IVF/ICSI Support Group

Hi Gloria,

U can buy Dong Chong Chao in powder form. Just ask the medical shop to grind them into powder. Take a teaspoon with hot water in the morning.

BTW, that couple feature in wong li-lin show was from my company. It's really brave of them to go thru the process and pregnancy. Their IVF is not done by Dr Tony Tan. He only take care of her pregnancy. Her delivery is pretty amazing. 1 of the bb popped and the doc tried to stitch her back and retain the other 3 bb in her womb for another 1 week+. The earlier bb is still in ICU while the rest of the 3 had been discharged. Their bill came up to $80K after all the subsidies.
 


Hi Chemistry.
wow... she made it, that's good ! 3 babies discharged and one in ICU.... do you know where she did her IVF and why it is not the IVF gynae who took care of her during the pregnancy - thot that is the norm ?switching gynae seems rather traumatic after you have achieved pregnancy.... BTW, do you know how many cycles of IVF she tried ?

yeah, will goto the fu-hua shop this sat with mum... she wants to buy yan-wo.. told my hubby tat he has to take dong-cong-cao and he said 'ok'... he hates chinese medicine.. sometimes when i recall the amount of chinese medicine that we take from eu-yang-san, i really very scared... it taste horrible and so expensive, everytime we collect the medicine it come up to $200+ for 2 week's supply ... and the doctor always say we 'sheng-xu'... hai.. later than we realise that it doesn't mean your kidney is weak, it juz means that your general well-being is not good...

Hi kissbb,
when did you start to see the gynae ? did he make u go thru the clomids for 6 mths oso ?
sometimes, i really feel and share the pain and frustration when i read some of the forum notes.. i have oso cried over the state that i m in... but look at the bright side, u are starting on IUI ... so fortunate.. i cant wait to start on IUI/IVF... cost is really not a factor now (we r prepared to wipe out savings, and hubby say no more long trips or aiming for pte condo, will drive the same car for next 9 yrs) ... TIME is the biggest factor... i always wonder whether my eggs are old / aging .. hope they are not too bad ...

actually writing to this forum is really a good release ... i feel much better after i let out wat's inside me... i was really down last week... when i was waiting for my ovulation... it's like a waiting game.. i remember someone wrote that the gynae told her something like 'there is only so much they can do, the rest is up to God'... well, i think this pregnancy thing is really beyond us.. But I will try very hard ... 'God help those who help themselves'... keep yourself healthy and happy..

May all of us who are trying succeed... and one day when we look back at these notes... it is a journal on what we've been thru...
 
Hi Gloria,

I started to see gynae last may... my previous gynae monitored me every month for the 1st 3 cycle of clomid..
later i switched to kkh, did the larpo and followed by 1 more cycle of clomid b4 converted to SO-IUI... i think clomid didn't work for me... so we suggested to go SO_IUI instead of continue for the balance 2 cycles...

yap, need to save up... SO-IUI already cost me abt 1.7k already...
 
Gloria

Dun give up and you are not alone ... I've been trying for more than 5 years ... went for my 1st IVF but failed and I'm still not giving up
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Will be going for my 2nd one soon
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Hi Kissbb,

I am doing at Raffles because have been seeing my gynae there for long time.
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I was told the med will produce the most 2, with jab, can go up to 4 ... so after considering ... I decide to maximise chance and opt to take the jab.
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Even though I fear - I have to do the jab myself.
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Hi CT,

Hope you succeed soon.
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CT,
yah, the stats for successful IVF is 20 - 25% ? so my gynae drew the probability table to illustrate the chances of striking after how many tries... hope u will succeed on your 2nd try
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are you using your frozen embryo ? hope to hear good news from you soon ...

Annie,
yeap, going for the jab seems more logical ... increase the no of follicles / eggs in one cycle... as for the jab, i think it is one of the thing that have to go thru... hopefully it will get 'easier' after several tries. The nurse / doctors are so gd in doing such things, one poke done... just like injections for blood, nurses are always so confident in doing it hor...

kissbb,
your gynae let u start SO-IUI... i cant leh.. i have to do my due diligence to try at least 4 cycles of clomid right ? else, i don noe how to convince him to let me goto SO-IUI... another of my fear is if i try SO-IUI and IVF and then both failed, does it mean the end of the road for me... so, very big dilemma lor...

isn't true that Julia Roberts is 37 and did about 7 cycles of IVF before she succeeded and gave birth to twins... so, i think if there is no constraint, can I try for many many times until I am broke ? ha ha ..

say, should we update the IVF_Buddy.xls doc to keep track of our progress..?
 
