IVF/ICSI Support Group


Hi thanks for your reply. The complication is that my husband currently has kidney stones now and we are not sure if the medication he is taking now affects his sperm quality. It was around 6 in 2013 and now is 2 (normal should be 15 and heard that need to be at least 5 for IUI). Furthermore he has obesity issues.

But after the very traumatic scan (for him, i admit that I had to endure very hard to stop giggling during the scan), we confirmed that his testes are of normal size and no abnormal growth inside.

I wonder if the doctor's skills actually makes a difference?

And also, I heard that after transfer need to have bed rest for 5 days? Now not required?
Medication may have effect on sperms. My hubby started having to take daily meds for his genetic high bp. I read his med can affect sperm quality but doc said cannot stop Med coz it is risky too. So even when all he did resulted in improved count and concentration, his morphology still below par. But even so, the embryologists did say the improvement helps a lot.

Usually if sperms don't show improvement despite supplements for reasonable amount of time or if there has been medical condition that may affect kidneys and testes, doc would recommend urologic examinations. At least to rule out any issues that need to be corrected.

I think doc's skills for ER and ET counts, as well as expertise in protocols help a lot. So definitely choosing a doc with extensive record of experience in Art treatments helps. Having said that, feeling chemistry and rapport with the doc is something only individual can evaluate for their own interest. And lastly, after all can be done is done, there is an element of luck and the best thing we can still do is to create the aura of positIce energy and vibes sounding us.

After ET no need strict bed rest. In fact light activities like walking at intervals of sitting or lying down for sometime in the day time is encouraged to support optimal blood circulation.
 
Does your hubby eat any supplements?
My hubby refused to do accu and seeing tcm as he don't have the patient to wait for his turn and he's more into western med than Chinese med. My hubby has poor morphology and I'm thinking of asking him to take some supplements to improve his sperm quality as he's slready 40 plus flying often for his biz trips.

My hubby has got low motility and dr loh prescribe Carnipure as a supplement to improve sperm quality.
According to him it's a good supplement he felt more energy after taking. It's western med maybe he could try?
 
Jia you jia you

By the way, any sisters tried pineapple core? I read that it helps in implantation but I did not dare to try thinking that it is pineapple

Pineapple core contains an enzyme called bromelain that reduces inflammation, thus it may help in implantation. However in Asian societies pineapples are considered taboo as they cause contractions and may lead to miscarriage (though to be honest, you'll need to eat a lot of pinapples for that effect to happen, and you'll most probably get diarrhoea before that happens). So it's up to your comfort level, and again moderation is key.

Hilooooo, anyone here knows where can I find DHEA? Tried finding it in NTUC but to no avail. Hehe.

DHEA is not available over the counter in Singapore. Only can get under doctor's prescription. There's a number of sisters who order online from iHerbs.
 
Pineapple core contains an enzyme called bromelain that reduces inflammation, thus it may help in implantation. However in Asian societies pineapples are considered taboo as they cause contractions and may lead to miscarriage (though to be honest, you'll need to eat a lot of pinapples for that effect to happen, and you'll most probably get diarrhoea before that happens). So it's up to your comfort level, and again moderation is key.



DHEA is not available over the counter in Singapore. Only can get under doctor's prescription. There's a number of sisters who order online from iHerbs.
Then if it's being prescribed and if you were to buy it yourself how would you know the dosage ?
 
Does your hubby eat any supplements?
My hubby refused to do accu and seeing tcm as he don't have the patient to wait for his turn and he's more into western med than Chinese med. My hubby has poor morphology and I'm thinking of asking him to take some supplements to improve his sperm quality as he's slready 40 plus flying often for his biz trips.

My hub too had poor sperm result and the doc say can take Vigor-ace as supplement to see if it helps. It can be bought over the counter at pharmacy.
 
Hi, anybody going for FET in June? My girl who is now 13 mths old successful through 3rd IVF and is going to try for a sibling for her in June. Is it a norm now that dr will go for Blast for FET now?
 
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Hi, anybody going for FET in June? My girl who is now 13 mths old successful through 3rd IVF and is going to try for a sibling for her in June. Is it a norm now that dr will go for Blast for FET now?

For my last FET, mine is caltivated to a blastocyst as it yield a higher chance of implantation. But then, it's a bfn so will be going for a fresh one in June.
 
