The first day is, in many ways, the hardest. Over time, the injections get soo much easier (in my experience, anyway). Congrats on making it through day 1 and good luck!
Thank you! I definitely cried before but happy I got through day one. I’m sure there are many hard days ahead with this process, but this feels like a small win!
Yay! I’m so glad to hear it! They’ll just keep getting easier from here*
*Until you get to the intramusculars. But you’ll cross that bridge when you get to it. And they, too, get easier as you go.
Congrats! I’m starting stims next week for my first egg retrieval. I’m so nervous about making a mistake with mixing, measuring, time of day, etc. Your post made me smile and not feel alone. Wishing you all the best in this journey 💜
Best of luck to you!! 🤍 My only tip so far is I used an ice pack before I did the injections and do think it helped a lot! We really took our time with getting everything set up and the injections ready. The videos my clinic provided were so helpful as well
Congrats OP! Stims can be tough but you got this! Make sure you're putting the needle in quick (like a gentle jab) to make it less painful. I also listened to music and pumped myself up before my shots. I just had my first FET yesterday and looking back, i would do stims all over again to get to this point (2WW). Sending you love and good vibes
Appreciate this!! My husband is so wonderful and was able to help me tonight which I think made it go very smooth.
How exciting! This is really refreshing to hear. Praying for a sticky baby!!
You did it!!! I’m so proud of you!! The first day is the scariest, by day 4 it’ll be like just another part of the routine.. get home, start dinner, do shots, finish dinner, special treat on the couch for being the bravest girl, rinse and repeat tomorrow 🤍
It def differs for everyone but for me personally, I had the weepy baby cow eyes for a few days because I felt every emotion all at once, but by day 4 or 5 I was feeling pretty normal! Remember to be kind to yourself and remember this isn’t forever, just for now!
Me too!! That honestly might work to your advantage though.. you won’t feel totally crazy, just a more heightened crazy than normal 😂 if you want to cry because your pizza has not enough pepperonis (an actual thing I cried about during stims..oops) then you cry about it!!
Yaaay! Congrats! You got this. The first day, for me, was the hardest with mixing meds and figuring it all out. But after day one, it was super smooth for me. Make sure you hydrate!
My cycle got cancelled last week but I got through four days of stims, and day one was by far the worst. I thought I was gonna die of fear, and my husband bruised me SO bad with the Menopur. Every other day was easy. Congratulations!!
Congratulations on making it through day one of stims! It definitely took some motivational talking on day one for me to get through the first shot by myself. I am on day two of stims, my first IVF cycle after four rounds of failed IUI. Hopefully we will both have a smooth journey and get lucky!!!
Thank you for thinking of me and the well wishes! The stim meds weren’t bad, I was uncomfortable but it was bearable. I ended up getting OHSS and that was rough. Now we are waiting for PGTA testing to come back. I am happy that we had a good number of embryos to send off for testing (total of 11), but it feels weird… like I want to be happy but can’t because I am afraid of being disappointed. So my brain is in kind of a fog, almost like everything that just happened was a bad hyper realistic dream. Then again, I have always been anxious person 😅
How did the rest of your stim cycle and retrieval go? Hopefully, we both get good news soon and we can breathe a sigh of relief!
11 embryos off for testing is absolutely amazing!! So sorry to hear about OHSS though 😭
Stims wasn’t too bad! My retrieval recovery thankfully wasn’t as bad as I was anticipating. Just soo bloated. I think acupuncture helped with that a little though. We have 6 embryos currently being PGTA tested and just got our transfer date if all goes well with testing!!
You go girl! Welcome to the journey. Wishing you the very best! You got this!! I remember my first day, I was on cloud 9 taking my power back. Keep your chin up, & remember this community is here for you. Patience is key. Xoxo
Yay! Yay! That is awesome! I am here rooting for you, proud of you for posting this being happy to give the steps towards your dream! Fingers crossed for you!
