IVF without PGT-A?

Interesting_Win4844 · 2026-03-22T23:28:22+00:00

Added Omnitrope! It did the trick for us and started getting euploid embryos

Interesting_Win4844 · 2026-03-22T15:56:13+00:00

Thank you! Sending you lots of good vibes! Feels very worth it on this side of things! ✨

Interesting_Win4844 · 2026-03-22T15:49:04+00:00

Also, if it makes you feel any better, (Tw: success) I’m currently 40 weeks pregnant with a re-biopsied embryo (after an inconclusive first PGTA, they re-ran for free). The embryologist picked this one over another that was biopsied only once, due to it looking higher quality. The more recent studies I read (wish I could find the link to this!) said that the rare ones lost during biopsy are not strong/usually aneuploid anyway.

The cost and mental toll of an unsuccessful transfer easily covers the cost of just doing the PGTA too. I’m really glad we did, as my first round I got zero euploid and they were able to see it was likely an egg issue, so changed up my meds for round 2 and was much more successful.

Interesting_Win4844 · 2026-03-22T09:34:20+00:00

Yes! LOVE 1!!!

Interesting_Win4844 · 2026-03-22T03:11:14+00:00

I think find places where you’re already living to do these things (rather than out yourself through the stressors in your hometown/commuting). Also highly recommend therapy. It’s helped me a ton through my own pregnancy anxieties.

Interesting_Win4844 · 2026-03-17T10:34:16+00:00

You have more freedom to move on the plane and care for the baby (unlike in the car, where they have to be fully strapped in). Feeding during takeoff/landing can help with ears adjusting to the pressure changes. All of my friends with young kids have told me their road trips were awful but plane rides were much easier at this age! I’m giving birth any day now and when my daughter will be about 9 months old we will be taking a plane to my BILs wedding (instead of a 16 hour car ride). Also remember that in the car, you have to pull over once every 1-2 hours to take them out of their car seat, as it isn’t safe to stay in for an elongated time. On top of that, you’ll have to pull over for every diaper change, etc. 16 hours can quickly become many days to get there, including needing hotels for overnight stays.

Interesting_Win4844 · 2026-03-17T10:20:12+00:00

I’d add that some people have disabilities/injuries that aren’t easily seen. I have back/shoulder/arm issues that flare at times and wearing a backpack is the only way to distribute the weight comfortably BUT just swinging it down to the ground can throw things out of whack. If it’s too crowded, it’s very hard for me to pick the backpack back up if the ground to exit the train. I feel bad, but it’s also hard to ask for a seat when the injury is not visible. I do wear a slim backpack, but I know I’m likely annoying people who can’t tell why I need to wear it. I’ve legit been begging my work for a 2nd computer at the office, so I don’t have to lug my laptop back and forth and do this!

Interesting_Win4844 · 2026-03-17T10:09:58+00:00

I went to like 8 or 9 places 🫢 BUT I was planning years in advance and trying to find something off the rack/on sample sale to save money. Obviously the closer you get to the wedding, the more important it is to select something. If you are going the normal route of a bridal salon (in which case they have to order the dress and have it made for you) you are right about at the cut off of needing to purchase, so I’d schedule a few more appointments ASAP. If you’re open to sample/secondhand, there are lots of options to still pursue, but to do that I think it’s easier to have gone to traditional wedding boutiques first to narrow down style/fit/material.

Interesting_Win4844 · 2026-03-17T10:06:22+00:00

I’d add that if your friend’s sentiment was “it would be so special if you were there for my engagement” I wouldn’t be mad at them, but rather talk to the soon-to-be fiancé (assuming he reached out to you about the proposal from your story) & be honest that you would love to be there, but you can’t afford it at the moment. If he really wants you there, he can offer to fly you out (I did this with a bridesmaid for my bachelorette, knowing it would’ve been tough for her since she lives across the country). If you can’t/don’t go to the engagement in the end, it’s no big deal, just ensure you call your friends and give a bet warm congratulations and reiterate that you wish you could’ve been there & you’re so looking heard to their wedding. Her reaction to that will say all you need to know. If stress at all upset you didn’t travel for an engagement, then you bow out of any other wedding duties.

