35+ TTC#1 Thread 4

Thanks for the kind words @MrsRRC...From your mouth to God's ears 🤞🏻 I'll keep you all posted.

Sorry to hear about your bfn @EsaBel remember that you are not out until AF shows, hope it stays away🤞🏻

Ah thanks @Kescilly.

Well that is encouraging news on the scan front, Fingers crossed for more positive news from your other results 🍀 🤞🏻

Tested yesterday morning and again last night and BFN :( so discouraging...still cramping here and there and had a headache almost all day yesterday, which is the first sign AF will arrive at the end of the week ...hope you all get your BFP.

Ah I missed some messages earlier, sorry! We had the scan and they said everything was within range. But they gave us a measurement of 2.9 which looks like it’s on the high side.

We don’t get the risk results for a couple weeks so we will have to wait and see what happens when it’s combined with the blood test. Or if the Harmony test comes back sooner, that would be great!

@MrsRRC the Harmony test is a form of NIPT. It’s not routinely offered on the NHS though it’s starting to come out in some areas. The NHS generally offers an NT test when you have your twelve week scan.

@BambiOnIce80 I think they probably are. I am such a regular cycle, no pmt sort of person. Massive respect to all the ladies that feel like laughing and crying at the same time whilst eating a family sized bar of dairymilk at some point during their cycle every month.

@79andnotout it sounds like your proactive approach will pay off quite quickly, which is cautiously exciting 🍀

I had a quick read about the harmony test, is this more conclusive than the NIPT testing - I really don’t know much about it at all. I can definitely see a margin for error with it generally and combined with human error it doesn’t sound entirely reliable.

@Kescilly - not really sure! Will see what the first round digs up. If it's a disaster we might just call it a day. If it goes okay but they spot obvious improvements in the procedure and recommend another go, then we'd do that. But not really sure how many we could feasible fit in before I turn 40 anyway, and whether once I turn 40 I am no longer eligible for more. Hmm.

@BambiOnIce80 - sounds like you'll be getting a cat!!

Thanks @79andnotout @Kescilly

@Kescilly got my fingers crossed for you 🤞🏻 Xxx

@MrsRRC I don’t have enough data to say conclusively, but I did have a look back and there were a few times I ovulated late and then had longer cycles. My luteal phase wasn’t consistent though.

@79andnotout that’s exciting that things are moving forward! How many rounds of IVF would you consider?

@Kescilly - that may be the case but also humans make mistakes. I worked in a lab for ten years - fuckups can happen (quite easily). Fingers crossed for your appointment this afternoon though. Is it an instant thing?

@Oxted2018 and @79andnotout my husband is the one that does breakfast for the cat, so the furry alarm goes directly for him in the morning! Lets me sleep in a bit.

Originally I was okay, but now I'm kind of freaking out about my failed Harmony test. I looked into it and there is a correlation, basically those who fail the first time have a higher chance of the various trisomies. This doesn't happen in all the cases but I now feel like I've got an increased risk and I'm regretting telling family about the pregnancy this weekend.

I've got my NHS scan for NT testing in two hours so I'll have to see what they come up with.

@MrsRRC - if my ovulation is late then AF is late. My luteal phase is 11 days unless there was something going on with me that month (illness or something).

@Oxted2018 - that's good news about your scan. WRT IVF, I have another appointment with the gynae (waiting for it to come through), although he said in the letter he will refer me straight on for IVF if we meet the criteria (age, BMI, non-smoking, no other kids, no STDs/AIDS, together minimum a couple of years). Depending which one I get referred to (I've been given recommendations of the best NHS clinics by my friend who has seen them all), I think it's quite fast, probably looking at the first quarter of next year. We win the IVF lottery in our area though, it seems to come top of the lists in terms of wait times and number of goes. So, I'm guessing Feb/March? Will prob try and delay it by a couple of months so we get a good few more months of trying naturally first. But, it does make me feel happy to know the wheels are in motion and we'll have done all we can before my 40th birthday!

Also because my ovulation was late I am having to do the full 20 cbfm sticks this cycle - I know I could have stopped after the first peak but the sticks are showing a slight lh surge over the last 3-4 days so I am sticking with it to see where that goes.

Just chipping in on the cat chat 🐈 we were going to get a rescue but then we went on holiday, had family drama and started ttc so I think we’re going to wait and if plans come to fruition we’ll get one while I am on Mat leave. I had cats as a child and we were not allowed to have them in our bedrooms at all. I am allergic to cats but owning one seems to desensitise me a bit so you might find that too @BambiOnIce80

In other news, I am having a weird cycle after my cp, I am not certain but I think I might have ovulated twice, once earlier on around cd 7 and again (very painfully) around cd 16. I’ve been having twinges in my lower stomach over cd21-22 and quite achy boobs though only in afternoons but obviously these symptoms could just be how my cycles will be from now on, altered by the cp.

I also had a bit of an emotional meltdown yesterday - I feel like I don’t know myself. I am notoriously grumpy and not usually a teary person at all!

I’m not sure when af is due because of my wonky ovulation but at the latest it’ll be 1st of December, but if it’s a regular 30 day cycle then it’ll be 26th of November.

