IVF/ICSI Support Group

Hi Ladies,

Is it advisable to take TCM herbs during IVF cycle ? I tot of taking them but just worried it might clash with the jabs etc... anyone can advise pls..tks!
 


lina,

thanks for sharing. i believe sperms can be freezed. previously my gynae mentioned this to me before. but i have a concern whether after thawing, will the sperms be alright?

as i have been reading this forum quite consistently, i read somewhere that some embryos did not make it after thawing. so will the same happen to freezed spermies?

sunflower,

i think will definetly help ur hubby. accu definetly will. my sinseh told me she has a case where the guy had no sperms but went on a regular session of accu twice weekly for about 2 months plus can see result. i think morphology went up to 5% or so and the couple managed to conceive naturally.

Try Again,

thanks for sharing. yup, so far vitamins helped improve the count and motility only. morphology still the same. maybe need a longer period of time to see better result.
 
Hi December,
As for sperm thaw, i suppose more or less will still be affected. Thanks, i will check wz my gynae if possible to store.

Hi Try Again,
what kind of chinese medicine to take for increasing the sperm? so far i have not visited any chinese sinseh yet. Would hb need to do acupuncture? my hb is super scared of needles.
 
Hi Sunflower..

Dun worry about the vitamin A thats in the essentials. I've asked about this before. Anyway overdose of vitamin A is not good not only for pregnant woman but also for anyone. Haha..

The Vitamin A in Essentials are in the form of Beta Carotene. It will only be used as Vitamin A by the body when the body needs it. Else it will be flushed by the body. Thats what the doctor said... hee hee..

Also girls... dun ever buy iron tablets unless its prescribed by the doctor. Iron is an oxidant. You know the kind of oxidation that happens to an apple, yah.. that happens to the body too. Thats why we all need antioxidant of some form. Fruits and veggies alone cannot help. Not to mention the veggies now grow in chemical water..lolz...
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Nontheless I will still bring the bottle to Prof wong. Just to clear any doubt. :p
 
Lina, the chinese medicine is doc prescribed one so i dont know whats the ingredients. I think need to visit sinseh to customise the medicine. Acupuncture is up to individual. My hubby initially also dont like, but after initial sessions, he ok with it becos can sleep thru, quite relaxing. He only started 1 month before my fresh cycle. I think next round i will ask him do twice weekly with me 3 months before our next fresh cycle.
 
happy - wow, 11 is still more than enuff. haha, you develop bond so quickly with the eggies. so cute. do you know when your ET will be ? and yes you're right, uring was darker past 2 days. will drink more water from today on.


ladies - thanks for encouragement. will eating some yolks be ok? just sad to waste food. last night i had 5 egg whites and 2 egg yolks, this morning 2 whole eggs. will the yolks cancel out the whites, or do ppl just not eat it because of cholestral ?
 
tryagain: I managed to swallow. I must admit that the pill is da*n big. Didn't realise it when I bought the bottle (altho' they have a picture of the actual size on the label). I kind of regretted buying it. But still, like what someone said here, I will try anything, eat anything, if it's going to help push up the success rate.

dec: u're welcome! my dr did mention that zinc is good for building "soldiers". Maybe u can get some supplements for DH. Dr said that my DH lifestyle has got to change. He has long quit smoking but at times, he needs to entertain. Dr said that alcohol's not good, not even beer. Cut down on red meat. Take lotsa vege and fish. If wanna take meat, take chicken breast. Dunno why but that's what he said.
 
Yve, its me i think, i will eat ANYTHING, even if its shitty stuff, as long as can grant me success, i will just eat them all. Helpless already so will just go all out already.
 
Misah

Pls let me know after check with Prof Wong. Actually other Vitamin A which is part of it, I like the idea of Q10 which is very good too. 

Ponytail,
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maybe can look for recipes that need egg york !
 
Yve,

ya lor. he is eating some supplements and doc's medicine as well. now just start to have accupuncture which he doesn't like as well.

haha... wonder is it all guys will feel this way about accupuncture.

heard from a friend apparently, green tea also no good for spermies wor. anyone, know about this? like pokka green tea...
 
