be great, or any IVF pros wanting to impart any advice for the first timers that would also be great. The first piece of advice I am looking for is health stuff. ie any special herbs/vitamins/alternative therapies that anyone has expereince with? I have got Elevit. |
Replies:
Posted By: Rustie1
Date Posted: 10 October 2007 at 12:31pm
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Hi ginsou,
This is my first time here too but wanted to find out about IVF experiences from others too! I've just started the process but i'm an egg donor so only doing up to the egg removal part. I've been taking elevit for around 2 months, had 3 lots of bloods done (3 months ago, a few weeks after that as they forget the cystic fibrosis one, and the last ones just recently). I started the pill about 2 weeks ago and have just had my 3rd Buserelin injection. I thought i'd be ripping people's heads off but it's been quite positive so far and i've even been quite giggley!  I found that i get a dry mouth and very thirsty just after doing the injection, I've also been bruised everytime i've done the injection too but maybe i just bruise easily?
Be interested to hear about others experiences please!! R xx |
Posted By: ginsou
Date Posted: 11 October 2007 at 1:03pm
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Hi Rustie
Wow an egg donor, didn't expect that. I would love to ask lots of nosey questions why you are doing that, but its not my business. Sounds like the drug therapy is ok though so far for you. Thats what I start in December, and in the middle of it we are going overseas, right about when I start the injections, so hope that works out ok. Does the injection hurt? I am not bothered about needles, but in the tummy might be abit nervous! and my hubby is needle phobic! cheers gs |
Posted By: Rustie1
Date Posted: 11 October 2007 at 2:04pm
You can be as nosey as you like, i don't mind!!! 
I heard about people needing donor's a few years back and looked into it as i didn't intend to have anymore children, but because i was so young my doctor recommended i wait! I was on another forum (just a general chat one!) recently and someone asked the question about whether you would do donation and that reminded me about it all. I contacted Fertility Associates in Auckland to find out further information and that was that!!! I really can't see why more people don't do this to be honest, afterall I flush my egg down the toilet on a monthly basis and yet it could give someone such a wonderful gift! The injection doesn't hurt, unless you do as i did yesterday and hesitate when you've just got the needle in but not all the way!  ouch! I had to pull it out and try again, although i think the main problem was someone was watching me and i forgot to pinch the skin!
With each injection I just think, that's one less to go, so 4 less now. It helps to pinch the skin slightly and i'm sure having a 'little extra' around the middle helps too
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Posted By: Rustie1
Date Posted: 11 October 2007 at 2:13pm
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Are you going overseas on holiday?
I know it's difficult to do but try not to think about whether ivf will work and getting worried, you both have a chance and try and take it one day at a time (easy for me to say i know!). Everyone who knows will support you no matter what. xxx 
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Posted By: ginsou
Date Posted: 11 October 2007 at 2:38pm
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hey
Thanks for the positive thoughts! Yes I am trying really hard to let whatever happens happens. Have been thinking about life without a baby, and the things me and hubby could do instead. Everyone knows about our IVF so have lots of support thankfully. I am guessing you have children already then, hence doing the egg donation. Its a very admirable thing to do and I am sure there are lots of very grateful people out there. I just dunno if I could cope knowing there could be half of me out there..... Yes we are going on a cruise to Vanuatu over New Year to celebrate hubby's birthday on New years day. Its kinda good because we won't be focusing so hard on the IVF and drug therapy. It doesn't sound like the drugs send you loopy, and all over emotional? My husband and family paranoid I'll turn into a monster! 
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Posted By: Rustie1
Date Posted: 11 October 2007 at 2:48pm
I have one child and that's more than enough for me, LOL! Half of me out there? No, because it isn't! The woman that carries the child and gives birth to it and brings it up and loves it is the mother and all i've done is help in a small way. I guess i look it a bit like making a cake..... the eggs are needed but the most important part is the oven! 
I think it depends on the person with the drugs! My friend has just been trying on IVF and she had a few 'biting people's heads off' days!
