8 replies to this topic

[abundant love]

Hi Ladies,

I'm kind of new here...I'm mid-IVF cycle and scoping out who else is with me! I've tried to do a little read-up to see who is here and what's happening, although I must admit that I haven't gone through all 20+ pages.

This is my first IVF/ICSI cycle and so far so good, although I only just started stims last night.

I thought I read that Dr. H was going away from mid-Dec to start-Jan. Is this true? I can't imagine him not being here for my ER and ET!!! *mild panic*

I hope to keep with you all and take this ride with some people in similar situations. Good luck...may we all get the best Christmas pressies ever.

[Bella16]

abundant love - Welcome!! You'll love the VFC, Dr H and all his staff - they're the greatest people ever! My DH and I were successful on our 2nd IVF at VFC and now have a beautiful 8 month old baby girl, named Journi. We actually just saw Dr H again today for more blood work, a SHG and an endometrial biopsy, as I'm going to be calling in my January period, so we can then start our FET cycle - excited yet terrified!

You're in excellent hands with Dr H - ask anyone! =-)

**Good luck to you**

[Yvonne]

Hi. I just did an FET at VFC last month and will be starting a new cycle for another FET in December I think. Yes Dr. H will be away for a couple of weeks. When I spoke to him on the phone about how my next cycle would work he said they wouldn't be doing any procedures during that time he's away but someone would still be there for phone calls etc. So I'm sure they must have it set up so that your ER and ET will be done before he is away.

I hope this cycle goes very well for you!

[abundant love]

Hi Bella and Yvonne,

Thanks for responding. I wish there was just some clue that the stims are working. I've had a slight breast twinges, so I was hoping that was good news. I've only had 2 injections so far though. Impatient!

Bella, your little baby is sooooo adorable. I'm really happy that it worked for you. It must have been pretty hard going for a second round. Good for you for seeing it through. Was there any explanation as to why it didn't work the 1st time? I know it's a roll o' the dice but Dr. H said #1 is a huge learning experience and they learn a lot about your body, etc...

Yvonne, best of luck with your FET!! I hope we both get our BFP's in time for Christmas. It is a tiny bit disconcerting that Dr. H will be away...because if this all works I want him around! What if I get OHSS?!?! Oh well, I'm sure they have a back up Dr. or something.

Do you two mind sharing which dose of Gonal F you were on, if you were on it at all?

Thanks!!

[silverdollar]

Hey Abundant Love -please join us over on the Victoria Clinic Pals Thread. Don't worry about knowing what's happening for everyone, just jump on in and start where you are at. All the best with your cycle! Dr. H is away for 2 weeks as far as I know (between Christmas and Jan 8th).

[Bella16]

Sorry, I forgot to answer that question. When I was just at the clinic yesterday there was a sign on the window in the lab stating that the clinic will be closed from December 21st to Jan 4th. I swear Dr H said something about renos in the lab!? I could be wrong about that part though... but yes, the clinic is going to be closed. The sign even stated that if anyones IUI cycles would require U/S n such in that time.. to not start taking their meds.

No worries, they wont leave any patients hanging - he must just be coming in for IVF clients maybe!?

Thanks for saying how cute Journi is... I'm not gonna lie - I have to agree with you there hehehe As for being brave enough to go through a 2nd round... well, its amazing what us women will do in order for our dreams to come true... and... I'm very stubborn =-)

No, there was NO reason why it didn't work the first time. Dr H said that usually there is something, anything that lowered the chances of it working, but not in my case - Oh goody, Unexplained Infertility as well as Unexplained failed implantation - lucky me LOL He tweaked my protocol a bit the next time, added in Intralipids and BAM, it finally worked!

I hope yours works the 1st time though!! =-)

As for the amount of meds I was on... hmmmm, the first time I did Puregon and Repronex and the 2nd IVF I did Gonal F and Luveris - the doses varied, depending on what my blood tests n U/S said. (Usually between 200-300 I think!?)

[babymama4]

Hey there,
Just wanted to let you know that Dr. H will be away until mid January, but there is another Dr there filling in for him. It is a bit weird after getting to know Dr. H so well, that my first u/s at 8 weeks pregnant will be with another Dr, but I am too impatient to wait until he gets back!
Good luck to you:) My second cycle was succesful and I too had my meds tweaked a bit and badda bing badda boom it all came together:)

[phbalance]

Hi Ladies,

DH and I are hoping to get more information about intralipids from VFC. We are hoping to make a trip there soon and see Dr. H. I have so many questions for him, but I thought I would ask here first as some of you may have gone through it already. What was your experience with intralipids? How long did you need to take them? How long does the medication take to enter the body?

Best baby wishes 2011

[Bella16]

phbalance - congrats on going to see Dr H - he is a miracle worker for sure! I did Intralipids with him for my 2nd fresh IVF, and we're not sure if that's what made it successful or not, but we're not taking any chances and are doing them again for the FET that we're now in the process of doing. =)

Its done by IV - an IV is inserted in your arm and you'll then be hooked up to the Intralipids. I think it took about an hour from start to finish for me. I was supposed to do them again once I got a BFP, BUT, my betas were all wonky and not doubling like they should have, so I never ended up having them again - BUT - still went on to have a successful pregnancy!

I was told that most people only need to do them twice in one cycle: once a few days before transfer and another once you get your BFP. Once in awhile people will need an additional one... but not sure why or when!?

Its super easy to do - just bring a portable DVD player or something to entertain yourself while you're laying there for an hour =)

Here - I have the consent forms to do Intralipids again for this FET... I'll type some of it out for you:

Introduction:

Intralipid is a fat emulsion that has been used for more than 30 years as a nutritional supplement for patients unable to take adequate calories by mouth. It is a synthetic product containing purified soybean oil.It also contains purified egg phospholipids, glycerol, sodium hydroxide and water for injection.

Recent studies have shown that Intralipid can decrease the natural killer cell activity both in the lab and in vivo, when added as an intravenous infusion. Natural Killer cells are part of the immune system that controls infection and the growth of cancer cells in the body. Patients with fertility associated with elevated levels of natural killer cells may have improved implantation and a decrease in the natural killer activity as shown in these recent studies. The conventional treatment of increased cytotoxicity has been an infusion ofa blood derivative, intravenous gamma globulin (IVIg)

You can google and ready threads about other women who have used it with success. Like I said, we're not sure if thats the reason my IVF worked or not, but hey, for a couple hundred dollars more, there's no harm in trying!

I wish you GREAT success with this upcoming cycle!!