IVF

all my best wishes and positive vibes to miracleabie, bayleaf, oldiemum and anyone else currently in the throes of it all ... hugs CM xx

I've just booked a frozen embryo transfer for this cycle. I had dd after 6 attempts at IVF, but have had no success with the two frozen transfers I've been through in the last year. Wish me luck, please! Good luck and warm thoughts to all going through IVF at the moment.

hi bayleaf, howsitgoing?.Scan was OK today, also good as there was nobody else there at all, so we had DR. all to ourselves. Seem to have lots of follicle so heres hoping for some decent eggs on Thursday morning. I think ET will be Sunday if good news. Dh has taken the week off and is making tea and doing sympathetic faces, so not too bad. Plan to clean the house from top to bottom tomorrow to stop myself going mad.Not looking forward to thurs and occyte removal as i found it really sore last time. Still hope its quick and at least the house will be spotless when i get home! Final Pregnyl injection tonight. Why is the bloody needle SO HUGE!!!!!

HI Miracleabie - glad to hear you haven't got any hideous side effects from the higher dose - Dh's are such a comfort when we're feeling fat and stressed aren't they??? When do you estimate EC to be? I'm still miles off - down reg scan is 10 days away.
Cll sorry your friend had no luck...- look on CARE-ivf.com for the advice that you need on assisted hatching - I'm no expert ( I asked about it and was told I didn't need it so went no further )but plently of people on there are.

Quick update on my friend and bad news. She didn't get pregnant. She has one more try in a couple of months (she paid for three goes for the price of two ie £7500 but with drugs and ICSI it's still an additional £2000 every time - a nightmare for anyone but she's single and broke). Anyway trying to stay positive but she's 42 in July....The getting pg on sixth cycle is encouraging but scary at the same time. Has anyone heard of some laser assisted fertility treatment - something to do with laser thinning of the embryo shell helping implantation? I read about it and was thinking of suggesting it if this next cycle didn't work - supposed to be good for older women? Feel a bit of a fraud getting so caught up in this as it's not me going through it, but she is my best best friend and it's almost as if I can't enjoy my children if she doesn't have one too. My heart goes out to all of you trying and I wish you all the very very best. Will no doubt be back for the next cycle..they say she has to wait at least two months....

Hi bayleaf. how are the jabs going? I have another scan tomorrow should be the final one.Feel so bloated at the moment- can't fit any trousers at all.DH keeps referring to me as the sturgeon.
How much longer do you have to go? I started my jabs on 1st April which just seems like eons ago. I am on 'high'dose this time, but can't say I feel any different.
Hope you are OK.

OH, I see - yes that makes perfect sense now - I was trying to think how blood sugar could be relevant to ttc from the hideous depths of my experience ( too many years spent hanging around on ttc threads ) and couldn't think of anything!
Had my first jab tonight so I feel like I'm really on the road now...

no no - it is beacuse I am diabetic as well bayleaf- don't panic. my blood sugars are supposed to be perfect if i want to concieve on top of everything else. So sorry to panic you- I was just venting.

I don't understand Miracleabie - what do blood sugar results have to do with anything - am I being thick or is there somethign I don't know that everyone else does??? ( Sorry, haven't read whole thread- suppose I should have, am trying NOT to get too addicted to MUmsnet having 'cured' my previous (BAD) addiction and am only 'popping' back rather than spending HOURS here.
Whatever it's about -I'm sorry you're having such a hard time - you really don't need it right now!

oh no feeling vile today.Just been to pre conception clinic and Dr was very hard on me about blood sugar results ( which i thought were quite good considering). Feel totally cut to shreds and cross 'cos i hav been really trying hard. thought he could have been a bit more supportive. maybe I'm just being oversensitive.hate feeling negative like this as it has got to have repercussions.?

Thank you ladies We have to ring the unit next TUes/Weds to find out the Docs reccommendations, then we just pick a date I guess!!

hi bayleaf, thanks for nice message. Hows the sniffing going? I got really bad hot flushes in the middle of the night.How about you? Lots and lots of luck anyway. It is only my second time , but I feel much better this time. sending lots of positive vibes

Hi again,
Hello to Miracleabie - glad to hear you've got lots of follicles - I've learned over my several cycles never to take anything for granted! I can quite understand why you might have a sense of humour bypass though - the drugs don't really tend to improve one's frame of mind in that respect in my experience!
Often there honestly isn't a reason for ivf failure - by spending so much time on ivf dedicated boards I'm a bit of an expert, it really is just a lottery - but then if you don't 'play' you can't win - so we venture onwarsd adn upwards and keep buying the tickets so to speak. Good luck !
And Becki - I've only ever had sedation for my 4 egg collections and they have been absolutely fine - a bit of period pain like discomfort afterwards that you can take pain killers for - but I slept thru 2 of them !
I'm just starting Down reg - EC should be early May.

hi becki
i was told to loose weight too, the same day that i found out i wouldn't be able to concieve naturally. Bit of a double blow, so i really sympathise with you. There are so many other factors however i always think it is a good thing not to just focus on one thing. I have tried really hard to just eat healthily- loads of fruit and stuff instead of concentrating on getting thinner.( I started buying the fancy ones which cost a lot , so it feels like a treat.)I am also trying to deal with diabetes which is a major factor in my ability to get pg and the Diabetes Dr. is obsessed with me doing other stuff, so I'm getting it from all sides.
Don't let passing comments get you down- people can be so thoughtless or are just doing their job I guess.Wish i could send you a big basket of blackberries.

