IVF/ICSI Support Group

[tnsw]

p_chip,lucky your hsb very ting hua - obedient

going back soon

the worse thing is secondary infertility which is harder to comprehend than normal infertility..i got preggie almost by chance after i moved to my house and now, i have to struggle...smtimes i also get very upset but try to look at bright side of thgs

bye bye, see u next wk!!

 

[potato_chip]

Hi tomatoes

Me too. Spent alot of $ on chinese sinseh, is as good as a fresh IVF (dare not even calculate how much have we actually invested). B4 coming to this thread, I thought I m expert liao. Who knows, after meeting all these sisters here, my knowledge hor really half pail water only

.

 

[poohy]

chemistry,

ya quite stressful to bf... so i decided might as well concentrate on taking care of bb... i give bb ebm completely cos i cant latch him on successfully...so most of my time are spent pumping...

 

[tomatoes]

Hi potato chips

Dun say that lah. You also know alot of things that we dun know also. This forum is a good "meeting" place to share and learnt from one and another

 

[potato_chip]

Hi tomatoes

. Ya, indeed this is a very nice place for all of us. I think without this place, I would hv bored to death.

O ya, Kym was so pathetic hor. The couple beside was so loving. I think she is over concern about her job.

 

[wishwish]

Hi there ! I am new here....can share with me abt IVF cause i did IUI for my 1st try but failed now we are thinking doing IVF straight.......

 

[tomatoes]

Hi wishwish

Welcome!

Sorry to know about your failed IUI. What do you want to know about IVF? Which RE are your currently seeing?

 

[potato_chip]

Welcome wishwish. Sorry to hear about your failure. Let us know what you want to know about IVF, eg the procedure, the RE, the costs, etc so that we could answer to u more specifically

.

 

[tar]

Hi. I am 31 years old, married for 5 years and did IVF with Dr Fong Yang at CARE. I had 20 eggs retrieved but only 11 embryos. However, because of overstimulation, doc advised me not to continue with the ET. I was not prepared to stop at that point and insisted to continue with the ET. As such only 2 embryos were transferred as the doc said chances very low. I did not succeed then. It was truly devastating. subsequently, I went for FET but the embryos appeared to be not able to withstand the freezing and thawing process and thus, it was not successful again. I am thinking of changing to another gynae and IVF centre because I did not like the service at CARE. The reason why I had to do IVF was that I had endometriosis and my hb's soldiers are not fantastic. Thought this forum is a good avenue for us to share our experiences because this is very traumatic. I also went to see the Chinese sinseh at Jurong East but had serious diarrheoa after taking her medication. No confidence in her after that. Anyone seen LC Cheng from TMC? Would like to find out more about him and the services at TMC.

 

[mandy]

Hi Ladies

I am also undergoing IVF treatment at KKH and shared the same doc as tnsw and vonvon78 - Dr SF loh. Just did my ET yesterday. I had only 2 embryos transferred. I did one jab after my ET yesterday and was told to do only 3 more jabs. Is it ok? Nurse said i'm still young (going 30 this year).

Cant wait for outcome but i'm going back to work on Mon. My job is rather stressful as i am in sales but i feel bad to take leave again.Afraid that i think too much if i stay at home..

Check with you guys, how do you explain to colleagues when they ask what happened to you? (after the hospitalisation leave)

 

[trac_tan]

Dear sis out there,is there any faster way for me to get preggie cos i've been marriage for abt 2 yrs and has seen few gynes , but till now there still no in my stomach so i thought gng straight into IVF/ICSI, and i have no ideas where to get start, dear sisters out there, ps advice me, cos i getting upset and worry cos all my friends ard me got preggie and i e only one not yet, i really hate to be questions here and there,got so sick with all the comments.P.s Help!!!

 

[tomatoes]

Hi Tar

Sorry to hear what you have been going thru. If I am not wrong, westbb succeeded with IVF under LC Cheng from TMC. But she is currently busy with her bb and doing confinement now.

Hi mandy

For me, I told my company I have to go thru a minor ops to remove fibroid. So need to take hospitalisation. Hope to hear good news from you soon.