I am very tempted to test again but after last time, I am a bit scared to. Part of me thinks that if I test early and have another co, at least I’ll know that there may (potentially) be an issue and I can start getting it looked into.

Do you all find that if you ovulate late then af is late or does it arrive on time?

We also have the furry alarm! My dog sleeps downstairs but once he is awake he will whine and then he is let up to join us on the bed for a bit. He does hog the duvet though!!

@79andnotout - good to hear things are moving and IVF is on the horizon. How long does it take to get to that stage after first going to the doctor?

I went for my exploratory ultrasound today and they said everything looked fine except for a small cyst on one ovary which I won't worry about too much. She did at least confirm that I had ovulated so I'm pleased about that even though I was sure that I was - it's just nice to have the confirmation.

"To be fair, him and his ex had 2 dogs, 5 cats and 4 ferrets that he was at the vets with monthly, so he's understandably a bit cautious about going back into pet ownership 😏"

Wow, that's worse than me! We would definitely have more pets if I had my way, but none that smell. I'm assuming ferrets stink! One of the reasons I got a greyhound is because they don't smell and are very clean, always washing themselves like cats. Unfortunately I forgot to factor in her stinky breath. They have terrible teeth (they get fed all sorts of crap by their trainers in their racing years).

That cat litter sounds great. If we are in need of any again if our cats are ill I'll give that a go. We back onto a railway line (right next to a station so very low speed) and the cats use that as their toilet. I can see them crapping while I wait for the train sometimes!

Waiting until after IVF info is sensible. I've been told the same about dog number 2 from the OH. I know he is right.

@Kescilly - we have the furry alarm clocks too. I just wish we could set them for a bit later, especially on the weekend!

@BambiOnIce80 I think the corn litter is called Maizy - you can flush it down the loo. I used to get it on Amazon but it stopped being available recently. Now using 'the worlds best cat litter' which has a bold name (!) but is as good if not slightly better than Maizy - can flush it and it clumps. Less smell than catsan etc.

My cats are indoors! They were adopted as adults and had never been outside so they don’t care. We use this brilliant litter that never smells because you scoop at the clumps, it’s made of corn 🌽🌽🌽.

Russian blue cats have quite plush fur with lots of undercoat, I probably wouldn’t recommend for you Bambi.

Thanks @79andnotout. :)

We don’t actually keep the cat out of the bedroom! I’m not allergic to him so he comes in and wakes us for his breakfast and is our little furry alarm clock. I just thought it might be useful for those who do have allergies.

My cats are outdoor beasts. One of them just comes in for about fifteen minutes a day sometimes! One of them comes on walks when we walk the dog.
Good luck with the scan @Kescilly.

Good work in the weight loss @PixieN . I love my food too. I have to do a lot of exercise to counter the food and booze. My trainer has made me count calories and try to eat more protein, 1300 calories a day. It's not been that bad actually.

Thanks @BambiOnIce80 - yeah looking forward to getting on the ivf train - think it will be early next year or something. Fingers crossed I get pregnant before though, would save the nhs some cash!

@Russkispy sorry to hear about the bfn. Good luck in the ivf. Keep us informed how it's all going.

Can't believe you all have pet free bedrooms! We always have at least two pets in the bed at night whether we want them or not. I think our house is quite cold so they all pile in to the warm spots.

@BambiOnIce80 my cat is an indoor cat for several reasons and he’s always been fine with that. We let him out in the garden now that we have a house and it’s surrounded by brick walls, but we only do this when we are out there too. I just don’t want to risk him getting lost or hurt. I think it’s partially a cultural difference between the US and the UK.

@Carley321 do you mean my chart? That was just me being a nerd and plotting things in Excel. The Fitbit app is great but won’t track based on your cycles. I only did it retroactively as I was curious.

@Oxted2028 welcome back! Hope the time away did you some good. :)

Just catching up 💕.

@BambiOnIce80 I’m excited for you prezzie too 👍. I’ve done a bit of research and you are right, heart-rate can infact go alongside other ways to confirm a fertile window and ovulation. So il be keeping my eye on that. How was your fancy meal? Nice wine I hope 👍.

@Kescilly ooo that is fab. Is it a separate app to the actual fitbit app? I can’t find it on my original fitbit app.

Incase any one fancies a look at the info i came across on heart rate and fertility.
www.google.com/amp/s/amp.livescience.com/59279-heart-rate-fertility-tracking.html

@Kescilly good luck with the 12 week scan. Try not to worry to much. Easier said I guess!

@PixieN being little isn’t always a good thing. I’d do anything for a bum and chunkier legs (I won’t go near a skirt unless abroad lol). Well done on the loss of a stone. I’m defo defo starting the gym next week (to destress if nothing else).

@BambiOnIce80 I can’t comment on the cat situation, we have 2 dogs 🙈 also DP is allergic too. But good luck with getting DP on board and picking the right one for you.

Welcome back @Oxsted2018 😊. We have been ttc since May too. And also thinking of booking the docs just to get some advice. I’m not completely happy with my surgery though, I’m yet to find a doctor I feel happy/ comfortable with.