Assisted Conception (and all the bits in between) volume 7

Woowa- Watch out! You'll definitely need loads of tissues for Toy Story 3...

tametortie- Oh sweetie, I'm sorry to hear about your scan! But it's true about the short protocol. Loads of women don't go through the down-regulating phase of a treatment cycle and still get pregnant. Step away from the Google!

Keziah- I'm sorry to hear about your mum. Hope she makes a full and speedy recovery. Hope to hear you're on your way to a full recovery too!

Lucy- Positive vibes work best! I know that we don't want to get our hopes up so we don't get disappointed, but that's no way to go through life. After my first two cycles, I was told to put the pessaries up the pooper (I'm such a crass American ) for the first few days, then it was up to me where I put it. I'm at ARGC, but I only had to wait six weeks for my appointment. That was in the fall. I hear if you hound them for cancellations they're pretty good, but you have to be ready to go on a moment's notice.

bucksfizz- ARGC is the Assisted Reproductive and Gynecology Centre in London. The centre's got really high pregnancy rates, basically because they tailor the cycle to your cycle, are extremely thorough with blood tests and scans (when stimulating you're there every day for blood tests, and sometimes twice a day), and they do immunes testing. They test your blood (which they send to Chicago) for thyroid issues or elevated natural killer cells, which they think is the cause for recurrent miscarriage or cycle failure. Also they recommend to all women that they go for a hysteroscopy, so they'll know exactly where to go for the embryo transfer. It's pretty intensive from what I hear, and so far I'm very happy with them.

AFM, Suprecur is making me miserable. AF due any minute, but I'm so grumpy and grouchy it's awful. Might not be able to have hysteroscopy at The Wellington, it's all down to timing of AF. If I have to have it done at ARGC, private insurance won't pay for it. Argh. Feel like crying, but I'm so tired I can't work up the energy. Hope everyone has a better day tomorrow!

Hi all,lucy can I ask if u responded well to iui/ivf, if you used it? Sorry I'm not clear on your journey. Its just helpful to know othere with low amh as We have been given warnings that I may not respond well because amh low. I was told to go straight to ivf over ICsi as I've had tumour removed from ovary and endo, so I'm trying to catch s break with ivf!

Keziah...poor you. I hope your mum feels better soon x. Hi all, tametortie I'm also just posting off for the argc. It's a private clinic that at times are a little controversial as they use some non- standard practises but that doesn't make it unsafe, just pioneering hopefully! Great success rates but 10 week wait list... Crazy town!

Hi all

I have to go to hosp tomorrow morning for first of every-other-day blood tests plus US scan. But my DH is away for a few days and, despite putting a reminder in my phone i'm terrified i'm going to forget to go! Buserelin wipes my memory... I'm sure I'll remember as soon as I wake up that I need to go to hospital... but what if i forget!? Am clearly in rubbish menopausal state that was predicted by nurses. I remember this from last time too. Well, as least that means I've got memory loss to look forward to in actual menopause in a few years time.

Waffle waffle. Looking at egg collection on may 16th. The days can't go by fast enough at the moment. argh.

keziah sorry you're having such a terrible time of it at the moment. I hope there will be good news for you at the end of it all.

tametortie glad to see you're looking on the brighter side today - all hope it not lost. Your news has planted the seed in the head that my scan could be like yours tomorrow...let's see.

Sigh.

btw, what is ARGC? Is it a private clinic? We're just with the private clinic side of our local hospital, which sees us immediately. I didn't realise private clinics could have such a long waiting list. Does it have a very good success rate then? It should do with a waiting time like that.

Off to watch Toy Story 3, have been warned that it will make me cry a lot. Just what I need in this delicate emotional state i'm in anyway!!!

night all

Glad to see it's not just me who has a child who seems to get picked on at every turn DD loves the kids in our cull de sac but a few of them are sly and nasty. They tell tales on Dd and make her cry. It doesn't help that my poor baby is really clumsy and ham handed and always seems to hurt one of them by wobbling off her bike into them or tripping into them. Have seen it time and time again when she has accidentally tripped into one of them and they have accused her of pushing them over she is so soft and gentle though she ends up apologizing and going way over the top to make them like her. I hate it. At one time her confidence was rock bottom but since starting brownies a year ago, she has been loads better. She has also started horse riding and gets on well with the girls at the stables.

