IVF/ICSI Support Group

[exbride]

Hi Ladies especially tomatoes, pototoes chips

Sorry for missing so long, was rather busy lately as I'm thinking of changing job.And also I dun wan to dampen the happy mood with my failed story.

Anyway, jus a short update of myself. Had my 2nd IVF with Prof Ng and obviously it did not work out again

This cycle was worst off than the 1st and again i would have to start all over again if I try again.

I've gotten over it. And thanks very much for all yoru concern

 

[tnsw]

CT, hope that you are okay with everything

just treat tis as a step forward towards a successful third time..

in wat way it was worse, maybe there are some lessons that can be learnt from tis...

do take care and we welcome u to join us for chats anytime..

 

[chemistry]

Hi CT,

I'm so sorry to hear that. Why is the 2nd IVF worst then the 1st? Is it a diff protocol?

Maybe u want to consult a chinese sinseh to treat your hubby's problem for the time being.

Meanwhile, take care and all the best to your job hunting.

 

[potato_chip]

Hi CT

Welcome back and glad u r feeling better now. Hope u r able to find a better job soon.

Hi tnsw

I am more than happy to share with u the sinseh I just saw.
Ban Choon Chan
Blk 81 #01-636
Marine Parade Central
Tel 63446718
Op hrs: Mon, Wed-Fri 8.30am to 5pm
Tue and Sat 8.30am to 3pm
Sun 8.30am to 12noon
Closed on PH.
To be safe, better call to check if they are open before going, cos I hv made 2 empty trips before. Pls note that it is a medical hall and open concept, that is no separate room for consultation. U will hv to sit on the chairs provided to be in the Q.

 

[vonvon78]

Hi Tomatoes,

This morning when I went to KKH for my jab, the nurse told me (again) that I can buy home pregnancy kit to test if I want to. So, out of curiousity, I bought the ClearBlue test kit (was told that this kit is pretty accurate) but until now, don't really dare to do it.

You mentioned earlier that you did urine test on Day 10 after ET & saw a faint line. Does it mean that if you see a +ve sign, it will sure be +ve when you go for the beta test? Do you think the hormone jabs that we take affect the result of the urine test?

Mandy,

Yes, you have to go down to KKIVF to get the MC. For the week my HL is over, I was at KKIVF for my jab, so just asked nurse Sarah for it. I didn't even have to see the doc. She merely asked me to go down the following day (as doc on duty not in yet) to collect my MC.

But for this week, I'd to see the doc as it's also partly becoz' I wanted to ask abt the cramping, so at the same time, requested for MC.

 

[tomatoes]

Hi vonvon

I was supposed to do a beta test that morning (10days after ET)... however, I din have the guts to do the test.. so I crazily go take 1 Guardian brand HPT real early that morning (couldn't sleep anyway) to test b4 I head down to the clinic. Having seen so many -ve HPTs, I am quite sure there was a +ve. But it is really very faint in indoor. So I went to put the HPT outside the window and the vertical line became quite obvious. So I went to tell my hubby and he quite doubtful until he hear beta results were. He advised me not to be too happy over nothing. I can still remember I was shivering terribly when I was doing the testing with HPT.

Vonvon, if you "ren", try to "ren" as long as you can. For me, it's bcos I hate the idea of waiting for the clinic to inform me of the results, so I tested so as know roughly what to expect.

Some people get +ve quite early and some later. In case you belong to the "later" group, I really dun want you get disappointed over nothing when you are actually pregnant

 

[mandy]

Hi Vonvon78

I think i spoke with the Nurse Manager (recognised her voice) and she told me got to see doc to get mc, maybe 1 or 2 days only..weird.. of all the nurses there, i think nurse sarah is the nicest. She is very detailed and patient.

My GP told me that Abbott or clear blue HPT are the better ones..maybe you can try?

