IVF/ICSI Support Group

[petals_bloom]

sunflower,
when did they tell u that ur lucrin on D16? Was it during the ivf consent n counselling w dr loh? i haven't gone for that yet, but so far i went for briefing by ivf nurse, n she only explained std cycle where lucrin on d21...

 

[petals_bloom]

weiwei,
time really flies hor...nxt wk u doing ur er n et already...

 

[xixiweiwei]

dream

safe sex, not no sex.

hee hee... condom can lah... dun make ur hubby so sad, k?

petals

ya, cant realy believe it. it's like a min ago i was just like u waiting to start e treatment, now i must prepare myself for e procedure itself. when wil u start lucrin? u had fet done b4, right? so, tis s nt ur 1st time ivf?

 

[sunflower07]

Hi Petals Bloom,

During the briefing by the nurse, she said to start on D16. Then, at the counselling w the Dr (not Dr Loh), he mentioned D16 too.

When I read thru the forum, I realised tt some actually start on D21.

Hm... .... I'm not sure why the difference. Anyway, I'll be starting lucrin on 7 June 07.

 

[dream]

WeiWei,
izzit alot of condom got anti-spermide, dunno is it ok to use? Haa..u r rite, poor hubby..i actually told him no sex till i finish the whole prog..guess i wun have much mood for that after i start the injection.

 

[nlenny]

hi weiwei (xixiweiwei),thanks for the info. Hubby has went for s/a. And his soldiers are fine. I guess I have to wait for half year and see what next..

 

[maplebabies]

Hi gals, wow ... alot of newcomers and June Ivf-ers! Kambatte every1!

Dream, aiya! I forgot to ask Dr Loh which protocol i should be on lor ... tsk tsk, should i email him, just to play safe? Hmm ... but the last time i email him, he didnt reply leh. How, your AF here? Any chance maybe naturally preggie tis cycle then no need IVF le!

Lenny, i dont have answer for you but IVF is supposedly a good solution for people with blocked tubes cos IVf bypass the tubes totally. So should be ok after a few months after lap to start bah.

Sunflower, maybe u wanna email Dr Loh ask him why you take lucrin on D16 leh? After tat, can share with us why also? But most prob he has good reason for starting you on lucrin earlier.

Weiwei, all the best!!!

 

[theresasng]

Hi Ladies,

Can anyone provide me with more info on IVF. I will be doing my IVF this mth and now waiting for my menses to come and it should be around the 9th or 10th. So will the doc start me on the drug and injection immediately or what is the procedure & steps like. As i need to schedule my hubby to come back for his "donation" (we are station overseas and I'm back for this treatment), so on which day will he need to be back??? I will be doing my IVF at Gleneagles and not KKH, will the procedure be similar?? Please advise.....

 

[petals_bloom]

weiwei,
yeah, not my first time. But this will be my first time using lucrin, so hopefully no side-effects for me... I think i'll prob start my jabs early july bah. Still long wait...

sunflower,
hmm, maybe i kaypoh ask him abt the diff during my next appmt... hee hee...

 

[petals_bloom]

hi theresa,
not sure abt gleneagles' protocol which may be diff...better if u call them to ask ur qns?

 

[fond1711]

hi sunflower

Did doctor give you microgynon(BCP) to take? Do you happen to have irregular menses? What i understand is that if you have irregular menses you will start to take microgynon at Day 2 of menses and at Day 16 of menses you will start the injection of Lucrin. For other who have regular menses they will start at Day 21 of menses.

hi weiwei

Not sure it is mood swing for me but anyway guess really need to be prepared for the outcome.
How's your puregon injection? For me yesterday i felt stomach cramps both morning and evening and also felt quite unwell but today totally ok. Not sure what's the reason?
By the way do you inject puregon on the same side of tummy everyday? When you doing your scan? Mine is on Friday.

 

[petals_bloom]

hi fond,
oh, they didn't ask me whether my menses regular or not leh...and just told me d21 start jabs. Think i better ask him abt it...

 

[ttc_5yrs]

hi sunflower

i dun know about the difference why some starts D16 and others starts D21. but i agreed with our ladies that you could ask dr loh or check with the nurse...