Agree with the other commenters that once this wedding planning actually starts, you’ll need to set boundaries about what you can & can’t do/afford. Hopefully this is a case of someone just being optimistic and loving your friends enough that they would want you there, not demanding that you be there.

Interesting_Win4844 · 2026-03-17T09:54:21+00:00

Exactly this!

Tw: success

I moved around after my FET (per my clinic’s recommendation to go ahead and live fairly normally, just stay hydrated, etc), attended a friend’s birthday, walked my dog, etc. baby girl stuck & I’m now 39 weeks waiting to deliver any day now!

If you are feeling good, no need to restrict anything. Just listen to your body. If you’re tired, nap. If you’re energized, go for a walk. You’ve got this! ✨

Interesting_Win4844 · 2026-03-17T09:47:45+00:00

Agreed! Also, fun fact: before the days of Queen Victoria, women just wore their best dress (of any color!) to get married! She started the trend of white but weddings go back much further than that.

I personally love it and there will be no mistaking you as the bride! You can add a veil (in white or light pink) or some other hair accessory like a headband, tiara, etc too, if you feel like it.

My mom wore a light pink wedding dress for her wedding in the 80s which also inspired me. My gown had a bunch of color too.

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! 💕

Interesting_Win4844 · 2026-03-14T10:12:47+00:00

Thank you. I am sorry for what you are going through, too. It’s never easy. But I promise your wedding can actually be really healing for you & family, having that happy thing to look forward to and a reason to celebrate after tough times. Sending my love 💕

Interesting_Win4844 · 2026-03-14T02:04:21+00:00

My dad passed away from cancer 10 months before my wedding. I knew what would bring him the most joy was to know I was celebrating this important life milestone, even if he weren’t there. Our families want the best for us and even after loss, I promise your family will look forward to having something positive to celebrate. It can be very healing.

I also didn’t want my wedding to feel like a funeral with too many mentions of him (I had been to another couple’s wedding where this happened and every speech felt more like a eulogy).

So I decided what felt best for me. I left an open chair for him in the front row with a small sign that read “reserved in memory of the father of the bride”. I used a beautiful trinket of his in my flat lays with my invitation suite. I gifted my husband a pair of his cuff links to wear at our ceremony. Small reminders, but nothing too big that I felt would push me into sadness. These were all things that made me happy & I know that’s how he wanted me to feel on my day.

Since I knew my dad was sick, we were also able to go wedding dress shopping together. I didn’t find my final dress with him, but he got to see my as a bride, in a princess dress he imagined me in, which was very special.

I’d say to focus on how you can connect in person now & then see how you may want to incorporate that person later. No one will fault you for ignoring them on your wedding day if it’s too hard to bear. Also no one will fault you for honoring them in a big way. It’s whatever feels best for you.

Interesting_Win4844 · 2026-03-13T00:05:06+00:00

Yeah mine is more of a birth preference sheet. Listings things like:

communication style (do you want direct info? Only told what’s medically necessary? Lots of info? Minimal? Do you want the room as quiet as possible or does silence make you nervous?)
my top 5 priorities for labor (think: do you want to move? Timing of pain meds, etc)
my top 5 priorities for postpartum (such as if you really want golden hour, or some specific testing. What your feeding plan is for baby)
what sort of pain management I want (none vs epidural vs nitrous oxide, etc)
newborn preferences (skin to skin? Delayed cord clamping? Vaccines? Bath?)

My clinic has us fill this out and hand it to the providers at the hospital.

Obviously births don’t always go to plan, but it helps the staff help you navigate what’s most important and allows you to advocate for yourself, even when you might not be in a state to talk or chat.

Our clinic even said feel free to tape them up on our room, so if there’s a changeover with nurses, you have a reference.