Hi tnsw

I saw a chinese sinseh b4 and she is supposed to be quite gd. She was recommended by my GP but we stopped going after a while cos the waiting time is super long! almost 3-4 hours. Dr SF Loh also knows her. She is Chen Xiu Lan and i saw her at Teck Chua Medical Hall at Hougang Ave 5, Blk 322, #01-84. i think she's only there on Sat afternoon (after 1pm) and certain wkday nites (sorry cant remember which day cos i only go on Sat) and rest of the time she's at Thong Chai. Once you go to her, you and hubby supposed to go every week and both of u will get some chinese herbs to brew and take.

 

[tnsw]

potato chips,

thanks for the kang tau...tis one is near my house leh....how is the medicine given, in powder form or wat?difficult to take or not..

is it really damn long queue or not, very scared leh of waiting and waiting..got accunpunture or not, but if its highly recommended, worth trying..

vonvon, how are you, taken the test already or not, hoping the best for you...

 

[tomatoes]

Hi vonvon

Forgot to mention if you have been taking HCG jabs after your ET, then it is better not to test with the HPT.

 

[tnsw]

mandy, thanks for the information on the chinese doctor, hope that i can compile into a document for us to share...

u are in the 2ww ?all the best...we are rooting for u...

 

[potato_chip]

Hi tnws

I think de Q is not as long as those other sinseh I saw b4. We waited for about 45mins n spoke to him for abt 15 mins (very long winded hor). Sorry no accupuncture. There r few things I like about him. 1. Same dialect gp as me

. 2. Only need to see him once a mth, isn't it great. He prescribed the whole mth herbs. 3. Only need to brew the herbs once a week. Wat a relief.

It was our 1st visit and he was able to tell all the stuff about us thru "ba mai". Luckily, he said I m perfectly alright, only with cold womb. He said will try to help me "tiao" these few months before my next FET. Btw, somebody actually recommended us to see him 2-3 yrs ago, too bad did not see him until now. He sound very professional and the price charge was very reasonable to us. No consultation fees and ang pao required. Only paid for the herbs. As for the taste hor, me is very season oready, so no feeling at all. My hb need sour plum after drinking the herb.

 

[mandy]

Yes tnsw

I did my ET on 27/5 and am now resting at home. my beta test is sooo far away..13/6 which is D19. I probably will try and do the hpt a few days b4. I am like Tomatoes..i want to have a rough idea myself and be prepared rather than receive the news from the nurse, which is soo scary!

I am so glad to be able to chat with u guys these few days! I'm so bored at home and there's nothing interesting showing on tv.

 

[tnsw]

potato chip, thanks for your information, really very relevant to us, see how, if i free, i go down,dun noe whether to change chinese loh koon but very scared of waiting...see how lah, after my d and c then say...and see wat my RE says

Mandy, glad that you can join us and do feel free to post us any questions or email me if you need to know anything....

the most important thing is to do everything in moderation, no swimming as dun noe effects of chlorine, no hard gym work, and dun carry heavy things, the most important thg is dun do anything you would regret, for me, i tried my best, even if i fail, i have no regrets at all

 

[tomatoes]

Hi CT

Glad to hear from you

No lah, you won't dampen the mood in this thread. Everyone here also have our down side. We are all happy to see posting from you again.

Change job also good, at least it will keep you busy for awhile b4 continuing your TTC journey. Who knows, you might even conceived before going to the next fertility treatment

Do keep in touch with all of us here

 

[mandy]

Anyone of you know what determines the success rate for ivf? I read that female age is one factor. I am going on 30 this year. My hubby and i have no serious fertility problems but we ve been trying unsucessfully to conceive for the past 3 years.

I was suspected to have endometriosis and went for laparascopy last year and doc said it was very mild.

The thought of having kids is very exciting to both of us and we cannot resist thinking of what to do if this IVF program is successful (this is our first) - you know, like how to do up the baby room, names etc.. On the other hand, i try not to indulge in this daydreaming too much for fear of disappointment later..anyone like me as well?

And what should beta test read if i am pregnant? Is there a minimum reading? What is considered a gd reading?

 

[wishwish]

Hi CT

Sorry to hear that you have failed your 2nd IVF. I was thinking to do my 1st IVF with Prof Ng. Is he good at doing IVF?? Actually what happen to your 2nd IVF not success? Would you mind sharing with us your 2nd IVF?

