Help with timing

[megstoo]

I know everyone responds differently to IVF meds but I need some help with timing.  I need to call the clinic on CD1 to go in for CD3 baselines however in order to get to CD1 I have to force a period.  I have PCOS and I'm currently on CD75 which is common.

We want to plan for ER around the end of January - ideally the week of Jan 21.  This is when DH has off of work for the entire week.  We also need to drive 7 hours to the new RE since we're not using the RE's locally.  (the local ones are 11k, the one we're using is 4k).  I have ALL of my meds for both stim's and for FET and they gave me the script so I have the pills to force a period.  I am going to monitor locally and have that already set up.  

We're going to be visiting family starting on Monday and not returning until Sun Jan 13.  The pills to force a period need to be taken for 7 days and then a period usually starts 2-4 days after.  If I start those pills Sunday Jan 6th how realistic is that week of the 21st for ER?

The RE knows I have pcos and they're able to start me on meds without a period however as bad/weird as this sounds I want to force one to kinda do everything in proper order.  

I know I shouldn't try to plan things and just let things happen as they do but because of work schedules and the RE not being in my same state it's more difficult.  

[pooh8402]

Are you doing any priming with birth control, estrogen, lupron? I really think this needs to be a question for your IVF coordinator since everyone's cycles are so different.

When did they tell you start stims?

For instance, I also have PCOS, but of 3 retrieval cycles, I primed with BCP for at least 2-3 weeks, and did a week of lupron during the last week of BCPs, then get a super light period about 3 days after finishing BCPs. I would start stims about a week after finishing BCPs. Then stimulation phase was about 1.5-2 weeks. So per my body and my previous retrieval cycles, for a Jan 21 retrieval, I would need to start a period... today. And would have lupron like today.

ETA:
Fwiw, here is my timeline from my last retrieval.

May 13, started BCPs.
Jun 1, I started period and lupron.
Jun 3, stopped BCPs (looks like I started my period early that time).
Jun 9, started stims.
Jun 18, stopped stims and coasted.
Jun 21, egg retrieval.

[knx9211]

Yes, this math isn't adding up for me. So you're aiming for a period between January 15-17? Am I understanding right? So you'd be on the pills January 6-13, and then start a period sometime between 15-17? An ER would not likely happen the week of the 21st, at least in my experience. I was on stims for nearly 2 weeks before. CD3 if you didn't start a period wouldn't be until potentially the 20th, making a retrieval the week of the 21st impossible. Am I misunderstanding the math?

[megstoo]

Jan 3, 2019 11:29:16 GMT -5 pooh8402 said:

Are you doing any priming with birth control, estrogen, lupron? I really think this needs to be a question for your IVF coordinator since everyone's cycles are so different.

When did they tell you start stims?

For instance, I also have PCOS, but of 3 retrieval cycles, I primed with BCP for at least 2-3 weeks, and did a week of lupron during the last week of BCPs, then get a super light period about 3 days after finishing BCPs. I would start stims about a week after finishing BCPs. Then stimulation phase was about 2 weeks. So per my body and my previous retrieval cycles, for a Jan 21 retrieval, I would need to start a period... tomorrow. And would have started Lupron a few days ago.

They don't have me priming with anything.  Only thing I'm on is my metformin for pcos, prenatal as well as LDN which they like to use prior to starting.  

When I talked with coordinator they said usually I would start stims on cd3 or 4 depending on what the monitoring shows.  This is our very first IVF which has me freaking out to begin with.  

[knx9211]

Ok with that info, let's look: You'd go on your pills to start your period. 9 days later you'd hopefully have CD1. +2 more days to get to CD3. So now we're at 11 days. You'd stim at least a week, probably. Trigger and then come in 2 days later. So that puts us at at least 20 days. It sounds like to me you would have had to have started the "period pills" earlier this week to have any shot to have a January 21st week retrieval. I'm sorry   Maybe if you started them today you might have a shot?

[megstoo]

Jan 3, 2019 11:32:34 GMT -5 knx9211 said:

Yes, this math isn't adding up for me. So you're aiming for a period between January 15-17? Am I understanding right? So you'd be on the pills January 6-13, and then start a period sometime between 15-17? An ER would not likely happen the week of the 21st, at least in my experience. I was on stims for nearly 2 weeks before. CD3 if you didn't start a period wouldn't be until potentially the 20th, making a retrieval the week of the 21st impossible. Am I misunderstanding the math?

my math is completely wrong.  I'm aiming for a period jan 15-17th.  I was told I'd start STIMS's on CD3 or 4.  They said stims would be for possibly 7-10 days depending on how I respond and then ER 3 days later.  

I redid my own math and this puts me the beginning of Feb.  I'll just go back to elementary school now.  haha.  

[knx9211]

Jan 3, 2019 11:49:42 GMT -5 megstoo said:

Jan 3, 2019 11:32:34 GMT -5 knx9211 said:

Yes, this math isn't adding up for me. So you're aiming for a period between January 15-17? Am I understanding right? So you'd be on the pills January 6-13, and then start a period sometime between 15-17? An ER would not likely happen the week of the 21st, at least in my experience. I was on stims for nearly 2 weeks before. CD3 if you didn't start a period wouldn't be until potentially the 20th, making a retrieval the week of the 21st impossible. Am I misunderstanding the math?

my math is completely wrong.  I'm aiming for a period jan 15-17th.  I was told I'd start STIMS's on CD3 or 4.  They said stims would be for possibly 7-10 days depending on how I respond and then ER 3 days later.  

I redid my own math and this puts me the beginning of Feb.  I'll just go back to elementary school now.  haha.  

Math is hard. Math is even harder when there's emotions, stress, and medical planning involved! I'm sorry that this is going to match up with your plan

[pooh8402]

I'm sorry the timing isnt going to work out as well as you'd like. It almost never does.

And yea, math is hard.

[icedcoffee]

Yeah that doesn't sound like it will work. From my calculations from CD 1 to retrieval you'd need 16 days so CD 1 would need to be 1/6 to have a retrieval of 1/21.

This assumes you only need to stim 10 days and you can actually start stims on CD4. I've always had to be on BCP for a while beforehand.

I'm sorry the timing won't work.

[EllieT]

I guess you’ve already got your answer (sorry the timing is off) but I’ll add my timeline since I too have PCOS and my treatment plan was similar to yours (no BCP, no Lupron, no other priming)

I did Provera for 10 days. Not my first time and I always get my period the day after but this time it took me 5 days before it started. Maybe stress causing the delay?? This added a few extra unexpected days.

Started stims CD 2 (this was my second attempt, the first I started on CD 3 but it was cancelled due to leading follicle so they decided to start me a day earlier)
Stimmed for 11 days. (CD 2-12)
ER 3 days later so CD 15.
So from start of Provera to ER was like 30 days.
I ended up overstimming and had to do Lupron trigger and a freeze all. Then a FET 2.5 months later.

This all to say that it’s really really hard to plan these things and even when you think you know what will happen things might not go as usual.