Keziah- really sorry to hear about your mum, you really have been through the mill recently. Have a hug ( )

Lucy- you can put cyclogest up your arse. Just as effective to, bum hole is very rich in blood vessels for absorption.

Italian- hello my love, have read your kind words from yesterday a couple of times today. You are so positive and supportive, thanks. As you all are!!!!

Rowing- where are you in treatment now? Whereabouts abroad are you being treated?

Nook nook- how you feeling??

I have had a better day today. Hcg shot yesterday has made me feel shitty but sickness wore off as day went on. I'm not worried anymore, what will be will be.

Love to all, sorry if I've missed anyone XXXXXXX

Hi all,
Lucy it is so hard to be calm and rational when they are PICKING ON YOUR SON!!! [crazed animal face] and breathe. Hope you find a nice playgroup.
The progesterone can also be used in the back door so to speak [Does Les Dawson face and gestures downwards] I have read of a lot of people doing that. Don't want nasty itches!

Keziah what a shock for you, in your state. Your poor mum must be so shaken, but I'm happy to hear she is stable and has you there.
All good about getting the help you need, and about time, as you say.
Take good care of yourself, you can't help your mum is you over-do it.
Sending you get well vibes.

I'm getting in a bit of a pickle organising next week. Need to have a bath and a bit of a big deep breath. Horrible boss not helping.

Gosh tortie what a horror time. However am sure it will all go ok, pma is good!

Well I had bad day yesterday (mum had heart attack - was with her at hosptial 2hrs away all day and night - she is stable,) then today a bit better as had physio assessement who said:

• have physio at home straight away
• I need an OT assessemnt to be safe at home, so on list for that.

Lucy cancellation list good idea, however I have a 12 week wait with another clinic (although right now ivf not relevant as need to get well, but... times seem to be long).

Hi all, hope your first day back after the weekend has been ok. tortie, hopefully things have calmed down a bit today and you're feeling better.
rowing I know where you're coming from with your son. My ds made friends with a little boy at Playgroup who not only is very naughty (cue sleepless night that ds was getting in with the wrong crowd already) but is also pretty horrid to ds most of the time. What I'm saying to my son is to pick friends who are kind to him etc., what I'm thinking is that I'll move him to a different Playgroup to get him away from the little brat! Not rational but I couldn't bear to see him being upset by him. He's only 3, goodness knows what I'll be like when he gets older and everything's more complicated. I hope you've sorted things out re work and transfer too.
On a more, ahem, delicate matter, are any of you on progesterone pessaries? Since mc I start spotting about 9 dpo, so was prescribed cyclogest to give progesterone a boost. Thing is, I was getting itchy and irritated using them vaginally, so for the last few days have been using them anally (nice, I know, sorry ladies!) the instructions say this is ok to do but was wondering if this affects how well it works? I'll ask my consultant next time I see him but have started spotting today, 13 dpo.
How are you Italian? Did you have a good weekend? And keziah hope you're feeling ok. Thanks for info about q10 bucksfizz, sounds like our amh is similar, mine was 2.8 first reading, and 4.25 the next. I've been taking royal jelly too to improve quality. Anything that might help!
Finally, before I finish this rambling post, got my appt for ARGC today. ELEVEN weeks away! Good grief, I know they're busy but I was still a bit shocked. Will call and find out how their cancellation list looks.
Have a good eve all x

Hi all,

Tortie, I'm so sorry, I was actually laughing at how bad your day got, it was like a conspiracy. You poor love, at least it sounds like you got your dropped prescription back. As if the hormones aren't enough to cope with!

Lucy I can totally relate to the crabbiness, it's awful! It's not you you know, it's them - the drugs talking! We are all perfectly reasonable (well not all the time, but you know) and then we take hormones and all hell breaks loose.