 

[tomatoes]

Hi mandy

Can understand your anxiety and feelings

For the beta reading, anything above 20 is considered pregnant and the reading should double every 2 days at least.

 

[wishwish]

Hi anyone out there can give me some comments/advice on which Doctor to do the IVF...is it Prof Chris Chen or Prof Ng SC ? we are a lost now as doing IVF cost us a lot of money.

 

[vonvon78]

Tomatoes,

I'm taking the progesterone daily jabs. Is this is HCG jabs that you are referring to? Will this affect the result?

 

[chemistry]

Hi mandy,

Besides age, diet & stress etc may also affect. Other than that, luck will the most important factor I guess. For beta test result, the higher the better. Mine was near 500 on day 17 pass ET and was told that this is a good level.

Dun think too much about the outcome now. I know it's very difficult, but try to stay stress-free and positive during this period.

 

[potato_chip]

Hi Wishwish

I think is very difficult to comments on which RE is better in IVF. In fact, there r many factors that affect the success of IVF. Things like yr personal health, the quality of the embryos, the embryologist, the RE, etc. It must be tian shi di li ren he (not too sure r u a chinese).

For my case, I don blame anybody for the failure cos we have done our best. I did it at KKIVF, since is cheaper so I expect high quality service like what tomatoes enjoyed

.

 

[chemistry]

Hi wishwish,

Micky have suceeded with Prof Ng CS while Tomatoes have suceeded with Prof Chris Chen. It hard to compare who is better cos they dun "gynae-hop" and there is no basis of comparison. Also, diff gynae uses different protocol, and each individual body is diff. If u are comfortable with your existing gynae, it may be good to try 1 cycle with him since he had all your records.

 

[wishwish]

Hi gals,

Thanks for your advises.

 

[tomatoes]

Hi vonvon

Progesterone jab is not HCG. No worries. It will not affect the results

Hi wishwish

What chemistry said is correct. Prof Ng and Prof Chen are just as good. For IVF, no RE will dare to guarantee success... Just stick to the one that you feel most comfortable with

It is v.difficult for us to advise you on who is better...

 

[wishwish]

Hi anyone who could help with this? Does IVF jabs make you feel like vomitting or giddy? Can you still go to work as normal?

 

[wishwish]

Hi tomatoes,

Do you mind if I ask how much did you spend for in total for your IVF? Including hospitalisation, medicine & jabs.

 

[potato_chip]

Hi Wishwish

So far, the IVF jabs did not cause any uncomfort to me. I am still working and doing my daily household chores. None of my family's members knew that I hv gone for IVF cos u will not show any uncomfort. Only the ER caused some cramp at the abdominal for a day.

 

[mandy]

Hi wishwish

Personally i did not experience any side effects at all for the lucrin and puregon jabs. My threshold for pain is terribly low and was worried about the pain before i started. The puregon jab is slightly more painful than the lucrin jabs but nothing too jia lak.

I was warned that the HCG jab that u take 2 days prior your ER will be painful..Yes, the needle is much longer and you feel a little pain, but still i thought it wasnt as bad. Perhaps i had expected it to be worse so i thought that was quite tahanable.

Of course you can still go to work cos you administer the jabs at home in the morning. Only the HCG jab is done at clinic.

 

[tomatoes]

Hi wishwish

I think I spent about $13k-$14K for my ICSI. For me, the Gonal F jabs are really painful (I am not using the pen type), but for the sake of my bb then, I tahan in silent....

Other than that, no other discomfort after the jabs. Everything as normal.

 

[hopeformiracle]

Hi All
I am starting my jab on 13 June with Prof Ng SC provide if my infection go away. Today I went to see him and he told me that there's still some infection on my "1 and only" ovary. Currently taking antibiotics and hopefully when I go back on 13 June...it has cleared off and can start my IVF.