 

[xixiweiwei]

dream

ya hor, condom got anti-spermide. for me i just dun do 1wk b4 n 3 days after menses. or u can buy those got nothing ones? really no idea, seldom use.

fond

i also got a bit of mood swing. get angry more easily. but manage to warn pp around me 1st. hee hee......

i got poking pain on n off, but nt many also. i always imagine tat my follicles r growing veri fast, occupying e pelvic space, when they squeeze, i wil hav e pain. dun knw my own explanation correct or nt.

e nurse said can jab @ fatty area but nt below e bellybutton. so i jab lucrin on one side, puregon on e other side, then next day exchange place. sad to say, i got some bruises over e injection site. think i din pinch enough n e needle puncture e small vessels.

bad technique,hum?! nvm, it wil b over soon. my scan wil b on thursday.

 

[ttc_5yrs]

hi weiwei

thanks for your info..... : )

 

[xixiweiwei]

theresa

think e best u confirm with e nurse who wil b informing u of e actions at each stage. ask them for a flow chart n explain to them tat ur hubby need to arrange leave n maybe e tickets for e flights. they should understand n help u to find out e most important days tat ur hubby need to come. btw, not only e donation part. it's better for u when u doing ER & ET, ur hubby stay with u. u wil need a lot of emotional support frm him. do ask clearly when u call them to report ur af.

 

[xixiweiwei]

lenny, ttc

u r most welcome

 

[dream]

MapleBabies,
Tis morning got spotting leow..tat means AF is here lor..tis time it came 3 days earlier than my usual cycle. Think it will likely come full force later part of the day. Hmn..so shd treat today as D1 rite? Will call kkh later.
Usually Dr Loh will reply email but maybe now he is the Head so even more busy. I think he will keep a copy of our email for reference? cos the last time i saw him he still can remember the query i sent him wks ago..without me mentioning anything abt it.

WeiWei,
Think will play safe dun use condom.
Yr v-scan 2mr is it to chk the no. of follicles?
Since my AF is here, me starting soon! Read yr posting reg mood swing etc..think i muz try to warn my hubby again cos normal time i oredi alot of mood swing..can't imagine how will i be after i start ivf.

 

[dream]

May i know when will we know the dosage of the injections?..will the nurse tell or do we have to ask?

 

[sunflower07]

Thanks Fond for your explanation regarding the difference between D16 and D21.

Yes, you are right, I've irregular menses. Sharks, looks like I've to take lucrin over a longer period of time.

Hm, I seldom get to meet Dr Loh, from the time I decided to do the ivf, I've only met the nurses and his junior docs.

All the best to all who are starting or have started ivf.

 

[dream]

Dear all, got my official start date leow...will be starting lucrin jab on 27th tis mth..few days after Maplebabies.

My menses is here ard 10am tis morning but till now only medium flow...nurse said tomorrow then counted as Day 1. Was told will be on long protocol and start with 10unit of Lucrin(the std dosage?)

Sunflower, ya we seldom get to meet Dr Loh also..according to the sisters here, prob the next time we get to see him is ET/ER. All the best to you also.

 

[maplebabies]

Wow Dream, you only 5 days after me. Hehe ... we can root for each other ya?!

Aiyo, i still havent ask Dr Loh which protocol to be on, guess it should be the long one. The long one is better issit?

So meaning, must expect to jab lucrin about 4 weeks then purgeon another 2 weeks? Wow, by then ER will be in Aug le!

 

[pookums]

weiwei

I think just get more bruises with puregon needle. I didn't have any bruising at all with lucrin but with puregon my whole abd was like a patchwork of blueblack, green n yellow!

goodluck for scan tomm.

i still waiting for my preg test on mon but very xian already. no guts to check UPT. don't know whether can call IVF to bring bld test forward ..

 

[xixiweiwei]

pookums

veri long time no see, how r u?

hee heee.... thought i was e only one got bruises. ya, with puregon, i dun knw where to jab already as can still see e needle holes for e past few days. e nurse said i should b doing ER on mon/tue, but if my response to puregon s super gd, may hav to do it this weekend. hai, actually dun really want tmr scan to be sooooo gd, want to do it on mon as i wil b working still this weekend. how long were u on puregon?

can bring forward e bld test meh? i thought all e sis here just guai guai wait til e date. y nt do a UPT on ur own? at least if u get a +ve, can call them to bring forward bld test.

good luck to u n me, as monday wil b our big day; ur bld test n my ER/ET.