Hi milogal88,

May I ask what did you specially ate during the 2ww?
Hi milogal88, any advice on what to eat and drink before 2WW and during 2WW? Can certainly do more with more advice! And better to be kiasu and successful isn't it? :)

Hey ladies, sorry for the late reply as I’ve been swamped with work & watching kdrama! Haha…ok, here goes for the list of things I did before, during and after 2ww. Infact, till now I’m still drinking home-brewed chicken essence thrice weekly. So I guess I would have ‘killed’ almost hundreds of black chicken & the smell does turn me off now but for the sake of babies, trust me, you would do anything for them.

Before 2ww (about 1-2 mths before cycle starts)
1. RBS cooked with black glutinous rice & 2 egg whites on alternate days as brekkie
2. LRD daily throughout the day as replacement for plain water
3. Black chicken soup on every weekends which I will put either LRD; or huaishan, blackbeans & small handful of wolfberries
4. Long pants & socks when sleeping at night
5. Soak feet in warm water on alternate days
6. No cold/cooling drinks/food
7. Sleep early (normally I’m in bed by 10.30pm or latest 11pm)

Note: No. 4, 6 & 7 I’ve been practicing this ever since I started seeing ttc. So it’s not too much of an issue. And I’ve also been seeing a TCM with consistent acupuncture sessions w/o fail. I also did endo scratch for this cycle 1 cycle prior to FET.

During 2ww
1. Bottled chicken essence daily every morning
2. RBS cooked with black glutinous rice & 2 egg whites daily as part of brekkie/snacks/tea break
3. LRD daily throughout the day as replacement for plain water
4. Black chicken soup with huaishan, blackbeans & small handful of wolfberries which I drink around lunch time
5 Home-made chicken essence on alternate days
6. Long pants & socks at home almost 24/7
7. No cold/cooling drinks/food
8. Watch a lot of Korean romance comedy
9. Stay happy, be a couch potato & sleep early at night
10. I still went back to my TCM (Dr Zhao @ RH) for a few post ET acupuncture sessions
11. I also went to the zsnn at Havelock road to pray instead of the TPY Shuanglin temple. Somehow the ‘switch’ works for me. I prayed the week before ET, after ET and during the 2ww & of coz after getting my results. Am still gg there periodically hoping zsnn will bless our babies with good health.

After 2ww
1. Continued with RBS cooked with black glutinous rice & home-made chicken essence on alternate days
2. Long pants & socks when sleeping at night
3. Still no cold/cooling drinks/food at all
4. Still continued with my sleep early routine

Also, I ended up taking full 2weeks of HL as I did go back to work on the 4th day post ET but the moment I was at office, I felt terrible. I feel very stressed up and unhappy! So I told my boss and I just took leave all the way. Coz my TCM could feel my pulse was weak too and advise me to stay hm and rest. So just exercise your own judgement; trust what’s good for yourself and go with your gut feel.

And TBH, my breakfast/brunch/lunch wasn’t exactly healthy during the 2ww. Coz I try to minimize walking so normally my hubby will da-bao mcdees or those economical beehoon for me with fried stuffs and even kfc porridge for me which I will eat for brunch before he leaves for work. Then in the afternoon when I’m hungry I will drink my chicken soup or eat RBS. Dinner I will have a better diet as my mum will cook.

I did go out the day after ET as I had to celebrate my nephew’s bday and the very next day met up with our frens for coffee that’s all. No hardcore walking or shopping etc. just take it easy.

But for the above menu, do consume knowing your own body's condition. Coz I have cooling body constitution but with those stuffs, I did develop heatiness towards the middle of my 2ww and my TCM ordered me to stop the bottled chicken essence immediately. I also gurgle my throat with salt water 4 times a day to rid the sore throat symptoms as I don't dare to take honey or any forms of medication. I only take safe fruits like apple, coz in one of my failed fresh cycles which resulted in a CP, I remember having kiwi and thereafter having cramps after that. The cramping stopped once I stopped eating it. Then did I realized that kiwi is actually cooling. But I know some sisters swear by kiwi so you really must understand your body and determine what’s suitable for you.

My TCM told me that our overall well-being and body constitution is very important. It’s not just about your womb/uterus we should focus only but your kidney, spleen and I forgot another organ. Coz u need to not only just be able to conceive, but be able to hold the baby inside your body at the end of the day.