 

[wishwish]

Hi Potato Chip,

I also dun let my family knows that i am doing IVF cause we feel very uncomfortable about this issue. Sorry to ask you have you succeed your IVF ?

my hd and i actually see Prof Chris Chen and I did a laparascopy last year. What make us switch to Prof Ng Sc is because Prof Chris Chen fees are too expensive eg. when we see him for consulation his nurse change the fees from $50 to $80 and I ask why is it so X they tld me that we talked more than a certain mins.Everytime when we visit hin is about at least $100 above and never below it. I dun dare to ask him how much he charge for IVF as what he say turn out to be more than that as I spent abt $8K for the op last yr.

When I switch to Prof Ng S C his fees is much more reasonable than Prof Chris Chen. That is why now I am see him....we had did our first IUI with him but failed so now my hd and I were thinking doind IVF striaght rather than wasting time and money.

 

[hopeformiracle]

Hi wishwish
So when are you starting your IVF. Mine was suppose to be Aug but because of my infection, I scare that my right ovary will detariate so I requested to bring forward to June.

 

[hopeformiracle]

Wishwish
btw, did he tell you the estimate fee?

 

[wishwish]

Hi Hopeformiracle,

Actually i shld see him this friday but i was sick and my hd feels that i shld take care of my health first before i go to IVF and we have decided to postpone to my next cycle.

He told us everthing 'IN' is bout $13K. How abt yours ?

 

[vonvon78]

Hi Tomatoes,

So, Progesterone jabs aren't HCG jabs. Then what are these HCG jabs after ET? Is it those jabs taken by those who has less than 15 eggs retrieved & needed to be jab every 3 days?

 

[vonvon78]

Hi Mandy,

I fully agree with you that amongst all the nurses at KKIVF, Sarah is the best. She's indeed has a lot of patience & explains in great details. I like to talk to her but I don't have the luck to see her. Most of the time, she's unavailable when I'm there.

 

[tar]

Hi Tnsw, can you update my particulars. I did not do my IVF at SGH. I did it at CARE@Paragon.
For KKH, are there 2 Dr Lohs?
Potato_chip, all my frozen embryos (altogether 7) were thawed because they could not withstand the thawing process and supposedly the best three were transferred. However, I heard from the embryologist that they only have 3 cells, so the chances not very high. Which gynae are you with?
Miko2006, you mention that you are now with Prof Chen and "in better hands", why did you say that? Which gynae did you see previously?
Chemistry, may i know who is your gynae at KKH?

 

[tmarine]

As expected, my 2nd HCG result was negative as well & my menses came today. I'm still sad but not as bad compared to last week.

Hi Mandy, does Chen Xiu Lan require you & your husband to give her any blood test & SA results?
I consulted Dr Loh Kim Gek as recommended by Tnsw & she required the blood test & SA results by TMC.

As my hb did not do a detailed blood test before my 1st IVF, Dr Loh told us to do the test 1st before seeing her again. She also required SA results from TMC, as she said it's more detailed compared to Gleneagles.

 

[hopeformiracle]

wishwish
Ya about $12K - $13K.

 

[vonvon78]

Hi Tar,

Yes, in KKH, there are 2 Dr Lohs in KKIVF, namely Dr Sheila Loh & Dr SF Loh.

Hi Marine,

Sorry to hear abt your -ve result. You are a very strong gal. I believe you'll be blessed with a child of your own soon.

 

[tnsw]

tar, sorry for mistake made, i will change it tomorrow as i am at home now and my laptop dun noe when will give up on me...sorry again

we mean dr loh at kkh is a male doctor called dr sf loh, a wonderful doctor, the other dr loh is a lady called dr sheila loh

potato chip's RE is dr sheila loh if i am not wrong

chemistry's doctor is dr sf loh

mine is also dr sf loh, i find him a very nice doctor and my fren has succeeded the first time although she failed twice at nuh...

marine, dun be disappointed...hope u were not put off by the waiting at dr loh, i really wait until scared last time...if you feel that you are too lazy to ask your hb to do sperm test..see whether got any old results within six months shld be okay for her...

tis doc loh was recommended to me by dr lc cheng from tmc, the other one he recommended was i think dr xia rong from eu yan sang

marine, hope that you are okay, when you are disappointed, think of me, miscarriage, then kid, then ivf miscarriage, then FET which i am pending seeing dr loh tomorrow, i think the results wldnt be good but am resigned to my fate already

if you find it troublesome, maybe you can try the one potato chip recommended at marine parade, where are you staying?

wish(wish), the jabs dun make me sick or anything except for the blue black jabs holes on my stomach..you still can go back to work...no other side effects like bloating etc..even for ER, after that i went back to work, a bit groggy, best not to go to work but i had no choice, after ET, better to rest for about two days but there is no definite proof that 100 percent bedrest is necessary..