Hi ladies,

It's been a long time since I do my posting here.

I just got back fm KKIVF and officially started my stage 1 journey.. Feeling very excited.. but somehow was abit disappointed cos my ER & ET falls on the week they are closed (but the nurse told me to extend my injection for 1 more week)..

Well, I still look forward to the whole process (just abit anxious, scared of needles and injection)...

My best wishes to those who just recently graduates from here.. Wish that I will be joining you gals soon...

All the best to everyone here too.. We must jia you ok?
 
Hi ladies!!
Got back from KK for US ..i have i have 18m, 17m,16, couple of 15mm and 2 14mm and the rest are ard 12 n below. So tonite i have to go to kk for my Pregnyl jab!!..scary la..the needle long rite??..inject on the thigh rite?. My ER is on Fri morn..but my lining is stil 8..doc says is good..Wish me luck!
 
hopefaith - wow, congrats, 18mm. thats great, and a lot of good sized ones too. have a smooth ER. my pickup is this sat. let us know how it went

btw, ladies, i heard from the earlier threads on making custard puff with egg yolks. i read the recipe but too tedious so didnt keep it.
 
Dec really? Green tea no good for spermies? Oh no, my hubby has been faithfully drinking during his meals!

Chew, when is KKIVF closed? From when to when?

Hope&Faith, think you can expect at least 4-5 eggs or more. Cos they look maturing soon. Your lining will increase over the next few days so dont worry too. Pregnyl at KK usually inject thru thigh.
 
Try Again,

I not too sure on that. I heard from a friend one. They say they hear from radio wor.

Has anyone heard anything about this before?
 
Sue,
Thanks, I read from tintedsky blog that she say thanks to her eggs. I thought it is really a good gesture to do so bec these eggs could be our little babies. How are you doing these few days? Will you be doing your ER next week?

Ponytail,
Haha, like what I told Sue. I learn that from tintedsky. Your ER is Sat, happy for you. All the best to your ER and ET!

Hope&Faith,
I’m better today. Yesterday, I was very tired but feel much better today. Did you read what I wrote yesterday? My doctor did all my extraction from vaginal. Happy to see that you are having very good numbers of eggs. On Friday while you do your ER, I’ll be doing my ET. All the best to your ER and ET! Jiayou and good luck to all of us doing ER and ET these 2 weeks!

Sunflower,
Thanks, my ET is this Friday. Hope that everything go smoothly. My doctor is Dr Eunice Chua from Thomson. She is doing my IVF at CARE paragon.


Mel,
Thanks, I’m glad my ER went smoothly. So how is ET done at CARE? Do they do it in the same room as ER? Will they show you and give you the picture of your embryos? Angela will be flying off tomorrow and won’t be around during my ET. She called me just now to find out how am I doing. Looking forward to my ET and 2wws. Now, very nervous actually but I try to relax for these few days. Will eat well and rest well so that my little ones will have a health environment to grow well.


Faith,
Thanks for your encouragement and sharing about the protocol GnRH-antagonists with me some time ago. Really ease my mind to know there are many using this protocol. Haven’t heard from you for some time. Hope your baby/babies are growing well too! When is your due date?
 
Hi sisters,

to those who are in the process of ER and ET.... good luck... and those who are still waiting for ER, please take lotsa egg-whites to prevent OHSS. I recently read another article and it shows that accu really helps increase the chances of conceiving via IVF.

Btw, are you ladies still working? I am thinking of quiting my job as it can be quite stressful. Moreover my boss is a single unmarried woman and does not seem to support her staff getting pregnant....
 
Hi December

My hubby's morphology is also 1%. We were not even qualified for IUI, so my previous gynae straightaway recommended IVF. For mine, we underwent IVF/ICSI since the morphology is very low. So far, the results is BFP at the first trial! So, have faith ok? As long as you think positive, anything can happen. Good luck! =)
 
Hi Dwi,

That's really great to hear...

At least we know we are not in a very bad situation!