Hi Tan

Did the gynaes that you have visited diagnose you and/or your hubby with anything? You might wish to try SO-IUI first b4 going straight into IVF. Normally, IVF/ICSI should be kept as a last last resort.

Can understand the pressure that you are going thru with all your friends being pregnant and you are not. That's what happened to me in the past. If anyone ask you again why you are not pregnant, just tell them that you and your hubby still want to enjoy life as an excuse. No need to explain so much to them.

 

[chemistry]

Hi mandy,

I have conceived with ICSI under Dr SF Loh too. If u have less than 15 eggs retrieved, there is no need ot go back to hospital for daily PIO jabs. I think what they gave u now is HCG jab, right? Since your work is stressful, i would suggest that u take more days off from work. Think the 1st 1 week is important and u should try not to move around too much. My colleagues knew I'm going for ICSI. AS for my bosses, I just told them I need to go for minor op.

Hi tan,

Did the gynae say what's the problem for you and your hubby or suggest any treatment? Just to share, my SIL who is married for 1.5 year have been trying and saw my gynae early this year. However, they is no problem with her and her hubby. Gynae suspect they have timed wrongly, so now put them on ovulation monitoring program and advise them when to bd when near ovulation. If they still did not suceed, they will then put to try SO-IUI first before IVF. Gynae usually do not suggest that we go thru ART unless necessary. I would suggest that u see a fertility specialist so that they can advise u the appropriate treatmetn for your case.

 

[tar]

Thanks Tomatoes. Which gynae are you under? How do you find him/her? Tomatoes, after your ET, how long did you stay at home? I did not even step out of the house for 2 weeks but still not successful! I think the worst part is the waiting.

Chemistry, I heard that the service at KKH not that personalized and gotto wait a long time. Is that true? My cousin said that she only see the doc once and subsequently in her programme, she only get to see the nurses and she did not know what was happening. How did the doc in KKH diagnose if there is any fertility problem?

Mandy, I heard that it is better to stay at home for one week after the ET. I was at home for two weeks! It was super boring and kept thinking about it. I told my colleagues that I am on holiday but my direct boss knows about my condition. It depends on whether you are comfortable to tell them but I think it is kinda of difficult.

 

[westbb]

Hi gals, stealing time off again. So tiring, BB has started to wake up very often to be carried and feed. Here's my birth story, time is estimated cos i realised towards the later part i was very sleepy and goggy most of the time.

***
16/5
0930 CTG 20mins, check cervix PAINFUL! 1cm dilated. inserted pill.
1030 start to feel crampy
1045 CTG
1200 admitted to hosp for monitoring. crampppy.
1400 transferred to delivery suite. start to feel quite bad cramps.
1800 cervix check by nurse, damn pain, cried so hard after check. gas doesn't work at all. only 1.5cm dilated.
2100 injection on butt, can catch some sleep over night.

17/5
0830 gynae check, 2.5cm only. broke waterbag, put on drip. contractions start coming, pain pain, got epidural. relieved, but left legs starts to feel numb. starts to feel sleepy and kept dozing on and off, lost track of timing. lost control of left leg as it became very numb and 'floppy'. during cervix check can feel movement but not painful anymore. can feel contractions coming but not painful.
1500 started to vomit and shiver hard, very uncomfortable, side effects of epi. took anti-vomitting drug and it stopped. very sleepy. can feel contractions more, epidural effect like wearing off??!
1730 checked and cervix fully dilated, baby's head's down. started to push, push like hell also very little progress. also felt painful contractions, wonder why epi like no effect???!!!! URGH!! extremely tired and goggy from the pushing and very sleepy. almost wanted to cry. on and off and still hear next door's mummy screaming in pain. asked for assisted after about an hr of pushing. bb born with vacuum in abt 15 mins time. when bb 'slipped' out, felt like something huge being taken out of your body, very wierd feeling. saw bb being put on stomach and hubby cut the cord, felt relieved and also extremely tired.

***

hi tar, i did my icsi under Dr LC Cheng at TFC. We found his nurses and him very friendly and patient. what do u want to know about them?

 

[tar]

Tomatoes, read that you see a Chinese doc at EYS, Tiong Bahru. DO you recommend her? DOes she prescribe for both husband and wife?