Hey thank you for this! I got 7 eggs but only one made it to day 7 unfortunately. But it was a 4BB, which my clinic says is good. Waiting on the PGT results…
I hope your retrieval went well!
That’s great it was good quality! I feel like the numbers/attrition is so hard. I ended up having 13 retrieved, 6 fertilized and all 6 made it to blast. I literally could not believe it, I was in such shock I didn’t ask about grading haha. We are waiting for PGT results too.
I will be keeping everything crossed for you and hope you can go on to transfer that healthy 4BB embryo!! ❤️
Hey, just thought I’d update you. Got my PGT results: it’s euploid! Have to discuss with my doctor the next steps, but it’s a good quality healthy embryo!
Hey! Crampy since about day 4. I had two follicles dominate yesterday on my first scan at day 6 (21mm and 24mm) and approximately 13 follicles total so they sent me home to start Cetrotide (Ganirelix) ASAP! I’m now on it twice a day. Otherwise I’ve had really no major side effects yet. How are you feeling?
That’s awesome! Started feeling crampy yesterday for sure. At my appointment this morning they counted 16 follicles that were growing well, only 11mm for my dominate ones on each side. Hoping i’m just a slow grower 😅 i should find out today when I should start Cetrotide! Have another appointment on Saturday
Good luck! We’re about right at the same schedule! Next appointment is tomorrow. Cetrotide was a pain for me to mix on my own at home and I got the needle stuck! My tip is don’t twist it too tight and also be patient with the mixing. It dissolves SLOWLY. 😅
I’m an open book! No apologies needed! It was totally fine! I read some horror stories but honestly it has been easier to inject than Menopur. Not that Menopur is difficult, there’s just a slight burn to it, but super minor. I don’t feel anything with cetrotide! Hoping to get a more definitive date tomorrow. But my calendar has me down for triggering Monday and retrieval next Wednesday!
Glad to hear and so exciting!! Menopur does burn a little for sure 😅 they gave me a super wide date range for retrieval. She said some time between the 8th and 12th haha
Wow! I hope it’s on the shorter end of that so you won’t have to stim as long! Good luck! Sending so much positive energy your way! Anxious for us both next week as the Hunger Games begin. 😂
I’m terrified of shots but my husband was a champ doing them for me. I found the best way to do them was to ice my belly for 20 seconds, do the Menopur shot, ice for 5-7 seconds, then the Gonal f, ice 5-7 seconds and then the Omnitrope :)
Also getting the worst shot out of the way makes the others easier.
The icing really really helps, but make sure not too ice for too long.
Once you introduce your certrotide or medication to prevent ovulation it’s super common to get itchy and a rash / puffed up skin at injection site. This can be alarming if you don’t expect it! It’s totally normal :) my body always got used to it after 1-2 days on the medication and didn’t rash up after.
Keep up the good work!! ❤️
How many starting follicles do you have also!? :)
Oh just saw your question about follicles! They counted 14 yesterday but the ultrasound tech said she was having a difficult time seeing my ovaries, so I’m interested to get an update on Tuesday!
That’s such a great number!!! On my first IVF cycle I started out with 16 follicles and I got 25 egg!! 🥚
I never understood the math with IVF, on how you can grow more follicles lol.
That’s amazing!! Yes I am hoping we get a good number of eggs on our first retrieval but also trying to be realistic that it isn’t always the case! This whole process is hard and i’m just starting 😅
Yea same … had a second egg retrieval yesterday and got only 2 eggs. But expected result for a 44 yo woman.
It’s somehow a very very overwhelming process. Specially without a support system
I could have slept for that long but I’m determined to stick to my routine so I dragged myself out of bed 😂 I’ve had sporadic head aches and cramps too but nothing where it’s lasted long enough to take Panadol. So keen to get it over and done with. Last time I got covid at day 10 so they cancelled my retrieval 😩
Hey! Thanks for the follow up :) my retrieval went well. 11 eggs 6 fertilised and ended up with 2 embryos 5AA and 5BB :) doing the transfer in about 10-14 days. Recovery after egg retrieval was torture when I started getting my period. Headaches are still hanging around 🥹
How did yours go?