My gynae still ask me to try IUI wor...

so, i'm giving it a last try this cycle.

if fail, will go tiao body before thinking of IVF next year after CNY.

really thanks a lot for telling me this!!!

and wishing you a smooth pregnancy ahead!!! =)
 
Hi Dwi,
i have similar case as you, cannot qualify for IUI. But do you have a choice of IVF/ICSI? I only went through normal IVF, maybe next time will request doctor to try ICSI.
 
BlessBB,
I got 11 eggs extracted the other time and nine fertilised. 2 transferred in April.. then the embryologist said that i have 4 left.i dont know what happened to the other 3 though.. maybe did not survive past the 5 days. Anyway all the embyros are in one straw, so probably this is the only FET cycle i can do. I hope this time will be successful.

I was supposed to do a natural FET in September.. however a few days before the transfer my doc did a scan and he said that my uterus was not stable..i didn't really understand what he really meant and he advised me to take jabs and some medication to control the uterus as he did not want to take chances.. I was quite sad at first, but when I think about it, better do it right.. so my FET will probbably take place in about a one and a half week's time.. Thanks for wishing me well.. I wish you well too. Are you going to stick with the same dr for the next cycle?
 
Hi Chew

You mentioned that you have to increase your jab by 1 week. May I know which jab is that? I'm starting 5 Nov and was told also to increase Lucrin from 2 to 3 weeks. Any idea if the extension will affect results?
 
starzy - i'm working too. also think very stressed at work, but trying not to let it affect me too much. but very difficult leh. i wish i can dont work also, but economy so bad better to stick to your job.

someone was asking abt egg yolk recipe, here it is http://japanesefood.about.com/od/japanesedessertsweet/r/shucreampuff.htm

i think quite troublesome, so have not tried making it

hopefaith, happy, sue, sunflower, mel - during 2WW can Da Bian (shi*) or not? i got constipation, so scared push too hard. heh heh.. gross right? tomoro i'm going for 3rd scan. hope the OHSS goes away, and can proceed with ER & ET. doc did mention possibility of having to wait till next cycle
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just preparing for the worst. tonight going for hopefully last gonal F jab, 75 ml only cos doc afraid OHSS too much i think.


hopefaith - at least you can go kk and ask someone to jab you. i'm at nuh and i think i have to jab myself. you describe the needle until quite scary leh....
 
Ponytail,
of course can da bian, to avoid constipation, you can start taking prunes or prune juice. Take more veg and fruits like apple and strawberry.

Don't worry, since your dosage is reduced and you start taking egg white already, you will not get OHSS one. Mine was reduced to 150iu. Still higher than you. Drink more water, forget about the yolk recipe now, don't stress yourself since you are still working.
 
ponytail,

yeah.. like happyever says... dont trouble yourself with the egg york stuff! Prof PC Wong decreased your dose to 75iu? then I dont think there should be much to worry..

and yes like happyever had said you are taking egg whites too..
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how was your E2 level last time around?

Well good luck tomorrow and.. hope you will have a smooth ER on Saturday
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Ponytail

During 2ww, normally u will have slight difficulties in da bian, because of the puregon insert
Drink a lot a lot of water, and take some prune too. It helps for me. Don’t try to push it too hard. Hehe

Dec,
Actually my hubby don’t like accup too. He thought last 3 months will be the last time but since my cycle fail, I guess he need to go for his accup again, but he has been delaying it! I think he freak out.
 
Hi ponytail - agree.. but the frequency of going to clinics and waiting is interrupting my work and my boss is wondering why i need to take time off and leave so often... also everytime need to rush. Very stressful.

For your da pian problem, u can try to take fybogel. I too have this problem and becos some fruits can be too liang, i take fybogel to complement other fruits like apple or grapes.

Btw, are there any other ladies here who are in 2WW? M finding cycling buddies...
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Happyever,

I will try my best to help as long I can do it.

I hardly post anything lately due to MS. Hope it will getting better after 1st trimester. Baby and I are good. My baby's due date is on 09 June 09.

