What Got You Your BFP?!?!?

[cookholmes]

I have been wanting to post a thread for all to possibly use to get their BFPs. I have had 1 failed IVF and 1 successful FET and I know what did that did not work the first time and worked for me the second time, so I wanted to share and invite everyone to do the same.

I did not once use a heating pad, not even to warm my PIO injection sites. And I took only showers and no baths, plus the day of the transfer, I used an unscented soap, lotion and deodorant, since embryos are sensitive to scent.

I stayed completely away from caffine, that meant no coffee, no chocolate, no tea with caffine, no soda.

I did not eat any sushi, salmon nor crab, but I did start taking a Flax Seed Oil Supplement with 1000mg, for the Omega 3, 6 and 9.

Plus I stayed away from cheese, (some soft cheeses are unpasturized and can have bacteria that the fetus cannot fight.)

I also took a CoQ10 supplement, but you would not want to take this if you are taking baby asprin, because they do the same thing and can cause problems if taken together. (I stopped taking this the day before our ET, so it would not affect implantation)

I take 1 Filintstone (multi)Vitamin everyday, plus I add a separate 400mcg Folic Acid supplement and a 500 mg calcium chew supplement.

I also started drinking Nurtipals, just as a breakfast meal. It has vitamins and minerals, so I figured it would start my day right.

I drink at least a liter of water a day. Usually it is 2-3 liters.

I try to eat a balanced diet, but if I cannot, I at least eat protein and veggies.

And I relaxed, I did not allow my DH to upset me after the ET and I slept the whole day after the transfer.

The first time we did the IVF cycle, I did quite a few things wrong, or what I think was wrong. I went to a crab festival and ate a lot of crab (which could have been an issue with listeria). I ate chocolate whenever I wanted to and caffine can be a detriment to a cycle's success. I also ate a lot of sweets and cake, just a bad idea all around since I got no nutritional value from the sugar. DH and I got into a horrible argument so I know it affected me. I also did not drink enough water, which left me dehydrated. After the failed cycle I spoke to my Dr to see what changes we could make to my next cycle and one thing that we did do was continue me on dexamethasone for 10 weeks. Dexamethasone is a steroid, anti rejection drug, that stops my body from treating the embryo as a bacteria it wants to fight.

[jemima]

OMG Denise!!! I went so long, i didn't notice your FET was done. I have not said congratulation for you. CONGRATULATION ON YOUR BFP. Im so happy for you. Sending lots of prayers to mommy n your little one.

Luv, Jemma

[Literatriz]

Dear Cookholmes,
Congratulations! Hope all is well with you, the baby and DH - no more arguments until the baby is holding firm and strong to mom's utherus!

Thank you so so much for the generous sharing of your experiences. I am going to have my IVF-donated eggs this coming June and your advice makes a lot of sense. I am going to print it out and follow inch by inch.

I think it is really generous of you to take the time to tell the story. Hope all your kindness returns to you in harmony and peace.

Best wishes, Literatriz

[nictor]

Cookholmes,

I agree with you totally,all my Doctors saidnothingyou can dowill aid implantation. Well after 3 FAILED attempts,this time like you i did it differently,i cut out all caffeine,altough i like a cup of tea i switched to caffeine free before i even started down regging,cut out choc,drank loads of water,ate pineapplw when embies were transferred (someone told me the selium in the core helps implantation) and listened to a relaxing pre natal cd,kind of like a self hypnosis,you know the type,imagine your body preparing for pregnancy and carrying a healthy baby. After transfer i took it REAL easy for at least a week,and tried my best to just relax.

I obviously did something right cos im now 22weeks pg..

With much love and best wishes..Nicola

[WISCONSINGAL]

LADIES IT IS SO COOL THAT YOU ARE TAKING THE TIME TO POST ALL THE POSITIVE THINGS YOU DID TO GET THE BFP! GOD BLESS YOU ALL!

[cookholmes]

Nicola, you reminded me of something else that I did. I did also drank pineapple juice, starting around the same thime that I started the dexamethasone (10 days before the ET), and I stopped the same day that I stopped the CoQ10 (the day before the transfer).

I am glad to share any information that I have at any time! I actually followed the regimine of Mia (Hopeful-in-LV), with a couple of modifications to suit myself. It helped me get the BFP and I thought that tihs info in a central location it could also help others. I think everyone deserves it! Plus there are a few posts about what not to do, but not really any specifically geared toward what each person did food and meds wise.

Hopefully the mods will make this a sticky so it can be viewed by everyone who visitis the site!

[cookholmes]

double post... oops

[nictor]

Denise,

It would be cool if they made this a sticky so everyone can view it and others can put across what they did to help make it work,what works for some might not work for others but at least people can view,think about it and adapt to suit theirselves..

Good Luck with your pregnancy,i hope you have a happy healthy 8 months..

Best Wishes..Nicola

[kholtan]

This just makes me feel like what we all did really did help. I too gave up all coffee and caffinated teas, sweets, alcohol, sushi, deli meats, ect... since the day I started my Re visits. I also gave up all high impact sports, drank pineapple juice, researched vitamins, no baths, made sure I got 1-2 hours of extra sleep a day, and kept my mind busy. We did the meds at the exact same time everyday and after the ET I did the full 3 days bed rest my RE suggested.

Although some or none of these may actually have made the big difference we know we did everything we could and we could rest easy knowing it was all we could do. Here we are almost 14 weeks pg and it'll never matter what we gave up or for how long. We now get a lifetime to share with a set of very loved twins!!!!

I hope we all get our wish!