 

[tar]

Westbb, really glad to see you in the forum. desperately need to get advice from someone who has gone under LC Cheng. Btw, congratulations on your delivery.
Is the queue long at TFC? How long you need to wait to see the doc?
What are the clinic hours for LC Cheng?
Do you know if the blood tests are done in-house? The reason why I ask is that in my previous experience, the blood tests were done out of the clinic and I gotto wait quite a long time for the results.
What was your programme like? Did you have to go for a laparascopy check before you start the IVF?
Is LC Cheng approachable? DOes he entertain many questions?
How do you find the embryologist? Does she tell you the conditions of your embryos? Was the ET done in the clinic?
Sorry for the endless questions. Just felt that I need to find out more before changing to another gynae.
Thanks.

 

[vonvon78]

Hi gals,

Have any one of you gals experienced cramps abt 10 days after ET? I've been gettings stomach cramps since Fri night. Went to KKH yesterday for my jab & asked the nurse. She said it's normal. But still a worried. So, just want to check with you gals if you'd experienced this during your treatment.

 

[chemistry]

Hi Westbb,

Your labour is really long! U are really brave. Hope are u coping with baby so far? Did u have a confinement lady?

Hi tar,

Your gyane will attend to u before u are referred for IVF. They will conduct some std test eg, D21 blood test, pap smear, scan, HSG and SA to determine if u need IVF. Once got referred for IVF, u dun get to see your gynae that often, only during counselling, ER and ET. For my case, my gynae left me his email, so I can always email to him whenever I got queries. Also, if u are lucky, your gynae may be on duty during the review sessions i went thru. My gynae was on duty for 2 of the 3 review sessions. The nurses at KKIVF are trained to carry out most of the tasks and that's why u dun get to see the gynae so often when u start IVF and cost is low. As for waiting time during scans and review, it is not long. At most 1 hr only.

Hi Vonvon,

I didn;t get any cramps. But anyway, that is a good sign, maybe implantation cramping.

 

[vonvon78]

Hi Chemistry,

I sure hope that it's implantation cramping & not a menstrual cramp.

By the way, this morning I'd the same kinda cramp & it hurts quite a bit until I'd to lie down.

Any idea when implantation occur after ET?

 

[mandy]

Thanks Chemistry and tar for your advice! Unfortunately i cant stay at home for one week but i will definitely try and take it easy at work for the next 2 weeks. Oh, so the first week is quite impt, i actually did not get any specific advice from the nurse. I wish i had read this forum before my IVF! It's so informative! She told me to carry on with my daily activities except not to do streneous activity. I actually went out on both fri (day of my ET) and sat, but only to my mum's place and to the car workshop to fix something! Though i only did a little walking, I really hope it will not affect this! I actually did not feel anything after my ET, only felt some minor cramps after my ER.
I only had 7 eggs and 3 went on to become embryos. My hubby and i were worried about premature births/complications if we get triplets and hence opted only for 2 embryos. The jabs i am supposed to take can be self-administered and i think it's HCG.

As for work, i did not tell anyone in the office, only told them i am doing minor surgery. Do you guys share this with your family eg parents? I told my parents but i really hope i do not disappoint them if it does not happen.

Nurse told me can do home pregnancy test on day 14. Did u guys do it? Was it accurate?

 

[chemistry]

Hi vonvon,

According to some IVF websites, implantation can occur anytime on day 7 to 10 after ET.

Hi Mandy,

If I were u, I would have transferred all 3 embryos to max my chances of conceiving. The chance of getting triplets is very low. Doing a HPT on day 14 after ET should be pretty accurate, but I didn;t do it cos still have to go back to KK for beta test even if i have done a HPT. I prefer to wait for the beta test results.

My parents were not informed that i'm going thru ICSI. Dun want to disappoint them if I didn't suceed. I only disclose to them when the scan detect the heartbeat of the foetus.

 

[menthe]

hi all,

I feel so inspired by you gals after reading all the posts!

I had a failed SOIUI attempt at KKIVF last Dec and am contemplating IVF now. Can anyone advise on the tests and procedures which you have to do before starting off on the IVF program?