 

[fond1711]

hi petals

Think doctor/nurse will know base on your past consultation and blood test result. They must have study your case before they decide on Day 21 but if you think you have irregular menses than its better to ask them

hi weiwei

Think its quite common i also have bruises on injection site (For puregon only). So dun worry all of us have bad technique.
For me i imagine my follicles are not growing or dun have enough follicles hence never feel much cramp or pain. Think imagine too much already.
Your scan is today right...remember let us know how is it...must be excited, i will be going tomorrow

hi sunflower

No problem, just want to share more info here. By the way you dun have to inject LUCRIN for a longer period.
Just that you start earlier at Day16 then after two weeks of LURCRIN you will go back KKIVF to do your ultrasound and bloodtest (Same for people starting at Day21). Then they will let you know of your next step in the afternoon.
For most people they will continue for one more week of LUCRIN before starting PUREGON and LUCRIN together till they ask you to stop. Hope the above is clear enough

Dream/Maple Babies

Good luck on your coming IVF. Dun worry the injections should be quite easy to handle just be prepared to except some bruises when starting puregon.
On dosage it shoule be quite standard for LUCRIN (10 units), for puregon will depends on your blood test on Day2 and if you have PCOS etc. Dun worry the nurse will be very clear in their explanation they will tell you on the dosage. Generally LUCRIN is inject 3 weeks then start puregon+lucrin (duration depends on your respond to dosage approx 7 to 10 days according to nurse)

hi pookums

How are you. Must have a hard time waiting...it will be our turn soon (me and weiwei). Good luck on your bloodtest.

Sorry for the long post... so lo so

 

[dream]

MapleBabies,
Yes, our timing is really close..gd ya.

Actually I didn't confirm wif Dr Loh personally reg long or short protocol. Not sure whether did Dr state in our file whether long or short cos yest when i asked the nurse they just say long proto. Yalor, by the time finished shd be aug oredi.

From the prog chart that they gave, they put there 2 to 4 wks Lucrin? not sure is it 2wks Lucrin first then do Baseline Ultrasound n Blood test. Can u remember wat is the purpose of the ultrasound n Blood test?

Fond,
Thks. Hopefully the injections will be ok for us. Just tat..Puregon Jab seems to have bruises...is the needle bigger than Lucrin jab?

WeiWei,
Do let us know how's yr scanning today..all the best.

 

[pookums]

weiwei
i was on puregon 250u x 7days,then 400u x 4days.

never mind abt work la. they will give you MC to cover one .

all de best for US today

have been enjoying not working since 23 May

nice not having any work stress but hubby say my brain is rotting already. Bleuh! he just cannot tahan me lazing ard at home while he has to go work

first week quite relaxing, sleep ALOT. n keep worrying bt OHSS so keep drinking, go toilet, drinking, go toilet, drinking,.. you get the drift. oh ya. also breasts VERY engorged. quite uncomfortable.

but now nearing the date very kanchiong. so many thoughts... whether my embies still in me or not, sometimes have very occasional cramp, then worry also..now breast less engorged, then think maybe not pregnant..AIYAH!!! this waiting is KILLING ME!!

weiwei n fond
Good luck for ER/ET. happy waiting to you two

 

[xixiweiwei]

fond, dream

just came back frm my scan. today s e short hair scan lady tat u mentioned b4. i find her ok n she did inform me when she move e prop. it's still uncomfortable, but wat to do?!

i hav in total ard 20+ follicles of size 8.5-14.5mm.

e Dr said she's happy with e no., but i need 2/7 more puregon (200u) to make them bigger. same time, she asked me to drink 2-3L of h2o per day as seems i got a lot of follicles n high risk for ohss. my lining s 12mm. wil go back for another scan on saturday morning to check e sizes of follicles. oh, e nurse said i wil need im progesterone after ET to help with e implantation. she also said tat progesterone s for those who got a lot of folicles n @ high risk for ohss, it's more painful.

for others who may nt hav high risk, sc pregnyl wil do.

pookums

how r u today? can understand ur anxiety. glad to knw tat u dun hav symptoms of ohss.

ya, no one can tel wat's happening inside e womb n all e symtoms we hav r so confusing. did u talk to ur embies? u dun want t do a HPT? i already prepare a few sets of serial drama to kill my time during 2ww. but i knw, e most i can tahan for 2-3 days at hm, after tat, i hav to go out occasionally to prevent myself frm siao. hee hee...... maybe i wil go library, but veri cold down there.

