Hey ladies,

I am having really significant bloating and my pants are uncomfortably tight. I had a thought today to go to Target and get some maternity pants since they have so much give, but apparently you cannot buy them in store anymore. Does anyone have suggestions for comfy clothes with all the bloating and discomfort? Either specific examples or suggestions on stores you can actually get something would be super helpful.

After years of unsuccessful IVF using my own eggs, my husband and I have decided to move forward with donor eggs. I honestly thought this part of the process would be a little easier, but finding the right egg bank and donor has been so much harder than I expected.

I would love to hear everyone’s experiences, both good and bad!

Which egg bank did you use?
How much did the entire process cost?
Were you successful?
Did you choose a guarantee program? Was it worth it?
Would you recommend your egg bank, or would you avoid them?

I’ve been researching different egg banks and reading so many mixed reviews. Some of the negative experiences have honestly scared me, especially when it comes to the costs and guarantees.

We’re already over $200,000 into our IVF journey, and as much as we want to become parents, I’m terrified of spending another $100,000 going down this road with no success.

I just want to make an informed decision before jumping into another emotionally and financially exhausting process.

Please share your stories, recommendations, experiences, and anything you wish you had known before starting donor eggs. I would appreciate any advice!

I have one unopened box of menopur and an open box with 2 vials of powder (and 5 diliutents to donate). I also have an unopened box of leuprolide acetate to donate as well. All expire 2/2027. Would need someone to pickup in Maryland and can dm about specific locations.

Hi all, first time poster here. Hoping to get some advice on my next IVF round. Feeling anxious and I don't know anyone who can think this through with me.

TLDR: should I do a Lupron depot or try another round without it?

Background

I am 38F, almost 39. I have one healthy child from when I was 31 (getting pregnant was easy then, but pregnancy was traumatic due to HG). My husband and I have been trying for a second for the last 2 years. We sought medical help a year ago: AMH was 3.16. Did first round of IVF in March this year: about 10-12 eggs retrieved, 8 fertilised, 5 made it to 5-day blasts (we did half IVF half ICSI due to lower survival but high motility sperm). PGT-A-testing is illegal here, so no idea about their state. We did a fresh transfer which lead to a faint positive and consequently early miscarriage. One didn't make the thawing proces. One FET lead to another chemical and two others didn't take at all.
I also did a parallel evaluation with an endometriosis specialist, and it turns out I have moderate adenomyosis (and a tiny bit of endo). It was visible on the ultrasound, not on the MRI. I already expected this due to severe pain during menstruation.

All 4 ET's were extremely painful. I have asked for pain management but none can be given, only valium.
The hardest parts for me have been 1. the pain (especially the transfer, but the retrieval was also no joke with just fentanyl) 2. the endless waiting. I need to feel like I am doing something to move towards our goal.

Next round: Lupron?

The clinic suggested next round (after retrieval, currently doing stims) I do a 3 month Lupron depot (probably in 3 4-week injections). But they didn't seem 100% sure about their own advice. They tend to do FET in natural cycles, so this means I would do 3 months of Lupron, then 1 month to ' build back' and another 20 days or so until my natural ovulation signals we can do a FET. So almost 5 months after retrieval until I can do FET. I would be 40 by the time a baby would be born, if at all. (Also, we are switching to full IVF instead of ICSI because the IVF embryos were more successful)

Clinic also told me the choice is up to me whether or not to do the Lupron. Their advice to do so seems to be based 50% on " you have adenomyosis so this might help your chances" and 50% on "we hate seeing you in so much pain during the transfer, this might help but it might not". Since I highly doubt the Lupron will do something for the transfer pain (and this pain is 20 min each month, not months-long emotional/physical agony) , I am not sure whether I find the Lupron protocol a bit too much, given that my adenomyosis is moderate and not severe. We don't know whether the 4 failed transfers/miscarriages were due to chromosomal issues (I am 38 and no PGT-A so it's likely) or due to adenomyosis.

