4/11/2009 10:01 AM
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I have been thru 3 IUI cycles and we are moving into the In Vetro and I am scared to death. I did fine with the needles and shots from IUI but this seems much more complicated and overwhelming. My husband gave me all shots because I can NOT give them to myself, also had help at work from others. After reading all the paperwork they gave me I am getting very nervous about it all. Can anyone give me any words of wisdom or relieve some of my anxiety?
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3/31/2009 10:54 AM
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Thanks for the tip Cid. I start my BCP tomorrow and my first shot will be 4/20. So I will let you all know how it goes. I have a ton of anxiety over it and I am ready to just get the first one over with. I think that my main problem is the unknown and I have had too much time to think about it.
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3/27/2009 3:04 PM
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Very funny Jhoppi!
My DH is a Fireman/ EMT, so I was not worried about the shot.....but I was not aware of the situation!
When I went to the clinic the day before the shot, the nurse reminded me of the location for the shot. I thought she only X'ed me with her finger. But when DH went to give me the shot as described by the video...he was perplexed by the big black X on my rump! After asking me where my back side had been, we had a good laugh.
Back to giving yourself shots. This IS a very strange senstaion. I found that if I looked in the mirror to give myself a shot, it was less personal! You can hardly feel the needle....so if was almost like giving the shot to someone else!
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3/16/2009 9:50 PM
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Thats a good idea for the HcG Shot. I will probably do that too. My hubby said he will be fine with doing the shots but I know he's nervous and probably just being strong for me since I am so scared. Its nice to have this place to come to. I try talking to my husband but I think hes already tired of IVF talk and we haven't even started yet.
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3/16/2009 8:56 PM
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Well the good thing about the progesterone shot is you don't have to see that one since it will be going in your backside! As long as your hubby is comfortable, you should be good to go as long as you stay as relaxed as possible. I usually just lay across the bed and grab onto my pillow so I minimized any discomfort noises - DH said that made him more nervous than anything. Another trick the nurse shared with me is that you can ask to have the nurse put Xs on some undies that you don't mind cutting up. Once you get home, you can cut out the Xs and put them on each night so your shot giver always knows the right spot (ie - least painful place) to put the needle. I didn't do this but I did get a big X on my backside for the HcG shot. My husband was very nervous about that one. I had the funniest day at work thinking about my X underneath my business suit!!
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3/15/2009 9:43 AM
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Thanks Jhoppi! I am glad to hear from someone who has had the same fears. People (like the Doctor, and close friends ) keep telling me I will be fine and it wont be a big deal but I really needed to hear that from someone who has been through the same experience. I almost passed out at the doctors office when we were going over all of the shots. The Progesterone needle is the one that got me. LOL. It looks SO big! I know a lot of it is in my head, and I am hopeful that after all of this I will be over my fear of needles. Thanks again for sharing your experience.
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3/14/2009 10:38 PM
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Good Luck Snowie1978!! I also had quite the aversion to needles...even passed out several times previous to all of this. Now I feel like an old pro. I remember the first time I had to inject myself. I think it took like 15 minutes...14 minutes and 30 seconds of self talk and deep breathing before I finally just did it as quickly as I could. My hands were shaking so bad that I thought I wasn't going to do it right. I did it just fine but then the worst part is I hit a small vein and I bled when I pulled the needle out. Which of course sent me into a panick. However, I called the nurse and she said that was perfectly normal especially since I bruise very easily (apparently my veins are close to the surface of the skin). Anyway, I share all this not to worry you but to hopefully put you at ease that you will be fine. Take extra time with your first one...just take a deep breath, press firmly and quickly and you will be just fine. Also, as a side note, the nurse did recommend using ice if you do hit a vein to minimize the bruising.
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3/14/2009 9:45 AM
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I am going to be starting my first cycle in April. I am very excited to have this opportunity. My situation is i had two children in a previous marriage and then had my tubes tied. Then he had a midlife crisis and left me so I started my life over. I have a new husband now who I truly believe is my soul mate and he has no children of his own. So we have decided to do IVF in hopes of having one together. I am very scared of needles though..did anyone here experience a TON of anxiety about doing all of those shots? Any comments or advice you provide would be helpful
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2/24/2009 7:27 PM
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Epizazz-
I am in the same boat. I have done 1 cycle of IUI and it was unsuccessful and I have to take a break b/c I have 2 cysts. My doctor says this is common with all the medication I was on. I am just hoping to get pregnant while taking a break from the medication. I cannot believe how emotional I became while taking all the medication. If I'm not pregnant then I guess I will have to go back to the follicism.