 

[nlenny]

Hi Ladies, I have another set of questions.. Sorry if I am being lohhh soohhh...

1) How much does each scans costs?
2) The cost of IVF procedures, what does it covers? What do we need to fork out extra cash for?
3) For ET and ER do we need to fork out cash as well? If YES how much?
4) Pls feel free to feed me of any necessary informations that will be valuable to me...

I will be starting IVF in two months time. And yes, money is a concern to me...

Your kind help is greatly appreciated. I'll be doing IVF @ KKH but with Doctor Kelly Loi

 

[petals_bloom]

weiwei,
sound like u r progressing well with ur follicles and lining...

good luck for ur er n et!

pookums,
all the best for ur blood test on mon! i know the waiting is tough...

fond,
yeah i asked one of the nurses abt the lucrin date. She said dr loh will assess every case and let us know if it deviates from the std d21 date b4 we start our jabs. She said they will change the start date for those more irregular af, like > 2 mth af cycle... I told her my af cycle went up to 40 days b4, but she said that is ok still for std d21 lucrin. Anyway, i will wait till i call them again when my af arrives.

nlenny,
during the nurse counselling on ivf, they will tell u that the entire cycle will cost estimated $6k-$8k, including registration, injections, scans, er/et. The amt will differ largely depending the amt of Puregon dosage u are prescribed, cos puregon not cheap and each woman may have diff dosage.

 

[nlenny]

Thanks Petals,

I understand we can use our medisave. Can we use them immediately or we have to use cash first before CPF?

 

[pookums]

petals
thanks

weiwei
so happy for you got so many follicle. I only got abt 6 but only 3 good size one. but luckily when they retrivede eggs, manage to get 7.

I very scared to do HPT la. don't know whether to do or not. what if negative?

 

[samirah]

hi lenny...

U will have to use your cash first esp for your scans,puregon injections...But ER and ET will be directly deducted via medisave.If the total bill cost less than 6k,you will receive a checque from KKH for the upfront amount you've paid.

pookums...

Go according to your gut feelings...If u tink u can face HPT,den do so lor...4 myself dat time, not confident to do HPT, even HCG result my hubby called for me cos I know I can't take it...

 

[jaslyn75]

Hi weiwei,

i'm glad that you are doing well and happy for you that u got so many follicles.

I've done my ER yesterday, got 18 embryos and only 6 being fertilized. ET will be on this coming Sat... Was very disappointed after hearing the news...

Worst of all is that i'm having fever and flu.. all came at this time. I called up SGH and they asked me to keep monitor my fever and asked me to relax since this is the last lap.. Now i'm very scare.

 

[miraclebaby]

hi jaslyn,
don be disheartened, on my 4th fresh ivf, i had food poisoning and fever(38.3)during my er. i din take any medications,just took many glasses of glucose water. luckily i was better during et and i only had 1 embryo to transfer, even had slight bleeding 1 day after et which never happened to me before. miraculously, i tested positive.

yes, it is very important to stay relax n calm. gd luck!

 

[nlenny]

Thanks Samirah for the informations.... Baby dusts and lots of prayers to all....

 

[jaslyn75]

Thanks miracle... really appreciate... I feel much better now. you are right just relax and wait for my big day to come. No point feeling dishearted now.... Is fate ....

 

[fond1711]

hi dream

The needles (thickness) for both LUCRIN and PUREGON is about the same. Dun worry both quite easy to inject

hi weiwei

Glad to hear that you have so many follicles. Now my turn to worry coz i dun have so much stomach cramp so my follicles should be much lesser, now just hope they will be good quality.
A female doctor talk to you? Any chance to ask question or she just brief you and you leave?
For OHSS will be bloatness right? You experience any bloatness now? Heard if you have many follicles at this stage may also experience bloatness. Lining 12mm did the doctor mention good or not? By the way how old are you? Just want to see if age got affect no. of follicles?

hi pookums
Thanks. Just hope my scan tomorrow will be good also.

hi petals

Dun worry i believe the nurse at KK know their stuff well so can trust them.

