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

Just a quickie for beginnings, I think unusual pains and cramps at this stage is a good thing. It's way too early for af, and with et on Sunday, that makes it possible it's implantation? Fingers crossed for you my dear, it certainly isn't over yet.
Italian a tummy upset is better than ibs, so fingers crossed you feel better soon and treatment starts soon.
flip congratulations on your bfp!
I'm just off to argc to get more blood tests done before I can start jabbing myself with humira. My fsh was 11.5 on day 1 yesterday and argc said that was borderline ok for them, so as long as it stays around that level I should be ok.

Thanks flipfantasia (love the name by the way). Good to hear from someone who has been through it and is out the other side. I'm also at the lister and have found them great so far but know that there is nothing they can really do during this bit. I just have to make it to next Wednesday. I usually have a short cycle and that'll be the 14th day since collection so have promised myself I won't test until then. The very best of luck with your pregnancy. Fingers crossed for you.

Beginnings sorry, x-posted. Sorry you had a stressful night but things are still looking good for you. Will keep my fingers crossed for good news.

Italian great news about the donor! I'm delighted to hear your patient wait is nearly over.

Rowing a friend was treated with methotrexate for an ectopic and I think she had to wait 3 cycles before ttc again. May be different with donor IVF but am sure your doc will advise. Will keep my fingers crossed your next cycle is The One

Lissy & Keziah huge congrats on your BFPs . Such great news and I loved reading of the scans/progress reports (especially Lissy's HCG results - have never had an HCG test so found them fascinating!).

Waves to everyone else. For those I've not "met", I graduated from a much earlier Assisted Conception thread (maybe threads 2 & 3? I posted as caitni then [mists of time emoticon]) after ICSI at the Lister which resulted in our gorgeous DS (who's nearly 17 months now) and lurk to keep an eye on how you're all doing.

Also, rather miraculously, I got another natural BFP recently and am now 7+6. I had a scan last week and all is looking spot on for dates. After the natural BFP and then MC in late March I really thought we'd be heading down the ICSI route again. Instead, I'm looking forward to emailing our doctor at the Lister to tell her our news (am going to wait until after the NHS scan in September...and also have another private scan next week at 9 weeks - can't get enough reassurance!). DH's sperm count was still really poor when it was last tested in January but we just feel so lucky to be in this position .

Thanks Italian. The rather vivid dream I had about starting AF afterwards didn't help. Think I need to hear some success stories today.......Hope your tummy is better this morning.

I have an acupuncture appointment this evening and am hoping that will help. Was doing so well yesterday. Had this feeling of calm and certainty that all was going to be good this time.

rowing I needed your calmness at three this morning. I woke up with a nasty cramp all across the bottom of my abdomen. Really felt like an AF cramp. I think it lasted about 15 minutes. Feel ok now but am scared. Please someone tell me this isn't necessarily the end...

Hi all,

Lucy, I was laughing at the two sets of folks not moving over 'together'. I didn't think they did, but thanks for clearing that up.
I have no idea any more about who has a child, who hasn't and how they were conceived, so I do understand you asking. DS was a regular conception, he just looks like DP. I think he is deliberately not resembling me, just to annoy me.

Womanly oh I feel your pain. The second part of the 2WW is the worst, worst craziness. Not long and you never know. The best recommendation I can make is to do something to distract yourself and keep very busy, build a laptop from scratch or start training to climb Everest, something like that.

Italian that is fantastic news. I had to read that post three times, just to make sure you have a donor. Desiree! What are you like! Oh poor you with the IBS, it could just be the stress, this is very exciting, but it is stressful, just the expectations. Can you do any relaxation or go to a yoga class?
Beginnings it is so hard not to symptom spot as long as you don't wander down the path to madness.

I must, must remember to change my appointment tomorrow. I'm off to see the consultant at the clinic I attended for the ectopic, but the time is too early for me to make. I want to see what he advises before another cycle, to check the methotrexate is out of my system and ask about the leg cramps I still have.

Yay Italian, that's wonderful news!!
Fingers crossed for you womanly and beginnings, really hope you both get your bfp!

Oh Italian I just very nearly whooped on a train!! I am so pleased for you!! That is fab news!!

womanly figures crossed for you. Hope it all goes well.

Lucy I'm good thanks for asking. I am back at work but am taking it nice and easy and I'm not horrendously busy at the minute which is good. I had a couple of twinges today which may have been hormones or may have been in my head. Trying as hard as I can to stay hopeful.

rowing line in sand is good. A way to move forward.

lissy and keziah let us know how you're doing.

Hope you feel better italian and congrats on finding a donor. :)
Wave to everyone else - am going mad on the second half of my 2ww for the 3rd cycle of IUI. Due to test on Sunday and I have all sorts of pain in my ovaries today - yes, typical of my PCOS body that keeps firing off at odd, random ways.
Just that I have no real symptoms and I know some women have no real symptoms... but in my case, no symptoms = bfn in past so am just desperate for some 'real' sign rather than PCOS body twinges and trips!
Best of luck to all of you across all the different stages that you're at :)

Hi everyone,
Rowing no, we were both born here (DH's Dad and my Mum already having moved over, not together I hasten to add). I have only been to Czech Republic once, to Prague. I loved it. I can't remember sorry (or maybe I never did know) but is your DS from a donor embryo too? In all honesty, loads of children look nothing like their parents or their siblings anyway do they!?
Scrummy I had my progesterone blood test back today from last week - 68, which I think is pretty good. Got AF today (booo) but hardly spotted at all (hurray). Only for 12 hours which is nothing compared to a week of spotting just last month (and also for at least 4 days every month for the last year). Bodies just do the strangest things don't they.
Beginnings how are you feeling?