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2/24/2009 4:16 PM
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I'm new to this forum and thought I'd share my experience incase it helps anyone out there. I'm 40 1/2, and I'm due to have egg retrieval tomorrow morning (IVF cycle #2). I've been on Follistim inj and then Ganirelix. I feel huge! I'm so bloated, my pants are too tight, and I just feel so uncomfortable. And yes my appetite is out of control. I don't know if it's the drugs or the depression, or a little bit of both. My first IVF cycle (Dec 08) didn't result in a pregnancy; I had 5 eggs, 2 of which fertilized and none "stuck" to my uterus. This time we have five again, so we're praying for one good egg! We have secondary male infertility--my husband had vasectomy reversal 1 1/2 years ago that resulted in sperm unable to fertilize me the old fashioned way because antibodies developed on the sperm. And now that i'm of "advanced maternal age" my eggs and ovaries aren't the high quality as they once probably were. Fortunately my body has responded to the Follistim and produced a few eggs and my hormone levels are increasing as hoped. Although at this age you don't produce the high number of eggs that you hear about from the younger women (heard one woman had 30!).
Unfortunately this was the first time in my life when I was able to try to have children. Hubby has 3 from first marriage, so we know that his "swimmers" can do it. If this cycle fails I don't know what's next. I desperately want a baby but we're running out of funds, and it's physically exhausting. I don't know if i'm ready for adoption yet. Anybody have experience with using donor eggs? Thanks for listening.
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2/24/2009 1:59 PM
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Hi All,
I went thru a IUI last month and unfortunately it was unsucessful. I went to see my doctor and she told me i have to skip a month because i have 2 cyst now. My question does this happen often? It is normal? I have a 4 year boy that was also thru an IUI and i was lucky enough that on my fist try it worked.
Thanks,
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2/20/2009 8:23 PM
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Hello Ladies -
Thank you so much for your replies to my inquiry and your candor regarding your personal experience. It's truly reassuring to learn you are not the only one experiencing challenges with IUI and alike. You got me off the ledge about why my appetite is out of control. And, yes, even my bra cup size has increased...truly a first. Gee, wish the good Dr. had mentioned this side effect, but (thanks to you), I do feel better knowing why it's happening.
Net, net these drugs are very powerful. I am eager to see the results of my second IUI, but am unsure how many more treatments I will pursue.
Many thanks again and my best wishes to all of you!
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2/15/2009 4:44 PM
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I'm fairly new to this whole process as I have just done my second IVF cycle with donor eggs. And I am new to this whole "trying to have a baby" process because I never tried before - not in all of my 43 years! Unfortunately, my husband had a vasectomy 20 years ago, so we had to aspirate his sperm. Then it was off to IVF-land.
ABE - I'm 43 years old as well
HARTS - I got shingles about 1 1/2 months before my egg retrieval on IVF cycle #1 last year...THEN, I got the flu/stomach bug this week, literally hours before my transfer last Tuesday, 2/10/09. Both me and my husband got violently ill the night before and I called my doctor at 3am because I didn't know what to do or what I could take safely - it was coming out of all ends (overshare). Thank God by 6am it was gone. After getting evaluated at the clinic the next morning, we decided to go through with it. Talk about bad luck twice! I guess the stress has weakened my immune system.
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2/15/2009 4:21 PM
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I just finished my first cycle of IUI with Follistim, but unfortunately ended up with a double ectopic pregnancy and OHSS. Has anyone else had this experience? I gained about 20 lbs because of the OHSS, but lost it all after I had the surgery to remove both fallopian tubes (they couldn't save them). Now, my only option is IVF. Since IVF is so expensive, I am hoping to have luck the first time. Anyone out there who has?