I have been getting really worked-up about DS going to the park to meet his friend, who then ignored him and went off with a kind of homeboy type of person, who I overheard saying very obscene things to the friend. I know he is only 6, but grrrr! I felt like going over and telling the friend he was dumped due to being completely disloyal to my darling boy (who is far too good for him!) and sweeping off with DS. When do I stop the hormones!

Hi lucylookout and all.
I have just upped from 30mg to 200 mg as I'm due to start in about 12 days. What stage are you at? I too have low ovarian reserve (2.4) so I'm turbo charging up. I'm also drinking well over a litre a day and taking fish oil capsules and a general womens supplement too. It's really important to eat about 60g protein everyday so eggs in morning and then portions of red meat, chicken or fish I know this sounds a lot but it's easy fit in.
Keep heart folks. We have had several years of it, ops, drugs the lot but disappointment just shows you still have faith and hope that it could have happened. It's not easy to deal with but shows how strong you are Xxx

I know, I know italian, you're quite right and I have been very heartened by your story, I'm just finding these last few days of waiting to start hard going. And also I'm so used to c**p stuff happening recently (family health problems as well as ttc stuff) that my brain can't quite get used to the idea that something good might happen. And of course, telling myself it won't work is a way of protecting myself from disappointment if it doesn't . I'm sure you know how it is. Thanks for your wise words anyway, I need a bit of a kick up the bum to shake this mood off! Have never heard of the programme your DD is watching, but have to say it sounds fascinating!

It sounds like your clinic are on it tortie and agree with the others, talk to your clinic and try to avoid google. It will really do nothing but torture you with scenarios that more than likely do not apply to you. You do really sound like you've had a day of it though, and suggest a , a good film and some chocolate this evening to take your mind off it all.

Hi Bucksfizz and welcome! I take co-enzyme q10 too as I read that it improves quality of eggs generally (have low ovarian reserve so need to boost what little is there .) What strength do you take? I'm on 30mg at the moment but am wondering whether I should increase to 100mg?

Tametortie. Poor you! If down reg does not happen they can put you on short protocol ie boost u up from day 3 without supressing your system. That's what they are doing for me in about 2 weeks and do for quite a few women so don't despair...and women get pregnant on it too! I know hard. If they do short protocol I'd recommend taking co-enzyme q10 supplements (buy from any supermarket) as this helps boost the energy of the egg when they do collect from you. It takes a lot of energy for eggs to ripen and fertilise successfully so I was recommended thus by various practitioners. Stay off google, tis the road to madness!!! Xxx

Googling definitely does not help- just lots of paranoid women having cycles cancelled.

POSITIVE THOUGHTS.....

Need to chill out now- has been a truly rank day.

Nurse phoned just before clinic shut (at least she has been to her 'Use of Communication Equipment training ) and said that she had spoken to a consultant at the clinic. Apparently I have a ripened follicle on my right ovary which has formed a small cyst which is pumping out loads of oestrogen and leading to my thick lining and stimulated ovaries. So, they advised that I gave myself a HCG shot to ripen the egg and induce ovulation which should get rid of the follicular cyst, I may or may not have a bleed and I should carry on with the buserelin to shut the ovaries down and will have a re-scan on the 16th. If the buserelin hasnt worked by then, I think it may be a no-go. I don't know this for sure, the nurse didnt say but I don't think they can leave me on buserelin forever can they??

So, this afternoon I proceeded to waste 2 vials of HCG by pulling the bottom of the syringe out of 2 syringes and losing the mixture all over the floor (best part of this is that as part of my job, I am trained to reconstitute chemotherapy- I never have a problem with that??!!!). Had to phone clinic, they answered the phone (feel the need to tell you they answered the phone because it is not a given...), I asked for prescription for more HCG shots, She gave me a prescription for 2 vials because she could obviously see that this was going to go terribly wrong. I went to ASDA with the prescription (10 miles from home) and discovered as I went to pay that I had got my cancelled bank card. Cue me pleading with chemist staff to let me use phone to phone DH.

What a shitty, shitty, shitty day.