Annie

Thanks hope you strike this time round too!

Gloria

Thanks ... I do not have any frozen embryos as I only have 3 in the 1st round and had used up all.
 
Hi Gloria

Do visit a medical hall that you are familiar with. It you or your mum is familiar with the staff at fu hua, then it alright. Cos I scare shop owners will give you lower quality of "dong Cong Cao".

Yes, TTC is a waiting game. I remember that all the months when my menses came and then I have to wait for the Ovulation to come. Then I have to wait another 2 weeks to see if I suceed or not. Guess it is really a test for our patience.

Hi Kissbb and annie

Hope both of you succeed with your SO-IUI!!!!
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Gloria

Hi. Just wanted to give you some encouragement. Can understand your anxiety in the whole TTC process, not an easy one i will admit. Relax and await your doc advise, rest assurred u are in good hands and who knows, VERY soon you will strike! ***Baby Dust Baby Dust Baby Dust****
 
tomatoes,

thanks for yr wishes!!


Annie,
Dun worry about the injection. By the time, u will have the courage to do so, thinking of the bb.
 
hi Gloria,

Thanks for encouragement, I keep telling myself that I must be "brave" and do it, I really want to have my own bb.
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Actually I should go for IVF as hb's sperm is not very good, but gynae suggest we can try SO-IUI first since I am still not that old yet. (well ...I am 30+ liao
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)

Thanks tomatoes, I hope so ... actually fear trying but ... well .. if I dun try - then where is "chance"?
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Hi kissbb,

Going to take the jab pretty soon ... still scared about it ... but ...will do it.
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Hi annie

Yes, it's a good idea to start with SO-IUI. There are some cases whereby hubby low sperm count also strike when trying with IUI. So your chance is definitely there!!!!
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Hi everyone..
i have been bingeing on CNY goodies for the past few evenings... during office hours, i can control my cravings, but after dinner, i start idling around... cant go jogging as scared pregnant liao.. so, start munching lor... isn't that terrible
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i think when i visit my gynae again, he may not recognise/remember me ... maybe will ask me to lose weight before i start on SO-IUI... how terrible would tat be... delay for another month..

Micky,
Thanks for your encouragement, i appreciate it... i hope to be more 'zai' oso .. but sometimes the mind starts wandering, thinking why din do TTC properly and earlier ? priorities have been wrong in the past and there is really no turning back the clock... i think those who are in their late 20s and early 30s and already so into TTC are so smart...

i m counting the days .. it is CD15 only today... long long wait for me... i noe i may be in for a big disappointment if AF comes coz i have set such high hopes ....

sometimes i wish i can visit the clinic, coz the nurses oso seem to be very involved in our cases, at least i can talk to someone.. now, only my sister and 2 close frens noe abt my TTC.. and one of my fren is not married (so a bit wrong frequency to goto length abt this with her) and the other is actually bent on being DINK (double income no kids)... so i really need this forum to express myself... and share with pple who are going thru the same experience... i see that my notes are always very long oso..

Annie,
maybe gynaes have to follow some guideline before they start IVF on patients .. think of it this way, at least ur chances are good since u r in your early 30s... hopefully you will have good news and success very soon ...
 
Hi Annie

Not to worry, injections are pretty painless. Also, doc won't reccommend u SO-IUI if possibility of conceiving under SO-IUI is low Just think positive & trust your doc.

Hi Gloria,

It's important to keep yourself healthy while trying to conceive. Control your intake of junk food, don;t eat excessively. Monitor your weight cos overweight may also affect fertility. Exercise regularly. After O, u also switch to a lighter exercise such as walking. That's what i did, even till now, I still take 20-30 mins walk daily.

Hi tomatoes,

Yest, finally see my gyane after 5 weeks interval. Can see bb activley moving her limps. Gynae say from the scan, my bb is likely to be a gal-gal but to reconfirm again during detail scan next month! When r u seeing yoru gynae again? Must update me your bb gender, ok?
 
Hi everyone,
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I finally did the first jab myself last night .. :p

Hb stay by my side, he insist that I cannot be alone doing it and he help out a bit (except poking in).

When I was ready to poke ... I suddenly "back out" a while and stared at my hb blankly.

