Anyone doing IVF???

[Tania2]

Hi I have been on the ttc thread for about 8 months of 1 year of ttc. I have a ds conceived naturally he is now 2 and is our presious gift from god.
In December i found out that my tubes are blocked. Iam in the process of starting IVF in Australia. iam currently taking the pill and start the synarel spray on the 2nd Feb.
I was just wondering if there is anyone out there that either in the process of doing ivf or is starting it like me. Would love to chat to people about it as i dont want to drain my friends iam sure they dont want to hear me talk about it all the time but it seems that it has consumed my like atm.

Looking forward to chatting
Please remember that i am about 11 hours ahead of you so if i dont respond straight away iam proberly snoozing.
LOL Tania

[Zuberbuehler]

Hi T2
I have done IVF/ICSI, now have son 14 months. Am IVF junkie! Don't know all there is to know but am happy to talk. Going for FET in ?May. Found IVF not to be as stressful as could have been but maybe just me...anyway not all horror stories.
Find now that friends don't understand at all, not that they don't want to, it's just such a big difference from the norm. Also lots of gory details!!
I had synarel too. Word of advice: it tastes awful as it goes down the back of your throat. Apparently the required dose is taken up by your body within 2 secs so don't worry about losing a bit down your throat but do have a drink handy to wash it down!
(It's worth it!)

[Tania2]

Thanks ZB for the advice about the spray.
Did it take you many times to finally get pg?

[Moomin]

hi tania2. we're due to start a few rounds of iui next month, followed by ivf if this is unsuccessful. Like you we have one child, dd who is 3.

we've been ttc for 2 years exactly but nothing obvious seems to be the matter. i've got mild endo at the back of my womb (on the outside) but tubes and ovaries are clear. i had a severe reaction to clomid in the summer and developed 'chocolate' cysts in my ovaries, so this may affect the drugs we go on, as i do seem to be very sensitive to hormones.
we're just waiting for our 1st prvate consultation. luckily our nhs consultant has taken us on as private patients so he knows our history and we really like him.

what pill is it you are taking? is this the one to stop your cycle? how are you feeling so far? ok i hope. good luck x

[Tania2]

Hi Moomin,
You have had a ruff go at it you poor thing how do your moods go with such a reaction to the hormones?
Iam taking Levlen Ed Pill not sure if they do the same where you are but in most Australian clinics they put you on the pill to control your cycle as they only do 8 egg pick ups in one day. So you dont miss out on when you would be due for EPU they can pre book you in for a certain day. Because of this i was under the impression that i would be starting the spray on Monday but because the clinic is so busy i have been put on the pill for an extra 2 weeks b4 i can start the spray. Hope this has all made sence.
I havent been on the pill since i found out i had endo because it made me feel worse i accidently found out that i felt good off the pill when i ran out and the Dr wanted to then put me on Hormone tablets that had horrible side affects so i went al la natural. this was 10 years ago. now i am feeling very tired, Sore BIG boobs and bloated if i wasnt on the pill and i didnt have blocked tubes i would think i was pg that would be nice
All the best for your appointment and i hope you have success very soon.
Keep in touch.
Tania

[Moomin]

all these pg-type symptoms as side-effects seem to be bloody ironic and cruel don't they?! It's like having your nose rubbed in it. when i took clomid the biggest side-effect i had was dreadful tiredness (the only thing i'd ever had like it was when i was pg - see what i mean!) and quite tearful and grumpy. that bit wasn't as bad as i was expecting, altho it was pretty rough on dh and dd! i have beeb much worse on occasion just caused by 'normal' pmt.

must go now - was due at MIL's for lunch 10 mins ago and am still in pyjamas (its 5 past 1!)
take care x

[Zuberbuehler]

Took us one shot...we were really lucky. Cycle went like clockwork, no adverse reactions to drugs (except horrible taste of Synarel), nothing negative to report. Found the 2week wait pretty stressful.
That said, am really really nervous about upcoming fet. In the meantime 'trying' naturally but not getting hopes up!
IVF is all-consuming, isn't it? Big learning curve for me. Wish it could be different, but hey.
Are you telling people or keeping it quiet?

