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

Lucy-Hi and welcome! I have just started my first cycle at ARGC. They are wonderfully accomodating, as my DH is paraplegic, and when we had to do our consultation they cleared out the file room on the ground floor for us, as well as taking blood from him. They are VERY busy, always packed, so don't expect personalization, but they are extremely efficient. I feel really good about it. I chose them because of their statistics as well...

Nook-Yay for egg transfer! Hope all goes well...

AFM, sniffing at 8 hour intervals. Spent a gorgeous day in Chelsea with DH yesterday. Had such a lovely time together. We really needed it, as since we've gotten back from holiday he hasn't exactly been my favorite person. But hopefully back on track now. Have a great long weekend everyone!

Hi ladies,
Can I join you please? I have been lurking for a few days and you seem like a lovely lot I'm 39 (40 soon), and have one beautiful DS aged 3.5. Last year I had 2 pregnancies, one ending at a termination at 20 weeks due to a lethal abnormality detected in the 20 week scan, then I lost another a few months later at 8 weeks. That was last June. Since then we've been ttc but nothing has happened. In January we went for tests to make sure everything is still working as it should. I have a low ovarian reserve, but other than that everything seems to be working fine; ovulating regularly, good size egg etc. My DH has a high sperm count (98 mil) but also has high abnormality rate (98%). Two years ago he was diagnosed with MS and takes quite a lot of medication. The doctors have made a suggestion that the medications might have affected his sperm, which in turn might have caused the recent problems. The treatment of DH's MS is the priority, so there's no way he's coming off the drugs, but as a result they have recommended IUI (one or two cycles) and then ICSI. From what I read IUI's success rates are pretty low, so I think I might just have one IUI. I am starting my IUI cycle in about a week, have all the drugs sitting waiting! At the moment we are at Viveka/CRM London, but I'm thinking of moving to ARGC if it comes to ICSI as their stats are much better for my age group. Does anyone have any experience of ARGC? Also, I'm just having one of those days that creep on you every so often where everyone is pregnant apart from you, there are newborns everywhere and even the strongest resolve at staying positive is hard to keep . I'm sure you all understand.
Congrats on the egg collection nooknook and everything crossed for the transfer

Hi All!

Thank you ALL for your lovely posts. It helps so much having such lovely positive peolple on side. Those in the 'real' world can be a bit negative.

Tortie - Egg collection is not painful. It's like being really drunk and having a hazy recollection of events...

I'm about to go back to clinic for tranfer - or at least that is the plan, 4 eggs fertilised and they haven't looked at them since so fingers crossed at least one is good to go!

Love and chocolate boobs!

Italian I think a lot has to be said for counselling- it can be sooooo beneficial.

Glad it has made you feel better

Italian- I'm not a stepmom, former friend is. Sorry if that wasn't clear.

Italian-I'm back in the UK. We applied for tickets to the London Olympics a while ago. DH is paraplegic, so we're hoping they'll approve tix for the events we want to see. I'm sure you've heard my story about close friend, but here goes...

One of my closest friends didn't get married until her early 40's. DH has one daughter (who was 22 when we met) from previous marriage. We were all really close. Right after I moved to London, I came home for a visit, and friend asked if I would carry a baby for her. We concocted a scenario where I would get pregnant with twins, both my eggs, but one with my DH sperm and the other with her DH sperm. Obviously that kind of science isn't possible, and when I realized that, I offered to sell her some of my eggs to use for herself or a surrogate. We were just given a two year waiting time for our NHS funded cycle and knew we were going private, and I thought that rather than her wait for eggs to be donated, we would both be able to get something out of it...me funding for a private cycle, and her eggs to do with what she wanted. She freaked out on me. First, she called and told me that I was too old, and she didn't want my eggs. Then she called and told me that I was a mercenary peddler of eggs, that I was unsympathetic and unempathetic to her situation, that I didn't know what it was like to be her age and not have a baby (she was almost fifty at the time). I told her that all I wanted was for her and her DH to have a baby and be happy, but it was my dream to have a baby too, and no, I can't relate to being almost fifty, although how can that be my fault? I didn't talk to her for months after that. When I called to speak to a mutual friend months later, she put friend on the phone, and we had a perfectly normal conversation. Then I got an email from her saying how disappointed she was in me, how much she and DH did for me, blah blah blah. I wrote back saying that my only intention was to help friend and DH to have a baby. She wrote back saying I was selfish and self-absorbed. I wrote back one final time to tell her that if she didn't see that all I wanted was to try and find ways to help her and DH reach their goal, then there was nothing left to talk about. I said she was being hypersensitive and overreactive, and that she should seek some counseling. And that was it. Since then, she has stopped speaking to our mutual friend because mutual friend had a baby and is pregnant with her second. I've been in the rage stage since the whole thing happened. I was in such shock and disbelief that she could say such things to me, but then I realized that she wasn't getting her way, so she lashed out at me. She has pushed away all those in her life with kids, or those friends who have the possibility of getting pregnant. I know she was looking at adoption and surrogacy, but by the time she gets her wish she'll have burned her bridges and have no one to share it with. The whole thing has shaken me, and I don't think I will ever forgive her.