And if u have immunity issues like me, do not take immunocal. Coz u need to bring down your immunity and not boost it further with supplements. Same for supplements. Do check with your gyne/doc instead of just consuming it blindly as you won't know if the effects will be detrimental instead.

Lastly, I don't believe in 'last min hug the buddha legs'. Body conditioning takes a while and not overnight after you binge eat and it will improve in a blink of an eyes. Yes, it's yucky to be eating the same old stuffs almost daily but it's really mind over body. Other than luck in this IVF journey, it's really all about perseverance & focus towards that goal.

Think that’s about it. Good luck ladies & to those on the journey here!! Don't stress yourself, stay positive and believe that your babies are coming to u real soon! The law of attraction does work wonders!

P/s: sorry for the super long post. :D
 
Thanks for sharing, milogal88! Very useful information. :)

Has anyone taken letrozole treatment before? Any advice on what to look out for and is blood test at D21 necessary? I don't recall the need for BT when I tried clomid.
 
Thanks for sharing, milogal88! Very useful information. :)

Has anyone taken letrozole treatment before? Any advice on what to look out for and is blood test at D21 necessary? I don't recall the need for BT when I tried clomid.

Have tried letrozole before. It's similar to Clomid in that it stimulates ovulation. It may help for people who tried Clomid but are resistant to the med.

It's taken for five days (day 2 to day 6 of menses), then you BD starting from around day 8-10 of menses, every alternate days if possible.

Day 21 menses blood test is necessary for both meds, as it tests whether you are ovulating by taking this med (there are people who are resistant to either or both of them). Works by measuring the level of progesterone, which raises post-ovulation. If no blood test is done, there are physical indicators but these are by no means accurate.
 
7. Sleep early (normally I’m in bed by 10.30pm or latest 11pm)

And if u have immunity issues like me, do not take immunocal.
D
Hi milogal, wow I wonder how many sisters here sleep by 1030!!! How many??

Also, what kind of immunity issues do you have? And how did you found out? And what did u do to improve ?
 
Have tried letrozole before. It's similar to Clomid in that it stimulates ovulation. It may help for people who tried Clomid but are resistant to the med.

It's taken for five days (day 2 to day 6 of menses), then you BD starting from around day 8-10 of menses, every alternate days if possible.

Day 21 menses blood test is necessary for both meds, as it tests whether you are ovulating by taking this med (there are people who are resistant to either or both of them). Works by measuring the level of progesterone, which raises post-ovulation. If no blood test is done, there are physical indicators but these are by no means accurate.
I see...was wondering why need BT and so early how to tell if BFP/N. Will give it a try while waiting for ivf counsellling. Hope no major side effects...clomid was still ok. For such BT at KK, do we just walk in and request?
 
Hi milogal, wow I wonder how many sisters here sleep by 1030!!! How many??

Also, what kind of immunity issues do you have? And how did you found out? And what did u do to improve ?

@muff , I was detected with high NK cells as I was seeing a rheumatologist for my rheumatoid arthritis issues previously. So I was told by my doc then it will affect my fertility and she told me it’s my own body immune system so technically there isn’t a cure for it. Anyhows, I still went ahead with ART but after failing time and again, I started researching on what could be done and somehow I was ‘linked’ to PLU (i.e. recurring preg loss unit) at NUH and that’s how I found out about Dr Sheila Vasoo & Dr Choolani since my own rheumatologist is not specialised in this area. As I reckoned mine is not even recurrent preg loss since I can’t even implant in the first place despite lining and embryos are ok, I zoomed in straight to see Dr Sheila instead since her forte is in reproductive immunology which seems very much like my case based on my gut feel. It was only through a series of blood test then realised what I’m having is thyroid autoimmune disease (u can goggle abt it). I was given medications to bring down the levels. She also work closely with my ivf doc even till now, or rather, I’m the messenger between them. Infact, she was the one whom encouraged me to go do endo scratch. haha

Other things to note is that deficiency in Vit D; sticky blood etc all can affect your chances. The BT includes these checks as well. That’s why I mentioned in my earlier post that it’s not just the womb/uterus, your overall body condition/system plays an important role. So yeah, IVF is also abt trial and error.
 