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2/14/2009 4:02 PM
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Hey, Abe. I have been through a total of 9 IUIs to date (the last one was yesterday). The first 3 were done with Clomid & the rest were done with Follistim AQ. I was successful on my 6th IUI (which was the 3rd one on Follistim) and have a 24 month old. I gained a bit of weight before I ever started with the Follistim as it was suggested to me that I might have an easier time getting pregnant if I put on a little weight (which is total crap, by the way). So, I kind of stopped watching what I ate so it's hard to say what was due to the medicine & what was due to my poor choices. After the baby, I had quite a bit of stress (my baby has Down Syndrome which was a pretty big shock) and I was breastfeeding. Those 2 things had all the weight off in no time. Oh, & I'm fairly certain the antidepressant I'm on is helping to keep my appetite in check. Now, I weigh less than I ever have in my adult life. I've been through 3 more IUI's with Follistim and the first 2 both resulted in pregnancies, but I lost both to miscarriage. I just had another one, yesterday & I'm hoping the 3rd time will be the charm. I am up a few pounds this week so it probably is at least partly due to the meds as there were a lot of extra injections this go round (microdose Ovidrel & Ganirelix).
I guess my advice is twofold, first, don't give up. It's a numbers game. The more times you try, the greater your chance of eventually getting pregnant. Second, this whole process is very stressful and if you don't have any moral objections and your doctor thinks it's okay, get on an antidepressant. I take Wellbutrin which is very mild and has very few side effects. If you are worried about the effects on the fetus, you could take it in between tries, or, after the first trimester if you get pregnant. Of course, ALWAYS ask your doctor before taking any kind of medicine. Best of luck to you!
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2/13/2009 11:08 AM
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I have also experienced about 20 pounds of extra weight gain with Follistim. I was trying to watch my weight so that I would not gain so much but it did not work. I don't know if the depression of no results every month made it worse or not. Advice to the ones just starting this process; ask as many questions as you feel like you need to. I have been through surgery, bloodwork, shots and hundreds of ultrasounds. I went through a surgery that I never should have had and I should have asked more questions. Beware of doctors that keep "trying" different things which increases their profit although it may not increase your chances. Good luck and have faith!
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2/12/2009 6:58 PM
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I have experienced weight gain. I just finished my 4th round of follistem with IUI. Each month, I gain more weight for a total of about 35 lbs since November. Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and my birthday didn't help, but I have never gained this much over the holidays. I have also had to increase my bra cup size. This is my last round (keeping my fingers crossed) as my doctor only wanted me to do 4 rounds. I had my IUI today, so now I am just waiting...
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2/12/2009 6:27 PM
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Would welcome any feedback. New to fertility treatments. Old at 43 years to be trying, but have been told by our Dr that both me and my husband are healthy. Second round of IUI today. First one produced a "chemical" pregnancy, so we agreed to a second round. Took Follistam (spelling?) to prepare follicles for IUI this cycle and last. Has anyone else taken this drug experienced the side effect of weight gain? My appetite seems to be out of control. Thoughts?
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2/12/2009 4:22 PM
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I agree that finding the right Doctor for you is very important. It cuts down on the stress too! I first tried a university program as I thought they would be on the cutting edge of technology. But I came to realize (after a year of lost time and lots of money), that they did not take me seriously as I was not an ideal candidate for their trials (too old). I demanded my records and found a Doctor that bases his practice on the patients...and not statistics. I wish I had found him first.....Best of Luck!
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2/12/2009 7:00 AM
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Good Luck! We started about 3 years ago w/a doctor that didn't give us the whole picture and kept us doing tests and taking meds, that we now know really did no good. We now have a doctor, since July 2008, that is WONDERFUL! He's very knowledgeable about the whole IVF procedure and his website is very informative. We did our egg retrieval in Sept. 2008, but because I reacted too well to the meds, they were afraid I'd hyperstimulate, so we had to wait to do the transfer. We were to go back in Dec., then I got shingles, caused from stress. Now we are getting ready to go back in March, so far so good. The best advice I could give is relax, don't stress (which I know is hard) and find a good doctor, one you're comfortable with. It will make the what seems like an endless process, much easier. It did for us.
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2/11/2009 6:28 PM
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I'm starting treatment and have also considered adoption. (I guess I'm preparing myself in case it doesn't work.) Wow, a lot of information to digest. I went to www.designrx.net and found some good education materials, but what else should I expect!
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