I am scared that Lupron will put me through 3 months of sleep deprivation, more emotional rollercoasters than I can handle (also hard for husband and daughter to deal with), possibly more painful joints (I already have those), and that it might interfere with a possible 3rd egg retrieval (less eggs). Also, mentally, I am absolutely dreading 4/5 months of wait time before transfer. In the last few months we have been trying naturally each cycle as well, that would no longer be possible. I feel like my life has been at a stand still for the last 1 to 1.5 years, I don't want to add another 4/5 months to that.

Alternatives, not sure if possible

I have written my doctor to ask whether she would also advice Lupron if it were just about the adenomyosis (not about the painful transfers), and also whether Dienogest might be an alternative. Also, I've asked whether we can skip the natural cycle so that we can shorten the process by about a month, in case she really thinks Lupron is the way to go. I will hear back right before my retrieval, but I will need to let them know my decision very soon. I fear she will say: it's either Lupron or it's nothing (no alternative scenarios), since everything is done in quite a basic way in my country (upside is that insurance covers 3 rounds of IVF).

What are your thoughts?

I’m 35F with 29M. We had our first egg retrieval 10/20. Here are our stats:

AFC: 18
Retrieved: 4 eggs
Mature: 3
Fertilized via ICSI: 3

We have one 21 month old daughter via IUI. We are expecting our day 5 results tomorrow and we’re nervous we will end up with nothing. We’re planning to do PGT-A due to my age.

We would like 1-2 more kids so we’re anticipating doing another egg retrieval. This cycle was OOP, but will be enrolling in my husband’s insurance as it includes 4 IVF cycles.

Lots of emotions today overthinking what tomorrow brings. How did those with few eggs retrieved cope?

If someone is kind enough to take the time to read my history I’m about to share and please let me know any recommendations or what worked for you I would be so appreciative. Going to try to condense this as much as possible.

21 years old - got pregnant very quickly & accidentally with a boyfriend
23 years old - met my husband at 23 years old. Never used protection had sex basically everyday since we met.

3 years into our relationship (27 years old) got pregnant naturally - went at 6 weeks saw heartbeat baby was measuring small.. went in a week later to check growth no heartbeat.

Got married did IVF right away started in 2024.
Husband has poor morphology but normal counts and motility

2 FAILED IUI
First egg retrieval 6 blasts all PGT normal
FET 1: fully medicated, chemical (best graded embryo did not survive thaw, transferred second best)
FET 2: modified natural, FAIL
Did receptiva biopsy: came back positive 3.8
Did Lupron+letrozole 2 months
FET 3: fully medicated, fail
FET 4: fully medicated, added prednisone baby aspirin, CHEMICAL (first beta 240, went down 2 days later)

Went for exploratory laparoscopy , tubes open, hysteroscopy perfect , stage 1 endo found and removed in 2 spots

FET 5: modified nat, FAIL

September 2026: switched doctors, did new retrieval 4 blasts. Chose not to test (worried maybe testing damaged them

FET 6: modified natural: chemical

I have done virtually all testing that’s available and all my labs are perfect. Did endometritis biopsy twice , negative. Did RPL panel , no clotting disorders. Thyroid is good , have an amh of 4.5, perfectly healthy, I don’t have any pre existing conditions , I am fit I have worked out my whole life my diet is clean .. I have tested negative for every single blood test and biopsy (besides receptiva)
I do not have ADENO.

Can someone please let me know where to turn. I know some will say immune but I tried prednisone 5 days before transfer with 2 cycles and had a chemical and complete fail. I get very bad heart palpitations for a month after using prednisone.

Thank you in advance to anyone who has any input 🤍🙏🏼

I received this report from my embryology care team this morning. I'm just looking for straight forward information on if there is any hope for the two cleavage stage embryos if today is day 5 to still develop into blastocysts? They said I also have a morula which I know has a better chance but I didn't even know about the cleavage stage ones being a thing and wanted to know if anyone had these as late as day 5 and they still worked out into blasts eventually or if any scientific person knows the likelihood of this happening. Thank you in advance...

From the lab:

Today is Day 5 of embryo culture. When we checked the embryos, they did not develop to an appropriate stage and grade to be biopsied and frozen today. We are going to continue to culture the embryos with hopes that some will be ready tomorrow. 

