scared of getting ohss again

Susan L · Post by **Susan L** » Fri Dec 12, 2003 2:54 am

i have just found this website and reading some of the messages made me feel a little sad but its great how you all support each other. I am 26 and my first time treatment of icsi was in october and everything was going ok until a couple of days after the transfer my belly got all heavy and big i did not want to go back to the hospital i was scared i had done something wrong but my partner made me and i ended up staying in, the 2ww draged in hospital nothing to do all i did was cry some doctors kept sayying its a good sign but i just wanted to be at home. It turned out not to be a good sign the day i got my result i was able to go home which i was happy about but very disapointed and sad. My second treatment should be around feb time and i am so scared of getting ohss again as i did not freeze any eggs i will have to repeat it all. it feels good to share this experience with you that no what its all about would really love some replys to relpy to. Susan..

Dagny · Post by **Dagny** » Fri Dec 12, 2003 10:20 am

Hello Susan Your story sounds exactly like my 1st IVF attempt. I was rushed into hospital the day after ET. I had collapsed on the day of ET right out side the doors of the Bridge Center, but put it down to the 100 degrees heat that day. I had terrible pains and huge tummy and was told I had OHSS. I too spent the whole 2WW in hospital in agony only to be told on the day I was let out that we had been unsuccessful. We were told it was unlikely that I would get it again as they reduce your drug amounts. I was on 200 Puregon and so the next time I was put on 150 Puregon. I made sure I drank like a fish (water!) during TMT and also after EC and ET. I DIDN'T get OHSS for the second time, but also didn't get PG either. Another kick in the teeth. The hospital monitored me very closely too with scans and bloods every day - 45 minute drive each way to my hospital, nightmare but worth it as I was so paranoid of getting OHSS again. Was there a reason for you getting it like having Polycystic ovaries? I don't and they can't understand why I got it so bad. I have had 3 IVF/ICSI attempts and each time we have had a lot of eggs 12, 12 and 15 and a good fertilisation too and we have never been able to freeze any. The clinic will not freeze any embies unless they are tip top quality as the thawing is so crucial and it is so expensive to freeze. They have saved us money in the long run but it does make me wonder as so many people on this site nearly always freeze and have successful FET's. We will never know. I am now 13wks PG after 3rd ICSI attempt and had very slight OHSS which was regulated so I wasn't really bad and it was sort of ok. What I am trying to say is that there are no gurantees that it wont happen again a bit like no gurantees of the IVF working but we still do it. My OHSS didn't stop me. Fresh eggs are always better as well so please don't worry too much. Just make sure your hospital/clinic monitor you well. They should do. Where are you having your treatment? I will have my fingers crossed for you for Feb and I wish you and your DH all the luck in the world. Hope my rambling helps. Love Dagny x [Edited by Dagny on 12-Dec-03 02:21]

beckym · Post by **beckym** » Fri Dec 12, 2003 8:49 pm

Hi there My experience was similar to Dagny's and yours - two days after transfer (27 eggs were collected) in March I was rushed into hospital with ohss and had to stay for a week, have my stomach drained ect and found I was not pregnant. It was such a horrible experience that we thought we would not try IVF again but 5 months later we changed our minds. I then changed clinics for second ICSI and they montiored me v.carefully throughout stims and only allowed me to have the profasi injection after the oestridial levels had gone down so didn't get ohss after et. they did emphasise importance of drinking 4 litres of water/milk as well throughout 2ww and after. I had a +ve pg test on 15 Nov and got a bit slack about my drinking cos of problems I had with my 6 week scan. A couple of days later (last week) I was whisked into hospital again with bad pains but no real bloating. They found no water in the stomach, just v enlarged ovaries which were causing the pain. Apparently if you are preg the follies feed the baby which means if you have a lot of follies (I had 31 eggs removed) they are all feeding the baby - apparently great for the baby, not so great for the mother. I think I could have avoided this had I kept up with the drinking. I had to be rehydrated for 3 days and then released. Yes it was scary but only in that I thought it was an ectopic pregnancy or appendicitis at the time. Had I known it was def ohss think I would have been a lot calmer. Is is worth it? Yes, i have been through the mill twice but I think it is worth it to get pregnant and I think if you are very rigorous with your drinking regime you can avoid it. don't be scared. beckym xxx

Susan L · Post by **Susan L** » Mon Dec 15, 2003 2:01 am

Thankyou Dagny and beckym first wont to say congrats to you both wish you all the happiness. you have both given me hope dagny im having my tmt at Hammersmith Hospital West London i was never told i had polycystic ovaries but at my review appointment i was told i may have it slightly and maybe thats why i got the ohss they said that they would drop the puregon from 150 to 75 or 100 which should half the amount of eggs i guess from 18 to 9. im glad i found this site when i was having my tmt i did not really talk much about it with my friends my sister-in-law tried being helpful well she was but she had just had a baby and i just kept thinking you dont no what its like but i look at him now and think i will get there in the end he is 5 months now and at the stage of attacking ear rings, hair with a good pull always catches me out such a cutey would run out the door with him but soon change me mind when i think of the nappi thing not done that yet. I hope my second treatment will be easier i guess one way to look at it is i will no what im doing as the first time i was scared of doing the drugs wrong and i no the signs of ohss so i wlll try not to stress myself out thinking about it and take the advice of you both and drink loads. Thankyou so much it was really great to read your replys and thanks for the advice. Susan x