 

[xixiweiwei]

pookums

for me, dun knw dare to do it or nt also. for my past iui, every time af wont come unless i tested -ve. hai.... it's like playing with me lor. if dun want to giv me e child, just let my af come early la, y must delay delay end up e same thing. so, maybe this time i wil nt do on my own, just wait for e bld result? but itchy in e heart lah......

jaslyn

yes, now for u s just rest, relax, rest, relax...remember, we only need one embryo to stay in our womb.

aiyo, i talk so easy, dun knw wat's my own reaction next wk. hee hee.....maybe worse than u leh.

fond

my dear, always look at e bright side. for me, i can imagine tat soo many follicles sqeezing ard. for u, u can also imagine everything s under control, no traffic jams inside u. come on, it's only imagination.

we can nt see with our bare eyes how many follicles inside. just b patient n sleep early tonight, k? after all, we stil hav so many things to wori abt.

e Dr was veri busy n din explain much to me. she just said e no. s ok, but size nt enough, need to jab 2/7 more then scan again. actually she din tel me how many i hav also. when e lady was doing e scan for me, she just do n speak out loud for her assisstant to record. wat i did was pay a lot of attention on her verbal report at tat time. u can do e same also, she wil say out e size of individual follicles, u just need to remember e biggest size n how many in e left, how many in e right. they hav too many pt to take care n no time to explain in detail. but we can always help ourselves.

yes, i hav bloatness, hav to drink 2-3 litre of h2o per day. i even feel breathless on n off coz my whole tummy n stomach bloated. no choice, hav to force myself drink, pee, drink, pee...... drink until i want to vomit already. lining 12 s gd, but i forgot wat s e normal range. i m 28 this yr.

dun wori, u wil b fine.

 

[fond1711]

hi weiwei

Back from my scan today. Just read your post so did not pay attention to the lady while she is scanning, today scan was pain seem that she is trying hard to find my follicles so she press very hard.

The Dr also did not mention much to me just say my follicles are small and need to inject two more days and return to scan on Monday.
However I saw on the paper about 10 numbers ranging from 6.5-11.5 and i guess that is the number and size of the follicles. A bit disappointed on the number but will listen to your advise and look on the bright size. Just hope the follicles will grow these few days.
Hope your scan will be good tomorrow. Take care.

 

[dream]

WeiWei,
Glad to hear tat u have so many follicles

, things seems to be looking gd at yr side. I believe u will have a lot of gd eggs n hopefully no OHSS.

Hi Miracle, no time din hear fr u..hope everything is well at yr end

.

Fond, thk u for yr assurance. How is yr scan today?

 

[dream]

Fond,
Just saw yr post. Hopefully everything will be fine. Cheer up cos stress is not gd for yr body.

 

[xixiweiwei]

fond

dun b too sad over e no. of follicles. as i m @ high risk of ohss, i hav to drink a lot of h2o n monitor closely. if e sypmtoms too severe, i wil hav to giv up this cycle, all my embryos will b frozen for future FET. tat s more sad, right? i asked myself, do i want this fresh cycle? do i want to maintain my body for e embryos? do i want to carry e baby inside of me for chrismas shopping? e answers r yes, yes,yes!!! so i drink h2o like nobody's business although i already so bloated n want to vomit.

10 follicles s good enough for now, as u wil need to jab a few days more, more follicles wil grow. i always say, we just need one egg, one sperm, one embryo to make our dream come ture. cheer up n b strong, ur condition s nt tat bad at all, dun get effected by my no.. go out n hav fun over e weekend, as next week after e ER & ET u wil nt hav chance to b a shopping queen coz of CRIB. ok?

 

[xixiweiwei]

dream

ya, now i scared of ohss leh... drinking h2o, drink, drink, drink...

 

[theresasng]

Hi Weiwei,

Thanks for your info, called my nurse today to check up for more info but nothing can be confirmed until my menses is here before the doctor can advise me further. My menses should be cmg soon.... getting anxious and worried as how will my body react to all those drugs & injection!!!