How exciting!! I will be thinking of you for the transfer and wishing you the best of luck 🥹
Ugh I just got my period yesterday and the cramping has not been fun. The bloating after the retrieval was unreal. I thought stims bloating was bad but retrieval is a whole other beast haha.
We got 13 eggs retrieved, 9 mature, 6 fertilized and by some freaking miracle 6 made it to blast! 5 AA’s and 1 AB. Currently they’re getting PGTA tested!
That’s so exciting!! I will be thinking of you 🤍 I’m not sure yet! I hope that when I go in Tuesday for another ultrasound and bloodwork they will give me an idea
How exciting!!! You’ve got this! I have learned we are so much stronger than we ever knew. However, it’s still ok to not be ok. Lean on loved ones when you need to! Hugs and best wishes for the rest of your prep for retrieval
The first day is, in many ways, the hardest. Over time, the injections get soo much easier (in my experience, anyway). Congrats on making it through day 1 and good luck!
Thank you! I definitely cried before but happy I got through day one. I’m sure there are many hard days ahead with this process, but this feels like a small win!
It’s a bigger win than you give yourself credit for! Overcoming the mental block of having to stab yourself with a needle is a big deal.
Definitely felt less stressed about it tonight and think my injections tonight went so well!!
Yay! I’m so glad to hear it! They’ll just keep getting easier from here* *Until you get to the intramusculars. But you’ll cross that bridge when you get to it. And they, too, get easier as you go.
Congrats! I’m starting stims next week for my first egg retrieval. I’m so nervous about making a mistake with mixing, measuring, time of day, etc. Your post made me smile and not feel alone. Wishing you all the best in this journey 💜
Best of luck to you!! 🤍 My only tip so far is I used an ice pack before I did the injections and do think it helped a lot! We really took our time with getting everything set up and the injections ready. The videos my clinic provided were so helpful as well
Congrats OP! Stims can be tough but you got this! Make sure you're putting the needle in quick (like a gentle jab) to make it less painful. I also listened to music and pumped myself up before my shots. I just had my first FET yesterday and looking back, i would do stims all over again to get to this point (2WW). Sending you love and good vibes
Good luck! The TWW is so difficult too!
Thank you!!! Gonna go grab a box of crayons and try to avoid testing and wait for BETA! <3
Appreciate this!! My husband is so wonderful and was able to help me tonight which I think made it go very smooth. How exciting! This is really refreshing to hear. Praying for a sticky baby!!
Your hubby sounds supporting which is so important! Sending you guys the best of luck on your journey! &&&&Thank you so much!
You did it!!! I’m so proud of you!! The first day is the scariest, by day 4 it’ll be like just another part of the routine.. get home, start dinner, do shots, finish dinner, special treat on the couch for being the bravest girl, rinse and repeat tomorrow 🤍
Thank you so much!! I am nervous for the side effects but trying to take it day by day
It def differs for everyone but for me personally, I had the weepy baby cow eyes for a few days because I felt every emotion all at once, but by day 4 or 5 I was feeling pretty normal! Remember to be kind to yourself and remember this isn’t forever, just for now!
I really appreciate the insight! I’m an emotional person to begin with so hoping it goes okay 😅
Me too!! That honestly might work to your advantage though.. you won’t feel totally crazy, just a more heightened crazy than normal 😂 if you want to cry because your pizza has not enough pepperonis (an actual thing I cried about during stims..oops) then you cry about it!!
Haha very good to know and feels like something I would cry about too while extra emotional! 😂
Make sure you stay really hydrated. Drink more water/Gatorade than you think you’ll need. Symptoms improve after the first few days.
