The IVF Club

A Personal Blog About IVF Treatment & Infertility

IVF Pregnancy Test Results

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Decision day was last Wednesday. I sat by the phone anxiously awaiting my blood test results after now 15 rounds of IVF. The call didn’t come until late in the afternoon. You can always tell by the tone of the nurse whether you have been successful or not. In this instance I again was unsuccessful.  I was expecting this more because that is the standard response however I was still hopeful I would get a different result this time.  Anyway my nurse told me that I needed to continue to take the steriod dexamethasome for the next 7 days but just one tablet a day instead of two so I could wean myself off the steriods. Not sure what would happen if I stopped them suddenly though.

Aunt Flo did not surface until the weekend so it was a very long cycle for me. Around 33 – 34 days in total.  I got hit with cramps late Saturday afternoon while I was vacuuming the rug. I didn’t feel too flash the next day either.  So now as the year draws to close I am left with no eggs, no baby, no job and am faced with the prospect of yet another round of IVF.

The job bit I can deal with as this was my choice but I had hoped there would be something nice to celebrate in the new year. On a positive note, my two cats will be happy that they will be in peace and won’t need to deal with the noise of a baby.

This blog also got nominated as blog of the year by another website for Ultrasound technicians. I guess it is nice to be infamous for something. Hopefully my story although not positive yet will help others as they go through their journey of IVF. I suppose if one has had a few failures with IVF, it can be comforting to be reminded that other people are worse off. Maybe I serve as a reminder to others that things aren’t quite as bad for them as they are for me. Although I am sure that there are many people who have tried longer and more often that I.

I really did not want to go down the path of doing IVF again. I have had quite a lot of attempts. In addition, the amount of drugs I am taking has steadily increased and the number of injections I will need to have next time will be horrendous. Call me a whinge but the prospect of having 4 needles a day plus all the other drugs is not very appealing to me.

My plan at the moment is to take some time off, enjoy Christmas and start getting outside, going for walks and enjoying the sunshine.  I have an appointment with my Fertility Specialist set up for the 15th December but I can guarantee I can’t see myself doing anything more in regards to IVF this year.

IVF Round 15: New Treatment

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As I prepare for round 15 (which my clinic thinks is round 14), I am amazed at how much the drugs I am on have increased over time. This time, although I am doing a natural cycle, I am still doing something different.  I will be taking hormone replacement tablets three times a day called Prognova as well as a steroid Dexmethasone and aspirin. The aspirin thins my blood.

Apparently I continue to take this for a while.  However, within a week of my cycle I am due back in hospital for another dose of Intralipid. This is where you are drip feed this creamy liquid into your veins to reduce your immune system to combat my problem natural killer cells. I have written about this previously and it is worth checking out my tips on how to handle it if you have trouble with this treatment.

As some point unknown to me, I am required to have an Ultrasound to measure my lining on my uterus. It needs to be 16mm or thicker. I don’t think I need to do ovulation tests for this round although maybe this is something I should check. Since I am not a virgin at this treatment anymore maybe they think I will do this automatically.

Anyway once instructed, I will then need to have Clexane injections and augmentin duo. The Clexane thins my blood and from memory the last time I had these injections I have massive bruises on my belly. Lucky I have a big belly otherwise there would be no belly to inject.  I am also required to use pessaries to help build the lining of my uterus. Pity I am using these as I still have about two boxes of  Crinone gel at home which I would like to use at some point because they are expensive and I would hate for them to go to waste. Although I might just change my opinion if I get pregnant.

So that about sums it up. My next cocktail of drugs involve:

  • Aspirin Tablets
  • Dexamethasone Tables
  • Progynova tablets
  • Intralipid Infusion via the vein
  • Clexane Injections
  • Augmentin Duo Tablets
  • Prosgesterone pessaries

Probably not to bad this time around. Of course I still continue taking Elevit, Omega 3 tablets, CoQ10 and Vitamin C tablets.  Imagine if this doesn’t work, then it would mean that I would probably have to take all of the above medications (probably with the exception of the progynova) plus the standard injections (Puregon or Gonal F and Ovidrel) and the antagonist injections (Orgalutron). Phew – imagine that. It means I could be injecting 2-3 times a day at various points in my cycle – now that I am not looking forward to. Better get pregnant this time around I think.