 

[mandycool]

Hi Chemistry

This is Mandy - have problem with my username so using this for the timebeing. Do you know if it's still possible to transfer the 3rd embryo? Dr Loh was saying that as long as it is not frozen, can still do it. i did my ET on Fri 27/5.

Been reading the postings on this website and am comtemplating taking mc next 2 days. Was only away from the office 3 days last wk. Is it easy to get mc from kkivf?

 

[vonvon78]

Hi Chemistry,

Thanks for your advise. Sure hope that it's nothing bad with the cramps. By the way, which IVF website did you go to for info?

Hi Mandy,

Some intro on myself. Did IVF with KKH under Dr Loh. ET was on 18 May. Beta test will be on next Fri (3 Jun).

Was on 5 days HL, then requested for another week of MC to rest as my job is rather stressful & so I do not want to jeopardize my chances. Even if this rest increases my chances only by 0.1%, it's good enough. Nothing is more impt to my hubby & I than having a child of our own. I'm even willing to give up my job to have a healthy & normal child. Will be going down to KKH tomorrow for my daily jab & will try to request for more rest until my beta test. Otherwise, will take leave.

My boss knows abt what I'm going thru' & being pregnant herself, she fully understands what I'm looking forward to & supports me.

In a nutshell, as long as you ask, KKIVF will be able to give you.

 

[mandy]

Hi Vonvon78

Thanks! Our dates are quite near! Wishing you all the best for the beta test next week. Will u be tempted to do the HPT?

I'll try and go to KKIVF tmrw to get the MC and try and ask if i can still transfer another embryo. was it u who mentioned in your earlier posting that they will indicate kkivf on the mc?

 

[chemistry]

Hi Mandy,

Why dun u email Dr Loh to check? He should be in a better position to advise u now.

Hi menthe,

I believe u should have gone thru similar tests as us before your gynae referred u for SO-IUI. Dun think KK will let u try IVF just after 1 failed cycle of SO-IUI. Why dun u consult your gynae to check what is the next step for u?

 

[tomatoes]

Hi Tar

I am did my ICSI under Prof Christopher Chen at Gleneagles. He is a very careful, skillful but conservative RE. I stayed at home for 2 weeks after my ET and another 1 week after I tested +.

I am very comfortable with my CP at EYS but she is GP. She is very approachable and encouraging. She does encourage husband and wife to see her together for diagnosis for fertility problems. However, as my hubby did not want to take so many types of medication that time, he did not see her for treatment.

Hi westbb

Thanks for sharing your birth story with us. After reading your birth story, I can't help but feeling that all mothers are so "wei-da" and brave during delivery....

Hi mandy

Actually I did have a faint + on HPT on the 10th day after my ET.... I went to show it to my hubby and but he said can't really see the +. If you can tahan, try "ren" a few more days to get a more accurate results...

All the best to you and vonvon

 

[vonvon78]

Hi Mandy,

I don't think I would wanna do the HPT. I'm tempted to do but I don't know if I'm ready to face the result so soon. Would prefer to take the beta test as it's the most accurate measure. Guess will have to tahan for 5 more days.

That's my take. But do hope that both of us will succeed this time.

Good luck to you!!

 

[tar]

Hi Tomatoes, how did you spend your two (plus one) weeks at home? I was so bored and kept thinking about the results. Actually, I have seen Prof Chen before but find him very unapproachable and expensive. But heard he is very good. Not sure if I should go back to see him.

Chemistry, is the appointment at KKH only restricted to weekdays (in the daytime)? The reason why I chose to go private is also because of the greater flexibility in appointment times. Correct me if I am wrong.

Vonvon, I also heard from my nurse that some people experienced implantation cramps. But if it is too bad, should let your doc know. Try not to think too much about it.

 

[tnsw]

hi, everyone, great that tis thread has become so active all of a sudden, welcome to the rest who have come on board

Tar, please read my story on TFC...dr lc cheng is very nice but he din manage to diagnose my situation which was the reason why my womb lining was always very thin...i feel that kkh has the best technology although the service not that great....there are people who managed to conceive under dr cheng, not saying that he is not good but just that he din manage to see wat had caused my womb lining to be thin...