Italian, Fretfree, Pocket, Womanly, Lissy, Keziah hope you're all OK.

Hi all,
Lucy I completely understand the plans b, c and d. I think we are on c or possibly d, can't remember.
So were you born in Germany, either of you?
Do you know the Czech Republic at all? I'm thinking of flying to Slovakia this time and staying in Bratislava, hoping it will be cheaper and make a change.
I don't mind, but think it would be easier to have a sibling for DS who isn't completely different from any of us. DS looks nothing like me and I'm sure people often consider phoning the police and accusing me of kidnap.
Speaking of plans, AF arrived yesterday or today, or was it last night. Anyway, just ignore me and my confusion, but at least it is a kind of line in the sand for the next treatment.
Of course I have had a complete binge, which is what tends to happen when AF shows up. Feeling very piggy - my tummy hurts, wah!

Thanks Rowing,
Both DH and I are half German, so if it does come to it, I think we might be going to Czech Republic too. We would plan to tell relevant people and the child about using a donor egg, it's more that I wouldn't want DS and whatever sibling he might have to look too different.
Anyway, I should really be trying to be positive about IVF instead of already plotting my contingency plan, but there's a possibility I'l be picking your brains about it more next year!
How are your plans coming on to go back for your next round?

Hi all,
I just lost my post! Grrr! Sorry, my problem, but soo annoying.
I just wanted to say to Pockets and Lucy that we are actually going for double donation: a donated embryo, rather than a donor egg.
We have spent too much already on IVF and can't afford the cost of donor egg ivf, also I prefer the option of a full 'adoption', as I had always planned to adopt, from when I was young.
We are having treatment in the Czech Republic, where the donor's details are anonymous. The main reason is that the clinic has a high success rate and costs less than the UK. Fortunately, the physical characteristics of the Czech donors are a closer match to mine and those of DP than the characteristics of a spanish donor - DP is very fair and nobody in either of our families has brown eyes.
I know that Spain does not operate a policy of anonymity for donors and they would, therefore be more easily traced in the future. The cost in Spain is more than double for donor embryo, I don't know about for donor egg, but it would seem likely that the costs in Spain would be higher. The standards in the big Spanish clinics seem very high. I imagine it would be easier for you Pockets, if the donors were of Spanish origin, to match your physical characteristics.
I know of a number of women who have attended Serum in Athens, but only one who has had a cycle. I don't know about the donor side of things, i.e the origin of the donors or the costs.
I wish I could help more, but will do my best.
Again check FF, there is a big section for women having treatment abroad - I don't know how I would have coped without their help and support.

Hi Italian (woopee i've leard to do bold!!)

Thanks so much for looking out those links - i've printed a few bits out and will read them on the way to work. too tired now.

xx

Thanks for posting Italian. It is a well written and balanced article. The thing is the donor conception network seems to be very biased towards using British donors and I wondered if a similar organisation existed for British women wanting to use a foreign donor?

Ignore me. Looked a bit harder and found it

Rowing where is the immunes thread? Had a look but find it all a bit confusing

Beginnings, very excited and hopeful for you. Hope you can manage to take it easy and stay calm over the next couple of weeks. Will you be at work?

Pocket welcome to the thread. I am about to embark on IVF, but if it doesn't work DE will be my next step. I don't have any information or advice to give I'm afraid, but would be interested in talking about DE as well. I think I would go abroad too (mainly for reasons of speed and higher chances of success). I would like to know where (if anywhere) you can find out a bit more about the women who donate their eggs, to reassure myself that they are making the decision altruistically, and not being exploited. I am worried about the impact on a child coming from an anonymous donor (but in fairness would also be worried about the impact of a child tracing a donor) but would love to know of an organisation who might have suggestions for the best way of dealing with this, particularly as the child gets older.

But first, I'd better focus on my IVF cycle!

I'm feeling calmer than yesterday about it all. This week I'm going to talk to the girls/nurses at ARGC about my concerns re FSH, and also my doctor, but basically I've decided I'm going to take the Humira and just hope my FSH behaves (or also hope that Mr T will treat me with an FSH of 10, 11 or 12 if that's as good as it's going to get). If ARGC can't/won't treat me before the Humira 'runs out' I'll hot foot it over to the Lister. DH and I talked about money and have agreed we'll borrow for now. I still don't think the whole thing is as important for him, but to be fair he's been doing a lot of caring for sick/elderly parents recently so I can see that that is his more urgent concern.

Rowing thanks for tip about FF. Will do that too.

Welcome back from your jollies Italian.

Hi to everyone else x

Welcome Pocket1. I'll leave the experts to talk to you about egg donation but the very best of luck as you join us on the madness that is this journey.

I had a rotten night's sleep. I slept fine for about four hours (sorry lissy and keziah I know that's probably sounds good to you...) and then tossed and turned until I gave up and got up at about 7. The call telling me not to come in never came so we went in for the transfer at noon. Two had made it this far. One was an 8 cell, grade 1 and the embryologist reckoned it would probably have made it to blast but the other was a four cell (should really have been six by today) so we reckoned let's get them both in now to be on the safe side. Given the quality of the 8 cel one I'm allowing myself to be hopeful. We'll see.

Hope everyone has had a good Sunday.