TTC first baby thread 26

@XjustagirlX We need a copy to look at still but it was like this example attached that I just found on google.

DH’s was
Average 31%
Low 59%
High 0%

So I’m calling low normal because he basically said those 59% are fine and gives us a 6/10 chance almost. He said no advice needed, carry on taking the impryl and proceed to ICSI, basically. I am pleased there’s no additional delay, I might have cried lol

@thislittlebird great news from Ramsay! Is that 59% of no fragmentation at all? We weren’t given a normal %. We just got a high damage and low damage and then the average score. Did he give you any advice? I was told it is usually a 5 day transfer but could be 3.

@XjustagirlX oh that's a shame but hey at least you got through the first injection!! 🎊 it's such a mental battle injecting yourself then after a while you think 'why was I so bothered about this'?
@thislittlebird for us it was a 2 day transfer - only because we didn't have any other eggs to choose from. Average is 3 or 5 day transfer. I'd honestly recommend joining an IVF thread on Mumsnet. It was a life saver for me hearing and learning about it all from other women

@Kiza yeah he’s got to be with me for the EC, I don’t have anyone else to get me home and it’s on the other side of London. How long after EC is transfer normally?

@MIW01 @XjustagirlX we just saw Mr Ramsay and it was finally some good news! Despite the very low motility before his DNA frag was 59% normal and 0% very high, which is great. He said it’s unusual to get such good results with age + low motility but the impryl and ubiquinol must be helping I guess, he’s been on them for a few months now. He had no infection, low oxidative damage and a higher motility and morphology result for the first time in a year. 26% motility and 8% normal forms which is much higher than before. 9% mot and slightly low morph last time (can’t recall what).

Honestly needed that good news, I was on the brink of giving up the way I’ve been feeling lately.

I think The Lister get you in to show injections, I’m sure my friend in the over 35 chat got seen in person so I’m hoping I will be able to see them in person too. I was with Care back in Feb and there was a really nice nurse there, if it’s the London one.

@kiza no we are with care. We just watched cares videos online which showed us what to do. I think it’s a new thing because of COVID.

@XjustagirlX did the clinic not bring you in to teach you how to inject and ensure you're not allowed to leave until you prove you can do it?
To prepare us we went to the pharmacy and got sample needles (the pack they give to drug addicts) and we both practised injecting a plain needle in ourselves and then DP practised injecting it in me so I knew I could trust him. I freaked out a few times during the practise runs but glad I did it

@thislittlebird id recommend someone with you following EC, someone will need to drive you home and stay with you for 24 hours at least due to the sedation. In all honesty I was quite sore after EC and couldn't walk much for a few days, keep on top of paracetamol and a hot water bottle, keep up hydration and ensure you're peeing well to prevent infection. Having him there during this time is probably the best option. If you're not sedated for transfer most women go about their day as usual and try to keep themselves occupied and distracted for the dreaded TWW

@XjustagirlX yeah, I’m hoping so. He told the job when they offered it to him that he’ll need time off for it. If he takes 4 days AL he’ll get 12 off so I guess we can try to time it as near to egg collection as possible.

His sister is a midwife who said she’d help with injections but i have to be in London for scans. It’s a lot to get my head round. Especially being alone and needing to do the trigger shots myself.

Yeah, seeing JR at 3.15. Nervous.

Thanks @MIW01, I appreciate it. I’m not coping well right now, just a lot to wrap my head around. That’s before I even get to dealing with my job/whether I’ll get mat leave if it works, maybe I won’t now if we move, whenever that is. Moving is stressful and I hate change. Shitty six months to one year lies ahead.

My partner is like yours. He’s my rock, and I have a terrible family. My mother hasn’t even offered to help me when I told her I’m doing ivf alone, which is not a shock because I know her, but it never stops hurting that she’s quite this shit.

Holiday was nice for a few days, but then the job interview and offer sort of took over. Was very stressful, wish I’d been home. We did get good weather and plenty of trips to the beach and sea.

I’m also not excited, just anxious for it to work. I’m so scared of it working but then no implantation, or I miscarry and I’m here alone. Need to stop thinking ahead because I’m spiralling into a panic.

Awww big hugs @thislittlebird I am so sorry, being on your own always makes things so much tougher. My fiancée is a huge support in my life. My disabilities impact me a lot and he enables me to be able to live a relatively normal life so I really empathise how important the support of others is and how hard it is not to have it! I hope your appointments go well with Ramsay and hope you enjoyed your holiday and it was a welcome break for you? I know it's not the same but I think we're going through it at similar times, very happy for you to PM if you would like someone to talk to. I have to admit it all feels very surreal with regards to starting IVF treatment and after DH DNA fragmentation results I am keeping my expectations realistic. I definitely don't feel excited, more apprehensive and anxious I think!

@thislittlebird ye he will need to be with you for egg collection because he will need to give his sample. The days might work out on his 4 days off though.

Do you have your Ramsay appointment today?

@XjustagirlX no one seems to have my records so I was screened and didn’t have antibodies, so the ivf clinic needs me to have it. Dose 2 isn’t far away now, I just really wanted to have started already.

He’s going to be six hours away, staying with his parents for now, but he will do 4 on 4 off so we’ll be able to meet up, just not to same me having to go down there and be mega stressed with his parents there. Would rather he came here but it will be only for a couple of days realistically, with travel time built in and long hours when he gets back. I’m trying to time it so he can take leave and be with me for the “worst” part of ivf, but I’m not quite sure what that is yet. Egg collection and results, I guess?

