# FET - natural or medicated?



## lindylou1 (Feb 3, 2011)

Hi ladies,

Just looking for some advice. 

We have just gone through our first cycle of IVF which unfortunately ended at the weekend with AF arriving a few days before OTD. We were lucky enough to have 6 top grade blasts frozen so will be looking to have a FET cycle in a couple of months.

We have no experience of FET and I was just wondering how the success rates compare between natural and medicated FET cycles.
We are due a follow-up appointment with our clinic in the next few days and wanted to know a bit more about FET cycles before we go.

Any advice would be most welcome.

Lynn xx


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## Loop (Jul 9, 2010)

Sorry to hear your first cycle didn't work xx I think medicated have higher success rate than natural but I had natural on rec of my clinic as I regularly ovulate and gave no linig issues so it was fairly easy for them to know/observe when to replace the embryos. Benefit of this was a lot fewer drugs for me
to take. X
ps I have bled before otd too and it was suggested on here to get my progesterone levels checked


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## lindylou1 (Feb 3, 2011)

Hi Loop,

Thanks for your reply. We have our follow up appointment on 12th March so will discuss it all with the consultant. Think it will be a medicated cycle from what the said at last appointment.

Just want to get started, hate all this waiting.

Lynn xx


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## BBhope (Jan 26, 2011)

Hi Lindylou1,

Sorry to hear about your first cycle. I seem to be in the same boat as you.

My first IVF cycle ended couple of weeks ago when AF arrived. Now I have 6 blasts like you do.

I have been told that I can start my next one on a natural cycle so I'm just waiting for my next AF and then I can call the clinic to arrange my next appointment. 

Whether you have a medicated cycle or natural cycle that obviously depends on your overall health and I'm sure the clinic will recommend the best outcome for you.

Anyway, I hope your next appointment goes well and I hope we can share our experiences as we may be starting our next cycle around the same time.


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## lindylou1 (Feb 3, 2011)

HI BBHope,

Thanks for your reply and sorry to hear things didn't work out for you first time round either. Sounds like our circumstances are very similar. Where are yu having your treatment. We are having ours in Scotland at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

From what I can gather it looks as though our clinic may only do medicated FET although we have our review appointment on 14th March so will find out more then.

We have been told that we need to wait until I have had three menstrual cycles before we can start a FET cycle. Sounds like you will be ahead of me so will be looking to you for advice! I have been told that because we are self funding we will be able to have two blasts transferred which I am pleased about as we were talked into just having one this time round as I had mild OHSS.

When is your AF due, have you got long to wait?

Lynn xx


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## pupz (Aug 12, 2006)

Hi there

Just to say that some clinics prefer doing medicated as they can control the timings of that which they can't do with natural eg d day might fall on a sunday. I would like to think that that means that they don't think it makes any difference but..... I see you are at edinburgh RI. Glasgow Royal certainly only does natural if you are really keen to, for that very reason ( not that they tell you that). From what I have heard of ERI I would be surprised if it were different. Are you an nhs patient or private at ERI? If private you might want to consider moving your embies to GCRM as they have an edinburgh branch now....

P


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## pupz (Aug 12, 2006)

PS all my fets have been medicated but I am anovulatory so natural has never really been an option.


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## Bowie1 (Mar 8, 2011)

Hi There

So sorry to hear your first attempt failed  

I am new to this site, i thought i would join after our first attempt at IVF failed just last Sunday - we are devastated to say the least and could really do with some support.  Me and DH have been TTC since 2008, I found out that i have one blocked fallopian tube but was told that i could still conceive naturally although it would be difficult so we got referred for IVF.  The whole treatment seemed to go really well so we were really hopeful of a BFP but unfortunately we had a BFN instead followed by AF.  I have 3 frozen embryos and have been told we can go for our FET on my next cycle, our clinic will only do a natural cycle.  I have to say i am pretty terrified because i have read the success rates on a natural FET are very low.  I must admit though i already feel a little better sharing this with people who are in the same situation.

Wishing you the best of luck with your FET.

Rachel xx


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## lindylou1 (Feb 3, 2011)

Hi Rachel,

So sorry to hear your first treatment didn't work out either. It's absolutely devastating isn't it? I am sure you will find lots of support here, it definately helps to speak to other people in the same situation as anyone who hasn't been through treatment doesn't really understand what a rollercoaster of a journey it all is. I am starting to feel a bit more positive about it all now and just want to get started again. I find all the waiting quite difficult. 

We were similar to you in that everything went very smoothly throughout the whole cycle until AF arrived which was a few days before OTD. I have no regrets as I did everything by the book the last time so at least I can be satisfied that whatever went wrong cannot be blamed on something I did or didn't do. It's just so frustrating not having a definate answer for why it didn't work. I guess it's just a lottery really and I keep reminding myself that the chances of it working first time round were pretty slim anyway. 

We have our review appointment on Monday so will hopefully get some answers then. We have to wait three menstrual cycles before we can have a FET cycle so we are probably looking at May at the earliest. I guess this will give my body and emotions time to heal. It would appear that our clinic only do medicated FET cycles but will find out more on Monday.

I am posting on a thread in the negative cycles area called snowdrops negative cyle support which has helped a lot as all the girls on there are going through the same thing and are really supportive of each other. Please feel free to come and join us, you are more than welcome. There are so many thoughts and emotions involved in all this and it really helps to speak to others in the same boat and to know you are not alone and that the emotions you are feeling are normal.

Good luck with your FET.

Lynn xx


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