New to IVF

[moni]

I am about to begin IFV and am extremely nervous. Can anyone tell me what to REALLY expect?

[Sand]

Moni - You poor thing ... We all felt like that at some point. The best thing to do is arm yourself with as much info as possible - knowledge is power. We'd recommend reading Zita West's "Fertility and Conception", or her latest book (out last month, can't remember name but you'll easily find it on www.amazon.co.uk) .. Zita explains things v. well - from how your bodies work, through to assisted conception.

Other than that .. if you stick around on these boards, you'll pick up a wealth of knowledge. Remember, don't be embaressed about any question - just fire away. We've probably heard it before !

If you look on the General Forum you'll see that girls group together according to the month they plan to cycle. There's also a thread each month for those 'in limbo' - ie waiting to start tmt. So, if you pop over there, to the Oct Limbo thread, you'll find others just hanging around.

Good luck with your cycle !

Sandra x

[souris]

Hello dear and welcome!

Well IVF is a long process, and as you when I started I did not know nothing and it was so scary. I just went with the flow ,taking the medecine the doc was giving me... without asking too many questions...I am now prepared for a 2nd cycle and I am alot more confident, knowing what is going to happen.
So do not hesitate to ask as many questions as you need , it is the doc job to inform you and help you

If you have more precise questions about IVF I will be glad to answer...

Take care
Souris

[wantsababy]

Hello there. I am new to this site and have never posted before, but I thought I would tell you a bit about my experience. I know it can seem scary and overwhelming, but I am going through my first IVF cycle and can tell you a few things to expect or that I've learned:
1. It's both an incredibly lengthy process and a quick one! It seemed that I waited forever to start Lupron, and each day ticked by really slowly, but then all of the sudden I'm going in for my pregnancy test tomorrow. So, I would tell you to expect to feel impatient at each phase of the process (I'm told this doesn't get any better once you're pregnant!).
2. The drugs and injections and whatnot are not difficult to administer, but you will feel changes in your body. For me, it wasn't til I started the stim drugs (I used Gonal F), but then it happened quickly--swollen breasts, feeling bloated, feeling cranky. It was actually great in a way to feel my body reacting to the drugs since I had been waiting so long to feel something. And everyone reacts differently. I got overstimulated (35 eggs at Retrieval) so my complaints were more severe than most.
3. The nurses ROCK and will be a large part of your experiences with the procedures--bond with them! They've heard it all, and when you are nervous, upset, excited, etc it's important to have someone you can talk to and who can calm your fears. The procedures themselves are pretty amazing. Even under sedation, I stayed awake for most of my Retrieval and actually enjoyed watching the follicles get deflated and counting eggs with the staff. They kept trying to give me more drugs to keep me asleep, but I was totally into watching! It wasn't painful at all and I was up and around within 36-48 hours--just feeling really bloated because of the overstim I mentioned. And the Transfer is no big deal. . . just a walk in the park after all you've been through at that point. Then, you just have to sit back and WAIT (the worst part of it all I can assure you.)
4. Remember why you're doing it. Every night when I lie in bed not knowing if this is working or not, I rub my belly and try to send all my good energy down there and tell my follicles to keep growing or tell the little guys I can't wait to meet them. It relaxes me to talk to them (crazy as it sounds) and keeps me connected to my body and my dreams.

You'll get there! Is sounds scary when they start throwing all the terminology and drugs and stuff at you, but I promise you can handle it and in the end, when you hold your little one, you won't even believe you hesitated.

[Sand]

Hi Wantsababy ... That's an extremely positive message you've posted there. It's just what we need ! Thanks - It should give some comfort and inspiration to others.

Sandra x