Mandy, welcome aboard, hope that you have read thru our stories and we hope to learn more about you too...i had done my ET and waiting for the results but more likely it wont be good news

after ET, i rested two days, did my et on saturday, went back to work on monday..try not to go swimming, take hot baths, sauna and in short try to treat yourself as if you are pregnant..dun take cooling foods like cheng tng, chin chow and the long type of bananas...better be safe than sorry....

vonvon, cramps are common leh, i had them also after the ET, the nurses at kkh said it was common...

Tar,

The appts at kkh is in the morning as scans are taken in the morning but saturday and sunday they wld do for you ET and ER if needed....you can read the website for more information..

Find that my waiting time at KKH shorter than TMC as i can go in the morning and minimise waiting time and taking time off rather than TMC..tmc is also open only during mornings as DR Cheng has to rush back to his own clinic in the afternoon....Dr cheng will tend to you every time at tmc but for kkh, its a normal doctor but either DR loh or dr sheila will do the ER and ET
for you..if u want to know more abt TFC, u can email me or Private message me, i will be happy to answer your queries..

 

[tomatoes]

Hi Tar

Yes, Prof Chen is very expensive. Totally agree. But talking about unapproachable, that's my 1st impression too. However, as I know him better, he is actually quite a nice guy. Just that he always look very serious.

Not necessary that you must go back to him. Stick to the RE that is also as good and you are comfortable.

Yes, I spent most of time at home during the 2weeks wait, except to go to his clinic for bloodtest on alternate days. Sometimes, I will sneak out for a while to go library or bookstores to read books to kill time.

Hi vonvon

I do not have cramps during the 2 week wait for if you have, it could be a good sign...

 

[chemistry]

Hi Tar,

Some gynae are available at night and weekends for consultation, for eg, my gynae have consultation sessions on Wed nites and Sat mornings. However, once u start the IVF/ICSI procedures, the sacn/reviews are always in the mornings (Mon-Sat). One thing good abt them is they start the scans/reviews very early & punctually at 8am. So u are usually done within an hr and so just need to take 1 hr time off from work. For post ET jabs, u can arrange for a GP to do it or get it done at KKIVF as early as 7.30am.

 

[tnsw]

Tar,I agree with chemistry, the scans are all done at very convenient times and if you go early, you can finish by 9 plus and you dun even need to take leave..if you go to private, you still have to wait for the doctor if he goes for urgent deliveries or smthg as he is a one man show

for kkh, you have alot of doctors there and dun really have to worry about delays...

 

[tnsw]

dear lovely ladies,

I have compiled a brief story of our lovely ladies here into a microsoft document, see if you can open it....

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

ICSIfrens.doc (22.5 k)</td></tr></table></center>

 

[miko2006]

Hi Tnsw,

Thanks for consolidating all our "Brave ladies" listings.

Hi Tar

Welcome, i was waiting for ur reply before telling u abt this thread...anyway now that u find ur way here - GOOD

I m seeing Prof Chen now, hope i m in better hands this time. For his service i would say you really got to be ready to spend and forget abt
calculating how much it would be!!!

Both my hbby and i are comfortable and confident with his experience, waiting time, nurses and environment.

Hope you can get 1 RE at ur own comfortable level soon too.

 

[trac_tan]

dear tomatoes
so how much is SO-IUI ,any lobang for that

tks

 

[vonvon78]

Hi gals,

Just went to see the doc (on duty) at KKH. She said that it's relatively normal to have cramps during this period. Unless it's very painful, resting more would help.

Anyway, thank you all for your concern, esp tnsw for compiling the info.

 

[potato_chip]

Hi tnsw

Thanks for the compilation

. U hv done a great job for us. If u still interested to compile the list of CP, do let me know cos I hv seen quite a no. before

.

Hi Tar

May I know do u hv anymore embryos left at SGH?

Hi Westbb

Our BRAVE MUMMY, thanks for taking time to share wif us your experience.

 

[tnsw]

Miko2006, dun mention, you are most welcome..

The most important thing is you must feel comfortable with your RE.