Becki, certainly during the latter stages it was an age thing. I was 36 when I had my first attempt and produced about 15 eggs and it was 'just one of those things' that it didn't work, but by the time I had my 6th I was 40 and only produced 3! They told me before I started cycle no 6 that this had to be my last attempt because I was on the maximum dose of drugs - and, miracle of miracles, it worked!

Thanks Cookie I'm aware that it may never work and that we only get 2 free egg collections of the NHS, but I MUST be positive. And as I said, I'll be no less disappointed no matter what happens.

You said you had a number of goes Cookie. Can I ask if they knew why you had to try so long? Was it an age/health/weight issue or simply just 'one of those things'?

miracleabie, glad to hear your first scan was OK - good luck for Sunday. Also good to hear you're feeling a bit less stressed out - you know you can always come on here and vent when you need to

BeckiF, my IVF was all of the ICSI variety too. I found egg collection was fine - I had a general anaethetic so was blissfully unaware of anything! I seem to remember some pain afterwards - a bit like you've been kicked in the stomach, but it really wasn't too bad at all.
You're right to go into the whole thing with a positive attitude, but at the same time you need to be realistic and accept that it may not work first (or second) time.
Best wishes to you CM x

DP and I have decided that despite my very excessive weight, and on my gynae docs suggestion, that we are going to have an IVF attempt. It will be ICSI. I'm OK about it all, apart from the egg collection, is it as bad as you think it is going to be? Also I've already told dp I am going into it thinking it is going to work because if it doesn't I'll be no less devestated than if I kidded myself if wouldn't or might work.

Just waiting a call back from the unit next week to tell us when they can book us in. I'm so nervous

thanks cookiem & oldie mum. Scan went OK although Dr. was a bit offhand. Still, seem to have lots of follicles which is good news. Have 2nd scan on Sunday . Dh keeps saying 'Eggs for Easter' but I have had a sense of humour bypass. Oh well. One day at a time. Thanks so much for support. Do feel les stressed today.

hi miracleabie, hope your scan went well today. I'm like OldieMum and had 6 cycles of IVF before I had my dd and I agree that you have to take one step at a time and try not to take big leaps into the future iykwim. Just be kind to yourself and remember that you are not 'a bit looney', you are going through a major mental and physical trauma in your life. Hopefully you have supportive family and friends around you .... best wishes CM x

I know how you feel. I had dd after 6 rounds of IVF. My advice is to try not to think ahead much and take each part of the process at a time. I know it's very tempting to think that success at any part of this means success overall, but the hard reality is that most people get to the stage of embryo transfer - things go tend to go wrong afterwards. I wouldn't tell the 8 year-old, because of the odds against it working on any one cycle. Having said that, hugs to you and hope it works!

Heres to anyone doing ivf just now! i am in the middle of 2nd cycle and hve my first scan tomorrow. Anybody got any tips or help on the following: 1- think im going bonkers!!!!!trying not to look at jojobebemaman and ELC catalogue
2-trying to stay calm and have positive thoughts- but finding it hard to sleep
3- should we tell our adopted 8year old what is going on?? and why I am a bit looney t the minute

Hey Bayleaf - good to see you back ... and glad to hear you sounding so cheerful and positive about the next round of icsi/IVF. When I had my successful cycle, collection and implant happened in the week following my 40th birthday so I'll be keeping everything crossed for you!

HI Nerthus.
I'm an 'old mumsnetter' ( in all senses!) I've been off the boards for a while now, mainly because I've had a year of constant ivf and started using the bulletin boards at www.CARE-ivf.com and there's not enough hours in the day to be addicted to two sites. Mumsnet is the best general mums' board around - but in the middle of ivf there's nothing like people going thru the same thing to give you the answers you need, if you have another cycle I can whole heartedly recommend it.
I have a 'natural' daughter aged 3 but since then dh's sperm have stopped swimming so it's icsi or nothing. I've had 3 full ivfs and a FET and will be doing another one in May. I'm having embryo screening next time ( hopeflly, you need a minimum of 6 embryos which has never been a problem before but you soon learn not to take anything for granted in this game...)as I'll be 40 in 2 week's time and it seems increasingly likely that we're putting the ''wrong'' ones back given my lack of success so far.
WE can only cross our fingers and keep signing the cheques!