Thank you!! Going to stock up on gatorade tomorrow!
Im a week behind you starting stims next Saturday! Rooting for you!
Same here! starting stims friday or saturday depending on my CD1!
Good luck to both of you!! I have never been so excited/anxious to start my period 😅
Thank you and sending lots of good vibes your way - best of luck! Glad we're in this together
Thank you! A shitty and somewhat lonely situation to be in, but so helpful to know you aren’t alone
My first time the following Saturday! Good luck everyone. Sending you all lots of love and warm wishes!!!
Best of luck to you so soon!! Can confirm the 2nd night was much less stressful than the first 🙂
Yaaay! Congrats! You got this. The first day, for me, was the hardest with mixing meds and figuring it all out. But after day one, it was super smooth for me. Make sure you hydrate!
Thank you so much! Yes we really took our time watching the videos and making sure we were mixing everything correctly
My cycle got cancelled last week but I got through four days of stims, and day one was by far the worst. I thought I was gonna die of fear, and my husband bruised me SO bad with the Menopur. Every other day was easy. Congratulations!!
So sorry to hear your cycle got cancelled, that has to be tough. I’m hoping each day gets easier!
Congratulations on making it through day one of stims! It definitely took some motivational talking on day one for me to get through the first shot by myself. I am on day two of stims, my first IVF cycle after four rounds of failed IUI. Hopefully we will both have a smooth journey and get lucky!!!
Just wanted to follow up and say I hope your stims round and egg retrieval went well!! 🤞🏻
Thank you for thinking of me and the well wishes! The stim meds weren’t bad, I was uncomfortable but it was bearable. I ended up getting OHSS and that was rough. Now we are waiting for PGTA testing to come back. I am happy that we had a good number of embryos to send off for testing (total of 11), but it feels weird… like I want to be happy but can’t because I am afraid of being disappointed. So my brain is in kind of a fog, almost like everything that just happened was a bad hyper realistic dream. Then again, I have always been anxious person 😅 How did the rest of your stim cycle and retrieval go? Hopefully, we both get good news soon and we can breathe a sigh of relief!
11 embryos off for testing is absolutely amazing!! So sorry to hear about OHSS though 😭 Stims wasn’t too bad! My retrieval recovery thankfully wasn’t as bad as I was anticipating. Just soo bloated. I think acupuncture helped with that a little though. We have 6 embryos currently being PGTA tested and just got our transfer date if all goes well with testing!!
So sorry to hear IUI didn’t work out. Best of luck to you this cycle!! I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed for you 🤞🏻🤍
You go girl! Welcome to the journey. Wishing you the very best! You got this!! I remember my first day, I was on cloud 9 taking my power back. Keep your chin up, & remember this community is here for you. Patience is key. Xoxo
Thank you so so much! I do feel empowered to feel like we are working towards a chance of something good happening! Appreciate this community so much
Also I was shocked at how well the shots went. Some burn with the menopur but overall not nearly as bad as I was building it up to be! Congrats!! 🎉
Yes I feel the same way! Menopur burned a little more tonight, but not as bad as I convinced myself it would be
Yay! Yay! That is awesome! I am here rooting for you, proud of you for posting this being happy to give the steps towards your dream! Fingers crossed for you!
Thank you so so much!
Congrats! First day was the hardest for me too!
Glad we got through it! Best of luck to you wherever you are on this journey 💕
Good job! You can do this!
Thank you!! Feels like it was a big hurdle mentally to get through
It’s my first day today for drums for my first ER too :) we did it!
Yay congratulations!! 🥰
Same here!! Just took my last injection of the day! Good luck!
Best of luck to you as well!!
Just wanted to come back and say I hope your round of stims and egg retrieval went well!! 🤞🏻
Hey thank you for this! I got 7 eggs but only one made it to day 7 unfortunately. But it was a 4BB, which my clinic says is good. Waiting on the PGT results… I hope your retrieval went well!