Oh man ladies. Can I just say I'm having the worst month in this year? I went back for blood test after MTX jab. On sat hcg was 580. Today bt hcg is 2000+. Uterus no sac. Scan see nothing. Thh sent me for imaging ultrasound detailed scan. Still waiting for results. Anyone has been through the same odd case ? Sighs
 
I just found out that both my tubes are blocked. Feeling so down at the moment.
What happens after this? Is there a surgery to unblock the tubes?
What did your doc say about the level of the blockage? You can go for a laproscopy procedure to clear the tubes. May not be 100% but it's an option.
 
Oh man ladies. Can I just say I'm having the worst month in this year? I went back for blood test after MTX jab. On sat hcg was 580. Today bt hcg is 2000+. Uterus no sac. Scan see nothing. Thh sent me for imaging ultrasound detailed scan. Still waiting for results. Anyone has been through the same odd case ? Sighs
Oh dear. When will the results be out?
 
Oh dear. When will the results be out?
Already out. Nothing they can see. Ectopic is still not ruled out. But thh explained within few days of MTX the hcg may rise. But I need to monitor further. So Saturday bt again. Sob sob.
 
Already out. Nothing they can see. Ectopic is still not ruled out. But thh explained within few days of MTX the hcg may rise. But I need to monitor further. So Saturday bt again. Sob sob.
Hugs. I cant imagine the roller coaster. Hope u get more certainty on sat.
 
I see...was wondering why need BT and so early how to tell if BFP/N. Will give it a try while waiting for ivf counsellling. Hope no major side effects...clomid was still ok. For such BT at KK, do we just walk in and request?

Hmm think the blood test have to be ordered by the dr. Maybe try calling the clinic to ask?
 
Hi
Has anyone had egg maturation problem?

Dr Foong says my two Ivf cycles had Low eggs matured
He says he will try to change protocol next time . But if the results is the same after changing protocol, it means I have egg maturation problem and he says it is hereditary and that this is a rare condition
He suggests if I really have such a condition , it means my eggs won't work and need to find donor eggs overseas

I was so devastated I broke down in front of dr Foong

Does anyone here have the same problem
Can share with me if there is Any success and does it really mean the end of my ttc journey?
 
Hi
Has anyone had egg maturation problem?

Dr Foong says my two Ivf cycles had Low eggs matured
He says he will try to change protocol next time . But if the results is the same after changing protocol, it means I have egg maturation problem and he says it is hereditary and that this is a rare condition
He suggests if I really have such a condition , it means my eggs won't work and need to find donor eggs overseas

I was so devastated I broke down in front of dr Foong

Does anyone here have the same problem
Can share with me if there is Any success and does it really mean the end of my ttc journey?
I have read some articles that eggs can be retrieved at as early as 16mm for improved egg maturation and results. Do you want to discuss this with him too? I also have crappy eggs. A lot doesn't make it after extraction. Wanted to discus this with my doc but there's a risk also to extract that early.

Did the lab have a detailed report on your eggs ?
 
Hmm think the blood test have to be ordered by the dr. Maybe try calling the clinic to ask?
Oh ok...think I better ask when KKH next call me. Still very new to their workflow and feel lost at times. I thought if I am given letrozole then they should at least advise me to call when I start the cycle. Usually very rush after each consultation...the nurse just chuck you the forms and off you go for payment. Haven't even digest the info and instructions. :confused:
 
Hi
Has anyone had egg maturation problem?

Dr Foong says my two Ivf cycles had Low eggs matured
He says he will try to change protocol next time . But if the results is the same after changing protocol, it means I have egg maturation problem and he says it is hereditary and that this is a rare condition
He suggests if I really have such a condition , it means my eggs won't work and need to find donor eggs overseas

I was so devastated I broke down in front of dr Foong

Does anyone here have the same problem
Can share with me if there is Any success and does it really mean the end of my ttc journey?

How many did U retrieved and how many matured? Could it be the trigger jab that affect maturation? I once used lucrin to trigger instead of the usual hcg jab and my eggs maturation was very bad that cycle.
Or perhaps it was trigger too early? Some eggs need a longer time to mature. Discuss with dr on the next step. Every cycle is different and what's bad now may not be bad in future. Just how long U can persevere. Donor egg is an option to open doors for you don't be upset about dr suggesting it.
 
Already out. Nothing they can see. Ectopic is still not ruled out. But thh explained within few days of MTX the hcg may rise. But I need to monitor further. So Saturday bt again. Sob sob.

Hope hcg drop soon and everything goes well from there.
 



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