So now you know my story. Incidentally, I think friend's DH understood where I was coming from, but he obviously can't come out and say that to friend.

Nook-Well done with your egg collection! Will be eagerly anticipating your next post about ET...

Italian-It sounds like you had an amazing time! And you're so lucky the weather was so unbelievably gorgeous. Yes, matzah and matzo are the same thing. There are so many different spellings for loads of Jewish things, I guess it's all in what you're raised with. Thankfully we have loads of kosher shops near us. It's quite a change from where I was in Philadelphia...I had to drive half an hour to get to a good kosher selection.

tametortie-You are so kind to egg share. If I wanted to get myself totally aggravated, I would tell you the story of my former closest friend. You'll have to ask me another time. It involves egg sharing. SERENITY NOW!! (Any Seinfeld fans out there?)

Hi rowing!

AFM, I'm so glad that Passover is finally over, although it really confirms what a total carbohydrate addict I really am. I am going to stuff my face with pizza and other bread-like foods tomorrow (sorry Italian and tametortie), but I got on the scale at the gym the other day, and with my appendix out, not eating any meat for two weeks, and Passover, I'm down 11 pounds! Not my preferred method, but there you go.

I start DR tonight! YAY!

Love and chocolate boobs to everyone! (And for those who are watching what they eat, may those chocolate boobs be fat free, but still taste like the real thing...)

Italian, it was an easy decision to make. I am totally madly in love with my dd and the thought of somebody not being able to have a child because of not having all the right bits there, made me feel incredibly sad. I wanted to do something and donating eggs seemed the easiest way to do this. But my dh does not have children of his own and was afraid that there was a risk involved and wanted us to have a child of our own before I donated. I agreed and what a bloody good job I did!!! I'll be needing to use donor eggs at this rate!!!

Egg sharing seemed an incredibly easy way to go ahead and do this and hopefully have a child of our own as well.

Poor dh

Hi all,
well done on the follies Nook!
Italian sounds like you are having a lovely time. We have been on holiday(ish) well DS has, I've still been at work (boo!)
That is amazing, after all this time that we may be cycle buddies. Don't want to get ahead of myself because I am now on day 5 of AF and still bleeding, courtesy of the lovely oestrogen tablets. Hope it stops soon!!!
Tortie I completely sympathise with you over the guilty Easter binge. So difficult to avoid (says she eyeing the Toblerone next to her ) Never mind, start again tomorrow. Can you hand half-eaten eggs in to charity shops?
Lissy yoohoo [waves]
And Mexican wave to anyone I have missed out.

Congratulations nook nook- 5 eggs is really good!!! Fingers crossed you get a few good uns for transfer. Is egg collection painful?

italian Yes, I am egg sharing. The whole reason we started TTC was because I wanted to be an egg donor but DH wanted me to have a child with him before I gave eggs away. 4 years later.... So the whole thing has come full circle really- I get to donate which I desperately wanted to do and I also get my IVF for free which is a huge bonus.

My healthy eating has gone COMPLETELY to pot over Easter. I've had chocolate (naughty), white bread (sinful), orange squash (forgive me!!), chips (eeek!), a cream tea (gorgeous but very wrong)...... the only good thing all weekend has been a harvester salad bowl Not a grain of quinoa or a peice of fruit in sight. Feel terrible now and pretty sure I will blame this weekend if the IVF doesnt work. Gutted. On the brightI havent had any alcohol still- not since 5th March. So at least I've kept that up. Still feel guilty though.

Wave to all

Hi greyhound. I'm a pray-er, will pray. Glad you enjoyed spring harvest, lots from my church had a blast. we didn't go!

"?I am also taking metformin daily which (I think) reduces the risk of OHSS..."

Metformin is a pill which (at this hopsital) they get IVF patients to take if they have polycystic ovaries - mine are a little bit polycystic! OHSS is ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, which is when the IVF drugs make your ovaries go crazy and it's v dangerous. So people with lots of cysts anyway need to take metformin to control the hyperstimulation. I don't really understand it any more than that. Last time i don't remember it making me feel ill, but this time it seems to be. ug.

well done nook HOpe you feel better soon. I remember just sleeping all day and night after my last egg collection. I had a terrible reaction to pethidine, and was glad to hear that they don't use it here any more.

Hi All,

Just a quik update - had egg collection this am and got 5 eggs! Feeling a bit groggy but ok.

Xxx

Hi everyone,
sorry for not getting on here much.
I just wanted to say that I have started taking oestrogen and I think the FET will be at the start of May.
Have to cook dinner, but will check in later...