For me, i think that dr loh is great and is very nice...doc cheng also, good skills and interpersonal relationship skills are very impt..you wld feel more confident if you are happy with the RE..

 

[tnsw]

Potato chip, thanks for the compliment,i hope i din get any details wrong, i tried to compile the chinese doctor but so far only got four of them, will post here later and see whether you can update for me when you are free....

so far, have you done any thing to improve your chances...the thot of having d and c and later having to wait a few more months really makes me very very sick.....dun noe how long i can last

thinking of taking up some lessons to while the time away and take away some of the stress of waiting......

 

[mandy]

Hi TNSW

Must be optimistic! I got rather paranoid cos i did not put in 3 embryos and now regretted my decision but really everyone is different and as my Dr said, some people just put in 1 and they kena also! I think it is impt to stay +ve and stay happy.

Hi Chemistry
Dr Loh replied and said that i cant transfer the 3rd embryo now as it will affect my other 2..hence i try not to think too much and console myself that they shd have put in the best 2 already..

Hi Vonvon78

I called kkivf to see if i can get extra MC and the nurse said i have to go down and see doc. To save the hassle, i went to my GP and she gave me 3 days' mc. She knows SF Loh quite well and she was the one who recommended him to me. She said that sometimes some symptons during the 2ww is better than no sympton..it may be signs of an impending pregnancy..so think on the bright side! You can still so young and i think u stand a very gd chance.

 

[wishwish]

i am thinking doing my IVF with Prof Ng at GEH...I have been sick lately so did not reply any message...sorry !!!!

 

[tnsw]

hi, tar,

if you read my story, you wld noe wat i mean, really have thought thru evything, wat will happen will happen...

For my et done at tmc, i think they transferred two, but due to my womb lining pblem or mayb the egg no gd, it resulted in a miscarr.

now i transferred three and they did laser hatching on one of them, the chances are low maybe due to the fact that my womb lining is still bad OR the egg quality fm tmc is not good according to my RE

bo pian liao...just pray for the best...

dun worry lah, all you need is one good one...to strike and thats it....

 

[chemistry]

Hi tnsw,

Tomorrow u seeing Dr Loh right? Hoping the best for u, but if turn out otherwise, dun be discouraged, cos this time round, at least your lining can hold the sac and so there is already some improvements.

How about taking up some aerobic lessons? Can build up your health &amp; stamina for the next pregnancy at the same time too! I was on aerobics for the past 7-8 years before preggy!

Hi mandy,

It's a pity u can't transfer the 3rd embryo now, but in any case they will transfer the best developing embryoes for the fesh cycle. Hope your 2 embryoes will stick!

 

[potato_chip]

Hi Vonvon

If I not wrong, annie's RE did mention the more the symptoms r, the higher the chance. So be positive and bear with it

.

 

[tnsw]

chemistry, thanks, the last time i did a fresh cycle, apparently the embryos stuck on but dun noe why nothing was seen during the scan and my hcg level did not even increase 200 percent after one wk !!!!

now, i asked dr loh whether it was due to womb lining, he said no.....maybe i shld have listened to the chinese doctor who told me to take chinese med for three months which i did but only for just two months add..

later, i cannot tahan the waiting period and decided to go ahead with fet..

hopefully its a blessing in disguise for me to build up my body again...

aerobics? can consider...i have tried before many years ago....

 

[potato_chip]

Hi tnsw

I hv taken yr advise n did sthing constructive now

. Seen a chinese sinseh over the wkend. Feel quite comfortable with him now and will continue to see him till my next FET

.

 

[tomatoes]

Hi tnsw

Thanks so much for creating the listing. It is very help and informative.

Hi Tan

I dun have any "lobang" for SO-IUI. Perhaps, you might wish to ask your RE about it as all REs should be able to do. I know KKH charges about $1200 per attempt and Poohy is one good success eg

 

[tnsw]

potato chip, which chinese sinseh you seeing ?want to post here so that i can compile all the tcm if need to...

tomatoes, dun mention..i just cut and paste thats all..later i may do one for chinese doctors

to the rest of the sisters, anyone got lobang for tcm or anything relating to fertility advice, please post here so that i can compile into a document...to share...