Excellent (or should that be eggcellent?) egg buddies! Anyone having IVF/ICSI in April/May/June 2013 come and join us!

Don't ask me, Motor, I drink gallons of caffeine Maybe google what is best for a healthy uterus and blood supply? 'cos it doesn't matter how shit our eggs are

Can I ask if any of you have any tips on how I could be preparing my body and optimising my chances of success with DE IVF? I figure that while I am waiting to be matched, I should be doing some prep!

Wow. They unblocked both her tubes?

Euro, did you ever have a HSG/lap & dye? I keep reading how blood (and stuff) from a mc can travel backwards up the fallopian tubes causing blockages. This can even happen from normal menstruation where some blood flows in reverse. I've never had an STD so fuck knows how I've managed to get a blocked tube. I swear it's the miscarriage.

Hello all!! Sorry, been busy with dd's birthday. Haven't read through properly but congrats to crisps!! How amazing

Af is here now, arrived on Friday. DR scan on Wednesday. Nervous.

Girls who are having IVF on the NHS. How long did it take from the appointment where you were told you would have to have IVF to actually starting the process?

Thanks keep , will do. Am stupidly happy but also ow mentalling and want to e further along like now! Ringo sends his love to all though!

Cheers for the PM, jewcy

jewcy what tests/procedures were you sent for ? To be honest, all my NHS consultant wanted to do was give me clomid. Faking useless. If they found anything with you, we're they able to correct it ? X

Nokkie, I blame last year's ERPC entirely for my infertility; before the miscarriage I was an instadiffer I honestly can't believe the amount of women who are left subfertile/whatever after a medically managed mc. Anyway...que sera and all that horse shit

I honestly assumed every woman having IVF had first of all been 'explored'. I, too, am self-funded but my GP sent me for all the necessary tests and investigations through the NHS. I have a lot to be thankful for.

I'm in contact with two ladies on FF who are currently in Brno at the ReproGenesis clinic. Their embryos are doing brilliantly at day three and it gives me so much hope for my own cycle. I know that no two cycles are the same but so much good news is coming out of ReproG at the moment

crisps!! Congratulations! Brilliant news. Good luck for the next few weeks, and join us here if you like.

buzz I felt starey out of the window bonkers and my body temperature went up and down more times than a hookers thong. It drove me mad. Good to hear you are feeling positive though. Xx

crisps there is only one name you need. Ringo Crisps. If it's two, which other Beatle will it be ?

motor you sound like you're in no mans land too my love. I know it's hard but do come on here to talk things through if you need to. At least they have given you something to work towards though. Try not to think of two months as being some sort of purgatory but time to prepare yourself. It's hard, all this, so go easy on yourself.

jewcy because I had relatively normal but short-ish cycles (24 days with the odd weird 19 day cycle last year) they assumed that my uterus was ok until they started treatment. It was only when I was stimming and had a scan to see if I was ready that they delayed EC for a couple of days to see if my lining would get a bit thicker (it was 6.5 mm and they would like to see it at 8mm or more at that stage). They then couldn't measure it again before ET as the trigger shot changes the lining (this is from my consultant so I am taking it as read). As it was my first cycle and they had no real reason to think that anything was wrong, they didn't think it was necessary to put me in for it before my cycle. There is a bit of controversy with putting women in for a hysteroscopy before treatment if you are self- funding as it's £2,000 at guys (probably more elsewhere) and could be perceived as a bit of a money making scam because there isn't always something wrong in there. I just wonder if I should have said something before my cycle, as my acupuncturist said last year that my cycles were probably too short to support an embryo as the extra four days (to take me to a 28 day cycle) could make all the difference. She did get me to 28 days towards the end of the year but by then we were gearing up for treatment. I think that they learn so much from the first cycle if it doesn't work that you can think 'well why the frig didn't you do that before'. Thing is, they don't know either, until you actually go through it. They also think there could be some scarring from my D&C after my MC bit until they have a peek, they won't know.

So, upshot is, more dildocam action for moi. I think we all feel as though our lady gardens are less our own and more of a tourist attraction right now so one more sesh won't matter !

Blimey, crisps, who would have thought with all that damage in and around the womb you could have had this unbelievable miracle; that's what it is, a wonderful, wonderful miracle. It's more than heartening to know that implantation can and does happen even in the most hostile of environments I hope you don't mind me putting like that.

Thanks, buzzy and euro, for explaining downregging. So..my Cyclo-Progynova (which I have been led to believe is a HRT drug) is not for downregging then. Am I right? Do I get to skip that part? I've been told I start oestrogen drugs eighteen days into the HRT.