Welcome, woowa! You'll have to give me some good baby tips when the time comes, as my DH is T3-T5 complete paraplegic...

Spending some time out in the sun on this gorgeous Saturday....

Hi again, adding myself to the list, at the bottom, conveniently I am alphabeticallly last!

Italiangreyhound 46, DD aged 6 (from IUI), MC 2006, IUI/failed IVF, awaiting IVF donor eggs May 2011
KeziahHopes 36, no children, male factors and testing for immue issues, failed Ist ICSI March 2011, no frosties.Waiting to see consultant in July.
Lateatwork 40, DD aged 2.5 3 MC, frozen eggs 2006, IVF at ARGC twins due October (using fresh ingredients...)
LissySilver 36 (almost 37) DH is T4 paraplegic, so IVF a must. 1st cycle May 2010 successful, miscarried at 8 weeks. Cone biopsy following an ERPC. Second cycle Oct. 2010 unsuccessful. Starting at ARGC next week!
Monkeybumsmum 35, DS aged 4, 2 MC's 2008, 2nd trim. loss 2010, failed cycle IUI 4/11, 2nd cycle about to start.
Nooknook 32, low ovarian reserve and thyroid issues, on 1st IVF cycle.
Tametortie 30, 1 dd with previous partner, unexplained fertility, TTC 4 years- 1 mmc in may 2008, currently egg sharing at crm in Coventry.
WomanlyTales 35, PCOS, Clomid resistant, 1st cycle IUI failed, Waiting for next steps
Woowa, 32, DH is C5/6 incomplete tetraplegic, IVF with ICSI only possibility. DD 14 months from 1st cycle, now onto second cycle...

I am injecting buserelin daily, and also still on the pill, have been having period for about 2 weeks - so whoever was worried, don't worry! My fab nurses say it's fine!

I think I have another 10 days or so before baseline scan before starting the second lot of injections. I had forgotten that buserelin makes us menopausal. For me that means losing my memory for things like postcodes, phone numbers and where I have left things! And lots of crying for "no" reason, although i have to say that doing IVf is reason enough for having a good sob from time to time.

I am also taking metformin daily which (I think) reduces the risk of OHSS, but also drops my blood sugar (making me hungry and grumpy) and gives me diarrhoea (making me grumpy). So all in all, it's not much fun is it?!

But the prize at the end will be worth it, hopefully x

Oh Monkey, I'm so sorry to hear your news. But at least you will be good to go again after your scan.

Tametortie- I didn't really have a problem injecting into my belly. I did get bruised a few times when I hit a vessel, but I tried doing it in the same spot on either side. Good luck for the rest of the time, I'm sure it'll be over soon!

Oh monkey, sorry it didn't work. I had high hopes. : ( next time......

I've been injecting in my thighs but they are black and blue.

The tummy jab from yesterday is bright purple, I don't think I can have done it right.

I have a scan on the 2nd may, not really sure why or what for. I'll be on day 27 of buserelin injections. Forget short protocol, long protocol, extra long protocol, I'm on the pissing mammoth colossal stupidly extra extra long protocol. It's going on forever!!!! I'm being treated by people who I really think just sit and look at the phone when it's ringing wondering why it's making that funny noise : ) good job Ive still got my gsoh.

Love to all XXXXXXX

Gosh sorry, forgot to update - definate BFN on Tuesday AF started today, so am in for a scan in the morning, and then if all's fine am restarting with the Menopur injections tomorrow night.

Tortie where have you been injecting up to now? I have only done my tummy so far. Was okay for most of it but then it got really sore and I started to dread doing it.

Italiangreyhound 46, DD aged 6 (from IUI), MC 2006, IUI/failed IVF, awaiting IVF donor eggs May 2011
KeziahHopes 36, no children, male factors and testing for immue issues, failed Ist ICSI March 2011, no frosties.Waiting to see consultant in July.
Lateatwork 40, DD aged 2.5 3 MC, frozen eggs 2006, IVF at ARGC twins due October (using fresh ingredients...)
LissySilver 36 (almost 37) DH is T4 paraplegic, so IVF a must. 1st cycle May 2010 successful, miscarried at 8 weeks. Cone biopsy following an ERPC. Second cycle Oct. 2010 unsuccessful. Starting at ARGC next week!
Monkeybumsmum 35, DS aged 4, 2 MC's 2008, 2nd trim. loss 2010, failed cycle IUI 4/11, 2nd cycle about to start.
Nooknook 32, low ovarian reserve and thyroid issues, on 1st IVF cycle.
Tametortie 30, 1 dd with previous partner, unexplained fertility, TTC 4 years- 1 mmc in may 2008, currently egg sharing at crm in Coventry.
WomanlyTales 35, PCOS, Clomid resistant, 1st cycle IUI failed, Waiting for next steps

Have put us in alphabetical order, so hope I haven't managed to cut and paste anyone out Also I corrected my age Oops!