IVF Round 14: Another Flop

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I know it has been some time since I last wrote. The bad news is that I didn’t get pregnant. This is despite being treated for Natural Killer cells and doing the Colorado protocol. This was disappointing but it happened some time ago now so I have had a chance to recover. I had high hopes to some extent. I had a new doctor and we were doing a new treatment for my natural frozen embryo transfer – something different from my previous Doctor. Unfortunately this round was another failure. My period also came after my blood test but confirmed what I had again suspected – no go.

About one week into my treatment I found myself in hospital being administered Intralipid. What Intralipid is, is a creamy substance that is drip fed into your veins to reduce your immune system so the natural killer cells don’t do their job. This treatment normally takes most people 2 hours. However, it took me much longer as my veins are quite small and I was getting a build-up of fluid in my arm. My tip if this happens to you, is to rub your arm from where the needle is and massage the arm so that helps the fluid to move down your veins rather than get stuck in one place which can be a little painful. I remember fretting at the time as I needed to get home so I could get my new Miele Condenser Dryer delivered.

While I was in hospital I met a lady in a very similar situation to myself. She was older at 43 and a nurse, however this brave woman was undergoing IVF alone with the help of a sperm donor. Seems she had been waiting for Mr Right only he didn’t show up so she decided to fulfill a lifetime desire to become a mother. I don’t know what became of her but I sure hope she got pregnant.

The treatment was ok, although I was overloaded with drugs . The clexane and aspirin that I had been taking really thinned my blood so I was more prone to bruising. As luck would have it, I seemed to bump into everything that month – I fell down the steps after having acupuncture and I fell a few weeks later of my back step when I was sweeping pavers. Oh – I also walked into a park bench. Not great after I had been warned to be careful to avoid bumping into things. So really, the most eventful thing that I remember from that cycle was the lady I met in hospital, the fact that I now know how to alleviate pain from the drip and also the fact that I had bruised legs (from falling over a few times) as well as a bruised belly from those terrible injections.

Natural Killer Cells Intralipid Infusion

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Interesting day today where I had to pick up my prescription for my infusion.  This is final piece of puzzle and complements the other medications I am taking. Here is the latest one that adds to the already fascinating cocktail of drugs I am taking. This is the medication where I fed intravenously. I had no idea this could get so involved!

It was quite a story just getting this little baby. First I had an early morning meeting with a Manager and then I had to duck out to the clinic to pick up my medication.  So I fronted the usual clinic only to find that I had to get it from the hospital pharmacy down the road. So off I trundle to the hospital.

Once I finally located the pharmacy, presented my script and waited for the product to arrive, I discovered that I had left my purse behind so I couldn’t pay for the blasted stuff. So I had to leave medicineless and go back to my car which was parked at the other clinic. Fortunately when I got to the car, I found my purse filled with the money that I had pulled out of the bank to pay for the medicine. And back to the pharmacy I went.

Upon collection, I discovered that this little concoction actually contains 1000 calories – nearly my daily allowance of calories. I guess there is no chance of sticking to a diet tomorrow. Wish me well. This is sure one hell of a ride.

Natural Killer Cells and Cycle Number 14

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Just saw my new Fertility Specialist today to find out my new treatment protocol now that I have been diagnosed with Natural Killer Cells. I arrived with my box of tissues  in tow – not because I was sad but because I have a cold. It was hard to concentrate but the Doctor seemed to think that being diagnosed with natural killer cells a good thing as it gives him (or maybe me) hope that I might become a mother.

In any case, because Aunt Flow arrived yesterday and I am now in day 2 of my cycle, I have discovered that I need to start taking two Dexmethasone tablets from today, see my new nurse tomorrow and get booked in for an “infusion” Thursday week (5th August).  Sounds like a lethal cocktail to me.

For those wondering, dexamethasone is classed as a steroid drug that acts as an anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressant. Mmm – I wonder if this will hinder my recovery from my cold….

The “infusion” on the other hand refers to Intralipid.  This involves intravenously feeding me with a syringe in the arm for half a day with the Intralipid Treatment.

Treatment is at the clinic and so I will need to take some time off work. The Intralipid is used to down regulate the Natural Killer Cells. The substance is synthetic and is cheaper than the natual IVIG which is not available in Australia. It apparently has no side effects and is therefore safe to use.

This time I get off lightly. Not a lot of drugs considering that I am just doing a simple embryo transfer and not full blown IVF where my ovaries are stimulated. Perhaps this is a good way to be introduced to the treatment.

In any case, all my and my partners blood tests came back normal and the blood tests worked. Thank goodness for this as I really didn’t want to sit through another blood test again. The last two have not been fun at all.  The first blood test didn’t work and the second one took ages (even with three separate needles).