When will you speak to the nurse tortie? I don't know anything about the drugs etc, but can imagine how frustrating it must be to have taken lots of drugs, that probably made you feel a bit rubbish only to have them not work. Hopefully once you know more you'll feel a bit better about it and I'm sure the clinic will be able to adjust it all to work.
Sorry to hear you're feeling down rowing, I think the stress combined with the drug side effects is a pretty horrible combination. Once the transfer is done will you be off the drugs for a bit ( or still on progesterone?)
Hi to everyone else too. I hope you've had a nice sunny weekend (sooooo windy here too). We had a nice we but I'm on cyclogest for a possible progesterone deficiency and I don't know whether it's just me but it makes me REALLY irritable. Also Af due on fri, then I can start the drugs for IUI cycle, but ofcourse these last few days are dragging more than all of the days in the rest of the cycle. Topped off by the fact that I just don't think iUI will work. Oh, I'm a barrel of laughs to be around

Sorry tametortie for ur pain. I'm new on strand. Has the nurse given u feedback yet? X

Nooknook. Sorry to jump on strand. I start short protocol with an amh of 2.4. 7 eggs is excellent going with a low amh, what was ur amh? Our clinic reckons 8 would be top end for those with low amh so you've done really well. They also said that too many decreases the quality, so stay positive and let us know how you go xxx

Tried Googling- all a bit negative about abandoned cycles etc. Will wait to speak to nurse.

Hi all,

Tortie, you mysterious, drug-defying creature! It is a pain though, going through this and no go. Think it might be time to up the dose or change the drugs.
I had trouble getting my lining to be thin enough, but it didn't quite go the other way. I wonder if they have given you the right drugs? That's just silly though! Sorry waffling on here. Try googling it to see if it has happened to anyone else.
Italian where are you, oh queen of googling!
Megan, probably suppressing ovulation in her as well so they can get you
synchronised.
When will you see a doctor?

Keziah hope you are feeling on the mend a bit. Are you finding 'being patient' quite difficult at the moment?

Lissy hope you are coping with the hormones, not nodding off or anything.

I'm on tenterhooks, waiting to hear if I can have the time off. I haven't booked the flights yet, but if I can't get next Wednesday I'll ask the doc if I can delay the transfer to Thursday or Friday.
This progynova is making me feel really anxious and a bit depressed, not very depressed, but enough to make me feel as if I am dragging myself around.
Hi to everyone!
Off out into the sunshine - that should buck me up!

Sorry for the me me me post- hope you are all ok.........

xxxxxxx

Hello all,

Had scan this morning and its gone a bit pants.

This was a scan to check that all was quiet, ovaries dampened down and thin womb lining. But instead after 1 month of injecting Buserelin, I have a VERY thick womb lining and am about to ovulate What do you make of that?

Have had bloods taken, nurse was left scratching her head a bit that I have gone as far as having a ripened follicle despite injecting buserelin. She said that some women have a thick womb lining etc and need a couple more weeks of buserelin but she said "it looks as though you have had a normal cycle despite injecting"- funny you should say that love, cos I would normally ovulate and today I am swimming in EWCM (or fairy snot as I like to call it ), have stitch in my side and have an upset tummy- all normal ovulation signs

I'm really confused- how can the drugs have not worked? (tempted to start singing the Verve...)

Am awaiting instruction from the clinic now- either a HCG shot or something to induce a bleed.

Feeling very pissed off and not entirely sure if this is just a normal hiccup or whether this could be the end of things- nurse didnt say.

I told her to say sorry to 'Megan' for holding things up and she said 'oh, I'm sure she won't mind- she might not be ready either'. I didnt realise Megan had to get ready???? What are they doing to her????

I feel lost today, out of control and in the dark.

Soon be May Tortie - all the best. Are you at work or home for 2ww? No, consultant said she wanted to see me in 6 weeks, as it could happen again - but she is busy she said so it could be longer. Not sure what to do if it happens again, go to A+E I guess. Hoping it doesn't!

Well it is cd32 today, the longest I have ever gone (bfn obviously) so guessing my cycle totally out after ivf. Has this happened to anyone else? Wonder how long till back to "normal" as it were.

Thanks all for your messages!Tortie Official test date is 12th May.

Kesiah that totally sucks that they're making you wait until July! Although they would have had you in a lot sooner if they thought it was going to happen again, no?

Love to All xxx