But finally ... it went in ...the initial poking in a bit pain ah ... but then it's ok liao ... but withdrawal also a bit pain .. I really have a low threshold for pain. :p

Btw, I will be seeing for ultrasound next week? Dunno how soon I can do the IUI ... anyone who already went through IUI? How soon it will be? The follicle will mature "faster" than the normal cycle is it???
 
Hi Annie..
u r so cute... i think i will be like u when my time comes... i m super scared of pain. when my ex-beautician did extraction for me, i will feel it is so painful and once, i even have tears rolling down coz i canno tahan ! but now, i've switched and found a better beautician that doesn't coz so much agony.. her secret is that she steams, then massages my face thoroughly, before she does any extraction.. so it is not painful at all...
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i even look forward to my facials now coz she do shoulder massage for me ... very relaxing...

aiyah... when my gynae do the ultrasound, i oso try to look at the small screen.. then he go reciting the follicle measurements to the nurse.. but i don see a thing at all... and he ask me to relax coz he said my stomach v tense.. i very lousy hor, then scan stomach oso tense... think if one day i give birth, sure caesarean with general anesthesia lor...
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Chemistry,
so good hor... can do tummy scan and see bb moving.. must be very happy... gal gal very good.. closer to mummy... next one can be boy-boy... must be full of anticipation before each visit to the gynae.....

wow.. keep up the gd work !! i heard walking is v gd for pregnanct woman... ur HB go with you ? good hor, then can chit chat and exercise at same time ... it really brings a couple closer... last weekend, we went to Changi Village for stroll in the evening ... and it was very windy !!

last nite was ok, additional food was milk, pomelo, tomato and cuttlefish (heee...) but the gd thing is, I finished the cuttlefish already.. so no need to worry anymore... all other food i make hubby da-bao to office (most of the pinapple tarts, kueh bangkit and love letters - my favorite !!)

zoe tay very good.. her bb is by natural birth one... 3 cheers for 37 year old zoe tay !!
 
Hi annie,

U can try numbing the injection site with an ince cube or alcohol swap before poking the needle. U also have to try to poke and remove teh needle fast. If u scare and slowly poke & remove, it will be more painful.

Hi Gloria,

Yah, was hoping for a gal cos 2/3 who conceived under IVF usually get boy. But I will be as happy too if my bb is a boy.

As for my walking, I did it alone on my way to work. Instead of taking a bus from MRT stn to office, I walk. Have been doing that for 2 years already. It's good exercise in fact.
 
Gloria,

I went for facials only for sake of wedding .. find it a little painful sometimes too. hehehe ..

Chemistry,

I hope I can poke "faster" today ...I am really timid.
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din use ice cube, but the alcohol swap - yes, nurse given me quite a few to clean before injecting...
 
Hello...
just now i went to see the pregnancy test kits... 2 clearblue tests cost $19 at watsons... wow.. don noe when i should get them... maybe get later better lah... else wait AF always come on time and never get to use the test-kit then v sian one...

Annie,
u must do this jab for how many days huh ? isn't using a new pen type of technology ? last year they introduce this pen-injection for IVF , donno whether IUI got or not ? suppose to be easier to use ....

hm... today is TGIF... hope everyone will have a nice weekend
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Hi Ladies,

Just want to say hello to everyone esp to Novem.
Hope you're doing well with the procedure. Drop a note if you have time.

Have a nice weekend. Lots of sale going on..at mphosis, tops are $10 now after 70% off....wrong thread but i'm just happy shopping and sharing with you. I walked from Ngee ann to wisma to take MRT but end up buying a lot of things. $49 Pants from Future state - now at $9 each.

Cheers.....
 
Hello...
just now i went to see the pregnancy test kits... 2 clearblue tests cost $19 at watsons... wow.. don noe when i should get them... maybe get later better lah... else wait AF always come on time and never get to use the test-kit then v sian one...

Annie,
u must do this jab for how many days huh ? isn't using a new pen type of technology ? last year they introduce this pen-injection for IVF , donno whether IUI got or not ? suppose to be easier to use ....

hm... today is TGIF... hope everyone will have a nice weekend
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Gloria,

I will do the jab for 4 days, then I'll see my gynae, then she should tell me when to do the IUI .. but i dunno what to expect next ..

Yeap, I am using the pen type, it's easy to use as the nurse will go through step by step and there is an very detailed instruction booklet.
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You mean the pen injection is new ah? I dunno lehz ... first time for me.
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To all, enjoy your weekend too!!!
 