You currently have the following in culture: 1 morula and 2 cleavage stage embryos

The stages of embryo development are below:

Cleavage --> Morula --> Early Blastocyst -> Blastocyst (stage required for embryo biopsy and freezing)

Hi all,

I just injected the first shot of decapeptyl. The needle looked way too big but thankfully it didn’t hurt at all. Just a bit of itchy sensation. My SO and I were really nervous doing it wrong.

Yesterday I cut 35 cm of my hair, it might sound off topic but it felt like I needed to do something radical physically because I can’t get myself to change my way of thinking mentally. I really need to forget the past miscarriages and start hoping that this might work but it’s really hard.

I've just had my third fresh transfer fail and desperately need some success stories after recurrent implantation failure.

Please tell me your story and what worked for you. I need the hope.

33 F

AMH 3.15

Pre check AFC from 3 months ago was 17.

Second day of cycle baseline AFC before stims was 10 (unclear if these are of all follicles or those above a certain size).. feeling slightly anxious about this number

Baseline Estrodial 48

Did 4 days of 150 Menopur 300 Gonal F

Day 5 check up - AFC 13

Estrodial 770

That's where I'm at now, and tomorrow morning (day 6 I will be starting centrocide)

Given my pre check AFC from a few months ago was higher I went into a spiral... how do these numbers track?

Hi,
How long does it take to take for part time progeny fertility benefits from Lidl?
Do full timers get that benefit on the 1st of the next month?

Would anyone have the benefits booklet you could please share or any tips?

I know some of the answers are on their website but I would be grateful if former /current employees can share insight. Thank you so much

My husband and I had our egg retrieval two weeks ago! We have gotten great results after a long journey of struggling with PCOS and infertility. I have been drinking more than usual because honestly I’ve been so happy and we have been celebrating. My transfer is more than three weeks away? I am planning on stopping once I start meds but is what I’m doing okay??

I'm starting stims on Monday and just heard back on my blood results from the NHS today. I plan to inform my clinic on Monday.

The NHS have said ill need to repeat the test in 12 weeks time to confirm this.

Has anyone had experience of this?

I've had two misscarriges this year, both around 8-9 weeks.

I'm about to do a second cycle with ER scheduled for 6th November.

Was hoping, after PTG-A testing to have a transfer in December.

Am worried they will make us wait a further 12 weeks for the second test result before we can transfer.

Has anyone else had this?

Ot looks like baby asprin is used to treat this.

Refrigerated always, expires 11/1/26

Would love to help someone out, willing to ship

I’m 30 now, but both of my egg retrievals happened when I was 29. I’ve been told I have pretty significant egg quality issues, and I’m looking for some hope or experiences from people in similar situations.
My first retrieval resulted in zero blastocysts, and my second resulted in just one blastocyst, which somehow came back euploid!

Across both retrievals, I’ve had 35 eggs retrieved and only ONE blastocyst. So my issue isn’t producing eggs. I get plenty of them, but they just don’t seem to develop into blasts.We’re using donor sperm from a donor who has successfully produced pregnancies before, so we don’t believe sperm is the issue here.
We’re preparing to transfer our one euploid embryo, and I’m terrified. I know that having a euploid embryo is a huge positive, but it’s hard to feel optimistic when my egg quality has been this poor at this age.

My questions are:
-Has anyone with similarly terrible blastocyst development had success with their first transfer?
-Does having egg quality issues this severe at 29 suggest there could also be an underlying uterine issue, or are those generally completely separate problems?
-if successful what was your protocol? Or unsuccessful? Did you do any testing before?

I know nobody can predict whether my transfer will work. I’m just trying to figure out whether there’s reason to be hopeful despite everything we’ve been through. ❤️

Just submitted the prepayment for our
First IVF cycle, but waiting for insurance pre-authorization. We’re planning for a December egg retrieval (again assuming we get insurance approval). As I’m learning about each step and what comes next, I’m feeling increasingly overwhelmed. I consider myself rather type A, but for some reason I’m like “wohhhh”. It seems there is a lot of “can’t do this before you do that” and “don’t forget you have to do this”. For those who went through it the first time, how did you help yourself manage the process and minimize feelings of being overwhelmed? Also being a full time working parent who wishes to keep things private, any tips on managing that?

