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.

Waiting Zone

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This round of IVF seems to be taking ages. The Intralipid treatment went well. I was in hospital with another lady who was also having the treatment. Although she finished her treatment before I did, I was happier this time as my veins actually seemed to take the infusion better than last time.

The embryo transfer also went well. I had a female doctor do the transfer this time. Of the 3 remaining embryos I had, one didn’t survive and other two did although both were at various stages of development. I had the two Day 3 embryos put in though. One of them had started compacting which is a good sign but as I know from experience there is a high attrition rate after Day 3. The other embryo was very slow to develop and was only a 5 cell embryo. Ideally it would have been better for this to be at 6 cells or better. Still you never know, sometimes the cells develop better than expect. Unfortunately, there is still a lot unknown about embryo development and their chances of getting to the next level.

So at the moment I am in the waiting zone. Seems to be taking ages but it has been an eventful month in other regards. For one I have resigned from my job so I finish up in a few weeks time. I have not been happy where I am for a long time. I don’t like being micro-managed and it seems the more layers added to the hierarchy since I have been there, the more micro managed I have been.

Since I resigned, work has been pretty relaxed as my projects have been handed over to other people. The only downside has been the travel to Tasmania for the commercial run of a new product I am launching. I just got back from Tasmania yesterday afternoon.

Travelling when doing IVF can be a pain since I had to take a little esky bag and ice block to keep the pessaries at the right temperature and I also had to pack the injections into my luggage. My needle disposal unit was so full, I decided against taking it with me so I had a few used needles in the box along with my injections but they were well secured.

My stomach is really bruised from all the injections but I seem to be getting better at injecting and I seem to be getting smaller bruises. I think the art is all in how you pinch the skin and also the speed at which you inject. I now also put bandaids on my stomach after I inject as I have noticed that I sometimes wake up with blood on my bedsheets from the injections. Anyway the process seems to be getting a little easier although I am not sure I can continue the treatment I am doing and do a full on stimulated cycle – if I did it would mean 4 injections a day and judging by the size of the bruises I would run out of room on my belly. Anyway – time to fly. Still in the waiting zone and I am getting impatient. Secretly I feel that I will have the same outcome as before. Til my blood test outcome.

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.

Frozen Embryo Transfer with the Colorado Protocol and Treatment for Natural Killer Cells

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Wow! I thought the drugs when you do a full on IVF cycle quite tough. I reckon just counting the drugs you need to take when you have natural killer cells and are doing a Frozen Embryo Transfer amazing. Imagine if I have to do both full on IVF and treatment for Natural Killer Cells. I reckon doing that would be the end of me.

As I am about to commence another frozen embryo cycle, I am amazed and what my treatment will now become like.  Here is the sequence of events:

  • Dexamethasone and Astrix / Baby Aspirin (day 1 onwards) – one does things to reduce your immune system and the other thins your blood
  • Book in for intravenous feeding of Intralipid – I get lay down for half a day while the anaesthetist drip feeds me.
  • Pee on Ovulation test kit from daily day 10 until you detect a surge
  • The day after the surge, commence Augmentin DUO twice a day for 5 days
  • The day after the urge, start injecting yourself in the tummy with Clexane
  • Have intercourse the night before transfer so it upsets the endometrium and makes it more receptive for the embryo to stick
  • Commence Crinone Gel for 15 days on the day after embryo transger
  • Commence Estradot Patches on the day after transfer

Amazing collection isn’t it. Imagine if I have to do both full on IVF and the treatment for Natural Killer Cells.  The drugs I would have to take would more than double!  That is mind boggling – I never expected to take so many drugs at my age.  I thought it was just something my people did when they got old.

I never thought of myself as being brave doing 13 rounds of IVG but now I really have to consider that I really am brave just doing this. I am not too happy about the effects it has my immune system and my blood.

I also need to be careful not to bruise myself because the aspirin and clexane thin my blood. And I can be quite klutzy. Lucky I happened to walk into a park bench yesterday and cop the big bruise on the leg (which is still sore) while I was just on aspirin and not clexane. I need to watch and bruising and be ready to report to nurse if the bruising does not subside.

The other good thing is that I am just recovering from a cold. The Intralipid and the Dexamethasone lower my immune system so I reckon I would be best off avoiding sick people.

If I am confirmed pregnant then I still have to continue Crinone, Estradot, Asprin, Dexamethasone and Clexane.

Meanwhile I still need to continue taking my naturopathic medicine such as Elevit, Omega 3 Fish Oil (EPA/DHA), CoQ10, Vitamin C and Chinese Herbs. Here are some of them pictured below. The Chinese herbs are missing from the picture and yeah I forget to mention the acupuncture treatment I also have.