I have felt like crying a few times, which is unusual for me as i don't usually cry, but i guess i was fearing the worst so it's all not as bad as i thought! A cruise around Vanuatu sound fantastic! Just chilling out in the sunshine is probably just what you need at that point to help you relax! |
Posted By: ginsou
Date Posted: 11 October 2007 at 3:25pm
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For me its about genetics, which is why we wouldn't adopt a baby, I want/need it to be a part of me and my husband. I have this fear I wouldn't bond properly if it wasn't mine.
If you don't cry much and this is making you teary, I will be boohooing all over the place! I get teary at the slighest thing 
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Posted By: Rustie1
Date Posted: 25 October 2007 at 4:10pm
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A quick update!
The Buserelin injections have been going well. I've had a couple of nights where i 'overheated' but i'm not sure if it was the injections or the weather! I put on a couple of pounds in weight but expected that as i usually do with the pill. Tuesday i had my Down Regulation blood test and that was good, so Wednesday i halved the buserelin to 20 and had my first gonal f injection of 225. The gonal f is given in a pen and it's a bit fiddley to begin with, but there again, i thought the buserelin needles were too to begin with! |
Posted By: Lulu
Date Posted: 26 October 2007 at 10:54am
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Hi Ladies. I did IVF in October 2006 and now have a beautiful 11 week old daughter. Just to give you a quick overview of my treatment, I was on buserelin to down regulate and basically had no side effects except for a couple of hot flushes. My one hint for doing the injections is to grab a big handful of flesh on your tummy and squeeze it and put the injection in slowly, don't stab it. It's basically pain free if you do it this way. Then I went on to Gonal-F and again I was lucky enough to have no side effects. Mentally it is a hard time as you are wondering what if this what if that, but I found the best thing was to keep really really busy and take your mind off it by planning to do a few nice things with your partner. I wouldn't recommend taking time off work as it gives you too much time to think. Although you will need a day or two off work around egg collection. Egg collection is pretty straight forward but I found that the pain relief drugs didn't really work for me. It was all over in about 10 minutes though so it wasn't too bad. I spent the next day in bed and then I was fine after that. The embryo transfer is very straight forward and pain free. The two week wait until testing is the hardest time mentally so be sure to keep really busy and positive.
Good luck I hope it all goes well! ------------- Lou http://www.babysfirstsite.com"> 
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Posted By: Rustie1
Date Posted: 26 October 2007 at 11:14am
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Thanks Lulu. It sounds like my experiences of the injections have been pretty similar to yours?!!
I'm hoping that my experience of the menopause is the same as the bureselin-stimulated one then I'm more than happy with that!
Congratulations on the birth of Jaymie Grace 
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Posted By: Lulu
Date Posted: 26 October 2007 at 2:14pm
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That's exactly what I thought too Rustie1, I just hope menopause is as easy! Thanks for your congrats, Jaymie is the love of our lives. ------------- Lou http://www.babysfirstsite.com">
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Posted By: Rustie1
Date Posted: 29 October 2007 at 9:59am
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All is going well with the injections and my tummy is a little bloated and harder than usual.
One question i had was whether anyone else got bruises from the injections? I got a couple at the beginning of the bureselin ones and now have a few from the gonal-f, including a HUGE one that's purpley-red with a bluey one just above it! 
I'm sure they'll just go over time and it's probably because i bruise easily but just wondered if anyone else got them? |
Posted By: Lulu
Date Posted: 29 October 2007 at 7:56pm
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Yep I got some bruises although they were just small ones. ------------- Lou http://www.babysfirstsite.com">
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Posted By: ginsou
Date Posted: 31 October 2007 at 2:59pm
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Glad to hear a success story Lulu. well done. We are off to Infertility Assoc next week for the final appointment and drugs in December. Its all becoming real now. I am not worried about the drugs or side effects so much as the final outcome
All the waiting and anticipation. most of our friends and family know, which is good, makes it all in the open, but also am nervous about what to say if it doesn't work. Did you tell anyone prior and during? Did it work first time for you? |
Posted By: Rustie1
Date Posted: 31 October 2007 at 3:40pm
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Well, i knew i would forget something and i've been panicing it would be one of the injections, but no! I forgot to go for my blood test yesterday before 9am! Remembered about 11pm so had to go then and they got results today!