Context: Just finished my 3rd round of IVF… 39F in great health but with DOR, have had one previous loss at 7 weeks (on April Fools Day, fml) after a spontaneous pregnancy.

We might have gotten pregnant again had we kept at it, but with my age, the DOR, how long it took us to get pregnant the first time, the emotional/physical recovery time lost during the miscarriage/D&C and the fact that we would very much love two children (my husband and I are each one of three) made us decide that embryo banking was the way to go.

First two rounds were a bust. 1 and 2 eggs retrieved, nothing made it past day three.

This time we got 2 SOLID embryos and are waiting on the genetic testing results… it’s the first time I’ve let myself have a shred of hope, I guess.

I also just gave notice at my job because this is likely going to be every cycle for at least the next 6 months, and while we are so lucky that I don’t have to work and can focus on taking care of myself while we try to maximize our cycles, I enjoyed my job, my friends there, it was a big part of my identity and a welcome distraction + routine.

I tell my doctors every time they have to give us bad news “This isn’t a sprint, it’s climbing Everest — it’s hard but I know it can be done.”

And I still believe that. Today I’m just exhausted and feeling adrift (and probably hormone crashing, lol).

Would love to hear some success stories or I dunno, maybe we all just hype each other up in the comments?

Hugs to you all fighting the good fight <3

Hello all, my partner and me had the above test undertaken as part of a suite of tests following two failed euploid transfers.

The results were that my (f) partner had an HLA-C genotype: of C1C1 and a KIR genotype: A/A.

Consistent with the presence of the following KIR receptors: 2DL1, 2DL3, 2DL4, 3DL1, 3DL2, 3DL3, 2DS4, 2DP1, 3DP1.

My results show I also have C1C1.

We were recommended to consult a specialist in immunology on the basis of this result but from what we can see this would only be necessary if one of us had a C2 allotype which we do not.

We're not experts but many of you are so can you get your heads around why this result would make this referral necessary or do you think the fertility doctor was just spooked by the KIR genotype and didn't look or understand that it needs to be in conjunction with a C2 allotype?

Your help is much appreciated.

I recently had a miscarriage at 7 weeks after transferring a top-grade euploid embryo. I’m looking for opinions from others who have dealt with adenomyosis and SCH.

My REI suspects adenomyosis based on ultrasounds, although I have no symptoms and my pelvic MRI did not indicate it. Before my fully medicated FET, I did 2 months of Lupron Depot suppression. My protocol included estradiol, PIO, doxycycline, Medrol, and baby aspirin. My lining was 9.5 mm on transfer day, and my progesterone was >60.

The embryo implanted, but I developed a massive subchorionic hematoma (SCH) the size of the gestational sac, which caused significant bleeding at 5w4d. I ultimately miscarried at 7 weeks.
My REI has recommended the same protocol for my next transfer, but without baby aspirin and with early pelvic rest.

I’d really appreciate your thoughts on a few questions:

-Could skipping baby aspirin reduce the risk of another SCH?

-Has anyone had a successful fully medicated FET without baby aspirin, with no recurrence of SCH, after experiencing a large SCH in a previous pregnancy?

-Would you stick with the fully medicated protocol given the SCH concern, or consider a modified natural FET even though it can flare the adenomyosis?

-Would you seek a second opinion before transferring another embryo?

I have only 2 euploids remaining, no living children, and will be turning 37 soon. I’m grieving and struggling with the fear of going through this again.

Thank you for sharing your experiences.

Please DM me if you can use these! Drop off/pick up in University City or on the Mainline is preferred.

Ganirelix - 3 unopened prefilled syringes, 250mcg (exp. June 2028) Menopur - 3 unopened boxes, 75iu (with sodium chloride and Q-caps) (exp. May 2027) Gonal F - 450 units with needles (exp. May 2027 - has been refrigerated)

Edit: Claimed!