[Moomin]

with us, our close family know and some of our friends, whi have been in on the ttc rollercoaster so it would seem funny not to tell them. I've also told work as they need to be aware that i could have a few days off if needed; same with dh. i'm not too bothered who knows, tbh, but i was like that even in the early days of my 1st pg. i figured that it wouldn't actually cause a misc if some people knew and it helped when i was feeling rough to have a reason for time off at work in the 1st 12 wks. it doesn't seem to bother dh at all, altho i know your dh is a bit sensitive about it, isn't he tania2? everyone's different...

[Zuberbuehler]

I just didn't want everyone asking 'Ooh has it worked yet?' - how are we supposed to know until the test??!

[Moomin]

i know what you mean. i spose i would have been the same before all this, but it still astounds me how little people actually know about the mechanics of conception and how everything works -or doesn't!- in the human body. i spose we all just assume that when we make our minds up we're gojng to have a baby that it'll just 'happen' but it's not always that easy is it, and many people don't really know what to say or how to react. having said all that, i'd rather tell people and have them understand why i'm likely to be a bag of nerves, and a right bitch to boot on the hormone injections, than have to hide it.

I have to say, the person that infuriates me most is my mil. she knows about all our problems, yet still if i mention i'm tired, she'll say 'oh, any news?' and she often gives as her all-knowing fertility advice ' you need to try and relax and then who knows what might happen?' move over sir robert winston!

[Tania2]

Good morning girls no news here. Going to friends house today she has a son the same age as my ds and already has her 2nd child. One of those people that havent had to work for anything everything just falls in her lap. And all the other girls there will be pg with their 2nd and their 1st are all younger than mine. They all know now that iam going to be doing ivf as they all new that we were having trouble.
Just hoping now that this ivf will happen first go so i can stop being so of my friends.
Hope you are both well and will catch up soon.
lol tania

[Zuberbuehler]

Hi Tania, Hi Moomin,
Know exactly what you mean about 2nd baby envy, in many ways it was easier when I didn't know what I was missing if it didn't work, does that make sense?
Tania, do you have to pay in Australia? Is it private clinics like here (mostly)? Moomin, where are you?

[Moomin]

i'm in the midlands. we're not eligible for nhs iui/ivf treatment as we already have dd. my dad is helping us out with the cost otherwise i don't know what we'd do really.
i'm getting af pains today and am due on today or tomorrow. i'm hoping this will be the last period before our treatment starts, or the countdown to treatment anyway.

If tomorrow is, say, day 1 and we see our consultant in the next 3 weeks, which he said we probably would, when is it likely any treatment would start? bear in mind we're having iui to begin with - i'm not sure if i'll be taking fertility drugs or if so, which ones, as i won't be taking clomid again due to my reaction to it last time. are most of these types of drugs similar to clomid in their side effects, does anyone know?

[Tania2]

Hi girls,
Yesterday wasnt as bad as i thought it would be yes they were talking about their pg's and stuff but because i know that there is light at the end of the tunnel and i should be pg soon it wasnt so bad. Iam really loving the fact that i can spend more time with ds through his terrible 2's stage when he needs the most attention i dont envy the girls when they will have a baby to contend with and trying to control a 2 year old. Yuck!
My mum is helping us out with the ivf treatment. In australia you can do private or public get the same treatment and the wait is just the same. it cost about $2,600 and i will be out of pocket $1,600 as the government payssome of it. Most of the drugs are government funded except for my Syrenal spray which is $150. We have a medicare saftynet that when you reach over a certian threshold the percentage that you get back increases. eg atm my threshold is $306 when i go to my gp it cost me $45 i go to medicare and i get $25 back when i go over the saftynet threshold i will get 80% of it back. So with the ivf i will go over straight away and will receive 80% back Hope this all makes sence.
Have to go now of to clean my mums house for her and its going to be a really hot day today 35 degrees. yuck.
LOL Tania

[kittyb]

I have just finished first cycle and preg test will be on 11 Feb. This two week wait seems worse than normal. I suppose normally you would get on with life whereas at the moment I am "taking it easy" but mainly because of the waste of money it would be!

I have a beautiful three year old son, and part of me wants to get this all over so that if our lot in life is to have just one child, we can get on with that life and move on, out of this awful ttc limbo.