Pls have good rest and eat well after ET. Babydust to you.......
 
sunflower,

what cycle are you on now? personally i feel that temp charting is not very useful when one is on medications for fertility as these meds will also affect temp.

do update on yr visit to sf loh.

chew,
i was at KKH IVF yesterday too to collect my lucrin prescription , was told to extend lucrin by another week as well as the centre is fully booked due to the audit closure.

not very happy about it, as i will have to get another vial of lucrin and of course additional 7 or more days of jabs!!!!

as far as i read, there is no major side effects of the extension as the lucrin is low dose to suppress the hormones, but for ladies who respond poorly to puregon, it means higher dosage of puregon/more days of puregon jabs to stimualte the folicles to grow.

On the positive side, for those undergoing accupunture, it means an addiitonal week to tiao the body.

Is there anyone here doing second or third fresh IVF cycle with KKH under SF Loh? - need to clarify some doubts
 
sue, sunflower, happy, hopefaith -
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very sad today. went for scan and doc says too many follicles, very high risk of OHSS. gave me 3 options - cancel totally, ER and do FET, or ER and ET. also right side ovary also too high, so doc may not be able to reach it. very sad...
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starzy

i quit my job this jun,did a FET cycle but failed. now doing another fresh cycle. I guess it's a lot more relaxed not having to juggle with appts/waiting time at KKH IVF, accupunture sessions and work all at the same time.

previously was stressed rushing/waiting in the mornings at KKH cos will be late for work etc, and inability to confirm leave/hand work over cos of the uncertainty when the 2www will start. plus during the 2www, had lots of calls from the office fire fighting.

quitting work doesn't mean the cycle will be successful but if it helps to alleviate unneccsary stress - then why not?

if you intend to quit, make sure that you have things lined up to occupy yr time - otherwise with a lot of time on hand, thoughts will grow wild..equally stressful :p from personal experience.
 
Yve, are you here still? Want to ask you after taking the wheatgrass, UWM and EPO, do you have any side effects? My urine is very very yellow despite i drank alot of water. Is this normal, do you have it too?

Babymaking, i m going to do 3rd fresh cycle with Dr Loh.
 
pony tail,

sorry to hear that. how many follicles did you have? Prof Wong tends to be overly cautious.

However it may be wise not to go through with ET, as OHSS is likely to get worse after ER when the rest of the follicles which are not punctured ovulate on their own.

also, the pregnancy will be harder to bear as OHSS will worsen when positive for pregnancy.

so perhaps going through the ER but do FET is your best choice.

btw, did you ask Prof Wong..what will happen to the follicles if you cancel the cycle now? as in will they return back to size, or ovulate on their own witout the pregynl jab?

i was given the same options by SF Loh in my first IVF cycle, i chose to go ahead with ER and delayed making a decision on ET until the day after ER.

i was hospitalised supposedly due to OHSS, it turn out that i was misdiagnosed as another doctor assume that since i had more than 25 follciles, it's automatically OHSS.
 
try again

mind if i ask, was any of your fresh cycles successful as in result in pregnancy? and what is done differently in each cycle?
 
Hi fellaine,

Sorry for the late reply.

I was told by the counter nurse that I need to extend 1 more week of lucrin but the nurse who did the jab for me said otherwise.

I was kinda confused. However, my appt is still made on the 11Nov. Exactly 2 weeks from my 1st jab.

Guess it only delays your er and et. Wont affect much.
 
Thanks babymaking. m really vexed about whether to quit or not. But for the sake of having a baby, not pursuing my career for one year is worth it. How did you spend your time then?

Also, How many times of IVF have u done? This morning, i woke up feeling very very upset. For the past few days after my transfer, i have been feeling bloated and also the boobs feeling more sore. But this morning, i cannot feel it as strong.... I am really afraid that i have failed this ivf.... very very scared. How should i cope with it if it's really true? Also, should there be any symptoms at all?
 
Hi babymaking & Chew

So far from this thread, there are 3 of us who will be extending Lurcin due to lab closure. I am also not happy with their arrangement as we had informed the clinic in early Sept of the starting date and they did not say anything till recently.
 
ponytail...