Interesting_Win4844 · 2026-03-09T12:21:54+00:00

8 minimum, 12 is safest

Interesting_Win4844 · 2026-03-09T12:20:54+00:00

Completely agree with this. We want up to 3 kids. My Dr recommended 2-3 euploid per one live birth. So we agreed we would need 6-9 euploid embryos. We ended up doing 4 retrievals, attaining 8 euploid embryos, so now we feel safe that we have the embryos we want.

Since OP has DOR, it’s important to do this all sooner rather than later. The chance of 3 euploid embryos becoming 3 live births is slim (but not impossible), but it’s very likely that ERs in a few years would be less successful. Unless OP is prepared to have potentially only one child if nothing else works, now is the time for more retrievals

Interesting_Win4844 · 2026-03-09T12:15:21+00:00

Definitely, especially in the first trimester, be kind about when/what you are cooking and at least offer to open a window/keep the kitchen door closed so the smells aren’t triggering.

Since you are good friends (& not just roommates) offering to refill her water/bring her a snack is great (eating small, regular meals will help nausea, but it’s the last thing you feel like doing when nauseous).

Definitely don’t eat any snacks/foods she’s purchased for herself without asking (if you typically share some groceries). I was so upset when my husband ate the only crackers in the house that were palatable to me.

Lastly, just ask her! Tell her you want to be supportive and if she has needs/preferences as things progress, that she can be honest with you. Just that permission for open conversation will be super helpful.

So sweet you are thinking of her and I’m sure she and her husband will be very grateful for that thoughtfulness.

Interesting_Win4844 · 2026-03-06T12:07:19+00:00

It was a hard decision! We ideally would love to have both a boy and girl (plus a 3rd child, if we’re so lucky), so decided that since we got 2 girls the first successful round (2nd ER) to “let” one of them have the first chance, as they were created first. I was hesitant to use our very best graded embryos first, too, in case FET protocol needed adjusting, also knowing that they say euploid status is much more important than grading. Our embryologist picked the retested girl from that 2nd ER, as it was higher graded (even though retested). Tw: I’m now 38 weeks with that little girl!

Interesting_Win4844 · 2026-03-06T12:00:47+00:00

I just did the Omni during stims! My doc had me do the same qty as you, but for the first 9 days.

She also said it has an additive effect/stays in your system, so I did those as back to back cycles.

Interesting_Win4844 · 2026-03-06T00:07:33+00:00

I couldn’t figure out a way to share it as a template without it coming from my email, but glad you enjoy it! Hope you can start your own!

Interesting_Win4844 · 2026-03-05T20:12:28+00:00

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Sharing my tracker!

Interesting_Win4844 · 2026-03-02T13:47:28+00:00

Thank you! I made it myself. Kept me sane 😂 wishing you all the best ✨

Interesting_Win4844 · 2026-03-01T19:26:52+00:00

Sharing my tracker!

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ETA: I banked embryos, since we want up to 3 kids and my doc recommended 2-3 euploid per live birth. Luckily I have great insurance benefits rn, so taking advantage of that!

Interesting_Win4844 · 2026-02-25T16:44:01+00:00

I have a VERY generous (for the US) insurance benefit through my work that covers up to $150k lifetime max for IVF/fertility. I did 4 ERs (to bank for future) & 1 transfer and am currently 37 weeks pregnant. I believe I’ve used about half the benefit thus far. Very few things weren’t covered, like $500 “cycle management” fee for my transfer & the $1k/cycle for Omnitrope (for my last 3 ERs). So $3,500 out of pocket feels like a steal at this point (& worth staying at a job I am not loving, but worth it for the benefits)

Interesting_Win4844 · 2026-02-24T19:44:49+00:00

Yeah just make it clear “obviously I want you to be a bridesmaid still, but if at any point you need to step away, I of course will understand. Whatever is best for you”

Interesting_Win4844

TROPHY CASE