IVF - what to expect? Can anyone share their experiences?

Hi. I did my ivf exactly 3 years ago at the ARGC in london. I remember crying a couple of times, maybe because of the hormones or maybe because i was staying at my in-laws ( very very bad idea!). I was sedated for the egg retreival, but not the embryo transfer. I remember during the transfer i was so scared i would pee myself because just before the procedure i was asked to drink lots of water. The hardest time is the two week period before u do the pregnancy test....the longest two weeks ever. Dont worry, it will all be fine. I remember to take my mind off things, the few days after the transfer i was up and down oxford and bond street buying myself some treats. I flew back to dubai 6 days after the procedure.

Dallydoo, I am sending you loads of wishes that your treatment works...and if you have any questions let me know.

So I dunno if this is redundant info but... I got my IVF here and have twin daughters now, who are 9 months... Before I started, the doc had told me to have metamorfin as I have PCOS. Day 2 of your period: You go in for your shots. The nurse told us how to inject the shot in the belly and we would do that everyday at the same time. Its pretty easy. I also had to take progesterone during that time. I was called for regular ultrasounds to check how I was ovulating, every 2-3 days. It turned out that my ovaries were hyperstimulated (a blood test was needed for that) so I needed another shot and had to kind of delay the egg retrieval. My retrieval was Day 14. I had to take a shot the night before, but you need a nurse for that...and we went to AlZahra hospital ER for that as it had to be in the night. The next day I went in. My husband had to give them a sample and they tested his sperm before taking me in. I was sedated during the procedure. There was very little pain...it was more like discomfort afterwards. I came home and slept till the next day. :) Day 17 I had the embryo transfer. It took around 15 minutes. An ultrasound, followed by the transfer, which was again mostly discomfort. After that, I continued on my progesterone and metamorfin. And took a pregnancy test on Day 30. I acted normal, no special things...even planned a vacation as I was 100% sure it will not work. But it did, and my daughters are the joy of my life.

Hi Dallydoo As asouheir said there are different protocols (long and short) and different types of medications which your doctor will recommend based on your particular issue. The long protocol involves suppressing your normal system before artificially stimulating the follicles to grow whereas the short protocol follows your natural cycle and therefore would start on day 2 of your cycle with stimulating hormones. They will monitor the follicle growth via internal ultrasounds (daily towards the end) and then around the middle of your cycle once you have sufficient follicles they will give you a single shot to mature the eggs and then exactly 36 hours later you have the retrieval. This is done under sedation and you'll be rather uncomfortable for a couple of days after this. DH obviously has to be there that day for his contribution. On the third day they do the embryo transfer which doesn't require sedation - it's just like having a smear test except you have to have a full bladder which isn't fun! You can carry on as normal after the embryo transfer although I took the opportunity to lie on the sofa for 3 days :-) You then go in for test after 10 days - the agonising 2 week wait! I got a urine sample container from a pharmacy so I could take in my first morning sample rather than wait til I got there. They also do a blood test at the same time. Physically its not too bad (although I can't say as I enjoyed the daily needles and post-op discomfort) but the really hard bit is the mental part. There are lots of online forums where you can find people going through the same thing and get support. I found reading other people's stories and comments helpful even if I didn't feel up to posting myself. I had 3 unsuccessful cycles before the one that resulted in a pair of now very noisy 3 year olds :-) While it was a dark time, it brought DH and I closer and there isn't a day that goes by that I don't look at my kids with immense gratitude & amazement and remember that there was a time I didn't think they'd exist. I wish you every success and am happy to chat offline if it will help. x

I've gone through IVF eight times (the 8th being successful thank goodness) and would be more than happy to answer questions. My email is mercedes dot king71 at gmail dot com And a forum that helped me keep a hold - tenuous though it may have been - on my sanity through it all was medhelp.com. They have a huge number of different medical forums but one is for fertility and LOADS of people on there are doing IVF.

hi, i had my son through ivf, not here though, so i am not sure if the procedure is the same or not... i think it depends on the dr and the protocol they use, as far as which day they retrieve and which day they implant... if i remember correctly, it is implantation at day 2 or 3, after retrieval... were i had it done (Sweden) they have a policy of putting back only one embryo, as there is no scientific evidence that the more u put the better the chances of success (but having twins or triplets will put the pregnancy , the babies , at a higher risk)... as far as the drugs they used... they might completely suppress you, then stimulate ... that means a big havoc with ur hormones... ups and downs, lots of crying for me, over anything and everything... otherwise no side effects that i remember... after implantation they tell me to go about my live as usual, as far as work and such... no anesthesia needed for either retrieval or implantation, both were very simple and painless... the most difficult part was the wait after... it doesn't matter how often i tell you to relax... still u will think about it every day, and be tempted everyday to buy a pregnancy test to check if it worked... my husband's advice was if u are pregnant u will be for 9 months, so stop fussing, and relax (easier said then done) they wouldn't see me at the clinic for like 20 days after implantation ... it killed me, the wait... what u will u realize even if it was positive (and u are pregnant), then u have to hope that u don't have a miscarriage, which often happens (not more then the regular population, but better documented that's all) , so there comes a new worry that is out of your control. for me (ivf) it worked the first time ( i had many clomid cycles, and one iui that failed) u have to be comfortable with the dr u r working with... write all ur questions for him(her), be prepared... make sure you understand each and every drug they use, the dosage, if it is standard... the risk of over stimulation etc. let me know if u have any questions and i hope this helps :-)