This one was to check estrogen levels are rising and they said that they are now over 1787 which i think is good??!! Have to go and have another blood and a scan tomorrow morning now to see how follicles are doing! |
Posted By: Rustie1
Date Posted: 01 November 2007 at 4:06pm
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Went for my first scan this morning and another blood test!
All looking good with a total of 13 follicles; 1 at 15mm, 4 at 14mm, 6 at 12mm and 2 at 10mm!!! Only thing they wanted to keep an eye on is my estrogen level as its going v.high v.quickly, now at 4797, so have to go for another blood tomorrow just to check
Continuing with gonal f and then hopefully scan again on Saturday morning and then see how big they are then. If all goes well then may have the trigger on Saturday! Everything seems to be happening really quickly since starting the bureselim! 
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Posted By: Lulu
Date Posted: 02 November 2007 at 12:49pm
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Ginsou I am usually a really open person who tells everyone everything, but when I did IVF I only told my Sister and my best friend. DH told his Mum & Sister, which wasn't part of my plan, but oh well never mind. I just didn't want a whole heap of people to tell if it didn't work out, and I didn't want people ringing me asking me how it was going. But we are all different and it is nice to have some support and understanding. Yes we were successful the very first IVF cycle.
Great follicle count Rustie1, good luck for your trigger and egg collection. ------------- Lou http://www.babysfirstsite.com">
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Posted By: Rustie1
Date Posted: 02 November 2007 at 3:33pm
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Well, estrogen still climbing too high too fast apparently, now at 7512 (whatever that means!), so i have to reduce tonight's gonal f to 150.
Scan and another blood test early tomorrow so hopefully good news from those! |
Posted By: Rustie1
Date Posted: 05 November 2007 at 8:29pm
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Well, the time seems to have flown by but today was the day!
My estrogen was still high and if i was doing this for myself then i would've had to have had the embryos frozen but i had the trigger on Saturday night and went in this morning. Everything went fine and the only problem was trying to find my vein and it was third time lucky! I'm not keen on drugs as i like being in control but it was really good and it didn't hurt too much at all. Just relaxing now and drinking lots of water. |
Posted By: NoFearFranky
Date Posted: 10 November 2007 at 3:00pm
| Hi Guys. I found this thread very interesting as I have just started my first IVF cycle (I'm 2 weeks into the Buserelin injections). I've had a bit of bruising from the injections, but I don't seem to have had any other side effects apart from the occasional bursting into tears! I don't know if that's the drugs or just the stress of this whole TTC thing. I'll be going in for a blood test on Monday 12 November and then probably starting Gonal F on Wednesday the 20th. |
Posted By: Rustie1
Date Posted: 10 November 2007 at 3:07pm
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Brilliant NoFearFranky, and cool name!
It's quite surprising isn't it? I thought i'd get alot more symptoms than that! Good luck with the IVF xxx |
Posted By: NoFearFranky
Date Posted: 13 November 2007 at 12:43pm
| I spoke too soon. Now I've started having hot flushes! They're not too bad, though. Just have to take a couple of layers off until the heat passes! I've just had my blood test to check that I'm down-regulating, which I am, so tomorrow evening I start on Gonal F. |
Posted By: ginsou
Date Posted: 13 November 2007 at 1:42pm
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Rustie you are going great guns :-)
We met a couple at the IVF clinic who are doing IVF and using an egg donor, I said that there was someone on this website that was being a donor. Not sure how right it is if you spoke? NoFearFranky that is a cool name. So you are in the midst, I start the pill in December, then the jabs. Not worried as I tried one at the clinic and it was fine. However my Endo is v severe and the clinic nearly pulled the pin on IVF, as its now into my ovaries and one follicle is doing something weird? Very scary, however you only need ONE egg so just focusing on that. Specialist only gave me a 20% chance :-( So I am trying to find any weird and wonderful dietary supplements to see if that would help if anyone knows of any? Also read that Accupuncture can help? I want more than 20% chance....or at least max out that 20% |