Hello everyone..
How was your weekend ? Went for evening strolls with HB for 2 nights... and saw so many pple pushing stroller with cute BB inside... i like bb who are so chubby and blurrr... then we start dreaming if i m pregnant how nice...

today is CD19... will wait for 1 more week before can test... do u think should test on the 14th or 15th day after the O-day ? Well, sounds really frivolous hor, but another day of suspense may be too much to take.. but then maybe can save $10 for the clearplan test if test on the day 'zhun zhun'...

how are u guys doing ? during the 2-weeks wait, do u wonder if the egg has been fertilised, whether the cells are dividing, whether the embryo has implanted itself on the uterus... sometime, really wish could see/feel what is happening inside... and ask 'anything i can do to help ?'

Chemistry,
I told my HB that 2/3 of those who conceived via IVF will be boys... and he asked why... i think it is because the male sperm can swim better ?
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Hi Gloria

I think you can test on the 15th or 16th day after O (keeping my fingers crossed for you. I got a feeling that you will strike naturally instead of going through IUI or IVF
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Hope my 6th sense will be 'zhun' ;)

I oso always wonder during the 2ww if the egg has been fertilised. I even more silly to talk to my tummy when I am alone.... telling them to "kwai kwai" fertilise. Hee! ;) I abit "crazy" liao that time.
 
Hi Gloria, Of course we kept thinking and thinking and wondering and wondering during the 2WW! ;) i had always wished that i can press some fast forward button to jump directly to the "results" day! i think u must relax and continue to eat well ok. as for the higher precentage of boys, my own theory is also because the male sperms can swim faster so they reach the target (egg) faster too during IVF. then for ICSI, as the lab person will pick each single sperm, they will pick those that looks active, so since male sperm swim faster then they must have look more active too so higher chance of getting picked lor.. haha my own theory only lah...
 
Hi Gloria,

The 2/3 thingy is based on statistics only. Don't think they have an answer for that.

Do u take your BBT? If your temp stays elevated for more than 14 days, your chance of preggy is high and u can try doing the test. So far, the BBT is quite accurate. Mine always falls on day 13 or 14 after O and then menses appear the next day.
 
kissbb, do u always get light spotting before ur AF? if not, it could be implantation??

chemistry, gloria... yah the BBT has always been quite accurate for me, usually get my AF the day or next day of temp fall. but in the end i realised i'm always VERY stressed taking temp and i totally stop!!
 
Hi tomatoes..
thank u v very much... really hope your 6th sense 'zhun' .. i oso imagine all the various happy scenarios if i really strike and it is really very shiok... but they say don tell anyone 1st ... must go to gynae to confirm... but of course if i strike, i will tell all of u first !!(after my HB lah)....

yeap, i oso pet my tummy and 'tell' them to work hard... while my HB is snoring away in the middle of the night.. ha ha..

i don take BBT coz this was what my eu-yang-san doctor taught us to do... my current gynae said no need... make me v sad when i see i spent so much time & $$ at eu-yang-san .... then i found out that when temp go up, it means you have already 'O' and it is a bit like past the event ... so like a bit wrong that she asked us to do it when temp goes up...

say, have u heard of a test called HBA (stands for a v big word, will bring tomorrow and type in) which can test whether the sperm can fertilise an egg... i read that SGH has this test (abt $100) that can 'save' a lot of time, ie if most of the sperm can't fertilise the egg, then go straight to ICSI lor...

kissbb,
light spotting still must take care of yourself... maybe like westbb say, there is 'some action' inside.. trying to implant!... tahan for a few more days and then do the pregnancy test !all the best to you
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Hi westbb & gloria,

me hand itchy, just now go to test preg kit. NEGATIVE leh!!! oh my buddha...

my blood test (to test whether pregnant) is schedule next mon... dunno can tahan next week.
 
Hi Chemistry & tomatoes,

During your IVF, how many days of Lucrin jab before you proceed to stage 2.

I went for my 1st blood test and the baseline scan today. called KKH for my result this afternoon, was told by nurse to go down on fri to buy medication for stage 2.
 
Hi kissbb,

It might be too early to test at this stage. HPT may not be sensitive enough to pick up the HCG.

Hi ET,

Same as u, I remembered I was asked to start stage 2 jabs on a Fri when my blood test was on a Mon. Anyway, if u remember, u will still need to continue with Lucrin when u start the Puregon.
 
