Hey all,
My long saga of trying to have a successful pregnancy continues. After a miscarriage, three failed IUI’s, I’m heading towards IVF. First, I’d love to hear from anyone that has been through IVF. Also along with that, how did the hormones supplements effect you?
I just started on a birth control last night (seems counter to what I am attempting, but apparently is a step in the process), and I just feel weird today. Almost like I am low, but I’m not. It may not be the birth control, could just be one of those days?
Anyway, any advice/ notes from a veteran of IVF would be appreciated!
Hi, @ginny_e –
We used IVF successfully at the beginning of last year (baby turned eight months last week). As far as I noticed at the time, the pills and injections did not have any impact on my BG.
Not sure what else you might want to know about, but let me know if you have other questions.
Best of luck!
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Thanks, I’m pretty nervous about the egg retrieval. I’ve never been sedated at all. We have our first meeting about IVF this Tuesday, then don’t meet with the Dr until the 18th. In the meantime I was put in birth control, I guess to control the timing of my cycle.
We just went to the overview of IVF meeting. I have to say it made me more nervous about the egg retrieval. How did you deal with that?
Sure, it is a strange experience especially if you have never been sedated. (I have had one surgery under full anesthesia as a child, not that I remember much of it.) But it is completely routine and very brief - 30 minutes or so.
Is it just the psychological discomfort about something you are unfamiliar with, or are there other specific worries you have (for example, regarding your BG in the meantime)? I had my husband in the main exam room until they took me over to the “mini-OR” where the retrieval took place and that gave me comfort. If I remember correctly, I chose to take off my pump during the procedure (I can easily go up to an hour off without major impact to my BG, but I know this is not the same for everyone) and didn’t wear a sensor so that there were no alarms, etc. that someone else might have to deal with while I was under. It is truly painless and in my case I didn’t have any strong discomfort afterward either. Obviously I measured as I was going in to make sure I was at a good level and then had my husband measure me as soon as I came out (I was a little drowsy for a while). His memory is that I was a little low, something in the 70s so I didn’t even connect back until a little later still, but I don’t remember those details. I think we left about 30 minutes after the procedure finished when it seemed I was feeling fine. But I think they would have let me stay in the clinic as long as I needed to to recover.
(Our retrieval and transfer were performed in a town about 2.5 hours away from where we live and after the retrieval we went shopping at Whole Foods, which we don’t have where we live 
, and then drove back.)
I would recommend you try to figure out what specifically provokes your anxiety and then plan comfort measures that will help you deal with it.
Thanks, it is the going without food from 12- after the retrieval and being sedated that makes me very nervous. To the point where I am not sure if I really even want to do it.
Plus right now they have me on birth control which is reeking havoc on my blood sugars. I’ve had to increase my basal, carb to insulin, and correction factor, and it still is running high. I think that is also blowing my confidence that this will work. I had my A1C in a good spot before, and I know the past week and a half has been out of range of what I want (and my doctor).
Congrats (very belated) on the success!
I just got back from a much needed vacation. All this fertility stuff is so intense!
I’m probably not going to try another round of IVF. I had an appointment with my diabetes endo before I left on vacation and got the news that the retinopathy in one of my eyes had gotten worse over the course of the 2 IVF medication rounds. I have had mild retinopathy for about ten years, so any change gives me concern. On top of that, I feel like the fertility clinic I was going to really lacked the personal touch. It was very much an assembly line feel, so I do not think I would get the personalized and helpful guidance you received for success. I remember asking my RE prior to starting IVF, what happens if I get a low the night before the retrieval and have to eat. Her response was that we would cancel the retrieval. After all the hormone injections, the emotional rollercoastering, yeah just cancel it, easy-peasy. It really stuck with me, it seemed really callous. My diabetes was an after thought, and not really enveloped into the treatments.
That being said, we’ve been open to other family building options since before all of this. I’m thinking that just might be the route for us.