Hello! I’ve done 8 ERs in 11 months (40 yo SMBC) - I’ve been drowning in ERs and worries that I’d never get to the FET stage, so I haven’t prepared for this next step. My clinic does not make me feel well cared for, and I had to find out a LOT on my own over the last yr (including via lovely people like you), so I’m afraid I won’t know what Qs to ask or what problems to look out for, bc my clinic only spends 30 seconds w/ me. For example, I‘m doing a semi natural protocol with Letrozole and low dose Follistim, but I saw one comment recently suggesting Letrozole can thin your lining??? (I’ve always had 9-10mm during ERs, but wasn’t on Letrozole then) What are the gotchas from your first FET that you wish you had known? Any and all advice is so appreciated!

Can anyone tell me if they took Philips milk of magnesia during stims? Or if it’s okay?
I sent a portal messages yesterday and no one replied and they are closed now. I am super constipated, so much so that my bowels blocked my right ovary yesterday at my day 4 monitoring appointment. I’ve been doing 2-3 caps of MiraLAX and day and it’s doing nothing. I know MoM is safe during pregnancy so I’d assume it’s fine in stims? It always works for me quick and I need help 😩🤣

So I struggled with severe endometriosis from the time I was 15 until about 26. I had to have both fallopian tubes removed. After my second fallopian tube removal, I was asymptomatic, which has been about eight years ago. I started my first round IVF this month and the Clinic I used to put me on a high progesterone (10mg norethindrone) birth control for 34 days. It threw my body into over suppression and then we stimulated for about 13 days with a dual trigger and it yelled eight eggs, five of which disintegrated immediately one was immature and two were mature, but lacked bounces and failed fertilize with ICSI with no male factor. I switched clinics and just finished my second round of IVF (to the retrieval anyways). I am now at a world class, Clinic and a phenomenal Doctor who I wholeheartedly trust, unlike the first time. We completely changed the protocol and my numbers grew exactly like you would expect. (unlike the first time where it rose incredibly slowly) so this time we did estrogen priming, got nine eggs but only three mature and failed to fertilize with ICSI, Zymot and calcium bath. We also did a shorter stimulation. But since my numbers and follicle size grew textbook perfect along with the addition of HGH throughout stimulation, but it seemed too much more promising. I’m waiting to hear back from the embryologist, but I’m pretty heartbroken. We are able to do another retrieval soon but we’ll see what changes they suggest. My first time around I was 33 with AMH of 1.26 and for the second retrieval I am now 34 with an AMH of 1.68. Does anyone else have any experience with this type of situation or any advice at all would be welcomed

Hello, I have some unused meds up for grabs! I’m in San Jose area.

9 vials of Menopur 75 IU + syringes
expire March 31, 2027

5 Gonal F 300 IU pens
-1 150 IU extracted in syringe
-1 225 IU extracted in syringe
expires April 2027

Gonal F has been kept refrigerated. Thank you!

Edit: meds have been claimed!

Got a call from the lab saying out of the 6 eggs retrieved, only 1 was mature. There were 4 GVs and 1 had degenerated. Thankfully, the mature one did fertilise normally. This was ER 4 and in terms of retrieval rate, this was already the worst (had previously got 8-12 eggs) so this update was a punch in the gut.

Follicle sizes in the morning of trigger were: 24, 22, 21, 20, 18, 17, 17, 17, 16, 14, 12, 11, 11, 11 and a couple smaller than 10. This clinic doesn’t take E2 but lining was 13.2 and had been thickening in each scan so I would assume E2 was adequate. I am anovulatory so baseline hormones tend to be on the low and stim length ranges from 13-18 days. This time I stimmed for 15 days.

In previous ERs, my maturity rate was 75-90%. I have used 10k HCG, 10k HCG and Lupron, and 15k HCG across those cycles. To boost my numbers, this time we added Omnitrope and used 15k HCG and Lupron (36 hours). Instead, we got fewer eggs and only 1 was mature.

Does anyone have experience with sudden drop in egg numbers and maturity? I’m wondering if Omnitrope caused that because that was the only new element, although from what I have read, its effect was either positive or none, not negative.

At a loss here. I thought having done 3 ERs, surely the fourth one would show improvement. Any similar experience/ advice, please share.