I suspect I’ll be similar to you and find the injecting tough at first, not looking forward to it but glad you’ve mastered it. Well done!

@MIW01 being used to needles is a bonus! The needle bit doesn’t bother me, I’m just very anxious and worry I’ll mess it up.

It takes ages, you have to have two doses a month apart and then can’t do anything for a month after that while rubella is in your system 😭. I have dose 2 on Aug 12. We’re seeing Mr Ramsay today, then the ivf doc on Wednesday (I think, need to check, just got back from holiday). Get the results today, which I’m stressed about, then discuss the plan on Wednesday, I will ask him to confirm when I can start the ivf. My periods are currently the first few days of each month roughly, if I have to wait one month after August 12 I’ll be looking at my early October cycle.

It’s all been so very slow. And I really wanted my husband to be here with me, but his job opportunity is unusual, we’ll be able to move to Cornwall to be nearer his family long term (mine are worse than useless), but it’s potentially a long time to be on my own and going through possible ivf failure alone.

@thislittlebird that’s so frustrating about your MMR. Could you not get access to your medical records in the end to see if you had it as a child? Could you meet up with your husband around ovulation? Or will he be too far away?

I spent over an hour hovering with the needle over my belly. It was mental torture. I attempted different positions. My husband offered to do it but I didn’t trust him not to move around. I felt more in control doing it myself as I didn’t want to pull away.

It was absolutely fine though. Being quite graphic, once it goes through the skin you can feel nothing. The only thing I felt was it breaking through my skin layer. But that didn’t hurt at all I was just aware of it.

I get out the drugs half an hour before. Pinch skin, inject, release drugs, count for 10 seconds, release the pinch then pull out needle. Then pat myself on the back for being amazing 😉

Good luck @XjustagirlX I hope it's not as bad as you think. I have to admit I'm not too worried about that as I have daily injections and regular blood tests for diabetes so I'm used to needles

Sorry to hear things are so tough at the moment @thislittlebird I don't want to stomp on people's happiness but I just can't get behind it right now. That seems an awful long time to wait for an MMR vaccine when they are pretty standard!

@MIW01 I’m also very bitter and twisted and kind of depressed tbh. My husband is moving away for work so I’m not in a good way, I can’t go with him until ivf is done, we can’t even try naturally now, just ivf as soon as the MMR I had to have is done which will probably be late September or early October. I’m tired. Stories like @Kiza’s give me a little hope.

@XjustagirlX I’m so terrified of injecting myself and I will have to now, because DH won’t be here. I really wanted him to do it. Did you find it ok doing the injection?

Do you have to do the trigger shot yourself? I always assumed it was something you go in to the clinic for.

@kiza my husband is really clumsy. He dropped the ovaleap and luckily it didn’t break. I thought about him doing the first injection but I felt more comfortable me doing it.

@Annny27 this last cycle I had spotting from 7dpo. My progesterone has always been normal though. I thought my acupuncture had fixed my early spotting issue.

@XjustagirlX how did it go? I got my partner to do the first few then I started doing them and did pretty well until the pressure of the trigger shot!
@Annny27 great thanks, can't believe I'm almost 29 weeks and he's growing on 97th percentile- so massive! But then his dad was an 11lb baby 😳😳😳
Is it around ovulation time for you? How's the spotting- has it eased off?

So I need to start my ivf injections tonight. Terrified. I haven’t even watched the instruction video yet coz it will worry me.

@Kiza big hugs I'm crying here now 😢 🤣 I really am so, so happy that 1 little egg was your miracle! And so sad that you had to go through all that pain and turmoil. It really is so, so unfair all this sh*t and heartache we suffer for something so many people take for granted. I am happy to admit I am feeling all bitter and twisted about this. I know fiancée and I can use donors and I guess silver lining is donors are cheaper but I still don't ever think you can prepare yourself mentally for that possibility. Just counting down til next Thursday now when I'll call the clinic to say I want to begin the protocol!

@MIW01 I honestly will never forget the moment I went in for my first monitoring scan and she told me I only had 6 follicles left and only 2 had responded to the meds (and I was on the long protocol). I walked back to the car to tell my partner and just sobbed saying how useless my body was and we will have to pay for egg donors but I don't want to and it's just never going to work for us. We both cried and drove home in silence, we thought about cancelling the cycle but thought it's free on the nhs and instead will just learn about my body through this cycle. It was heartbreaking after going through infertility for 2-3 years beforehand and miraculous that the 1 little egg worked out for us with icsi.
I think of you ladies often and send you so much love, hope and baby dust, I still get choked up and teary remembering the pain and heartbreak of the journeys we've all been through, life is shit and so unfair at times xx

@XjustagirlX that is exciting you got your message sent! Let me know how you're finding it all. Sorry you're anxious about the EC because the tilted uterus. I'm really worried that they won't find any eggs @Kiza after my AFC and other tests but I have hope from your story that all you needed was that 1! I've got my protocol list. Fiancée and I have been through and worked out some rough dates as he's the 1 driving to and from the clinic and we did calculate that absolute worst case scenario the ET (assuming we get that far) may happen when we're due to be at Longleat Center Parcs! Really hope it's all over before then though.

@Kiza your story sounds great. Hopefully I too will just wake up with it all over. Although hopefully in my state I’ll remember to tell them I’m gluten free so not to feed me toast haha.

Thank you you have reassured me so much

I’ll ask about ET and a trial run or see if I can be sedated for that.

I found out today that the other hospital I could have selected are not doing GA or sedation for ivf ‘coz COVID’. They are doing an injection into the spine. I’m glad I picked this hospital instead.