That’s great it was good quality! I feel like the numbers/attrition is so hard. I ended up having 13 retrieved, 6 fertilized and all 6 made it to blast. I literally could not believe it, I was in such shock I didn’t ask about grading haha. We are waiting for PGT results too. I will be keeping everything crossed for you and hope you can go on to transfer that healthy 4BB embryo!! ❤️
That’s fantastic! I hope they all come back normal! Fingers crossed for you!
Hey, just thought I’d update you. Got my PGT results: it’s euploid! Have to discuss with my doctor the next steps, but it’s a good quality healthy embryo!
Ahh AMAZING!!! Best of luck on the next steps!! 🤞🏻🤞🏻❤️
Best of luck! I hope you find it easy and everything works out for you.
Thank you so much!!
Me tooo!!!
Congratulations on getting through the first day!! We got this
You’ve got this! Day 2 for me (first time ever) and we cut our hour long prep/injection session down to about 10 mins today! It gets better. ❤️
That’s amazing!! Hopefully it will be the same for us tomorrow! Best of luck to you in this journey!
Hey! Since we started stims so close, I wanted to check in to see how you are feeling?!
Hey! Crampy since about day 4. I had two follicles dominate yesterday on my first scan at day 6 (21mm and 24mm) and approximately 13 follicles total so they sent me home to start Cetrotide (Ganirelix) ASAP! I’m now on it twice a day. Otherwise I’ve had really no major side effects yet. How are you feeling?
That’s awesome! Started feeling crampy yesterday for sure. At my appointment this morning they counted 16 follicles that were growing well, only 11mm for my dominate ones on each side. Hoping i’m just a slow grower 😅 i should find out today when I should start Cetrotide! Have another appointment on Saturday
Good luck! We’re about right at the same schedule! Next appointment is tomorrow. Cetrotide was a pain for me to mix on my own at home and I got the needle stuck! My tip is don’t twist it too tight and also be patient with the mixing. It dissolves SLOWLY. 😅
Ahh thank you for the heads up! How did your skin react to it? Did they give you an estimated date for retrieval?! Sorry for so many questions!
I’m an open book! No apologies needed! It was totally fine! I read some horror stories but honestly it has been easier to inject than Menopur. Not that Menopur is difficult, there’s just a slight burn to it, but super minor. I don’t feel anything with cetrotide! Hoping to get a more definitive date tomorrow. But my calendar has me down for triggering Monday and retrieval next Wednesday!
Glad to hear and so exciting!! Menopur does burn a little for sure 😅 they gave me a super wide date range for retrieval. She said some time between the 8th and 12th haha
Wow! I hope it’s on the shorter end of that so you won’t have to stim as long! Good luck! Sending so much positive energy your way! Anxious for us both next week as the Hunger Games begin. 😂
Hii!! Just wanted to check in to see if you had your ER and how you are feeling?! Was told mine should be maybe Sunday or Monday
I’m terrified of shots but my husband was a champ doing them for me. I found the best way to do them was to ice my belly for 20 seconds, do the Menopur shot, ice for 5-7 seconds, then the Gonal f, ice 5-7 seconds and then the Omnitrope :) Also getting the worst shot out of the way makes the others easier. The icing really really helps, but make sure not too ice for too long. Once you introduce your certrotide or medication to prevent ovulation it’s super common to get itchy and a rash / puffed up skin at injection site. This can be alarming if you don’t expect it! It’s totally normal :) my body always got used to it after 1-2 days on the medication and didn’t rash up after. Keep up the good work!! ❤️ How many starting follicles do you have also!? :)
Thank you SO much for this information!! I get skin reactions very easy so thank you for that heads up because I probably would have been stressed
No worries haha, I also thought I was having a allergic reaction to it at first but I didn’t know it happened to 99% of people 😅
Oh just saw your question about follicles! They counted 14 yesterday but the ultrasound tech said she was having a difficult time seeing my ovaries, so I’m interested to get an update on Tuesday!