 

[wishwish]

Hi tnsw,

How many times of IVF did you try? Did you rest at home after your embryo put back? If yes, rest for how long?

 

[tnsw]

hi, i went for ivf last year at tmc, i rested three days at home, et on friday, rest on sat and sun and monday but got go out lah, on sat went to my cousin bbq party..got walk a bit but not go and cheong that type

then last year, after egg retrieval done at tmc, the doc said my womb lining too thin, dun waste time, so din do and he told me to see chinese doctor at peoples park(dr loh)

then in january, went to see dr sf loh, went for minor surgery to remove adhesions in my womb and also transferred my frozen embryos to kkh, transferred four but only three made it

then on april 23 which is saturday, went for FET, rested only two days meaning saturday and sunday and then went back to work on monday

so, that means i did 1 fresh cycle in last year march, tis year did 1 FET...am very sian actually...as i think chances of pregnancy very low, 2mr must go and see doctor at kkh

 

[wishwish]

Hi tnsw,

What is FET stand for? Why don't you try other gynae for IVF again? By the way, what does the chinese doctor do, IVF also?

 

[tnsw]

wishwish, fet stands for frozen embryo transfer or also known as thawed embryo transfer, meaning we freeze our embryos for transfer later

my trust is with kkh dr loh as he was the one who managed to find out why my womb lining was thin (it cld be due to complications when i delivered my first kid five years ago (naturally conceived) and i believe in him

chinese doctors only can "tiao" your body to make it more receptive, trying to balance the yin and yang in the body

hope tis clears your doubts, if not you can post here, potato chip, tomatoes are all very well versed in knowledge regarding both western and chinese doctors

sometimes even western docs recommended chinese docs

 

[chillipepper]

Hi Vonvon,
I am so excited for you. Have you try to test yet?

Hi Tnsw,
Me too going to KKIVF tom for my scan and blood test. Dun worry too much

Hi Marine,
Dun be sad. Totally understand how you feel

 

[vonvon78]

tnsw,

Don't worry abt tomorrow. Things may turn out to be fine afterall. All the best.

ChilliPepper,

I'm soooo tempted to test but afraid that the daily progesterone jabs will affect result. But Tomatoes just assured me that it should not. Plus one of the nurse did tell me that I could take the pregnancy test if I would like to. But advise didn't come from nurse sarah nor nurse phua. It was the other Chinese nurse but I didn't catch her name.

 

[tnsw]

vonvon, thanks for concern, am prepared for the worse, just dun want to be ye4 chang3 meng4 duo1- nite long, nitemares alot

chilii pepper, wat time you going down for scan and blood test, wat scan wld you be doing?

tar, i just sent you an email, let me noe when you get it because i not very sure whether wat i did was correct because i just replied to sender

 

[tnsw]

Good morning, lovely ladies, i have corrected some of the info in my document and apologise for mistakes made earlier, here it is and if there is anything you want to supplement, please let me noe, i will update once in a while so that we can keep in touch with each other's progress and status, anyone who wants to join please let us know smthg about yourself so that i can update you..cheers



<center><table border=1><tr><td>

ICSIfrens.doc (25.6 k)</td></tr></table></center>

 

[chemistry]

Hi tnsw,

All the best to your scan today!

Hi vonvon,

If u can endure, try not to do the HPT lah. Tell yourself, good things need to wait longer. I did the HPT after I got the +ve beta cos I never see 2 lines on HPT before and I want to keep it for my bb to see in future.