I am so sorry to hear that... I dont know what to say........

in my oppinion.. like babymaking says.. maybe go ahead with the ER.. but you might have to be careful after ER... due to OHSS...

and like babymaking says, did he tell you what happends to the eggs if you cancel now?
 
tryagain: I'm still here. The thread is moving so fast. And, all of a sudden I can't find who I was talking to and what I was talking about..haha.

Nvm. About the urine part, I think it's because of the multi-vitamins that we are taking. I'm also the same. But try to drink more water. It'll help. It helps for me so why don't u just try? I usually don't drink a lot of water. I'm a hardcore coffee drinker and have been trying to cut down. Replace with more water.

Green tea..someone was asking. Is it not good for the spermies? I'm not sure. I thought it's supposed to be good 'cos it is full of anti-oxidents. NO?? Oops!!

ponytail: ganbatte!! do what ur heart tells u. I'll keep u in my prayers.
 
Hi Babymaking, so far i have done 2 fresh cycles, both BFN. Both were with Dr Loh and my 3rd fresh cycle likely will stick to him too.

As to why i had stuck to him after the 1st failed cycle and now on for the next, 3rd cycle. After my first cycle failed, which i cant really fault him becos it was my very first ivf so he wouldnt have known my response at all. Dr Loh did look into my response, learn from the first ivf and suggested what to do better in the next cycle. To that i felt he did sincerely try to help or improve and not just simply order me on next cycle with same protocol hoping for the better.

And indeed my 2nd cycle was better, i had more eggs and embryos and better grades. Although still failed, i cant really fault him again since there are alot of factors why an embryo transferred do not go on to be a baby. And when i last met him to discuss my next steps, he did listened to my concerns and when i said i might want to try assisted hatching, he was ok. So i felt at least he did try to give me options and not just do the next cycle without looking at ways to do it better.

Thats what made me stayed on in KK since my records and response all there, they just need to study and improvise each time getting better and better then maybe i will succeed soon.

I dont know. Maybe i am naive. You think?

But i do agree KK also has down sides. During each stage, we dont really have personalised attention but having done 2 cycles now, i think i am well versed with the protocol already and i am doing my research myself too. So as long as when i have doubts i can grab the doctors on duty to raise my concerns then i am ok. And if they dont then i will ask to see Dr Loh.

Another plus point i feel is KK is subsidised, i want to spend less now in case i need a 4th ivf then i will find the cash i am saving now handy.
 
Yve i am so glad you replied. I was worried sick why my urine so yellow. I thought my kidneys going to fail.
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Ok ok ok i will drink lots of water. Just now pee was much lighter color maybe my this AM urine more concentrated. Thanks for sharing!
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I am also a coffee drinker but quit since the last fresh cycle. Yesterday drank alittle as part of a set lunch, guess what? I had insomnia! Tossed and turn till 3am finally sleep but heavy rain woke me up at 5am then start to drift in and out of sleep till alarm clock rings at 630am. I feel like i didnt sleep at all, so tired and heavy head now.
 
Sorry Babymaking i forgot to answer what was done differently in each cycle. Actually not alot, for my 2nd cycle, he increased my puregon dosage so i had more eggs and next cycle, he agree to do assisted hatching for me. All along, he also ICSI all my eggs to have higher fertilisation rates.
 


Starzy i have the same problem, take so many long block leave, within 1 year submit 2 hospitalisation leave. I know sooner or later my company will pry to know more. By then i will have to let them know which i dont want to. Currently only my boss knows. If i do FET this dec, can you imagine, will be my 3rd round of hospitalisation leave!

But then to ask me quit and stay at home, i think i will go crazy too. So i rather work. But true, when working, even on leave also may not get full rest. But i did tell my office i will not have access to emails and little access to phone so they did call me only when very necessary.

As for symptoms, maybe its still early? Some peopl only feel the symptoms when their hcg level very very high. Dont fret too much now ok? Do you intend to POAS?
 

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