I'm over the moon for you, crisps, thank you for giving us hope

Ah thanks my lovelies. We are now trying to not get too excited just in case fuck it, already have a list of potential baby names on my phone

jewcy endometriosis is graded in stages 1-4, 4 being the worst. This means all of my lower organs are fused by adhesions...think ovaries, womb, bladder, bowel etc. fun times not. This coupled with the ops I have had to repair the damage has left me almost(!!!!) unable to conceive. Ivf...this was cycle four...long protocol...gonal-f stims.....had 9 follies, 7eggs, all mature, 4 fertilised (John, Paul, Ringo and George to the ladies on here), transferred 2 5-day blasts. Got my BFP 14 days after ovulation, I.e. 9 days after transfer. I do have an awesome miracle Dd who is 3 from a previous cycle. Thank every God and angel for fertility treatment! I like to think that this one is Ringo personally as I drum in a rock band! Praying for stickiness now x

WAHOO crisps on your BFP I did worry about scarring etc but now i'm not going to give it a second thought

nokkie I am so sorry you are feeling low, its such a shit time and it feels never ending at times, you time to be a mum will come soon, you're just having to do it hard way but you'll get there in the end

jewcy I have not had a lap or a hysteo either, I did take a downregging drug to get my cycle into line with my donor before starting the progynova. It just makes you feel 'weird' as in not yourself, I was so forgetful, good job I have a name tag for work

motor no real advice but would suggest that your DH rights down his fears and what is the worst thing that could happen, sometimes when you see it in writing it isn't as scary as it first appears, my LC made me do this with my situation, she made me realise that my biggest fear is that I would be childless, but even if that happens, there are so many other amazing things/people in my life that I will survive and carry on. I also came up with other plans too like adoption, fear can rob you of your dreams, sometimes you have to face the fear and do it anyway.

Well I decided that I would like this coming Friday off so went o check the work diary only to see that I had already booked it off but had forgotten in my DR haze so only 4 more days of work, I still feel a bit all over the place and do find it hard to focus at times but i'm not thinking about the IVF either. I'm feeling kind of good about things almost excited but I think its more relief that no matter what happens the end is in sight for us, this is the last year of TTC. Our biggest concern is the cat and who will look after her and what she will eat etc

waves to everyone else

crisps just got in from the pub ( well, we are in between cycles so I feel no guilt whatsoever ) to this lovely news. Wow. I am so happy for you. You've had such a battle to get there so it is well deserved. Well damn done ! And on the job too. My Bessie mate is a teacher so I know a little of what you go through. Massive congrats. Xx

Crisps - absolutley over the moon for you!! Congratulations!

crisps, what is 'stage four' endo and where, exactly, did you have it, please?

crisps, I could kill you for making us wait until the middle of your gargantuan post for this frigging fantastic news! Well done, love! You must feel on top of the world - and your job news is super. What a treat to be getting such a rise in pay, really well done.

Can I ask for some details re your IVF, please? What day transfer did you have and how many embies (and what stage of development were they?) How many days past transfer did you get your BFP? Am I right in thinking you already have a child borne of IVF?

Incredible, lovely news

So good to hear from you crisps- f*#king brilliant news!! So pleased for you, and your good news brings inspiration to me and all other aspiring mothers! Can't wait to hear all your updates!
jewcy yes, we're 2 years married, though I don't know whether you'd call that recent or not! We'll get through, I have faith.

Hello all! Sorry for being AWOL this week, it was partyly due to me having a mad mad week and also partly because I need to try not to think about the elephant in the room during the 2ww. The next bit will be a bit long and a bit me me me (apologies in advance) but have had a bloody awesome week so hoping to spread some positivity and good vibes.

Had huge horrific massive interviews Mon and Tues for an Assistant Head post...(am 31 and in the possession of ovaries even if they don't fucking work very well so this was a long shot...) anyhoo...I got the bloody job!! Which means a huge pay rise which will make a massive difference to us and our mountain of IVf debt. So that started my week off fabulously! Wednesday found out about the job and also one of my school teams won a regional competition...boring story for non-teachers but a huge deal for them so was v happy by this point.

Started out with a distinct lack of symptoms since ET...no implantation bleeding, no veins, no metallic taste etc. Felt absolutely nothing! Had a few AF type aches but that is normal for all cycles I think. A few scratching feelings inside I think but could have been making them up tbh.

.... But from Monday started feeling so sick that I actually was a few times each morning...and by Friday felt so rotten that I just took a test (OTD is Wednesday).....and guess what readers...

BFP!! BFeffingP!

Faint but definitely there. Took another this morning...stronger line this time. Against all odds, after four cycles, three operations, selling our campervan and putting up with years of everyone else's opinions I am actually up the bloody duff! So it's early days for us (think I must be about four weeks) and we still have a very long way to go and we don't plan on telling anyone except our parents, but for now we are ecstatic and grateful and trying to get our heads around the fact that for once something has actually worked. Can't bloody believe it...we had genuinely got to the point of thinking it would never ever ever happen. Thanks for all of your support, I really do think that staying positive throughout the whole thing has helped.

AMH of 4, failed cycles, stage four endo, scar tissue from a million ops and low confidence from the docs...ha! What do they know?

So how is everyone?
tortie any sign of the elusive AF?
noks stick with it....everyone is better when they have a plan and some action to aims towards. I really hope that happens for you.
buzzy have everything crossed, am excited for you(iykwim)
euro how's tricks?
< waves at motor jewcy scarlett>