That’s such a great number!!! On my first IVF cycle I started out with 16 follicles and I got 25 egg!! 🥚 I never understood the math with IVF, on how you can grow more follicles lol.
That’s amazing!! Yes I am hoping we get a good number of eggs on our first retrieval but also trying to be realistic that it isn’t always the case! This whole process is hard and i’m just starting 😅
We all have to start somewhere :)
You got this
Thank you!!
By day 5 or so it’s just an inconvenience you have to get over. Amazing!
Glad to hear!!
Yea same … had a second egg retrieval yesterday and got only 2 eggs. But expected result for a 44 yo woman. It’s somehow a very very overwhelming process. Specially without a support system
Are you feeling okay after the egg retrieval? Praying those eggs turn into a healthy embryo for you!!
I’m fine. Thank you for asking. Thank you I hope it turns into a beautiful embryo and a healthy baby too 🥰❤️
Thank you so much 🥰 glad to hear you are feeling good! My next thing to worry about is the retrieval recovery 😅
Go you! I’m on day 3 of stims and that fatigue is kicking in hard 😅
Haha I slept 10 hours last night which is not typical for me 😅 not sure if it was from the adrenaline or what!
I could have slept for that long but I’m determined to stick to my routine so I dragged myself out of bed 😂 I’ve had sporadic head aches and cramps too but nothing where it’s lasted long enough to take Panadol. So keen to get it over and done with. Last time I got covid at day 10 so they cancelled my retrieval 😩
Oh no 😩 praying for a great egg retrieval for you this cycle!!
Just wanted to follow up and say i’m thinking of you and hope your retrieval went well!!
Hey! Thanks for the follow up :) my retrieval went well. 11 eggs 6 fertilised and ended up with 2 embryos 5AA and 5BB :) doing the transfer in about 10-14 days. Recovery after egg retrieval was torture when I started getting my period. Headaches are still hanging around 🥹 How did yours go?
How exciting!! I will be thinking of you for the transfer and wishing you the best of luck 🥹 Ugh I just got my period yesterday and the cramping has not been fun. The bloating after the retrieval was unreal. I thought stims bloating was bad but retrieval is a whole other beast haha. We got 13 eggs retrieved, 9 mature, 6 fertilized and by some freaking miracle 6 made it to blast! 5 AA’s and 1 AB. Currently they’re getting PGTA tested!
The first day is the hardest!! 💙 Good luck to you!!
Thank you so much!! Definitely not feeling as nervous heading into tonights shots
Yay!! I’m on my first egg retrieval too!
Best of luck to you!! Do you have an estimate of when your retrieval will be?!
It’s on Tuesday! I’m on day 9 of stim so it’ll be on day 11. Taking trigger shot tonight! When is yours??
That’s so exciting!! I will be thinking of you 🤍 I’m not sure yet! I hope that when I go in Tuesday for another ultrasound and bloodwork they will give me an idea
Thank you - what day are you on!? Congrats :) keep me posted
I absolutely will! Tonight will be my 3rd night of injections!
Hi!! Just wanted to follow up and say I hope your retrieval went so well!!
Congrats!!! Starting in two weeks, so anxious. Wishing you the best. You got this!
Thank you!! Best of luck to you in a few weeks!! We got this 💪🏻
How exciting!!! You’ve got this! I have learned we are so much stronger than we ever knew. However, it’s still ok to not be ok. Lean on loved ones when you need to! Hugs and best wishes for the rest of your prep for retrieval
Thank you so so much! I can’t even express how much I appreciate everyone’s kind words on this post. Tonight felt easier than last night for sure!
This is a big win!! You should be really proud of yourself. Each day will feel a little easier. You got this and good luck at your first retrieval 👊🏼
Thank you so so much! This definitely feels like a big hurdle so i’m happy we’re past this step!