ANYWAY, produced only two follicles (v disappointing) so decided to do IUI instead of IVF and that was quite a relief in a way. Having read a lot about things, one thing I just wasnt prepared for was the progesterone pessaries - taken rectally! I am now used to the injections but still find pushing this thing up my bum twice a day quite unsettling! No-one tells you about this!

If it doesnt work dont know if I'll try again. We live in Scotland, but because paying privately decided to go to ARGC in London because success statistics so much better than anywhere up here. I stayed with my brother which was great but being away from home for two weeks was really tough.

Anyway good luck to you all!

[Moomin]

gosh kittyb, poor you! i had no idea about the pessaries either, so that's something to look forward to! i feel for you having to be away from home. as luck would have it, we're using our nhs consultant and a clinic only 25 miles away, both of which have a very good success rate (when compared to others). i'm really keeping my fingers crossed for you - let us know how you get on.
ikwym about thinking you should be grateful for the one child you've got - we're in the same boat and our dd is 3 as well. i tired coming round to that kind of thinking before we considered iui/ivf but i couldn't just let it lie. it made me miserable thinking that we'd be giving up without exploring every avenue. i'm not ready to accept that dd will be an only child just yet.
very very good luck to you xx

[Moomin]

btw, how much does the cost of iui differ to ivf, if you don't mind me asking?

[DelGirl]

kittyb, not got long enough for a huge reply. Just wanted to say that after 2/3 days post iui, you can take the pessaries vaginally. Assume they're cyclogest or something similar. Bloody awful things which can give you pregnancy symptoms. You have my sympathy about the 2 week wait. Best of luck.

[Dyzzidi]

I am du to start IVf in the very near future after some surgery and the Clinic have invited us to a meeting with around 80 other couples. What happens at these meetings and did you all have to go to them????

I feel like a bit of a Newbie as am not sure yet of IVF terminology after years of gynae problems it it now like entering a whole new world!!!

[Moomin]

hi Dyzzidi. i've read that some clinics do this - i'd have thought it was worth going; if only to find out some more info in an informal way, and also remind yourself that you and your dh/dp are in the same boat as lots of others. let me know how you get on if you decide to go. Moomin x

[les21]

Hi. We have now had all test results and know that dp has no sperm or means of manufacturing any. My tests are all ok but I'm 39 so the consultant says poor chances of success with DI and should go straight to IVF - short protocol. Don't really want to talk to friends (but have told family) due to the donor aspect (- what do you tell any child and when - if you see what I mean). Does anyone know of any good / friendly support groups? Anyone been through the same / similar experience? Thanks

[BeckiF]

les21 - what about htem extracting sperm from your parnter directly, i.e. sperms that are immature and held within the testes ..... ? Have they been through that with you?

[Moomin]

les21 - have you looked here? a lot of the website is actually down at the moment but should be up again in the next few days. it's based in the US but there is a UK board too so you could search the messages and see if anyone's in the same boat as you.
this one's good as well

[Portree]

les21, poor you, what a shite diagnosis. Is this maturation arrest? (Memory's a bit ropey)My dh is azoospermic following illness though sperm are being produced and he had TESE. I remember only too well how devastating his diagnosis was.

Moomin mentions some great boards. As well as the UK board on ivfconnections.com the Male Factor board is very good as is the ICSI one. Also lots of discussions about donor conception. For a UK based site try FertilityFriends under ICSI, Male Factor and Cancer Survivors for some good info. There's also a good Male Factory board at TCOYF .

Hope this helps in some way, any questions do ask.

[Portree]

les21, one other thing there is an organisation called the Donor Conception Network. Might be worth a go.

[les21]

Thanks so much for replying. Dp has had all tests - biopsy showed no cells that make sperm - so not even immature. The consultant said it was 'unexplained' - he's had no illnesses or anything as far as he knows. He has a son who is 10 from previous marriage. tbh I have my doubts that he is dps but no way would I say so...no point anyway, as he is his in every way that matters. I thought that even if they could not retrieve any sperm surgically, we would be able to try DI, but I'm too old apparently. Thanks ever so much for the sites - am off now to check them out. XXX