Hello..
wow... all of you very happening... go for blood test, baseline scan, Lucrin jab... i waiting v eagerly to do my preg test next Mon/Tues (c how much i can tahan, most likely Monday one lah ..hee heee ......) counting down to that day... if not ok, then back to collecting another round of clomid, folic and cardiprin medicine ...

hey, there's a show today at 8.30 pm, CNA called 'Your Health'... think they are going to talk abt infertility and treatments available... i m going home to catch it !! should be quite relevant, hopefully interesting & informative oso...

the test available at SGH to test for sperm fertilisation ability is called sperm-hyaluronan binding assay (HBA).. has anyone heard of it before ? i m thinking of asking HB to do it ... hopefully the SGD nurse/recept at CARE knows about it, otherwise, i will have a hard time explaining it ... (can't find it in their web-page leh)...

kissbb...
hope for the best... don give up yet... monday is not far away... hopefully both of us will have good news on Monday
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morn gals,

I have to continue my jab (now higher dosage) as my eggs are still ...well ...too small to "mature" ..so .. another waiting ..
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Hi kissbb,

hope you strike!!!
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Hi Gloria,

I will try to catch the show tonight ...hopefully today no OT.
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hi kissbb,

the largest one is only about 10 or 11 (dunno what is the unit of measurement).

Btw ... any idea why some of them "won't grow"?
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I sort of feeling a bit "funny" at my womb area ... it's not cramp but got a "feeling" there ...dunno if it's my xin li zuo yong ...hmmm...
 
Hi Chemistry,

that means when i go down on fri afternoon to purchase Puregon, I will start the jab immediately?
 
Hi ET,

Yah, we start the Puregon immediately on the day we go down. The Puregon needs to be store in the fridge, so make sure u got no appointments after going to KKH.

As for the baseline scan, I'm not too sure but heard they measure the lining.
 
hi kissbb,

yday was CD 9, today is CD10, she said a bit slow.. that's why she up my jab from 75 to 150.

hi ET,

When I purchase the puregon, I did not jab on the spot as I need to keep to the same timing every day, not sure if this applies to IVF also .. so I took it home and jab it at night. Otherwise, I can't possibly jab it during office hours.
 
Gloria, my hubby had done HBA at SGH before, we requested for it. So the nurses at CARE will definitely know what it is. Think it costs abt $300?? can't remember liao...

Was reading an article in mag Today's Parents on the various ARTs. They also interviewed three couples who conceived via IVF/ICSI, they were all mid-late 30s when they did it; 1 couple succeeded twice on 1st try, 1 couple succeeded on FET after 3 unsuccessful attempts and 1 couple succeeded on 3rd attempt. Hope this boosts the confidence of some of you
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However, they also mention that the success rate will drop dramatically once hit 40 and Spore does not allow those above 45 to do IVF/ICSI. BTW, if you want to ask the gynae of their success rate, remember to ask their take-home babies rate too and compare these rates against their patients' average age group.
 
Hi westbb,
Thank u very much... so good to know that the HBA really exists ! i feel more confident abt going down on Sat to request for it now
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... yeah !!!

is the article on ART in the latest issue of Today's parents ? will buy a copy then... very interested to read up on this.

aiyah, just now was happily having my lunch and suddenly felt a lot of discharge... i was really filled with dread .'oh my god, don tell me this is the prelude to my AF !!!' luckily, after i check, it is only the normal kind... phew.. !! Hope nothing happens for the next 6 days... cross all fingers !!!
 
Hi Annie,
On the HBA, I got the straits time newspaper article on it, it is dated April 2004 (i think). last year i came across it and found it quite interesting ... (maybe i knew i would need it later ...?) . now, how do i send / fax it to you ?

or should i type in the article.. .not v long lah.. maybe 500 words ? maybe i can key into doc and upload it in this forum so that everyone can read hor... okay, will try to do it tomorrow
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westbb,
thanks for the tip on the mag.. i have bought it already
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...
 
hi Gloria,

thanks for the offer.
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but my fax machine is located near my boss's office ...hmm ... not convenient to receive personal faxes lor, the secretary checks the faxes very often ..

It's ok, really thanks for the offer.
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Hi gals,
can I join in? I'm now taking the first step to do IUI this cycle. Just went for first consultation today, but not confirm doing yet.

Hi annie,
are you doing IUI at the moment too? Can I know where are you doing it and how much does it cost?
 
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