Wish you all the best for your ER & ET and will pray for you.....

 

[gracelynn]

hihi gals

have been on the other IVF cycle buddies thread on and off since last year and MIA for a while due to miscarrige and ectopic pregnancy.

have finally overcome fears and decide to start IVF. will be under SF loh at KKH.

cycle is supposed to start in 1 mths' time. just did the counselling with the doctor today and gotten the schedule.

now waiting for AF to start..which should be sometime in the next 2 weeks. anyone cycling in the same period of time?

 

[jadedmom]

hi ladies,

I have finally decided on the IVF approach too. Will be seeing Dr Loh next week for further discussion.

May I ask if all of you went through IVF or ICSI?

 

[xixiweiwei]

fond

how r u? i just came back frm scan. e follicles grow bigger, but stil nt big enough. only 2 reach 16mm, e rest all abt 12-14mm. after consulting Dr Loh, they decided i hav to cont puregon for today n tmr. then i/m pregnyl on monday night. ER wil b on wed. hum, if ur follicles r in gd size, maybe we can do on wed together. then we can see each other in e recovery area.

babymaking

think we got a few ladys here wil cycle ard e same time with u.

jade

welcome

Dr Loh wil see ur response n hubby's semen quality first then decide on ivf or icsi. mostly wil hav both as e gals suffer a lot to get e eggs out, die die must fertilize them, can not waste! when u go for e counselling with e Dr, they wil explain more in detail.

 

[maplebabies]

Halo gals, i am back! Been very busy at work lately, urghhhh ...

Pookums, relax ... and all the best! Wish you test +ive!! Must come here and encourage us ok?

Weiwei, all the best for your ER too! Come and share with us how it goes ok? Waa, getting excited for you le.

Fond, thanks! Ok, then i no need worry so much about the injections but the obstacles at work. Last minute i have to travel for work this month and then next month hubby have to travel, aiyo ... like that very troublesome, have to get Dr to write so many memos. Worse, i worry hubby travelling dates, scarli clash with my ER, sianz ... then the whole IVF cycle may be cancelled. Hopefully dont clash.

Speaking of travelling, die lah! I still havent managed to find a suitable size cooler bag to store lucrin and keep it cold while travelling. Aiyo, any1 know where can get? I went NTUC, Cold Storage and Carrefour, all dont have leh ...

Dream, i called KKIVF the other day. The nurse say should be on long protocol, seems like almost all of us will be on the long one. Ya lucrin should take about 2-3 weeks. Towards the end of that period, got the blood test and scan, i think its to see if our hormones suppressed enough and check for irregularities in the womb? So that they can proceed to let us have purgeon.

Lenny, i also want to kno roughly how much does purgeon cost. Its by cartridege rite? Each cart around $300? Average how many cart we will need? Any1 can enlighten? Hubby say he going broke very soon ... hehe, he is sponsoring the whole IVF thats why.

Jaslyn, how's your ET today? You must be resting now rite? Rest well hor. I am gonna be like a princess after my ET too, make hubby do all the running about and taking care of me. Hehe, poor him but i believe he wont mind. Are you intending to have CRIB? I intend to leh but very scared i be bored to death. Ya, maybe like Weiwei suggest, get some show to watch. Hmm ... maybe watch cartoons, my favourite!

Hey ladies havent do ER and ET, you gals done with your GSS shopping? We have no chance after ER and ET to do so le, so sad. Hubby also urging me to watch more movies with him now, maybe he knows after this, no more cinemas le.

Samirah and Miracle, how you gals getting on? Miracle, you at which week now? Got MS or not?

Theresa, Babymaking and Jade, we are at the same stage. My AF over so now just waiting for D21 to start lucrin. Dream is just a few days apart from me. Still got Petals and Orangedot and Snowball also around our time. Looks like there are alot of Jun and Jul IVF-ers.

 

[sn0wball]

hi maplebabies,
puregon cat cost abt 200 plus per catridge for the 375iu size (actual vol 400iu), if ur dosage is 200iu per day, most prob they will prescribe tis size for u. there is also a 600iu size (i do not know the price, maybe someone will enlighten us on tis?) for those tat meed to inject higher dosage.
do u know ur dosage alredy?